Something has been really bothering me about the Rachel Dolezal story and it doesn't have anything to do with her

I've been really struggling with this story since it broke. Yes, it's got strange elements to it. And yes, it is hard to understand her motivations. And yes, it is getting way more media attention than it should -- in my opinion.

But I keep asking myself, what harm has she done? And the answer in my mind is none. In fact many of the people who've worked with her at the NAACP in Spokane speak highly of her work and accomplishments and stand behind her advocacy record.

I suppose what has bothered me most about this story is the fact that it is her parents who went out of their way to expose her. Why? Who was she hurting? Why would they humiliate her and turn her life upside down like this? What kind of parents would do such a thing? Certainly NOT loving parents in my opinion.

And why has the media been so obsessed with this? And in all the wrong ways?  Well today I finally found the piece to the puzzle that makes this story make sense to me and I am posting it below. It is a segment from the Stephanie Miller radio show with guest Tina Dupuy (and if you do not know Tina's history, google her name with search words AA and cult). Tina recognized what made this story so tragic right away and it is NOT Rachel, but Rachel's parents, just as I'd suspected. As mentioned in the radio segment (which starts talking about Rachel Dolezal at the 3 minute mark), Tina also wrote an article on this subject and is well worth the read. And the radio segment is here:



I may take some flak for saying this, but I am going to say it anyway. To hell with hurt feefees. I believe with all my heart that for many children living in fundamentalist or crazy religious families, it is a living hell. Ask any one of the many glbt children who've been thrown to the streets how kind and loving their "good Christian" parents were. I see these kids every month at our support meetings. And when I first heard about Rachel Dolezel, my gut got that same sick feeling I get when I see these broken, lost kids come through our doors each month.