Review of The Rachel Divide (2018) by Brian M — 22 Jun 2018

First, people can dress and be whoever they want. However, they can't pretend to be something and force others to go along with it. There is a double standard with so many. Transgenders and others who suffer from gender dysphoria are celebrated, even get the woman of the year (Bruce Jenner, even though he is a man), but Rachel is shunned by everyone.

The movie definitely was more than sympathetic to her and tried to normalize transracial. Not surprising from Netflix.

The documentary was a bit disjointed. It took about 45 minutes to get some basic facts like she was brought up with several adopted black kids, that she was married to a black man, instead of her kids being adopted. To me, that wasn't and shouldn't have been a plot point or a reveal. It should have come in the beginning so you are not confused throughout. It took an hour to figure out one of her kids was adopted.

You don't become another gender or ace just because you feel like it. You can dress like it, but there are so many implications for identifying as another gender or race and not being honest with yourself and others about your true being is problematic.

She even at one point tries to argue why we are obsessed with DIFFERENT races (saying just one human race), but then insist she is black (a different race). a total contradiction.

People with race/gender identity issues should deal with them psychologically because that is what they are. If you can't find some way to live with who you are born as, find a way to live the way you want to be, but don't get to have others to accept you if they don't want to. You shouldn't be the victim of violence because of it, but if you choose to live a certain way, there will be consequences. It's part of life.

The film presents the opposing views as an onslaught of intolerant positions. The most frustrating thing was that all the legitimate questions raised by callers, audience members, radio and tv hosts etc, were never answered. The movie was too long and was too repetitive.

I learned there is a lot of shame that is the basis for dysphoria. I think most people at one point have questioned their own identity, but it is coming to terms of who you are that is freeing, not rejecting it. She is not a bad person. She means well. She is just not honest and she is delusional and it obviously affected others that didn't want to be a part of it. She is, however, an amazing painter.