Bastards Sparkle in the Emerald City

September 8 - 10, 2000 * Seattle, Washington

The fourth annual Bastard Conference, held this year at the beautiful Aljoya Conference Center in Seattle, was a sparkling success. Bastards from around Washington State and as far afield as Ireland and Australia gathered to learn about and discuss adoptee rights activism.

The first day of the conference included morning sessions which provided background on the adoptee rights movement including histories of sealed records and the adoptee rights movements in the U.S. After a delicious gourmet lunch at the conference center dining room, conference attendees got on a bus to the Kings County Administration Building in downtown Seattle to stage a sealed records protest. Various film crews and reporters showed up to interview local Bastard Nationals. We had a great time singing, chanting and educating the public about adoptee rights in an upbeat, friendly manner. When we got back to the conference center we relaxed a bit and then learned about how to survey political representatives on adoption issues. That evening many of us went out to eat at a local burger joint and chat about activism in our local areas.

Saturday was chock full of excitement. Journalist Adam Pertman, author of "Adoption Nation" gave a hopeful, compassionate keynote on the changing practice of adoption in the United States. Historian E. Wayne Carp, author of "Family Matters" joined us to interview various people about Bastard Nation and Oregon's Measure 58. Then there was a real surprise... On the morning before, the local Seattle newspaper ran a front page story on birthmother and Washington State Supreme Court judge Faith Ireland's reunion with her birthdaughter. What timing! A wonderful birthmother from Oregon knew Judge Ireland, called her, and invited her to the conference. No one was sure whether she would come, but much to everyone's happy surprise Judge Ireland actually did arrive just before the legislative activism session and addressed the conference participants. She told of how she thought that permanent secrecy in adoption was based on now-outdated notions of shame and impropriety. While she did not endorse our legislative agenda, Judge Ireland did wish us well and she received a standing ovation from the audience. We then got to hear about the recent adoptee rights success in Alabama from David Ansardi and Sandra Pears-Wilson, about the successful Oregon campaign from Aaron Varhola, and about growing activism in Washington and Missouri from Julie Dennis and Lindsay Woodside.

Public Relations was the topic of the afternoon. John and Mary Peret presented on public speaking and legislative activism. Deb McAlister gave an information and inspiration-packed presentation on adoptee rights and public relations. Sheila Ganz showed and discussed her educational film "Unlocking the Heart of Adoption", which includes information on the adoptee rights movement. Conference participants left with tons of material to help them get to work in their areas when they got home.

That evening we cruised Lake Washington in a benefit for the Who's Next? adoptee rights fund which raised $ 1,832.00 for the fund. Awards were presented to David Ansardi, Sandra Pears-Wilson, Pat Marler, Albert Wei, Damsel Plum and Donna Martz. A special memorial award was presented to the family of Curtis Endicott, an undaunted adoptee activist in Oregon's Measure 58 Campaign who passed away before being able to benefit from Measure 58's finally going into effect.

It was wonderful to meet with so many dedicated adoptee rights activists from around the world and to exchange ideas and strategies. We look forward to working together and inspiring each other to create a better world for all adoptees: a world in which adopted citizens are treated with equal rights and dignity under the law. GOOOOOO, BASTARDS!!!

************************************************************************************************************

True Story from a Bastard Nation conference registrant:

Strange things can happen when you're taking a flight to Seattle. I was sitting there in my Bastard Nation t-shirt waiting for my delayed connection. A guy sat down next to me and introduced himself as Eddie. He asked how Bastard Nation was going, so I mentioned that I was going to Seattle for the conference. We talked about Alabama, and I discovered that his mother was involved in CUB. When his friend returned, he got up and asked if I'd ever heard of the band Pearl Jam. I said, "Yes," and his parting shot as he walked away was, "That's my band."

Order your own Bastard Nation T-shirt today!