(This feature appeared in the Summer 1999 issue of the Bastard Quarterly.)

Bastard Nation was born in early 1996 on the Internet Usenet newsgroup, alt.adoption (a.a.). Our founder Marley Greiner coined the term "Bastard Nation" and started signing her posts with it. Several of us followed suit, playfully assigning ourselves titles as the topic required (see the Founding Foundlings list on the website for examples). In June came up with the idea to create a Bastard Nation website. I collected material from people on a.a and on June 19, 1996 we announced the Bastard Nation website to the Internet community. We created a variety of alternative story pages: "True Tales of Revolting Reunions", "Adoptive Parents Speak out in Favor of Open Records", "True Tales of Atrocious Adoptions", "Bastard Moments", as well as links to the standard search and reconnection resources available on the Internet. As we grew we included accounts of our adoptee rights activism, coverage of negative portrayal of adoptees in the media and popular culture, information on adoption law and position papers on a variety of adoptee-related issues. In recent weeks we have clocked over 50,000 hits a day to our website attesting to the popularity of a resource which caters to an invisible and underrepresented minority - adult adoptees.

What is Bastard Nation's message exactly? We have been greatly misunderstood by those who would like to pigeonhole us into whatever role suits their personal interests. We've been labeled anti-adoption, anti-birthmother, anti-reunion, stalkers, whiners, professional victims - you name it. Not one of these portrayals is accurate. The only unifying concepts of BN are those of being for equal access to our own original birth certificates, adoptee dignity, combatting negative stereotypes of adoptees, and providing a forum for the wide spectrum of adult adoptee experience. Otherwise, the opinions on adoption issues of our individual members vary greatly. In this way we are unlike any other adoption organization- we are truly a "big tent" without a whole truckload of associated "positions" on adoption and adoption reform.

Adoptee birth records are sealed because of an attitude of shame towards adoption. The language in the original laws which sealed adoptee birth records specifically stated that it was to protect adoptees from the shame and embarrassment of their *illegitimate* (i.e. Bastard) status. The later justifications we hear for adult adoptees' birth records being sealed are: 1) They are sealed to protect the birthparent (unspoken assumption - from the shame of the unwanted birth coming back to haunt her) 2) They are sealed to protect the adoptee (unspoken assumption - from the shame of being reminded that one was born of an unwanted pregnancy), and 3) to protect the adoptive parents (from the shame of their infertility). In reality there shouldn't be anything shameful about adoption. Sealed records preclude that possibility.

The media like to play up sensational and rare instances of lunatics trying to track down their birthchildren or birthparents, wreaking havoc on their lives. Recently certain adoption industry lobbyists have been parading "shadow birthmothers" in the media, all of whom use the same offensive hunting metaphors to try and justify permanent government-sanctioned secrecy in adoption - secrecy, not from the general public, but from the very adopted adults who are party to the adoption. For some reason the media thinks it is compelling to represent adult adoptees who search as people who want to "declare open season" on "hunting" birthmothers. These soundbytes slur the entire population of adult adoptees and validate dangerous, erroneous notions which endanger the important institution of adoption. There are many more groups of birthparents and adoptive parents who support open records for adult adoptees than those who do not.

Bastard Nation explodes the myth of shame by reclaiming the word "bastard" and all of society's myths and fears regarding adoption. We make fun of the unspoken shame, joke about illegitimacy, tell the untold tales of our sisters and brothers which the media have not been willing to tackle. We give adult adoptees a place to come and express themselves, share their experiences, read about others like (and unlike) themselves, find search and reconnection support and learn how to fight for their rights as adult adoptees.

In the three years since our founding, Bastard Nation has redefined the adoptee rights struggle in terms of civil rights, empowerment and tactical activism. The following are just a few of the many examples of this activism, the most recent and profound of course being Bastard Nation's role in inspiring and supporting Oregon's Measure 58: the Adoptee Rights Initiative.

* "Secrets and Lies" - a series of national "positive pickets" of the Oscar-nominated pro-open records film 11/96 - 3/97 ..activism/aware.htm

* American Greetings Pulls Card after Intense Internet-Spawned Campaign
..activism/ag.htm "After an intense Internet campaign waged against an offensive Valentine's card put out by American Greetings, AG has finally issued a formal statement that the card will be discontinued. The card implies both that adoptees are unloved and that adoptive parents are not an adoptee's "real" parents. Many members of Bastard Nation called AG and pointed out that such "jokes" would not be tolerated in a mainstream greeting card company's repertoire if they were aimed at African-Americans, Jews or physically-challenged people, for example. The story broke nationally 2/97 on the AP wire."

* American Bar Association Protest against the Uniform Adoption Act (UAA): 8/97
..activism/Aba.htm
"..On Saturday and Sunday more than a dozen Bastard Nationals, including all members of the triad, handed out leaflets to over 400 lawyer/delegates attending the program, "Family Law in the 21st Century." One side the leaflet read ABA + UAA = NO WAY! and explained our opposition to the anti-adoptee provisions in Article 6. On the other side of the leaflet were the exact words of the offending Article 6. Pickets reading "How would you like YOUR records sealed for 99 years?", "Open Records for a Adult Adoptees is a Civil Right" and other slogans were held aloft for all to see. BNers were, on the whole, warmly received by the attorneys, a good many of whom stopped and voiced support for our cause, including a visiting lawyer from Australia, whose wife, Pauline Ley, worked on the Victoria Open Records law which opened birth certificates unconditionally to all adult adoptees. Pauline searched us out the second day of our picket and supported our stand for open records for adult adoptees, unconditionally and without compromise, saying, "Absolutely, it's the only way to go..."

* Late Discovery Adoptees: Finding out you're adopted as an adult - more common than you think
..library/#adult

* Bastards at the Bell Rally - "Our Records, Our Rights!" - Philadelphia, PA
..activism/bell_rally/

* National Adoptee Rights Day - December 3rd
..nard

* NCFA Protest, WDC
..activism/belly.htm

* Bastard Nation in the News
..bnpress/

See more at and get involved at ..activism/online.shtml

Bastard Nation will be holding its third annual conference October 8 - 10, 1999 at the Holiday Inn Boardwalk Hotel in Atlantic City,, NJ. See ..events/atlantic.htm for details

(This feature appeared in the Summer 1999 issue of the Bastard Quarterly.)

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