identity police

English

Noun

identity police (plural identity police)

1. (figurative, somewhat derogatory) A person or other entity who attempts to convince another person, usually one with a marginalized identity, that their identity is invalid or that they do not belong to a group with whom they claim to identify.
   • 1994, M. Annette Jaimes, “American Racism: The Impact on American-Indian Identity and Survival”, in Steven Gregory, Roger Sanjek, editor, Race, page 52:

     The self-ordained Indian identity police have begun to spread rumors and spurious allegations on university campuses and in other institutions about persons whom they claim are imposters "masquerading as real Indians."

   • 2013, Mark Edwin Miller, Claiming Tribal Identity, page 285:

     On the one hand, some observers charged the Cherokee Nation with racism, of being "identity police” by excluding non-enrolled individuals.

   • 2020, Stan Grant, On Identity:

     Identity, even with the best of intentions, falls too easily into the hands of petty tyrants—those identity police who monitor our words and actions, trolling social media to keep people in their lanes, telling us who qualifies to write or read—or monstrous despots who crush love under their boots.

Derived terms

• identity policing