Slide descriptions

• Slide one: Answering Questions Adoptees are Often Asked. Asked by those not adopted, answered by us.
• Slide two: Question — Do adoptees want to have contact with their birth families?
  • I would love to know who my biological parents are, but I also don't want to. – Chloe
  • I'd like to have answers about why I wasn't kept, but I'm not sure I'd want contact beyond that. I was placed at the orphanage when I was a day old, so they'd practically be strangers to me. Everyone feels differently about this though. – Téa
  • I would, but I know there's a slim chance for me to contact my birth family. – Monica
  • Yes, I just want to know who I resemble and the culture. But I don't know if I would want to be close. – Ella
  • When I was younger, I had no interest in my birth family. Looking back, that probably came from a place of hurt. I did a heritage tour to China in 2017, and I was just past the age cut off to see my records, because they didn’t have 1996 and before in the computers. It’s something I think about more often now. – Katie B.
• Slide three: Question — How do you feel about DNA testing to find biological family members?
  • I did it. It can be rewarding but also disheartening. – Ella
  • I've yet to take a DNA test, but I would like to. The chances of finding someone I'm related to are slim, so I have conflicted feelings about trying, since I have a great family that adopted me. I'd be more likely to do a test to learn my ancestry and geographical DNA. – Téa
  • I like it but am scared to find my birth parents. – Lily
  • I find it really awesome that science allows us to have this cool opportunity. – Monica
  • I've done DNA testing but not to find biological family members. But I thought it was cool. – Katie K.
• Slide four: Question — What are some adoption-related stereotypes you face?
  • Them: “So you can speak Mandarin?!” Me: “A few words. Does that count?” – Bronwyn
  • That our mothers were poor, lazy, drug addicts. Also that being adopted is always great or better for the kid. – Rebecca
  • Not necessarily a stereotype, but people saying “real” parents instead of “biological.” – Elisa
  • When I was little, I attended a mainly white school and was the only one that’s adopted. Kids asked if I knew my biological parents, knew Mandarin, if my parents were white, and if I knew my “real” parents. My parents were asked how much I cost, if they bought me, and that I was lucky to get adopted. – Mai Li
• Slide five: Question — Do some adoptees have difficulties dating because of imposter syndrome?
  • Possibly! I have been struggling with imposter syndrome, and I'm seeing how it has affected me. – Mia
  • Oh yes. Dating a man my ethnicity felt like I was fetishizing him at first. – Rebecca
  • Yes, definitely. I haven't tried dating yet, but I do have these thoughts. – Ella
  • For sure, but we need to remember that true love will outstand the odds. Speaking from a girl that has also had childhood leukemia three times, which adds a whole new dimension. Plus, they’ll be able to celebrate more transitions, which is always exciting — who doesn’t like Lunar New Year? – Bronwyn