I just spoke with an agent at New York State Governor Cuomo’s office. She took my opposition to A5036B. She said that the Governor has been receiving many phone calls and letters asking him to veto A5036B.

Then, I said that I sent in at least one letter with photo copies of my sealed birth certificate and my adopted birth certificate, and my hospital birth certificate and my two baptismal certificates. I told her that whether or not Governor Cuomo vetoes or passes A5036, or promotes supposedly clean bills S5169 and A06821 (which do not have provisions for parental permissions), either way, the real problem is still not being addressed.

I could tell that this woman was not really familiar with what happens to adoptees’ birth certificates upon adoption. I could hear her gasp when I told her that I have been staring at my real birth certificate since 1974. The one that was issued upon my birth. I told her that New York State annulled that birth certificate and replaced it with a false-fact birth certificate when I was 15 months old.

I heard her gasp at that point. The light bulb went off in her mind. She understood!

I said that no piece of legislation will totally restore adoptees’ civil rights to our true birth certificates until we repeal the 1935 law that annuls and re-writes our birth certificates.

Then I asked her, “How is this even legal?”

I heard her let out an exasperated sigh.

I said, “It should not be legal to annul anyone’s birth certificate and replace it with a false-fact birth certificate issued upon adoption. All other bills address mere ACCESS to the sealed record, but do not stop the problem at its source.”

At this point, the woman said she found notation of my written letter. She said she’d write my points in a note to Governor Cuomo for me.

I thanked her.

All I want is my civil rights restored to obtain, without conditions, and use as official identification, my still-sealed birth certificate THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ANNULLED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

What’s so hard about that?