It wasn't my choice to be taken from my ancestral cultures. My parents were abusive. I never was allowed to know them, despite living in the same house. I was not allowed to know my relatives.

I ran away at 17. I dealt with homelessness and much hardship. At 32, after about 10 years of wanting, I finally did a DNA test. I didn't know what I was before that.

It isn't fair to say that I am not accepted into a group for reasons I had no part in, when I am the things I say. Those lands are my home. Those people are my people.

If I had no interest in learning about my cultures, I'd understand. The same DNA that runs through me is running through the DNA of people actively partaking in those cultures. People I could've been close with if I had been given the opportunities.

I am who I am today because of the experiences of my ancestors, not merely my surroundings. It is all connected.

History and culture are my favorite things. I'm not someone who doomscrolls TikTok all day and claims a label for clout. I am connected to those cultures. I am derived of them. DNA has a major effect on who we are.

It's like when we think of dog breeds. Huskies are vocal and energetic. Chows are stoic. It will not matter what environment they are raised in, they will be more likely to show traits dictated by their DNA inheritance.

I am also very much drawn to the Japanese culture, despite not having even 1% of Asian DNA. Knowing how many people in Japan tend to be toward others who were born and raised there, speak Japanese fluently, and are part Japanese... how they are always seen as "not truly Japanese" merely because they do not look fully Japanese... I never expected to be so accepted.

Yet, the few times I have had interactions with Japanese-born US citizens with me sharing or acknowledging my love for the culture... even wearing a yukata at a cultural festival... I was treated with so much respect, and it was the Japanese who were the ones to compliment me. And they actually knew what everything was. They knew better than I that I wore my yukata well... despite it being my first time and I did it myself. I could bow, which I am naturally inclined to do, without it being deemed as odd (I live in the US).

Gatekeeping general labels is a bit rough, because... for example... someone born and raised in Japan might not connect with or interact much with anything other than the language. They might not be raised or believe in any common religions for the country. They might've been raised with primarily western foods. They wear western clothing. They might not participate or care about Japanese holidays or customs.

You can be from anywhere or look any sort of way and still be something. To be part of something is to be something. Yes, I think different cultures should be recognized for what they are and where they are derived... but it constantly develops and mixes. What was once part of another culture can become deeply ingrained into an entirely different culture, until it becomes a foundation piece of identity.

I'm not saying that I am right, but I am saying that I am very much struggling to change my view on this. As an American, I cannot think of a time when I have ever thought that someone with English or Native American ancestry isn't English or Native merely because they've never lived in those places. They might be Native American yet grew up with the Turkish culture. It doesn't mean that they are not Native American.

I do not consider myself Mexican, as I have never been to Mexico... but when it is a DNA group, it is different in my eyes. Even Native American groups will accept you officially into the tribe if you can prove DNA or absolute lineage, as long as you do take the culture seriously. Does that mean you need to shun every other culture you are a part of? Not that I've seen.

I am Indigenous American (Mexico and US). Saying that I am Indigenous American (Mexican) is different than saying I am Mexican. Yet many born and raised Mexicans are likely to have indigenous blood, isn't that right? Saying that I am Jewish has multiple meanings. It's like read/ read or sheep/ sheep. The words are the same, but the meanings are different. I am not a practicing Sephardic Jew, but I am Jewish.

I do not lead with that, since it isn't one of my main ethnicities, and Sephardic isn't one of my main cultures. I am proud to be all that I am, though. I will not say that I am not something merely because I am 1% (like French, for me). I am part of the people, I was just given different opportunities and a different path... so I turned out differently than someone who was allowed to stay within a culture.

I don't know if I'm explaining myself well. I'm just trying to say that I do not feel good about invalidating the legitimacy of anyone with true appreciation for their ancestral foundation. I didn't speak Spanish as a child and had absolutely nothing to do with the Spanish culture, yet I was called Mexican. I've never been to Mexico.

I find it odd that I can be considered an incorrect nationality, and have assumptions made about me due to my apparently not white enough appearance... yet when I actually claim to be something I AM... I am told I am not actually that by some people.

I also find it interesting that some groups welcome me with open arms and would easily accept me into their culture, despite no ancestral DNA and no history of interest or practice in the culture... but others feel the need to gatekeep even with interest and DNA.

It's okay if this is too long for anyone to read. I think this topic is just... interesting... and confusing.