Resource Who: Adoptees
Adoption.com: “Confessions of an Adoptee’s Dating Life”
This blog article gives an adoptee’s perspective on how adoptees handle dating, attachment styles, and feelings. This resource might help adoptees explain how their identity…
Colorado Marriage Retreats: “Do People Who Are Adopted Have Trouble Loving?”
This article answers whether adoptees have trouble with trust, intimacy, and attachment in romantic relationships. The author is the partner of an adoptee and a…
American Adoptions: “Your Adoption Relationships”
This is a beginner-friendly resource for adoptees who want to understand how adoption affects their relationships. The webpage features guides about friends, birth family searches,…
CCI Birth Parent Searching and Reunion Group
This private Facebook group provides information, resources, and encouragement for adult Chinese adoptees who are seeking their birth family or are already in reunion. They…
Find Birth Parents, Siblings, Adoptees and Family
This is a private Facebook group that helps domestic adoptees find and reunite with lost relatives, adoptees, birth parents, and siblings.
Korean Adoptees searching for their birth families
This is a public Facebook group for Korean adoptees who are searching for their birth families. Its’s open to all Korean adoptees to publish photos…
Korean American Adoptees (KAA)
The KAA Facebook group is a private page for Korean adoptees to create community and discuss whatever topics they’d like.
Chile Adoption Birth Family Search
The Chile Adoption Birth Family Search Facebook group is for helping Chilean adoptees to search for their birth families in Chile and reconnect with their…
Adoptee Restoration: “Adoptees and Trust Issues with Spouses and Significant Others”
This blog article shares the author’s experiences about how she overcame trust issues with her spouse. The center of the story is about how she…
Psychology Today: “Adult Adoptees in Relationships: Eleven Red Flags to Avoid Future Abandonment”
This article is about the red flags that adoptees should avoid when searching for a partner. Every adoptee and partnership is different, so this article…
Considering Adoption: “Adopted Adults and Relationships – How Are They Affected?”
This article explains how people’s relationships are affected if they’re adopted. It explains how adoptees often fear rejection, abandonment, and change or have low self-esteem.…
Adoptee Restoration: “Trusting & Fully Loving Your Spouse or Significant Other (10 Important Choices adoptees Can Make)”
This blog article shares the author’s experiences with creating trust and love with her spouse. She lists ten choices that adoptees can make in their…
Ancestry DNA
Ancestry DNA is a popular genealogy company. They offer clear-cut historical insights, rich geographic details, connect you to the places in the world where your…
FamilyTreeDNA
This is a well-known genetic testing company and is a division of Gene by Gene. It was founded in 2000 and pioneered the field of…
MyHeritage
MyHeritage is another popular genealogy platform. They search for people whose DNA matches users. Their technology reveals the percentage of DNA you share with your…
WeGene
WeGene is a Chinese DNA company. Their Personal Genome Service test generates genetic health risk reports using qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants…
GEDmatch
GEDmatch is a free DNA site built for genetic genealogy research. They offer users opportunities to engage in forums, compare DNA files with all testing…
Journey Across Forever – China Birth Parent Search Group
Journey Across Forever is a private Facebook group for adoptive parents with children from China who are searching for birth parents, foster parents, finders, etc.…
China DNA
China DNA is a public Facebook group that assists with DNA analysis to help adoptees connect to their Chinese ancestry, genealogy, and heritage.
Research-China
This website details the sociopolitical circumstances of China. It examines the causes of the One Child Policy, as well as recent causes and events regarding…
The Roots of Love
This is a Chinese adoptee family reunion project with multiple professional searchers working in China. They offer free DNA testing for potential birth relatives and…
Birth Family Search Russia
The lawyer who heads this organization has undertaken more than 600 birth family searches throughout Russia and former Soviet Republics. This is a great resource…
Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Boston
This organization explains the steps and information necessary for a birth family search. Adoption information disclosures, genetic test consent forms, and more are available to…
International Child Search Alliance (ICSA)
This organization was founded in 2018 by an all-volunteer international group of adoptees and adoptive parents. They offer reliable information and promote awareness in China…
Chilean Adoptees Worldwide
This organization is a global platform for Chilean Adoptees. It strives to bring awareness about and connect adoptees and birth families in Chile. Birth family…
DNA Testing for Asian Adoptees
This document is a guide on DNA testing. It explains how DNA testing applies to Asian communities, including Asian international adoptees and adoptees of mixed…
The Nanchang Project: “Chinese Adoptee DNA”
This Facebook post features a flow chart about adoptee DNA, genetic databases, and birth family searches. This is a beginner-friendly resource for Chinese adoptees who…
23andMe
23&Me is a popular genetic testing service and using this service is a good start for adoptees on their birth family search journey. Their website…
Subtle Asian Adoptee Traits
This is a Facebook group for Asian adoptees to connect with each other. It posts daily and is a space mainly for the discourse of…
Adoptiepedia
This interest group provides support for international adoptees. They discuss racism, identity, and birth family searches. It’s based in the Netherlands and is for all…
Confessions of a Chinese Adoptee
This group shares adoptees’ stories in order to help empower other adoptees, empower their self-growth, and change the narrative of adoption. It has resources for…
“2018 I WENT TO CHINA TO SEARCH FOR MY BIRTH FAMILY * 2018年寻找中国亲生父母”
In this short YouTube documentary (link to the full TV documentary is in the description), an adoptee shares her experience of going to China to…
Bao Bei Hui Jia
Bao Bei Hui Jia is a Chinese birth family searching site where users can post searching posters for free. Users are encouraged to provide information…
CCI (China’s Children International): Searching Resources
This resource guide is a compilation of birth family searching resources for thee Chinese adoption community. It offers various tips, precautions, strategies, platforms, etc. for…
Nanchang Project
The Nanchang Project is a program for creating community and sharing resources for Chinese adoptees searching for birth family. Their goal is to provide adoptees…
CCI (China’s Children International) Pride
This is a private Facebook group created by CCI (China’s Children International) for LGBTQ+ Chinese adoptees. It’s a network to discuss issues and topics relating…
Considering Adoption: “Scholarships for Adoptees”
This article answers a few questions about college scholarships for adopted youth. It also provides links to different college scholarships for international adoptees and youth…
Holt International: “Holt Adoptee Scholarship Contest”
This scholarship is open to all adoptees (domestic or international) who plan to or are currently in higher education. Applicants could be awarded up to…
UMPS CARE Charities: All-Star College Scholarship
This scholarship is for children adopted later in life (at or after 13). It aims to provide opportunities for advanced education (must be incoming freshman).…
Also-Known-As: Adoptee Excellence Scholarship
This scholarship is open to undergraduate international adoptees who demonstrate leadership, drive, integrity, and civic engagement. They seek candidates who have used their adoption story…
ICAV: Adoptee Led Groups
ICAV’s mission is to educate, support, connect, collaborate, galvanize, and give voice to intercountry adoptees. On this webpage, they provide a list of adoptee groups…
Meetup: Adoptees
This is a location-based search directory for adoptee support groups. Profiles include location, contact information, events, and photos. It features a list of the largest…
Considering Adoption: “Adoptee Support Groups”
A list of adoptee support groups, including groups for general adoptee support, international adoptee support, foster care adoptee support, and person of color (POC) adoptee…
Found (2021)
The story of three adopted Chinese-American girls who discover they’re cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions…
Approved for Adoption (2012)
An animated film about a Korean adoptee joining a Belgium family and his return to his birth country. The story follows him over the course…
Somewhere Between (2011)
A documentary following the lives of four teenage girls adopted from China. The film explores their struggles with racism, identity formation, belonging, race, gender, and…
Twinsters (2015)
A documentary about identical twin sisters who were separated at birth and find one another online. They meet, confirm their relationship with a DNA test,…
Blue Bayou (2021)
A movie about a Korean adoptee raised in Louisiana. He struggles to make a better life for his family. However, he must confront his past…
Off and Running (2009)
A movie about an African-American adoptee with white, Jewish lesbians parents and two other adopted siblings beginning to become more curious about their roots. Her…
One Child Nation (2019)
A documentary about the various perspectives on China’s One Child Policy. It interviews people who carried out the policy to the people who fell victim…
International Child Search Alliance (ICSA)
An international, all-volunteer group of adoptees and adoptive parents offering sources of information to help Chinese adoptees search for their birth families. There are guides…
Adoptees for Justice
An intercountry, adoptee-led organization whose mission is to educate, empower, and organize transracial and international adoptee communities to achieve just and humane adoption, immigration, and…
Closure (2013)
A transracial adoptee finds her birth mother and meets the rest of her family who did not know she existed, including her birth father. This…
Lion (2016)
A movie about a birth family search based on a true story. A child from India gets lost, taken thousands of miles away from home,…
Angela Tucker
Angela Tucker is a multimedia phenomenon leading discussions about race, class, and identity. She was adopted from foster care to a white family, and grew…
Twin Sisters (2013)
This heartwarming documentary is about twin sisters who are adopted by different families. They find their way back to each other via social media. This…
First Person Plural (2000)
A documentary about an 8-year old girl who was adopted by an American family. She later discovers that she has a birth family in Korea.…
Searching for Go-Hyang (1998)
A film about twin sisters who are adopted into the US, but return back to Korea 14 years later. They hope to explore and reconnect…
aka DAN: Korean Adoption Documentary
A documentary about a Korean adoptee who journeys back to Korea to reunite with his biological family — including a twin brother he never knew…
NCFA: “Post-Adoption Services Acknowledging and Dealing with Loss”
An article on the way loss, rejection, guilt, grief, identity, intimacy, and control, affect adoptees’ experiences and lives.
NCFA: “How Adoption Will Be Impacted If Congress Passes These Four Bills in 2022”
An article on the four proposed bills (from 2022) that Congress was set to vote on regarding different adoption issues. Bills concern the simplification of…
NCFA: Internships
The webpage for the NCFA Internship application. This is an unpaid opportunity located in Virginia that works to strengthen and support adoption.
Adoptee Voices Rising
An adoptee-led, social justice group that advocates for the adoptee community through political engagement and legislation.
The New York Times: “Deportation a ‘Death Sentence’ to Adoptees After a Lifetime in the U.S.”
An article about adult Korean adoptees who have been deported back to Korea. It discusses a problem with U.S. adoption: some international adoptees unknowingly never…
Vox: “Why adoption isn’t a replacement for abortion rights”
When the Roe v. Wade draft leaked, many people argued that adoption could replace abortion. This article discusses the shortcomings of this argument and rhetoric.…
American Adoptions: “The Truth About Adopted Adults and Relationship Issues”
An article explaining that many adoptees feel they have relationship issues originating from their adoption. It cites that adoptees may have difficulties in both platonic…
Adoptee Mentoring Society
An online mentorship community that values adoptee power, intersectionality, and a healing community. They offer online group meetings between adoptees, and 1:1 mentorship with affordable…
Time: “My White Adoptive Parents Struggled to See Me as Korean. Would They Have Understood My Anger at the Rise in Anti-Asian Violence?”
An article about a Korean-American adoptee’s thoughts on the title of “adoptee” and the racial dynamics in transracial adoptions.
Los Angeles Times: “‘I’m not allowed to feel those things’: How adoptees experience anti-Asian hate”
An article about the complex ways Asian adoptees experience culture, anti-Asian hate, and racism as a result of being adopted.
NPR: “‘Am I Asian Enough?’ Adoptees Struggle To Make Sense Of Spike In Anti-Asian Violence”
Adoptees explain their feelings regarding the surge in anti-Asian violence and the ways in which they are affected by racism.
The New York Times Magazine: “Why a Generation of Adoptees Is Returning to South Korea”
An article by a Korean adoptee which explores the reasons and ways for South Korean adoptees to return to their birthplace. There are also many…
Adoptees On
A Spotify podcast where adoptees discuss the adoption experience. Hosts emphasize open and vulnerable discussions. Episodes range from 40 minutes to an hour and a…
Who Am I Really?
A podcast where adoptees of all different backgrounds discuss their adoptions and attempts at reunion with their biological families. Episodes range from 30 minutes to…
Vox: “Genes aren’t destiny, and other things I’ve learned from being adopted”
An adoptee speaks candidly about their adoption experience — dealing with other people’s expectations and the ways in which birth family connection can be powerful.
NPR: “Growing Up ‘White,’ Transracial Adoptee Learned To Be Black”
An article and podcast on NPR about a Black, transracial adoptee. Chad Goller-Sojourner reflects on his identity and experiences growing up with white parents and…
Considering Adoption: “5 Things the Spouse of an Adoptee Should Know”
A brief article about five ways in which you can uniquely support and love an adopted spouse.
Psychology Today: “Adult Adoptee Voices Are Changing Adoption Narrative”
An article written by a Korean-American adoptee about the Side by Side project, where adoptees discuss their lives, relationships, and origins. Side by Side also…
NCFA: Stories
A list from The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) of articles for and fromadoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, and expecting parents.
The Adoption and Fostering Podcast
A podcast series that interviews birth parents, adoptees, and family members of adoptees. It features conversations about contemporary adoption and fostering. Episodes are 40-50 minutes…
Two Adoptees Uncensored: “Listening to Adoptees”
A podcast episode featuring a queer, transracial adoptee from Vietnam. Christopher reflects on his identity and growing up in a white family and predominantly white…
Adoptees On: “33 [S2 E10] Marni – A Model Reunion”
Although this podcast episode is full of hard and honest conversations, it’s ultimately about the joyful reunion between birth mother and adoptee. The episode walks…
Adoptees On: “24 [Healing Series] How Do I Tell My Adoptive Parents I’m Searching?”
This podcast episode is about how to talk with your parents about searching for your birth family. The episode discusses how it’s normal for adoptees…
Taiwanese Adoptees International
A Facebook group for Taiwanese adoptees to connect, share stories, and provide support for one another. It’s based in California, but serves Taiwanese adoptees across…
A Chinese Adoptee’s Journey
The blog of an adult Chinese-American adoptee which explores her feelings and experiences regarding adoption.
Adopted Vietnamese International (AVI)
A community that promotes resources and opportunities for Vietnamese adoptees to explore their heritage and identity. AVI encourages members to share their insights about adoption…
Adoptation
A support group on Facebook for adult adoptees (intercountry and domestic) in Australia. This group is for talking about adoption experiences and creating a safe…
Navigating Adoption
An organization founded to provide people with a safe space to discuss adoption-related topics and issues. They want to serve the adoption community by educating…
I’m Adopted
A global online organization which provides resources, discussion topics, and meet-ups for adoptees. They operate through Facebook and work to foster community and connections for…
Adoptees Supporting Adoptees
A Facebook support group for adoptees to share their adoption stories and build community. This community is for adult adoptees and emphasizes non-judgmental discussion.
Openly Adopted: “Adoptee Resources”
A website featuring books, blogs, podcasts, mental health services, and more for adoptees. Their goal is to help amplify adoptees’ perspectives and cultivate a sense…
American Adoptions: “How to Find Adoptee Support Groups”
An article about where and how to find adoption support groups. There’s information about groups for international adoptees, adoptees of color, and foster care adoptees,…
Adoptees of South America + Extended Latin Americas (ASA)
A peer-centered group for adult adoptees from South America and the Extended Latin Americas. They provide adoptees with community, support, and encouragement through monthly virtual…
Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington (AAAW)
An organization dedicated to providing support to Asian adult adoptees in the state of Washington. They have community events, youth mentorship programming, educational opportunities, advocacy…
Adoption Surrogacy Choices of Colorado: “Understanding an Adult Adoptee’s Emotions”
An brief article which discusses the complex emotions some adoptees may face.
The Guardian: “Stories of transracial adoptees must be heard – even uncomfortable ones”
An article by transracial adoptee Nicole Chung about how adoptees are expected to fit into racist frameworks. She also explains which emotions are considered “acceptable”…
NPR: “Adoptees express their fear, anger and insight on race during social unrest”
An article that spotlights diverse adoptees and their families. Adoptees explain how their identity has been shaped by social unrest and the ways it has…
Healthline: “The Best Adoptee Blogs of the Year”
A list of different adoptee authors, their blogs, and information about what each one focuses on.
Sisters of China
A community organization dedicated to uniting female-identifying Chinese adoptees of all ages across the world by providing them a safe space to share their stories,…
Diary of a Not-So-Angry Asian Adoptee
The blog of Christina Romo — a Korean adoptee, mom, wife, and advocate. She details her life, thoughts on adoption, and provides the perspective of…
