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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

When an adopter's comfort takes priority over a child's identity, whose "best interests" are we really serving? Adoption raises uncomfortable questions about ownership, autonomy, and belonging. Our episode on the movie Fancy Dance dropped today. Co-hosted with J, survivor of the system + editor.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I have no desire to go back to school for a PhD but IF I did my studies would be related to adoption. There’s just not enough research out there about us.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Imagine learning everyone around you knew the truth about your identity except you. Adoption secrecy raises a bigger question: who gets to control what you know about yourself? Our episode about the film The Wild Robot is out now. Co-hosted with J, survivor of the system + editor.

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Reposted by Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast

Press On @pressonsouth.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Movement storyteller Zaira Campos (she/her) @adopteecrossing.bsky.social, one of our new grantee partners, is reporting on the intersection between abortion surveillance and child welfare investigation systems, and their negative impacts on Black, queer, disabled, and low-income families.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Short Term 12 is a film about children in care. But how much do we actually learn about the children? This week, I’m writing about who gets an interior life, who gets our empathy, and what happens when the people most impacted become supporting characters in someone else’s story. buff.ly/MhgQ5Uf

adopteescrossinglines.substack.com

Short Term 12: Who Gets Centered When We Tell Stories About Care?

What changes when stories about children in care are more interested in the people helping them than the children themselves

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Experiencing harm within a system doesn’t mean you’re disrupting it. If you become a caregiver within that same system, what are you actually doing differently? That’s one question we ask in Short Term 12. Co-hosted with J (@itsjway.bsky,social), survivor of the system + editor. #adopteesky

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I remembered Matilda as a story about a little girl who finally got the family she deserved. Rewatching it, I saw something else: The happy ending isn't interesting because Matilda was adopted. It's interesting because, for once, the child got a say in what happened to her. buff.ly/tGRqkNw

adopteescrossinglines.substack.com

Beyond the Happy Ending: Matilda and Child Autonomy

What Matilda gets right about child autonomy, safety, and being heard.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Adoptee voices are barely given space to begin with. And when our experiences disrupt the “adoption is beautiful” narrative, people try to force our stories to fit it anyway. Our Matilda episode is out now: buff.ly/8aSAT6n Co-hosted with J (itsjway.bsky.social), survivor of the system + editor.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Miss Honey doesn’t just care about Matilda. She understands her. In Matilda, they both know what it means to grow up feeling unloved & unseen. That lived experience allows Miss Honey to recognize what other adults dismiss. Our Matilda episode drops Friday. Co-hosted with J (@itsjway.bsky.social).

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Wishing a very happy birthday to my editor and friend @itsjway.bsky.social. So blessed to know you! 🫶🏾

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Matilda knew what she needed, & the film let her act on it. Children have voices. Believing in their autonomy means more than listening. This Friday: Matilda, children’s autonomy + family policing. Co-hosted with J (@itsjway.bsky.social), a survivor of the system + editor. #adopteesky

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

New on Substack: I don't want the future to simply produce better equipped adoptee storytellers. I want fewer people to have our stories. You're Only a Kid Once is about what I hope the people coming after us inherit, and what I hope they don't have to. Paid subscribers ↓ buff.ly/gzv7GGc

adopteescrossinglines.substack.com

You’re Only a Kid Once

What I hope the people coming after us inherit, and what I hope they never have to carry.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Culture isn't an adoption accessory. Kazakh adoptees who grew up attending a heritage camp are now leading it themselves. One described it as a place where she doesn't have to explain who she is or where she comes from. Adoptees deserve more than cultural exposure. Source: buff.ly/Xk71cus

nhpr.org

Gen Z Kazakh-American adoptees find community, and home cooking, at NH summer camp

Families from around the US travel to New Hampshire to celebrate their ties to Kazakhstan and eat traditional Kazakh food.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

South Korea says its protected-birth system has reduced infant abandonment. Adoptees are asking what it costs children who may lose access to their origin. Why are safety & identity treated like competing needs? Children shouldn't have to lose one to have the other. buff.ly/CntJA4L #adopteesky

chosun.com

South Korea's Protected Birth System Sparks Rights Debate

South Koreas Protected Birth System Sparks Rights Debate System reduces abandonment but critics argue it erases parental identity without child consent

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Bet! I’ll be following along; thank you for sharing it with us.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

An independent review found "no substantial systemic failures" in Kern County's child welfare system & said it was on par with state and national averages. But being average doesn't tell us whether the standard itself is acceptable. What if the baseline is part of the problem? 🧾 : buff.ly/XFUcZgp

southkernsol.org

Community Provides Input On Child Welfare System Findings - South Kern Sol

Following last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, community members gathered at the Boys and Girls Club on July 30 to discuss the local child welfare system. The Social Policy Institute at San…

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The state can decide a family is unsafe. But what happens when the state isn't safe either? A monitor found Mississippi met only ~20 of 113 child welfare commitments, while 48 children experienced maltreatment in state custody. Now the state wants federal oversight to end. 🧾 : buff.ly/RiebEgD

mpbonline.org

Mississippi monitor warns foster children remain at risk as state seeks to end federal oversight

Mississippi Public Broadcasting is MPB. Mississippi is Our Mission. Get the latest news on Tate Reeves, the Election and updates on Television, Radio and Online

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

You took children from their families. Now you don't have anywhere for them to go. Wake County, NC, is housing foster youth in an office building. Officials say they "desperately need" more foster families. But what if we invested that urgency in keeping families safely together?

abc11.com

Wake County houses foster teens in office building: 'Desperately need' families

There are not enough foster homes and residential placements available for teens in need, Wake County officials say

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Reposted by Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast

Bony 🦴 Skeletino 💀 @notalegalrecord.net · 29/07/2026

imo adopted kids should be allowed to opt out of “family tree” projects in school, with no shame.

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Reposted by Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast

Dr. Sandra Steingraber 🏳️‍🌈 @ssteingraber1.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

🥚 A story as old as the adoption industry itself: Brazilian adoptee discovers she wasn’t abandoned in basket after all. She was stolen from her mother, assigned a new birthday, and spirited out of the country with forged documents. Adoption = corruption swedenherald.com/article/adop...

swedenherald.com

Adopted as a baby, Gabriela finds her biological family after DNA test reveals illegal adoption | Sweden Herald

Gabriela was adopted from Brazil and grew up believing she had been found abandoned in a basket

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Reposted by Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast

Adoptee Rights Law Center @adopteerights.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I'm currently not recommending U.S. domestic air travel for intercountry adoptees unless it is 1) necessary and 2) they have a U.S. passport. More details. Please read carefully. 🥚 adopteerightslaw.com/advisory-do-...

adopteerightslaw.com

ADVISORY: Do Not Fly | ARLC

Intercountry adoptees should use caution and possess a US passport book or card when flying within the United States.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Before we ask who should be allowed to adopt, we have to ask why children become available for adoption in the first place. My newest essay: buff.ly/M1T1Z3i #adopteesky

open.substack.com

The Wrong Question

Why queer liberation requires us to rethink where the story begins.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

This is what investing in families can look like. Pensacola, Florida, is expanding Early Head Start. Affordable child care, health care, and other practical supports are investments in families. What other support helps families thrive? Source: buff.ly/jgklsef #adopteesky

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

The first person to call me Zaira wasn't a judge. It was a friend. I wrote about changing my name after adoption, reclaiming the name my mother gave me, and what the experience taught me about identity, recognition, and who gets to define us. Read the essay here: buff.ly/V1qzIyG #adopteesky

adopteescrossinglines.substack.com

The First Name I Ever Chose

What changing my name taught me about adoption, identity, and who gets to define us.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

We still have more to talk about. Four months ago, I paused Adoptees Crossing Lines in the middle of our Family Policing in the Media series. Next month, we continue with Matilda. What film has stayed with you? #adopteesky

Graphic with a white textured background and blue accents. A black and white photo of an empty podcast recording setup with two armchairs, microphones, and a coffee table appears in the center. Large blue text reads, “We still have more to talk about.” The image signals the return of the Adoptees Crossing Lines podcast.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Foster care trauma doesn't take a break when awareness month ends. We live with this every day, the fragments, the contradictions, the work of knowing yourself in a world that tried to make sure you couldn't. New essay on what lingers after May. adopteescrossinglines.substack.com/publish/post...

adopteescrossinglines.substack.com

We Don’t Get to Move On

An adoptee reflects on Foster Care Month, childhood displacement, and what it meant to hear someone remember her gently.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

My mother should still be here. For Stolen Children's Month, I wrote about family separation, Ashley Albert, and the people systems try to erase. We are still here. We are still telling the truth. open.substack.com/pub/adoptees...

open.substack.com

Why We Need Stolen Children's Month

Stolen Children's Month honors children separated by foster care, adoption, ICE, and incarceration. A survivor on the history, the grief, and why this month had to exist.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

3 years ago, I went no contact with the people who adopted me. I wrote about grief, religion, queerness, survival, & and what it meant to finally become myself after spending years trying to survive other people’s expectations of who I should be. Read here: open.substack.com/pub/adoptees...

open.substack.com

Three Years of No Contact With My Adoptive Parents: What It Actually Gave Me

I went no contact with the people who adopted me three years ago. The guilt came the next morning. Here's what stayed after it lifted.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

I’m joining this virtual panel on Friday, May 22 | 12–1:30 PM ET (Zoom): How Adoption Celebrations Ignore the Destruction of Black and Brown Families. As an adoptee and host of Adoptees Crossing Lines, this conversation is important to me. Register: buff.ly/gNlotCG

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Still thinking about Sunday’s Black Mothers March. As an adoptee, I kept thinking about my mother, Felicia, and how she should still be here. Black mothers deserve support, not surveillance. Black mothers deserve to keep their children.

Two Black women with bright smiles and red locs.

A young Black child is photographed from behind while walking in the Black Mothers March on a sunny day. The child holds a large black sign above their head that reads: “A BLACK CHILD WAS KIDNAPPED TODAY. STOP CPS! NOW.” Other march attendees walk ahead carrying signs and banners down a wide street lined with trees. The child’s shadow stretches across the pavement.

Outside the Lincoln Memorial, a woman stands beside banners and protest signs during the Black Mothers March. A large banner reads: “Black Mothers Should Not Have to Fight to Mother.” Other signs around it read: “Hands Off Our Kids,” “Stop the Lies Investigate CPS Reform CPS,” “Stop Stealing Our Kids for Money,” and “Stop Separating Families.” Drums sit on the ground nearby under a bright blue sky.

A white woman wearing sunglasses, jeans, and a black “The Black Home Is Sacred” shirt stands holding a large portrait sign of a Black woman screaming in rage or pain. Behind her, people gather at the Black Mothers March near the Washington Monument on a bright sunny day. Families, children, and organizers are visible throughout the crowd.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

While I’m not producing episodes currently, I’m still writing and I’ve got a new post out for the last day of sexual assault awaremsss month. Sending love & care to all the survivors. 🫶🏾 open.substack.com/pub/adoptees...

Collage of childhood and personal photos layered over a blue patterned background, showing a young Black girl at different ages and a smiling young woman wearing a shirt that says “foster kid.” Overlaid white text reads: “The System Didn’t Fail Me. It Worked as Designed.” Smaller text explains that the family policing system was supposed to protect her but instead left her abuser in the home, framing this as what child protective services failure really looks like. The image includes “Adoptees Crossing Lines” and the link adopteescrossinglines.substack.com.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Taking a pause from the podcast to focus on my mental health. Life has been heavy lately and I need to give myself some grace. I fund the show entirely on my own, so stepping back feels necessary right now. Still writing on Substack though. 🩵 substack.com/@adopteescrossinglines

Light gray background with a blue gradient along the left edge. Handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Text explains the creator is sharing personal news and has decided to pause the podcast due to unexpected challenges, including unemployment and increased stress, and is prioritizing mental health.

Light gray background with a blue gradient along the left edge. Handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Text explains the podcast has been self-funded and a labor of love. The creator is stepping back to regroup but is not leaving. They will continue writing on Substack and invite people to stay connected there.

Light gray background with a blue gradient along the left edge. Handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Text reads: “Every read, share, and subscription means the world and helps me keep creating:” followed by the link substack.com/@adopteescrossinglines.

Light gray background with a blue gradient along the left edge. Handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Text thanks the community for their support and says it has carried the creator forward. It ends with: “I’ll be back when the time is right. Until then, take good care of yourselves.”

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Taking an extra week on the next episode. Back next week. #adopteesky

Blue background with black text and the handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Text reads: “Episode update: this week’s release is delayed by one week. Life has been full and capacity has been limited, so we’re pushing the episode to next week. Thank you for your patience.”

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Incredibly. And I feel like they’re tryna sneak it on in.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

A proposed federal rule would remove requirements that foster homes affirm LGBTQ+ youth. LGBTQ+ youth are already overrepresented in foster care. Placement conditions shape safety, stability, and access to support. Foster care is not a neutral outcome. #adopteesky

Light gray background with a blue curved shape in the lower left corner. Handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Large bold text reads: “A proposed policy could change foster placements for LGBTQ+ youth.” Smaller text explains that the federal government is considering removing a rule that required foster homes to affirm a child’s LGBTQ+ identity.

Light gray background with a blue curved shape in the lower right corner. Handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Text explains that the previous policy required foster placements to support a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity, complete training to meet LGBTQ+ youth needs, and help youth access affirming resources and services. The slide states that the proposed change would remove these requirements.

Light gray background with a blue curved shape in the lower left corner. Handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Large text reads: “LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in foster care.” Additional text explains that many enter the system due to family conflict, rejection, or instability. It lists that placement decisions affect safety, mental health, stability, and access to support. The slide concludes that placement is not neutral and directly affects outcomes.

Light gray background with a blue curved shape in the lower right corner. Handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Large text asks: “What happens when placement standards are reduced in a system where youth are already vulnerable?” Additional text explains that when care settings are not required to meet a child’s needs, placement itself can become another source of harm, and that foster care is not a neutral outcome.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Texas opened 136,000+ CPS investigations in 2025. Fewer than 1 in 4 resulted in findings of abuse or neglect. A new statewide legal network aims to connect low-income families with attorneys earlier in CPS investigations. Because many of the most consequential decisions happen before court.

Light gray background with a blue gradient in the lower right corner. At the top is the handle @adopteescrossinglines. Large bold headline reads: “Most CPS investigations don’t find abuse.” Below, text explains that in Texas, fewer than 1 in 4 CPS investigations in 2025 resulted in findings of abuse or neglect. Despite that, investigations still occur, with more than 136,000 investigations opened statewide last year. Source listed as San Antonio Report.

Light gray background with a blue gradient in the lower right corner and the handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Headline reads: “A CPS investigation typically lasts about 45 days.” Text explains that during that time parents may be asked to allow investigators into their homes, share medical or school records, follow “safety plans,” or temporarily send children to live elsewhere. The slide notes that many families make these decisions without ever speaking to a lawyer. Source listed as San Antonio Report.

Light gray background with a blue gradient in the lower right corner and the handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Headline reads: “A new Texas program, the Family Early Defense Network, aims to change that.” Text explains that the initiative connects low-income families with attorneys early in CPS investigations, often before a case reaches court. The program is funded by a $14 million grant and will operate statewide through legal aid organizations. The goal is to help families understand their rights before early decisions reshape a case. Source listed as San Antonio Report.

Light gray background with a blue gradient in the lower right corner and the handle @adopteescrossinglines at the top. Large text asks: “This raises a bigger question: What happens when families face state investigations without legal representation?” The slide explains that most CPS investigations never find abuse, but decisions made during the first weeks can still lead to separation. It notes that when families navigate investigations alone, the balance of power shifts heavily toward the system, and early legal defense can change that equation. Source listed as San Antonio Report.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

One takeaway from The Joker: organizing across class is powerful. The Black Panthers showed this through programs like free breakfast for children, and the government moved quickly to shut it down. That’s what happens when people build power together. New episode out now. buff.ly/dpC8kfJ

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

West Virginia lawmakers are proposing a statewide child abuse reporting hotline staffed by medical professionals. Policies like this expand reporting systems. But they don’t address the conditions that often lead families into crisis like poverty. Prevention requires resources. #adopteesky

Blue and gray background. Text: “CPS cases may soon be managed by private companies in parts of West Virginia.” A bill proposes a pilot program where private entities manage day-to-day CPS casework. CPS would still control investigations and removal decisions. Source: West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Mar 9, 2026.

Blue and gray background. Text: Pilot program could begin January 2028 in six counties: Berkeley, Jefferson, Raleigh, Fayette, Monroe, and Summers. If expanded, it could become statewide by 2029 unless lawmakers stop it. Source listed.

Blue and gray background. Text: Concerns raised: private companies may have profit incentives, contractors may have limited legal liability, and administrative costs could increase. Similar privatization efforts in other states have produced equal or worse outcomes for children.

Blue and gray background. Text asks: “What happens when systems that already separate families are outsourced to private companies?” It notes that when family separation becomes a contracted service, the line between public policy and private profit becomes thinner.

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

In The Joker, Arthur’s identity is shaped by unstable narratives. Money, influence, and secrecy can reshape reality, and bury the people harmed by it. Episode co-hosted with J (@itsjway.bsky.social), a survivor of the system and editor of the show. #adopteesky

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Is it that obvious? 😂 Cuz people always tell me I look like them and I’m like stop lying. But they do look alike 😂😂😂

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

The podcast. The research. The conversations about adoption and the family policing system. But also the human behind all of it. Jumping on a trend to show a little more of the person behind Adoptees Crossing Lines. 🎧 Listen: pod.link/1651229727?v... #adopteesky

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Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

A college in Wisconsin opened a new early learning campus for students who have children. Support changes outcomes. #adopteesky

Blue graphic stating that Madison College opened a $10M early learning campus so parents don’t have to choose between school and childcare. Handle @adopteescrossinglines shown.

Blue graphic stating that when childcare is affordable and accessible, families stay together. Text notes parents can attend class while children stay with caregivers. Handle shown.

Blue graphic stating that the family policing system often intervenes after families are already stretched thin due to childcare, housing, and economic stress.

Blue graphic stating that keeping children with their families requires material support, not investigations. Text mentions childcare, housing, and income stability reduce system involvement.

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