Interracial Dating: Erin Goldberg 7

The topic of interracial dating is one that I actually have a bit of experience in. I myself identify as white, however, my past two relationships have been with people of mixed race (a black man and an Asian woman). They were both completely different experiences beyond the fact that they were with members of different genders. The last guy that I ever dated was half African American and half white, but he identifies as black. One of the most distinct things I remember about my relationship with him was that he was always making note of how he liked to date "white women" and that we were like "salt and pepper." I never enjoyed how he seemed to view our relationship as something like a novelty or a joke, and I would often ask him to stop pointing out the racial differences between us. However, to him, being in an interracial relationship was something worth pointing out. It was a large part of why our relationship eventually ended (well that and the fact that he was a guy). My most recent past relationship was with a female who was half German and half Korean, but she tended to side more with her Asian ancestry. In this interracial relationship, the problem wasn't that she was dating a white woman. Instead, the cultural problems we faced were that she was simply dating a woman at all. The Korean community frowns on homosexuality, and it was often a problem I faced while talking to members of her family and family friends. There were moments where I felt shunned away.

To me, being in an interracial relationship isn't something to make a fuss over. In fact, if I go through my whole dating history, I've never been with anyone who identifies as the as the same "race" as me. However, I understand how relationships with mixed races can face problems. There are always different cultures, traditions, and rules that can conflict in these relationships. I think, however, that if you like someone, race shouldn't have to be a defining factor in the relationship.