Adoption related fervor is increasing in Australia, which arguably corresponds with the increasing influence of pro-adoption lobby groups. For example, a Minister in NSW introduced reforms into Parliament yesterday to introduce integrated birth certificates. This was undertaken without consultation with the peak body Adoptee Rights Australia. Since publishing, Australia still…

A version of this article originally appeared on Angela Barra’s HuffPost platform and has been amended for Medium. In 2016 The Queensland Government, announced that it would remove discrimination to allow same sex couples to adopt. This move would also see it align itself with other Australian States, Territories and…

UNPACKING THE FILM: ‘LION’ WITH AN ADOPTEE LENS I will preface this piece by noting that I have not read Saroo Brierley’s book and I am simply basing my analysis on the film. As an adoptee, I was initially looking forward to seeing this film. Finally, an adoptee would be…

IS ADOPTION TRAUMATIC? Originally published, circa 2020 This piece has been decades in the making but written hastily from my heart. I am writing this in response to a recent twitter exchange between academics and adult adopted people. Rather than refer people to my thread, I decided to publish this. …

Preface The bones of this article was written last year and was inspired by a thread I read, primarily involving two adoptee voices in Australia. Please note this article is not endorsed by any organization but rather reflects my views cultivated from my experience as an adoptee coupled with working…

An Open Letter To My Deceased Adoptive Mother (Fay) for Mother’s Day This piece was originally published by Huffington Post in 2017. Dear Mum, I miss you. You battled so bravely to stay with Steven, dad and me but in the end you finally had enough of the grueling pain…

This piece was authored by Sharyn — Vice President of Adoptee Rights Australia, and is published here with her consent. When my 18 year old mother was illegally coerced by representatives of the State of South Australia into relinquishing her newborn child, that relinquishment placed me under the Guardianship of…

A new documentary by Waters Productions ‘You Should Be Grateful’ inspired me to write this piece. The voices of the adopted adults in this documentary echo what I have written about or said (and other adoptees) and it is important that people stop and listen. …