The Declassified Adoptee

Guest Entry by Nathaniel Christopher Nathaniel, a photo from that summer Nathaniel is a foster alumni, the son of an adult adoptee, and a freelance journalist in Vancouver, British Colombia.  More of Nathaniel's work can be found at his website . .  Here is one last post for National Adoption Awareness Month. “Who was that couple who dropped you off?” asked an older girl sitting next to me on the swings at Franklyn Street Park in Nanaimo . “Uh…,well I live with them,” I respond, digging my feet into the gravel, desperate for a cushion of ambiguity.  “Are they your parents, or what?” “No, they're my foster parents,” I said, tightly grabbing the chain. I wished they were my real parents. They were young and had ambition for their future. I saw them going places and desperately wanted a place in that future, but every so often someone reminded me it was all a façade. It only took one question to blow the fantasy. “Why are you in foster care?” said

Lina Eve From the 1960's-1980's in Australia, over 80,000 mothers lost their babies to adoption during an era of forced and coerced adoptions.  Lina Eve was one of these women.  She expresses her thoughts and emotions on this experience through the song and video (below) as well as through other artistic media.  You can check more of her artwork out at www.linaeve.com .   "Clayton's Mother" Lina Eve, mixed medium on board "Loss" from the "Bad Girl" series, Lina Eve Artwork and video/song copyright Lina Eve.  Used on this blog with permission.

Guest Entry by Shannon LC Cate Shannon LC Cate is a lesbian housewife and write-from home adoptive mother to two beautiful girls. She blogs about her life at Peter’s Cross Station and about writing at Muse of Fire . Amanda asked.... There have been a few times lately where I have seen/read adoption discussed in relation to gay and lesbian rights where it is almost framed as homophobic for the original (biological) male and female parents to be viewed as important to the adoptee. Someone might point out that a loving parent (or parents) is what a child needs, regardless of the gender of the parent(s). I would agree. However, the assumption that valuing original parents is about saying the nurturing parents, in this case, gay or lesbian parents, are not adequate or capable parents is perhaps another instance where Adoptee Rights may be misunderstood. I decided to ask Shannon her thoughts on this topic. What would you say to someone who feels that placing importance on the biolog

Guest Entry by: Nathaniel Christopher Nathaniel is a foster alumni, the son of an adult adoptee, and a freelance journalist in Vancouver, British Colombia.  More of Nathaniel's work can be found at his website .  Nathaniel agreed to have his piece, Queer in Care, published on my blog for National Adoption Awareness Month.  This piece was originally published at Xtra! on December 8, 2005. I hear a voice calling me from upstairs. "Nathaniel, we'd like to talk to you." I have been dreading this moment. I make my way through the cluttered front hallway and creep up the stairs. I enter the kitchen utterly terrified of what seems like impending doom. My heart begins to pound and my knees shake uncontrollably. An eerie calm fills the normally busy, loud foster home where I live. My foster parents are standing pensively in the kitchen. Although it is well into the evening they have not changed from their stuffy work uniforms to their usually comfortabl