Mixed Race and Birth Certificates - Which Box to Check?

[Anonymous]

My child will be mixed race (half Asian, half white) and I'm wondering if I will have to check a box for race when I fill out the hospital paperwork and other forms. I will be delivering in Virginia and I don't know if they have a category for "other". Even if they do have an "other" category, am I allowed to chose either white or Asian anyway. What have others done in this situation?

[zumbamama]

Oh I've dealt with this my whole life. Here's what I do:

If it doesn't say check one box only, I check white and Asian/Pacific Islander.

If it does say check one box only and there is no "Other", I check Asian or Pacific Islander.

If it has the "Other" box, I check that and write "Human." That's my favorite.

[Anonymous]

My child is also a hybrid but I don't recall filling out any gender/ethnicity form like that. Mine was DC born so maybe it's different, but the hospital sends the request directly to the state health office.

[Anonymous]

Mine too- born in DC and a HAPA. I don't recall filling out any info self identifying either for the DC birth certificate.

[Anonymous]

I don't remember checking a box, but then again I didn't fill out the form myself, the hospital staff did it for me. I just looked at DCs VA birth certificate and it doesn't have any race listed for her or us.

[Anonymous]

No boxes checked for our kids, either (in VA), but when we do have forms that have those boxes, we always check the two races that are my children.

[Anonymous]

I didn't check the box for my son. Just left it blank and they still sent the birth certificate. We're in VA.

[Anonymous]

DS was born in VA but we live in DC. We did have to mark only one box, and although I'm white and DH is hispanic, according to the country where he was born he is classified as 'white', which we find strange and funny. Because of that, we had to check the 'white' box for DS.

[Anonymous]

"according to the country where he was born he is classified as 'white', which we find strange and funny. "

actually the strange and funny is that in the US Hispanics are consider a race. They aren't, you can be white hispanic, black hispanic, indian hispanic, but not just hispanic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child will be mixed race (half Asian, half white) and I'm wondering if I will have to check a box for race when I fill out the hospital paperwork and other forms. I will be delivering in Virginia and I don't know if they have a category for "other". Even if they do have an "other" category, am I allowed to chose either white or Asian anyway. What have others done in this situation?

Like PP, I have dealt with this all my life, and, Yes, you are definitely allowed to choose either white or Asian, whatever you prefer.