There's a cognitive dissonance here. We want people to be able to define themselves.....but we don't want someone like Chet Haze taking advantage of our framework by claiming victim status for an identity that he does not (by our perception) 'truly' identify with.

So why don't we sacrifice the rule that we HAVE to take people at their word?

If a trans person stands to gain something tangible (ie they are a 'born male' who wants to compete in ladies basketball) then it's OK if we question their motives? If a white person wants to identify that they're black because they romanticize a perceived victim-status in doing so....then it's OK if we question them.

Perhaps the problem is that we didn't leave room to call people out when we think they are manipulating our framework. I can't see any tangible reason why Caitlyn Jenner would proclaim a new identity other than that she genuinely feels that way. So I have no reason to question her sincerity. But that doesn't have to be the case. We should feel free to call bullshit when we see it.