Adoptees Crossing Lines

Fancy Dance: When Family Preservation Becomes a Crime Episode Summary: In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way continue their Family Policing in the Media series with Fancy Dance. Unlike so many films about adoption and foster care,...

The Wild Robot: Rewriting Harm as Love Episode Summary: The Wild Robot isn’t technically an adoption story, or at least it doesn’t look like one at first. But once you strip away the animation, sweeping music, and story about a robot learning to love, ...

Short Term 12: Who Gets Centered When We Tell Stories About Care? Episode Summary: In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way continue their Family Policing in the Media series with Short Term 12. Once remembered as a rare film that ce...

Beyond the Happy Ending: Matilda and Child Autonomy Episode Summary: In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way continue their Family Policing in the Media series with a childhood classic: Matilda. Rewatching the film as adults, they e...

Joker: Systems, Class Warfare, and the Cost of Being Unseen Episode summary: In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and Jay continue their mini-series on family policing in the media with a discussion of the 2019 film Joker. They unpack the ...

Episode summary: Zaira and J continue the mini-series on family policing in the media with Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot. They break down how the film uses religion, marketing, and savior narratives to sell adoption as “justice,” while ignori...

Losing Isaiah: When the System Steals, and Hollywood Sells It Back to You Episode Summary: In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way continue their mini-series on family policing in the media with a critical look at the 1995 film Losi...

Instant Family: Comedy, Consent, and Adoption Propaganda Episode Summary: What happens when a comedy about foster care hides a deeper agenda? In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way dig into the film Instant Family, its tone, tropes...

The Blind Side: Ownership, Propaganda, and the White Savior Playbook Episode Summary: In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and co-host/editor J Way kick off a new film mini-series with one of the most infamous adoption movies of all time: ...

Ashley Albert on Survival, Strategy, and Standing on Business Episode Summary: In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira is joined by Ashley Albert—organizer, survivor, and founder of Stolen Children’s Month. Ashley shares her journey from fost...