Join the host, Ande Stanley, as they are interviewed by Lynn Grubb. We talk a bit about my experience as a UK adoptee, and a lot about the complexities of pursuing our identities. 

Lynn Grubb is the editor of the Adoptee Anthology, The Adoptee Survival Guide. She is the author of the memoir Hidden Identity. She is The Adopted Genealogist on Facebook. Her memoir can be found in podcast form at: theadoptedgenealogist.podbean.com

Mentioned in the show:

UK adoption law: In England, adoptees 18 or over can apply for and receive their adoption files and a copy of their original birth certificate. Adoptees born before 12 Nov 1975 must attend a counseling session to prove they are of sound mind in order to receive their documents. Adoption records: Accessing your birth records - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Adoption Council: The United Kingdom has a system where an adoptee can visit the Adoption Council where their adoptions were registered, and apply to receive their files.

General Registry Office (GRO): The United Kingdom maintains vital records through this office. General Register Office (GRO) - Official information on births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths

Search Angel: a Search Angel is a person who, free of charge, assists adoptees with finding their families. The Search Squad and The Search Co-op on Facebook are two places free assistance can be found. 

Genealogist: a person who has learned how to use the various genealogical resources to trace family histories. Genetic genealogists have learned how to use a persons DNA test results to trace family.  

Commercial DNA testing companies: Ancestry.com, 23andme.com, MyHeritage.com, Familytreedna.com, gedmatch.com

AdopteeRightsLaw.com: a site run by attorney Greg Luce, that provides information about each of the US states adoptee access laws. He also provides information about ongoing legislative efforts. 

Adoptees United: Adoptees United | Identity, Citizenship, Equality : A non-profit dedicated to advocating for adoptee rights. Great resource for information on a variety of adoptee rights issues.

Adoptee Rights Coalition: Home | ARC (adopteerightscoalition.com)  a non-profit providing resources and education on issues relating to adoptee rights

Adoptees Connect:  Where Adoptee Voices Meet – An Adoptee Centric Connect Group (adopteesconnect.com) an adoptee centric group committed to providing space for adoptees while building connections between them

Adoption Reunion Registries: there are different types. Some are run by private or non-profit organizations. Others are mandated by states in order to apply to access documents. The hope is to register your information and discover that a family member has also registered in hope of finding you. There are occasions when this happens, but, overall, when dealing with a non-state mandated registry, you are better off guarding your private information and doing DNA instead.

Disclaimer: The host is not a lawyer. The opinions expressed by the host and their guests are just that, opinions.  the host can be contacted at: https://www.facebook.com/adoptionfiles; theadoptionfilescom.Wordpress.com; or at [email protected]