‘Transracial’ man was born white, identifies as Filipino

Despite being born white, a Florida man says he feels more comfortable leading life as Filipino.

Ja Du, formerly known as Adam, said he considers himself to be “transracial” — a term that describes someone who was born one race or ethnicity but identifies as another.

He claims to have come to the realization after learning about Filipino life for years. From a young age, the Tampa resident said that he was drawn to the country’s food and traditions, according to news station WTSP.

“I’d watch the History Channel, sometimes for hours, you know, whenever it came to that, and you know, nothing else intrigued me more but things about Filipino culture,” Ja Du told WTSP.

Besides the name change, Ja Du said he embraces the new identity by driving a purple Tuk Tuk.

Ja Du said that he worries how others will react to him living as a Filipino man, but wants people to understand he’s sincere.

“Whenever I’m around the music, around the food, I feel like I’m in my own skin,” he said.

Ja Du’s transracial identity is not the first case to garner media attention.

Former NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal made headlines in 2015 when she was outed as a white woman who for years passed herself off as black.

“If I would have had time to really, you know, discuss my identity,” Dolezal told the BBC. “I haven’t identified as African-American. I’ve identified as black. And black is a culture, a philosophy, a political and social view.”