TITLE: Partners of Adoptees

DESCRIPTION

The adoption experience is layered and nuanced and often misunderstood by non-adopted people. As adoptees we are more likely to have partners who are not adopted than we are to be partnered with another adoptee. In the upcoming adoptee ally series, partners of adoptees will discuss:

How adoption affects intimate relationships
Learning about the complexity of the adoptee experience
Exploring their own birth/biological privileges
Supporting their partner through their own adoption journey

PANELISTS

Bod Brader (he/him) is an award-winning actor, writer and storyteller. His trio of multi-award-winning solo shows, Spitting In The Face Of The Devil, Preparation Hex and Smoker, have toured all across the U.S. and Canada to tremendous critical and audience acclaim. Bob is the Executive Director of JMTC Theatre, an award-winning international company that combines art and advocacy to raise both funds and awareness for their nonprofit partners. Bob is the dramaturg of Suzanne Bachner’s The Good Adoptee, has facilitated its extensive U.S. tour and is an adoptee rights ally and accomplice. Bob is honored to be here sharing his experiences with Suzanne Bachner, his partner in life, love and art.

Kenya James (she/her) has lived in the Bay Area since 2010, when she moved back to the States after living in Germany for 7 years. She met her partner in July of 2019, and shortly after was exposed to the rarely discussed realities of adoption. Kenya has done what she can to better understand and support her partner. She is here today to share, listen, and learn with the community.

Geno Ray (he/him) was born in Astoria, Oregon and spent the early part of his life running up and down the freezing beaches of the Pacific Ocean. His family relocated to Apache Junction, Arizona, where upon graduation he enlisted in the army and spent time in Missouri, Georgia, and South Korea. He has dabbled in acting, mixed martial arts, professional wrestling and currently works at a company that produces light sabers. He now lives in Hillsboro with his partner Laura, his stepson Makani, and son Cheveyo. Geno is excited to support this panel because there is so much adoption in his family and it really doesn't get talked about openly. Meeting his partner and listening to her experiences helped Geno realize adoption should be talked about more because it is a part of the story of a family.

Nancy Thompson (she/her) teaches Art History at St. Olaf College and lives with her husband Greg and son in Minneapolis. She is the co-author of a new medieval art history textbook and has written several essays and articles about stained glass in Italy. She is the co-editor of the journal Different Visions: New Perspectives on Medieval Art and is a founding member of the Material Collective, an organization dedicated to fostering respectful intellectual exchange and innovative scholarship in the study of the visual arts, in the academy, and in the broader, public sphere. Nancy is looking forward to talking with other partners of adopted people about their experiences.

Alternate Panelist, Art Poole (he/him), grew up in the Southeast and Midwest. He served as an Army Infantry officer (Hawaii), worked in managed care (Houston), earned an MBA at Duke, then in the investment industry (Tampa, FL & Milwaukee, WI). Art moved to Oregon in 2008 and works for Schnitzer Steel. In 2014 Art married Jen. Prior to Jen sharing her own experiences, Art had never considered the profound (often painful) differences that adoptees can experience. Jen has made Art more aware of, and compassionate about, the impact of different life experiences – and he’s a better man/father/human for that.