TITLE: LGBTQA+ Adoptees & Reunion

DESCRIPTION

In this We the Experts, LGBTQIA+ Adoptees will discuss their experience with reunion. Reunion is a complex and emotional journey on its own. Adoptees can feel a range of feelings surrounding acceptance from their families of origin. Those who also identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community may experience added layers of complexity while contemplating or going through a reunion. Questions this panel may contemplate include: ~ When initially considering reunions, what thoughts or feelings came up for you?

How has being an LGBTQIA+ adoptee influenced your decision to pursue reunion?
What was your experience of reunion as an LGBTQIA+ adoptee?
What kind of support did you need or receive during this process?
What advice would you give LGBTQIA+ adoptees who are considering reunion?

PANELISTS

Elliot Bliss (he/him) is a Korean adoptee who was adopted at 6 months from Korea. He grew up in Oregon with three older sisters - two are biological to his parents, and one also adopted from Korea (not biological). Elliot is the Supervisor of Post Adoption Services at Holt. In his role, Elliot creates, implements, and oversees programs and resources for all adoptees. After multiple years of searching, Elliot reunited with his birth father in 2018. Elliot’s birth father flew to Oregon to meet him on his 21st birthday. Since then, Elliot has traveled back to Korea multiple times to meet his birth family. Elliot is honored and excited to be on this panel to share his experience of being gay and in reunion with his birth family.

Matthew Van Beck (he/him) (Lee Hak Kun) is a transracial adoptee from South Korea. He was officially adopted on November 2, 1988 and was raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado and works in education. As both an educator and spoken word poet, he explores the various themes of his identity through the lens of marginalization, intersectionality, and liberation, and uses them to help connect the dots for others in hopes of building better communities around him. He is excited to be both here and queer on this panel and further the understanding about what it means to be an LGBTQIA+ adoptee.

Desi Sulca (they/them) is an indigenous, queer, non-binary transracial adoptee who was born in Cusco, Peru and currently resides in SoCal. They’ve been in reunion since 2019. They're a professional digital video producer/editor having worked at publications like Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, and currently HuffPost. They specialize in creating identity videos within the LGBTQ community & adoptee community. They’re thrilled to chat about being in reunion and how it’s impacted their gender and queer journey and the nuances of multiple identities.

Gabriel Glissmeyer (He/Him) is a transracial adoptee who was born and entered foster care in Ohio and grew up in Utah. He is the youngest of his five biological, three foster, and three adoptive siblings. Although adoption records opened in Ohio, Gabriel had to prove that he was the same person as the baby girl that had been adopted before he could start a reunion. Based on his experience navigating adoption as a queer and trans person, Gabriel facilitates a virtual LGBTQ+ adoptee peer support group and researches the public health impact of closed adoption on adult adoptees. He is excited to be a part of this panel to bring attention to the experience of trans adoptees in reunion.

Alternate panelist: Dani Zimmerman (They/She/Him) is a transracial domestic adoptee, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dani is a writer interested in the healing nature of storytelling, adoption portrayals in media, and adoptee-focused spaces of collaboration. Topics of writing focus for Dani include intersections of identity and the experience of growing up in conservative, white areas of the American West. They welcome opportunities for creative collaboration and can be found on Instagram. Dani is honored to share space with other adoptees to explore the intersections of queer identity and return to family of origin.