Something that we hear over and over again from our Activism in Adoption speakers is how important it is for everyone in the adoption constellation to be listening to, and learning from, adult adoptees and birthparents, something we agree with wholeheartedly, and so today, we are offering up a brief list of some of the many adoptee and birthparent accounts we follow and learn from, every day.
This is by no means a comprehensive list - just a snapshot of some of the accounts educating the adoption constellation on TikTok and Instagram - and we are always looking for new accounts to follow. Have suggestions for who should be on this list? We want to hear them!
Birthparents
Nikkinowknows: Instagram. A fantastic writer and educator, Nikki has the ability to get into the hard stuff about adoption with such nuance and heart. A few post highlights of hers include her post on open adoption, and another about how it feels to be asked the question, "Do you have any children?"
HonestBirthDee: Tiktok. One of the OG birthmom accounts on TikTok, this creator should be a must-watch for adoptive parents thinking about closing an open adoption. Her content covers it all, from how it feels to have your adoption close when you assumed it would always be open, what it's like to just not know what your child knows about their own adoption, what happens if your child's adoptive mother finds your social media, and explaining how open adoptions are not legally binding.
Carissa Losey: Instagram. Another incredible writer. Don't sleep on her IG stories - they are always packed with excellent information, and the mini-essays she posts along with her content are some of the best writing we've seen in the adoption-sphere. Some of our recent faves among her posts are babies are not bandaids, and this one about having a baby after placement.
Sierra X Watts: TikTok, Instagram. Sierra does not shy away from creating powerful content, and this video on TikTok about birthparent pain and this post on Instagram discussing why she shares her story online are great starting points.. We especially appreciate this quote from that instagram post, "a healthier birthmom can limit trauma for both the adoptee and adoptive parents," because in our work, we see that every day.
NoTurbirthmom: Tiktok, Instagram. Most of her content is on TikTok, and it's well worth the watch - she's a fan of saying the quiet part out loud, from discussing suicide statistics in adoptees to the reality of open adoption for many birthmoms.
CJMiller: Tiktok, Instagram. One of the very, very few birthfather voices out there, this creator talks about what it means for your child to be adopted without your consent. As he discusses his own story, including his experiences with disenfranchised grief and educating about the intersection of race and adoption, he is also a champion for encouraging other birthparents to use their voice, and tell their stories and reminding everyone to support adoptees.
Adoptees
Lily_Cait: Tiktok. From highlighting adoption matching events to deconstructing the myth that adoptive parents are in the right place to adopt, this creator is a thoughtful and compelling voice for adoptees.
Karpoozy. Tiktok, Instagram. If you've followed us for any length of time, you know what fans we are of Kirsta, who joined us as an Activism in Adoption speaker last summer, bringing her social media content about re-homing in adoption to our education platform. Check out here TikTok videos regarding rehoming here, and here, and on Instagram, when she isn't doing a deep-dive about historical and current adoption practices, she's posting about reclaiming her Greek heritage through cooking making us hungry every time one of her cooking videos pops up in our feed.
Karlos Dillard: TikTok, Instagram. You might know Karlos from his book, Ward of the State, but he also uses his social media platforms to educate on the intersection of race and adoption, and race and foster care. Check out his videos on the lack of support for kinship care versus foster care, and, along with Karpoozy, he highlights the problematic nature of re-homing in adoption.
Toolan_Joe: Instagram. Queer, Latinx, Indigenous, Adoptee - if you need a roadmap for why it is critical for everyone in the adoption constellation to take intersectionality into account when discussing adoption, this is the account to start with. From talking about finding birthfamily to discussing how to navigate Valentine's day as an adoptee, and always encouraging their audience to love themselves, this is one of our perennial favorite creators to follow.
Marcella Moslow, LCSW: Instagram. The amount of time and effort this creator puts in to helping educate the adoption constellation on trauma and healing is immeasurable. From connecting the dots between withholding information from adoptees and thus hampering their healing, to explaining why we have to have the hard conversations in adoption, her entire Instagram account is like a masterclass in adoption.
And finally, we have one last account to highlight, and it is neither a birthparent nor an adoptive parent. It's adoptive mother Pauline Pearce: Tiktok, Instagram. Everyone talks about the importance of open adoption, but frankly, there are not a lot of models of what a healthy open adoption can look like, and Pauline's account does that. Her things that are just normal in their open adoption video is a masterclass in child-centered open adoption, and a reminder to adoptive parents everywhere to lead with love.
