LIFE

Trans-species: what it is and what would happen if you are recognized as one

The Latin American Post Staff June 21, 2019

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The case of a British man who claims to be a Dalmatian and asks to be recognized as transpecie has caused a media scandal

Tom Peters caracterizado como un perro dálmata

Tom Peters, a 32-year-old British man, asked to be recognized as the first trans-species as he considers himself as a Dalmatian dog. Spot, as he decided to call himself, walks on all fours, eats concentrate, barks and sleeps in a doghouse.

Leer en español: Transespecie: te contamos qué es y qué pasaría si te reconocen como uno

This man uses a disguise and a mask to resemble the appearance of a Dalmatian. To know what it is to be a trans-species, we consulted the Colombian psychiatrist Darío Quimbay, who in an exclusive interview with LatinAmerican Post explained us more about this phenomenon.

The first thing that comes to mind is that Peters could suffer from mental illness. For this reason, we asked Quimbay if it is indeed one. The psychiatrist says that "it is not a mental disorder, it would be a mental disorder if it were within the classifications that currently exist. It is a delirium, a delirium is something that affects the reality of which a person is convinced. It is not a disease, it is a symptom of a disease."

Here, it is worth making a clarification: according to Quimbay "technically, trans-species is a logism. What does this mean? The transspecies, biologically, are nonexistent. It would involve combining the DNA of a person with an animal or an animal with another species and biology teaches us that the outcome or product is impossible and would not be viable. That is to say that the transpescie, from the medical technical point of view, do not exist".

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For Spot or Peters to be recognized as a Dalmatian dog is part of a growing trend. Quimbay explains that "there is already an antecedent, in August 2018 a woman had already requested this recognition and biologically it is impossible". The psychiatrist says that "it is an eccentricity. In my opinion, he is a person who has a taste for disguises and wants public recognition for that." In addition to the fact that in theory this term does not exist, it must be clarified that this phenomenon "is not comparable with transgender".

What would happen if they recognize him as transspecies?

In this matter we are speculating, because there has not yet been a case in which a human being is recognized as being of another species. This is a gray area, because it is not clear if he would lose his identity as a human being and would be exclusively a dog. In the case of being so, Spot would be "degraded" and lose several rights that are exclusive to humanity, just as it would not have to comply with the duties of the human being. For example:

It would not have nationality
It would not have access to social benefits like subsidies
It could not vote
It could not occupy government positions
It could not enter places other than petfriendly ones
It should not pay taxes
It could not get married
It would not have the right to property
In case of having children, they could not be legally recognized by their father
It should have an "owner" responsible for its actions
If it does not have its identification card, it could be taken to the kennel