Adoptee Rights Video

I know I've been slacking on my blog, and especially on talking about adoptee rights (totally missed the 50 day letter writing campaign, and didn't write a single post during the protest). My apologies. BUT, I thought it would be awesome to share this video with you - created by a 13 year old, the daughter of an adoptee. Enjoy!

"You Don't Have To Do Any More Work To Be A Good Person..."

I just heard this quote, and it floored me.


"You don't have to do any more work to be a good person, ok? You can take the rest of your life off." ~Eve Ensler

From this film (the link takes you to the netflix page where you can watch this film online).

ARD Twitter!

The picture above is a link to the Adoptee Rights Demonstration's new twitter page! I was so excited when I saw this, I had to share it with you all.

For more information on how to help end discrimination against adoptees, please click the same picture over there at the top right of this page, and it will take you to the ARD's main web site.

Liz Murray

I could learn a few lessons from her.

Mysterious Skin, and Enchanted

I completely forgot to check in today (well...now it's yesterday). This is going to be another of those quickies. I spent the day doing fun coupon stuff. Went to Albertson's and saved about $40...that was nifty. While I was looking through the paper and clipping coupons, I watched two movies on the computer.

The second movie I watched, Mysterious Skin, I had already watched yesterday. I popped it in the dvd player after the first movie just to have something to watch...and besides, I usually like watching movies more than once. I catch a lot more the second time around.



I first heard about it on a support forum for sexual assault survivors when someone asked what films were healing to watch. This movie was very tough to watch and extremely triggering. But on the other hand, it had some really good acting. I was pleasantly surprised by Elisabeth Shue's performance. I like her as an actress normally, but I always have a bit of an issue with little tics or personal habits (having a hard time describing this one). In all the movies I've seen before with Elisabeth Shue, her speech was always very breathy...every time she said something, she'd empty her lungs before she started talking again. It just struck me as weird*. At any rate, she didn't do that even once in this film. She was very "real", and it was a great role for her. Not the goody-goody she usually plays, but a very likeable character nevertheless.

Ugh, I'm rambling. Anyway, this film probably would appeal to a rather narrow audience. It's very graphic, with numerous sex scenes, some of them violent; the language used is pretty off-the-charts vulgar; and it could be offensive in many other ways. If you're sensitive about pretty much anything, don't watch it. But if you have an open mind, and if you can be emotionally safe while watching, I'd highly recommend it.

The other movie I watched today was much, much more family friendly. I've been wanting to see Enchanted for awhile now because it looked so cute. It certainly lived up to what I expected. I don't really have much else to say about it...I got a few good belly laughs out of it, which was much needed after seeing Mysterious Skin the day before.**



So yeah, it was a good day full of good movies. Oh, I completely forgot, I watched most of The Matrix with Jason while we ate dinner, too. It was a very movie-ful day.

*I think the reason I have an issue with habits like this is that when I'm watching an actor who has the same habit in every movie, it's a constant reminder that this is (for example) Elisabeth Shue, not the character she's playing. Neve Campbell has a similar "breathy" thing she does in all her roles, and I can never get completely into a film she's in. Is anyone else like this?

**Of course, it didn't help much that I went and watched it again right after watching Enchanted, lol.

Am I the only one who isn't able to choose a font size anymore? And if not, is anyone else annoyed by this? I liked getting to choose a font size.

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

I watched a documentary not long ago about a small town wanting to add "intelligent design" to science classes. It was a little while back, so I don't recall specifically if they mentioned the FSM on the documentary, but I know that, one way or another, that documentary lead me to this website. I laughed and laughed...but in all seriousness, the FSM has really brought to light an important topic...NO religion is "better" or "more important" than any other. At least not in a society like ours, where there are so many various religions. One set of beliefs just CAN'T dictate what everyone in the country should do, when a good chunk of people just don't have the same beliefs.

I'm proud and humbled (yes, all at once) to participate in a Spiritual path that does not encourage a belief in "good" or "bad", "heaven" or "hell", "right" or "wrong". I could never participate again in a belief system that would send most of the people on this Earth to a fiery pit for all eternity...just for reading the wrong book.

Anyway, that's my little soapbox. But that's not what this blog post is about. Earlier, I read the Eight I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts (a take-off on the Ten Commandments), and it really made me crack up. So, I thought I'd share it with you all today. Enjoy!

THE EIGHT I'D REALLY RATHER YOU DIDN'TS

1. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Act Like A Sanctimonious Holier-Than-Thou Ass When Describing My Noodly Goodness. If Some People Don't Believe In Me, That's Okay. Really, I'm Not That Vain. Besides, This Isn't About Them So Don't Change The Subject.
2. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Use My Existence As A Means To Oppress, Subjigate, Punish, Eviscerate, And/Or, You Know, Be Mean To Others. I Dont Require Sacrifices, And Purity Is For Drinking Water, Not People.
3. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Judge People For The Way They Look, Or How They Dress, Or The Way They Talk, Or, Well, Just Play Nice, Okay? Oh, And Get This Through You Thick Heads: Woman=Person, Man=Person. Samey-Samey. One is Not Better Than The Other, Unless We're Talking About Fashion And I'm Sorry, But I Gave That To Women And Some Guys Who Know The Difference Between Teal And Fuchsia.
4. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Indulge In Conduct That Offends Yourself, Or Your Willing, Consenting Partner Of Legal Age AND Mental Maturity. As For Anyone Who Might Object, I Think The Expression Is Go F*** Yourself, Unless They Find That Offensive In Which Case They Can Turn Off The TV For Once And Go For A Walk For A Change.
5. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Challenge The Bigoted, Misogynist, Hateful Ideas Of Others On An Empty Stomach. Eat, Then Go After The B*******.
6. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Build MultiMillion-Dollar Churches/Temples/Mosques/ Shrines To My Noodly Goodness When The Money Could Be Better Spent (Take Your Pick): A. Ending Poverty B. Curing Diseases C. Living In Peace, Loving With Passion, And Lowering The Cost Of Cable. I Might Be A Complex Carbohydrate Omniscient Being, But I Enjoy The Simple Things In Life. I Ought To Know. I AM The Creator.
7. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Go around Telling People I Talk To you. You're Not That Interesting. Get Over Yourself. And I Told You To Love Your Fellow Man, Can't You Take A Hint?
8. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You If You Are Into, Um, Stuff That Uses Alot Of Leather/Lubrication/Las Vegas. If The Other Person Is Into It However (Pursuant To #4), Then Have At It, Take Pictures, And For The Love Of Mike, Wear A CONDOM! Honestly It's A Piece Of Rubber, If I Didn't Want It To Feel Good When You Did It I Would Have Added Spikes, Or Something.

In the name of His Noodly Goodness, RAmen.

Equality

This is my friend Kate with two of her four children. Her oldest two children were lost to adoption. Because of closed records in adoption, her children will not be able to request their own birth certificates when they turn 18, like ever other American citizen can. Adoptees are the only people in America who legally do not have the right to know who created them.

I'd like to know...what is the difference between Kate's oldest children and her youngest children? Why should her oldest children not have access to the same information her youngest children have? The same information every other adult in this country has a right to?

Over to the right of this post is a button to find out more information on the adoptee rights demonstration, coming up in July. Please take a moment to peek at that information, and lend your support in whatever way you can. If you have a few bucks to spare, they'd appreciate it; if you have five minutes to write a letter to your representatives, that would be awesome; and there are plenty of other things you can do to help as well.

Discrimination in this country, in all forms, is unacceptable. Please help send that message, and help my friend's children regain their rights as American citizens to know their roots, just like everyone else.

Feelings

Glorious, imperfect, messy, frightening, ugly feelings. I have a love-hate relationship with my feelings, but it's slowly moving more toward love as time goes on. Feelings were not allowed in my home as a child. Well, for the children anyway. The adults were not only allowed to HAVE feelings, but in addition to that, the feelings of the adults dictated the childrens' lives. For instance, if Mom was in a bad mood, it was perfectly fine to beat the tar out of the children. We didn't even need to be blamed for her bad mood...it was enough that she was IN a bad mood.

I've been fighting back a tremendous sadness for...well, my whole life. I tried ignoring the sadness...calling it something else...covering it up...changing its location...oh, I tried everything. It's caught up with me.

Here's the deal: my family (meaning those I share DNA with) do not love me. Or, if they do love me, they act it out in a really inappropriate way. I have some wonderful friends that I have referred to as my "chosen" family for many years. But it's just hitting me that, dammit, they are NOT my real family. I can call them whatever I want - they're never going to be related to me, and I am never going to be a true part of their family. It doesn't matter how you want to dress it up, true "family" are the people you share DNA with, and that's it. You don't get spares. You might think you have spares (like I did), but those spares aren't the same thing.

Some folks that I thought of as family just up and walked out without a backward glance. Now, with the family I share DNA with, even though I've walked out, we're always going to be connected. And if I were to walk back in their lives, the reception would be a whole lot different than if they were not related to me.

The point I'm trying to make in all these ramblings is that all my life, I've been trying to make myself feel better about my shitty family. I just realized, today in fact, that I don't HAVE to feel better about them. You know what? It sucks that the people who SHOULD love me don't. It sucks that the people who SHOULD support me don't. It sucks that the people who SHOULD accept me don't. And all the friends in the world, no matter how wonderful they are, can't make those crappy feelings go away.

So I'm going to be sad dammit. I'm going to allow myself to be sad, to feel all those feelings I should have felt as a kid when I was being thrown down the hall way and being told I wasn't worthy of my family. It doesn't matter how I dress those things up or try to ignore them...they happened, and they SUCKED!

My Interview With Domestic Witch

This is a copy of my interview over at the Domestic Witch blog.

Five minutes with Joy

Domestic Witch is happy to present an interview with Joy, who woke up with this wacky hair-do on the morning of her interview and knew the day was going to be.....different.

What is your most established crock pot recipe?

Oh, I wish I had pictures. This one's yummy. It's from the book Fix It And Forget It Lightly on page 25

Slow-Cooked Chicken & Mushroom Stew (5 weight watcher points per serving)

Makes 4 servings (Ideal slow cooker size: 4-5 qt.)

1 can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

half a can of water

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 lb. fresh medium-sized white mushrooms, or a variety of mushrooms, cut up

1 cup baby carrots

2 ribs celery, cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Combine soup and water in slow cooker. Cut chicken into 2" chunks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker. Add mushrooms, carrots, celery, and garlic powder. Stir gently to mix. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is done and internal temperature reaches 170. Serve with rice.If you like mushrooms, this recipe is TO DIE FOR!

I loved the red and black dramatic afghan you crocheted, who taught you how to crochet?

When I was little, my mom taught me. But she was pretty mean about it, and had zero patience. As a result, my crocheting sucked, to say the least, and it was nothing but frustrating for me. I did it for maybe a few months. Then, about 5 years ago, I decided I wanted to pick it up again. I bought a book, some hooks and yarn, and went for it.

I worked in a residential treatment facility with teenage girls for awhile, and I thought it would be so cool to give them something like that to do. I made mass copies of the book, and handed them out (along with some cheap plastic hooks) to any girl who wanted them. I worked night shift, so I'd sit in the girls' doorways after bedtime helping them learn how to crochet.

Crocheting has absolutely been the most fulfilling activity I've picked up as an adult. :-)

I had not heard of Adoptee Rights before reading your blog, how do you hope to educate others like me in your cause?

I participate in other forums where it's a topic of conversation a lot. I get a lot of information from reading blogs and message boards where adoptees and their first parents (i.e. the preferred term for "birth" parents) talk about adoption from their point of view. Until now, I've stuck to learning, but I think it will be a fairly regular topic of my blog.

One of the forums I belong to, where I'm usually very vocal, there are a lot of new people who come and go, and I have spoken to probably thousands of people that way. Not all people listen...it can be really tough to hear that adoption is not all rainbows and sunshine, and that there are negative aspects, too. It was certainly a shock to me at first, beings that my husband and I were planning to adopt. But it was extremely important to me that I open my mind and make sure that I was doing all I possibly could to be a good parent. Now, my focus is on doing what I can to help my friends.

So, I guess I just plan to talk about it a lot. I talk to people about it in real life, too, as often as I can. I wrote a letter to the editor of my local newspaper yesterday. I write letters to state legislators and others. I just do whatever I can. I'm lucky to live in one of the few states that does have open records, but the rest of the states need to follow suit, so I'm going to keep working until all states are open.

How do you and your husband balance homekeeping?

This is a constant work in progress. We are both notorious procrastinators. I have a confession to make...we still have all our winter holiday decorations out. (I never know what to call Christmas/Yule because it's Christmas to him and Yule to me...maybe Yulemas? HAHA!) Yep, the little fiber-optic tree has fallen down, a lot of the ornaments have fallen on the floor, where the dogs have taken to chewing them up. The base that the tree sits on has fallen on the floor, which I realized yesterday. It's a sad sight. This has never happened before (normally, we just pile stuff up on the couches until you can't tell what all is under there, but we've never left the Yulemas decorations up until March before!).

We were doing pretty good for awhile there, using flylady. But man, this year, we have just dropped the ball. The few things we do have down pat are the "home blessing hour" (which Jason does), laundry (which I do), and paying bills (which we do together, or sometimes I do it if I have more time). Oh, and one person cooks while the other cleans up after. Otherwise...*blush*...we're working on it.

What Spring foods to you traditionally eat?

I LOOOOVE Easter candy (again, Easter? Ostara? Well, there's a compromise for that one, I've seen Eostra a few times). The malted milk eggs (which weren't as good this year, for some reason) are always a favorite. Cadbury eggs. Yuum! I love corned beef and cabbage, but I've never really associated it with Spring until recently (I don't pay much attention). I'm so looking forward to that recipe!

The Rapist Checklist

Some things to remember...

1. You are a rapist if you get a girl drunk and have sex with her.

2. You are a rapist if you find a drunk girl and have sex with her.

3. You are a rapist if you get yourself drunk too and have sex with her. Your drunkeness is no excuse.

4. If you are BOTH drunk you are still a rapist.

5. If she's alternating between puking her guts out and passing out in the bed then you're a rapist.

6. If she's sleeping and you have sex with her you're a rapist.

7. If she's unconscious and you have sex with her then you're a rapist.

8. If she's taking sleeping pills and doesn’t wake up when you have sex with her then you’re a rapist.

9. If she is incapacitated in any way and unable to say 'Yes' then you're a rapist.

10. If you drug her then you're a rapist.

11. If you find a drugged girl and have sex with her then you're a rapist.

12. If you don't bother to ask her permission and she says neither 'Yes' or 'No' then you're a rapist.

13. You are a rapist if you 'nag' her for sex. Because you manage to ply an eventual 'yes' from a weary victim doesn't mean it's not rape. You are a rapist.

14. You are a rapist if you try to circumvent her "No" by talking her into it. She's not playing hard to get, and, even if she IS it's not YOUR responsibility to 'get' her. You're still a rapist.

15. You are a rapist if you manipulate her into sex when she doesn't otherwise want it. If you say, "If you loved me you’d do X" then you're a rapist. If you say, "All the other kids are doing it!" then you're a rapist.

16. If you threaten her, or act in a way that SHE thinks you're threatening her then you're a rapist. If you puff up and get loud and frustrated while trying to 'talk' her into sex then you're a rapist.

17. You are a rapist if you don't immediately get your hands off of her when she says 'no'. You are a rapist if you take your hands off of her and then put them back ON her after 10 minutes and she eventually 'gives in' to this tactic.

18. You are a rapist if you won't let her sleep peacefully without waking her every 15 minutes asking her for sex. Sleep deprivation is a form of torture and YOU are a rapist.

19. If you're necking with her and you're naked and you've already gone down on her and she says 'No' to sex with you and you have sex with her anyway then you're a rapist.

20. If you're engaged in intercourse and she says 'No' at ANY point and you don't immediately stop then you're a rapist.

21. If she said "Yes" to sex with a condom and that condom breaks and you proceed anyway then you're a rapist.

22. If she picked you up at a bar looking for sex and then decides that she doesn't WANT sex and you continue then you're a rapist.

23. If she changes her mind at ANY point for ANY reason and you don't immediately back off or you try to talk her into it and get sex anyway then you're a rapist.

24. If you don't hit her and she says 'No' you're still a rapist.

25. If you don't have a knife or a gun or a garrote and she says 'No' then you're still a rapist.

26. If you're a friend of hers you can still be a rapist.

27. If you had sex with her the night before but she doesn't want morning sex and you pressure her for it anyway then you're a rapist.

28. If you're her husband you can still be a rapist.

29. If it's your wedding night and she doesn't WANT to have sex with you and you force or coerce her anyway then you're a rapist.

30. If she's had sex with you hundreds of times before but doesn't want to on the 101st time then you're a rapist.

31. If you penetrate her anally, orally or digitally against her will then YOU my friend, are ALSO a rapist.

32. Women do not owe you sex.

33. Buying her dinner does not entitle you to sex.

34. Paying her mortgage does not entitle you to sex.

35. Buying her clothing does not entitle you to sex.

36. Buying her lingerie does not entitle you to sex. It also doesn't mean that she has any obligation to wear that lingerie around you.

37. Spending any amount of money on her does not, ever, entitle you to sex.

38. Seeing her legs or cleavage does not entitle you to sex.

39. If she 'turns you on' you're not entitled to sex.

40. If she has ****ed every man in a 10 square mile radius and she doesn't want to **** you and you have sex with her anyway, then you're a rapist.

41. Her clothing is not a reason for you to rape her. Her LACK of clothing is no reason to rape her. If she's wearing a thong and pasties you STILL have no right to rape her.

42. If she's a prostitute and she says "No" then you're a rapist.

43. If she's a stripper and she says "No" then you're a rapist. Likewise, if she's a stripper and she's been rubbing against your &!#@ all night long and you follow her to her car and have sex with her against her will then you are ALSO a rapist.

44. If you watch a woman being raped without calling the authorities then you're as bad as a rapist and you may also be a rapist yourself.

45. If you don't fight rape then you accept rape. (This does not apply to a woman BEING raped...sometimes fighting back is dangerous, impossible, or frightening.)

46. If you don't believe a woman when she says she was raped then you're encouraging rape.

47. If you choose to remain friends with a man who raped a woman you are encouraging rape.

48. If you confess to the authorities that you raped a woman it does not exonerate you. You are not suddenly a model of good behavior.

49. If you ‘only’ raped one woman, you’re STILL a rapist.

50. You cannot tell who is a rapist by the way they look. Rapists are your friends, your brothers, your fathers and you won't know it.

51. Do not get frustrated with a woman if she doesn't trust you. SHE already knows that rapists don't wear signs on their foreheads. Something you think is innocuous SHE may find terrifying.

Being An Unperson

This is such an important message, delivered so well. I think that we can all relate to at least one sentence from this video...and if we can relate to one line, we can imagine relating to the rest of it, too. I have been an unperson. I have loved unpersons. I want this message to be heard and understood by every person on this planet, as it relates to every other person on this planet. We are all worthy of being real.

Freedom!

So apparently yesterday was Freedom Of Information day. It does not pay to skip a day of reading my message boards. But heck, a day late and a dollar short is pretty much my motto.

It seems appropriate that one of the ways to honor this occasion would be to talk about adoptee rights - open records. It makes no sense to me that an entire section of the population would be kept from their own information because of something they didn't even have the ability to agree to. This is THEIR information. The rest of us can have it. Why can't they? I mean, really, what on Earth did adoptees do to be discriminated against? (Not that I believe those who are discriminated against generally "deserve" it...I'm just pointing out how absurd it is that they don't have equal rights...and generally when a group of people IS discriminated against, the oppressors have some bogus explanation as to why the oppressed "deserve" it.)

Later on today, I'm going to draft a letter to the editor of my local newspaper. I hope you all will do the same. Freedom of information, indeed. For ALL people. Equally. Thank you very much.

I'm going to go off track here for just a minute. I read this question earlier today on another forum: "What do you think would happen if right here in American millions of people representing our brightest, healthiest, and most culturally advanced were stolen and forced into slavery? What might be the consequence of such an atrocity?" I am not equating adoption with slavery...I think there are some fundamental differences. However, it is very important to note that adoptees have less rights than the average citizen - and consequently, they are treated as second-class citizens - and that they were not a party to the contract that created this discrimination. Only the fact that the child-adoptee is completely powerless makes this contract even possible...adult adoptions are rare, and never decided without the adoptee's consent.

Anyway, that wasn't my point (just tying the two completely separate thoughts together...hopefully in some kind of cohesive manner). My point is that I have found myself often lately shouting about victim blaming and how utterly, grossly, abhorantly unacceptable it is. The farther away from my own abusive past I get, the better I am able to see the circumstances that created my victimhood. I now know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I did NOTHING to bring on my own abuse (which CAN be equated with enslavement, in some ways). I was not a party to what happened to me. I did not create my abusers. I did not ask to be abused. And I absolutely will NOT stand by while others talk about what someone was wearing, or how hard it is to coerce someone who is "strong" (i.e. only "weak" people are coerced...pfft), or how "They wouldn't be [enslaved] because they were the brightest!". These statements are complete rubbish.

I AM SICK TO DEATH OF PEOPLE THINKING THAT VICTIMS HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH WHY THEY WERE VICTIMIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever heard that when women wear short skirts, they're "asking" to be raped? Guess what? She could have been wearing sweat pants and curlers, and STILL would have been raped, because rape is caused by RAPISTS, not victims. Women don't get raped when there are no rapists around.

I'm going to just copy and paste here my answer to the above enslavement question, rather than trying to reword it:

"Wow, it's really obvious that a couple of answerers have never experienced powerlessness. Their over-privileged lives have made it impossible to understand how to answer a question like this.

OP: All people have the potential to be the brightest, healthiest, most culturally advanced, etc. Often, when one is oppressed, they become the thing they are told they are - they become a self-fulfilled prophecy. When one is told they do not have rights, they FEEL that they have no rights. When one is told they are stupid, their performance drops. There are many studies that show this (have you seen the 'blue/brown eyes' study that a teacher did with her students?). And conversely, when people are held on a pedestal, told they are intelligent, etc., their performance increases, and they begin to feel they are 'better than' (as evidenced by a couple earlier answers).

This happens all the time. Each time a person or group of people are enslaved, we find out the answer to your question. This is an excellent film (although VERY tough to watch) that answers your question quite well: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Experim... It's called learned helplessness. (Lots of research about that, too.)

Victim blaming is absolutely 100% unacceptable."

I don't have a good way to tie this all up. I feel like I've had a good rant today. It feels SO GOOD to just SAY those things! We ALL deserve to have our own information! We ALL deserve to have equal rights! We ALL deserve to be treated with respect and dignity! We ALL can/could be victims! Victims are created by abusers, NOT victims! FREEDOM! (Said in my best William Wallace bellow.)

RAOK Friday

So, this is my third post in a row mentioning the Adoptee Rights Demonstration. Can you tell I think it's important? Anyway, I saw the above RAOK Fridays icon (is that the right terminology), and I thought, hey...that would be cool. Well, what better blog to give this to than the Adoptee Rights Demonstration???

Equal rights for all! Unrestricted access to birth records for all!!!
Please support adult adoptees in gaining the same rights we all have - access to their original birth certificates.

Sisterhood Award

Aaaack! Oh my goodness, I've already gotten my first award! I'm so excited! Thank you to Together We Save for this award.

I'm supposed to nominate 5 blogs that show Attitude and/or Gratitude. Here are my 5 nominations (and to be clear, the ones that are adoption related are NOT being nominated for gratitude!):

1. Forbidden Family - Found Adoptee

2. Fun Foods On A Budget

3. Making Do With The Not So New

4. The Adoptee Rights Demonstration

5. Saving Cents With Sense

Happy reading!

Adoptees

The issue of adoption has been a subject of intense study for me over the last few years. My husband and I are "former" prospective adoptive parents. Until a few weeks ago, we had planned to adopt via the state's special needs (i.e. foster care) program. Those plans have been put on hold, but will most likely not be resumed, for various reasons. But that's not my point. My point is that over the last few years, I spent a LOT of time reading and researching about adoption from the point of view of the children I meant to raise. And the best source of information I've ever been able to find has been from adult adoptees.

Some things I've learned, in no particular order:

Adoptees in the USA do not have access to their own birth certificates, except in six states
The sealing of birth information is a rather new occurrance, having begun in the 1930's
The original purpose behind sealing these records was NOT to protect the original parents (in other words, "birth" parent privacy is a myth...no "birth" parent has ever been guaranteed privacy)
Access to records of one's birth is a RIGHT for all other American citizens - just not for adoptees. Why should they have less rights? What have they done wrong to be denied the rights the rest of us have?

This is just scratching the surface, but I wanted to throw out a few bits of information that don't seem to be widely known or understood outside of those involved with the fight for adoptee rights.

And on that note, I'll explain that poster I have up at the top of this post. Last year, a group of adoptees gathered in New Orleans to talk to legislators about opening records so that adoptees will have the same rights as all other American citizens, and they're doing it again this year. Every human being should have access to their own information. It should be a human right - not a non-adoptee right. Please help my friends, and support the Adoptee Rights Demonstration. Here are some ways you can help:

Donate
Write a letter
Spread the word
Share the video

If you're interested in more information about closed records, here are some helpful links:

The Adoptee Rights Demonstration
The Basic Bastard
Adoption History: Confidentiality and Sealed Records

And if you go through the blogs I've subscribed to (and wade through all the coupon ones, lol), you will find some awesome blogs written by adoptees and first mothers. I'll add onto this tomorrow with more links.