I am what some people would call a "white-passing" Latina. I would be rich if I were given a penny every time I read or was told by an SJW that me being white passing means I'm just white and my life experiences are the same as everyone else who is white.

Since I was a child, I wasn't white enough for the white kids but also wasn't Puerto Rican enough for some of the Latino groups in my neighborhood which led to not truly fitting in anywhere. My father, who is definitely not white-passing, was ashamed of his identity so we were only allowed to speak Spanish with family. He'd say things like "I don't speak Spanish!" despite it being his first language and speaking it constantly. He married the "ideal" white woman just to get away from his own heritage. He was constantly the punchline of jokes from other boys in the neighborhood who made fun of how he spoke or spelled words.

I was the girl with the "ethnic" lunches, the one with the "unruly" hair that was the butt of jokes unless I hairsprayed or gelled my hair down or flat ironed all the curls out. My mom used to iron my hair on an ironing board, burning my ears often, and I have been turned away from a salon for having "difficult" hair. I grew up feeling insecure about my hair and my body, like when I started developing early and was sexualized before I even reached a double-digit age. As I got older, I tried to fit in more by avoiding the sun, chemically straightening my hair, and staying extremely thin because I was tired of comments about my "Latina ass".

I've had many Latinos come up to me and speak Spanish because they can recognize I am too, yet SJWs claim because I look white I can't claim my heritage. Most white people have asked me "What are you?" or said things like "I knew you weren't white because of your figure/your fiery attitude(ew)". I am much older now and have grown comfortable with who I am but there are still moments where my initial reaction is to hide parts of my identity or feel an urge to conform.

Anyway, in the face of the recent surge of the TRA movement, I've found myself thinking about these "white-passing" statements often. I fully recognize that there is colorism within the Latino community and that I do not face the same challenges as someone who is a non-white passing Latino or however they choose to identify but what really gets me is that there are people, mostly white SJWs, that tell me I cannot claim my own life experiences nor what is in my DNA because to them I appear white at first glance yet men can just self-ID as women and we must repeat TWAW without question. I have seen posts online where people claim that Pete Wentz, Halsey, or other celebrities that are "white-passing" black people should not be able to identify as such because the "one-drop rule" doesn't count, yet the same people scream that transwomen are women and don't see the issue.

I am so tired of the contradictions, the constant policing and dictating, the fear of being "cancelled", using women of color as scapegoats and acting like they are not women or "masculine" women by default, appropriation of indigenous cultures by referencing the concept of two-spirit, telling others what they can or cannot identify as based on their ACTUAL DNA yet saying we MUST accept trans-ideology without question and that biology is nonsense. The goalposts are always moved to suit their agenda; "rules for thee but not for me".

All I can do is hold out hope. I am so thankful for this community.