Alex Sloan (he/they), is a Transracial, Transgender and Nonbinary human, adopted from La Chorrera, Panama. He was adopted as an infant by a single white woman, who adopted another child from Panama 7 years prior, (who he later found out was his biological cousin through DNA testing). After his adoption was finalized at six months old, Alex was then moved overseas with his adoptive family to Okinawa, Japan, until 2006, when his family PCS'd (Permanent Change of Station) moved to an American Air Force base in Aviano, Italy. Alex was in Italy until he graduated High School and was accepted to Northern Arizona University, in 2012. Alex graduated and obtained a Bachelors degree in Social Work and a minor in Psychology and Sociology. Alex moved to Portland, OR, in 2023, for new opportunities a safer environment for his queerness, and outside the heat of Arizona!. Alex currently works at a non-profit, as a Case Manager Supervisor, providing case management services to adults who experience Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Alex is excited to continue to be involved in the adoptee community and share his story.

https://www.bipocadoptees.org

Music by Corey Quinn

Lilly Anspach is an artist, writer, and adoptee advocate whose work explores healing, identity, and truth-telling. She is the founder of Center to Shape, a creative healing initiative, and The Yuri Group, a leadership and organizational consulting practice. Through art, writing, and community engagement, Lilly examines the complexities of adoption, belonging, and personal transformation. She is also involved with Adoptees for Family Preservation, where she works to elevate first mother voices and advocate for family preservation and ethical adoption practices.

https://www.adopteesffp.org

Music by Corey Quinn

After losing her son, to a devastating unnecessary adoption Renee Gelin discovered her purpose to help other mothers avoid unnecessarily separating from their newborns. Renee started speaking to other expectant mothers and realized that many of the reasons that they were considering adoption were similar to hers – temporary. She started explaining the lifelong trauma that maternal separation causes both mothers and their newborns and the mothers listened. The adoption community began to see moms with their babies and began to support Renee’s efforts of family preservation. Others online began to direct mothers considering adoption to speak with Renee and the concept of Saving Our Sisters became a reality. Renee married her son’s father and together they parent their daughters in Florida.

https://savingoursistersadoption.org

Recommended Resources: https://thefamilypreservationproject.com https://untanglingourroots.org https://concernedunitedbirthparents.org

Music by Corey Quinn