earlier this year i took a genetic test and checked a box for "ashkenazi jewish" — the first time in my 34 years on this planet that i've had the option to present myself as anything other than "white/caucasian".

i noticed it at the time and moved on, but it seems more significant right now. the idea that a handful of boxes on a form should represent the totality of our identities — rather than being a starting point for discussion — is patently ridiculous and we don't have to entertain it.