On June 25th, those who had been involved in the Evan B. Donaldson Institute’s (EBD’s) Dec. ’07 “For the Records National Conclave” in NY received an e-mail from Susan Hicks, EBD’s new “project administrator” on the Institute’s open records project.

Yesterday, Bastard Nation responded to the Evan B. Donaldson Institute e-mail from Ms. Hicks with an important “Open Letter” a copy of which, with an introduction from Bastard Nation’s Executive Chair, Marley Greiner, can be found on her personal blog, The Daily Bastardette.

Go read the piece, it will get you up to speed on the situation.

In response to the Bastard Nation open letter, I wrote the following:

That SO needed saying.

Speaking as one of those ‘Black Holed Bastards’ (from Ohio, myself,) I found the EBD e-mail from Susan Hicks appalling.

Ohio’s black hole is precisely the situation we who care about genuine open records have worked to eradicate. So when Massachusetts built a new black hole for Massachusetts Bastards, we were horrified.

It is “example A” of the kind of legislation we have fought and continue to fight against. It is, to put it mildly, what not to do.

For EBD to then turn around and HIRE a person who proudly brags of having played (to use her term) an “instrumental role” in the Massachusetts disaster shows either profound ignorance of what black hole legislation does to Bastards (something that as Marley pointed out even EBD’s own report rejects) or outright stupidity.

You don’t REWARD people who were part of destroying records access/genuine open records by placing them in the position of the Institute’s ‘project administrator’ on open records! Good grief!

Putting forward Ms. Hicks as any kind of liaison with the rest of the open records and adopted people’s community would be laughable, were it not so tragic.

It is beyond insulting.

Marley and BN are if anything, being far too polite.

Once again, EBD shows that despite even the content of their own reports, their current set of actions reflect a profound unawareness of the issues faced by, and real needs of, adopted people.

Perhaps instead of e-mailing AT adopted people, EBD would do well to LISTEN to those of us who have been working towards our own open records instead.

As I’ve said before, when it comes to adoption, and open records, we (pro-uncompromised open records adopted people) are the experts.

In the mean time, EBD does not and can not, speak for me. Certainly not if they view Ms. Hicks as an Institute appropriate ‘project administrator’ on open records.

As for those of us who ARE black holed Bastards ourselves, we will continue to speak and work on our own behalf- uncompromisingly.

Why? Because my life, my access to my own State confiscated records, and my authentic genetic identity are all not things I’m willing to ‘compromise’ away.