Rachel Dolezal defends ‘transracial Korean’ influencer Oli London

In an interview with TMZ this week, Dolezal spoke words of encouragement to London, who also goes by the name "Jimin," as well as defending her own decision to identify as a black woman that received backlash six years ago.

In response to questions regarding how London identifies, Dolezal said that people’s outrage and energy would be better spent on issued like institutional racism and police brutality, rather than on how people identify.

"The broader issue here is compassion and kindness, and that personal identity is not the big fish to fry when it comes to somebody’s personal choices or how they feel," said Dolezal. "I think that we need to focus on fighting the public outrage issues of police brutality, of deinstitutionalizing racism, those are the issues that I think we need to come together on to fight publicly and to be kinder to people and fight a little bit less on social media against somebody’s personal choices."

Dolezal added that cultural appropriation, an issue that both her and London have been accused of, is very different than identifying as your true self.

"Cultural appropriation is very different from just being authentically yourself. So being true to yourself is a very different journey and experience than stealing somebody’s culture in order to profit or gain from it, there’s a different thing there. And I think sometimes people are confusing those two… it gets caught up in the outrage online," said Dolezal.

In words of encouragement to London, Dolezal said "be you, do what feeds your soul and makes you feel at home and at peace."

"You know who you are, and don’t afford anyone else the right to tell you who you are. Don’t let anybody steal your joy," whether that’s your family or social media, Dolezal added.

TMZ, in response to the outrage Dolezal received over identifying as black, asked if she felt she’s "owed an apology" today.

Dolezal said she wouldn't wish any of what she went through on anybody, adding that it’s been "very challenging" and "very devastating" to her and her family

"I don’t necessarily need an apology, but I would like to be able to go out in society without being shamed and mocked, and participate as a human being and as a mom," Dolezal added. "That would be amazing to just have basic human rights in society and online even."

TMZ also interviewed London, who stated that he respects Dolezal and the work she did for the black community, but only wants to be compared to Jimin.

"I just think that we’re only born once, we should live in the body that we feel like we identify in. So, I’m all for being transracial and I hope that my coming out story as transracial can help inspire millions of other people around the world to be Korean, to be Jimin, or to be whoever they want to be," London continues.

London recently received backlash for "coming out" as Korean earlier this month, receiving 18 surgeries to appear like the Korean pop idol Jimin from BTS, at tone point responding to critics by tweeting "If you can be transsexual you can also be TRANSRACIAL. Why are there such double standards & hypocrisy with people criticizing me for being Korean. It's the same as someone who was born in the wrong body and wants to become a man or a woman. I was actually born in the wrong body!"