Its surprising to me how many people are avidly against this - even more so considering the reasoning. This is been a houserule at so man tables for so long that they put it in a book and theres no reason it shouldnt be an option for this game as well.

"is bad for roleplay" - Anything restricting is bad for roleplay. Removal of this restriction still allows any race purist to play their way without punishing others from breaking from a perceive idea of how they SHOULD be accord to YALL. Lumping an entire group of people together with an assumed idea of how/who they are is not only literally incorrect objectively but, and this may sound dramatic, is LITTERALLY that foundation behind racism, an absolutely archaic idea. There have, are and always will be those who dont fit with most in any given grouping.

"Races should feel distinct" "Race wont be anything other than a skin" - If the combined lore of an entire race and the way you portray it and the world reacts to you due to your lineage isnt more a more distinct experience than where you have your +1 or 2 is, I weep for the rigidity of your roleplay. . Unless RP isnt how you enjoy your game, but many of you keep planting a roleplay flag on this hill. Our world has entire books full of history written based solely upon our reactions to people and how we treated them due to nothing other than physical differences much less cultural. Further if I had to choose between a race feeling more distinct or a players PC being more distinct. Always side with the player feeling unique. I know of no players (though im sure they exist) that want to feel as though they are just like so many others.

Its the often the difference and breaking from sterotypes and the resulting conflict, internal and external that lead to so many compelling stories. Some people want to be like Orlando Blooms Will Turner that may have grown up as a lowly blacksmith but spends hours a day perfecting his craft wielding a blade in secret whenever hes not perfecting his trade making them. He may not have been naturally skilled, but he was obsessed with moving past his station, most importantly to be worthy in the eyes of the world of his love. Without this core motivation/obsession his character does nothing but take a nap, deliver a blade and is forgotten after minutes of screen time - or he dies fighting jack sparrow lol


TLDR;
Its optional, if youre a race stat purist play your way. Stop denying other people more ways to play that have no bearing on your game
If a more diverse world encouraged by lack of racial stat punishment doesnt add more spice to roleplay than rigidly being a slave to it, I vehemently disagree. The one Orc who forsook his culture/family and desperately searched for a wizard willing to teach him to become a proper mage is far more interesting than the 100th Orc Barbian weve seen bonking things in between ugga boogas.