Matt Bevin's Despicable Legacy: From White Savior Adoptive Parent to Child Abandoner
"Noah, the former Kentucky governor's son, is unsurprised. I ask why he thinks Bevin adopted him. "Public image," he mutters."
As an adult adoptee who has spent over a decade and a half working closely with the adoptee community, I’ve learned some horrific truths about the endless suffering endured by adoptees around the world. These stories of pain and betrayal fuel the fire within me to continue writing about these critically important topics surrounding adoption. I will never be silenced—so buckle up for the ride because I am truly just getting started.
Why is this topic important to me? I was considered a troubled, adopted teenager, labeled “bad,” who struggled with every aspect of being adopted. I found myself in and out of group homes, juvenile jails, detention centers, and locked in rehab with a 27-year addiction to alcohol. I was a runaway teen my whole juvenile life. I take teen adoptee struggles personally, and they hit me in a place that has to DO SOMETHING.
Recently, like many of you, I learned about the three adoptees who were left for dead in Jamaica by their adoptive parents after the closure of the Atlantis Leadership Academy, a place notorious for its abuse of teens. I’ve barely slept since. Am I the only adoptee who is absolutely furious that this is happening to these boys? Days have passed, and I’ve waited in vain for a public statement from their friends, family, or attorneys, hoping for some understanding, some explanation. But in the absence of any response, I am left as an adoptee to sift through the available articles, and what I’ve uncovered is beyond frightening.
Learning that one of the abandoned boys is the Ethiopian adopted son of former Governor Matt Bevin strikes me to my core. Why? Because I’m a Kentucky adoptee who has dedicated endless time and energy to helping hurting and traumatized adoptees. This isn’t about gloating over what I’ve done—it’s about sharing my broken heart for these three boys and all the adoptees who have ever been abused in these horrific institutions.
The story of Noah Bevin, the adopted son of former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and his wife Glenna, has sparked outrage and disbelief, especially among the adoptee community. Matt didn’t need any more help being unpopular in the state of K.Y. and around our nation. Do the research and see, but he is very much disliked in these parts.
People despise Matt Bevin because of several controversial decisions and statements he made during his tenure as Kentucky's governor. One of the most significant sources of anger comes from the education community, as Bevin repeatedly clashed with teachers over pension reforms and education funding. His administration's attempts to cut teacher pensions and reduce benefits sparked widespread protests and walkouts, which he dismissed, further alienating educators.
Bevin also made inflammatory remarks, such as blaming teachers for child abuse incidents during the protests, which deepened the resentment. Beyond education, his abrasive style, polarizing political stances, and frequent dismissals of opposing views contributed to a broader perception of him as a divisive and unsympathetic leader, fueling widespread dislike across various public sectors.
Noah (pseudonym name), who was adopted from Ethiopia by the Bevin’s and then allegedly abandoned in Jamaica by Glenna and Matt Bevin, highlights a disturbing trend among adoptive parents who ship off their children to boarding schools and behavioral modifying academies when they don't meet expectations, washing their hands of their parental responsibilities.
According to a report by The Times, Noah was one of many American teenagers sent to the Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica. The facility's website states, “ALA will help him tap into his strength of leadership and self-worth, moving forward in life with a confidence based on strong values and new life skills that will see him prepared for a healthy, balanced, and successful future.”
But they were closed down in April with notorious accounts of abuse and neglect.
The article titled by The London Times, I'd rather die than go back': Jamaica's school for troubled U.S. boys, states, "Three adopted teenagers were left behind by their adoptive parents in this foreign, harsh environment."
One of these teenagers is Noah Bevin, a young man who has faced significant trauma and abandonment at the hands of those who vowed to care for him.
The Times article states:
"A sizeable number of the children had been adopted by parents who had then changed their minds and didn't want them."
This is a prevalent theme in adoption and highlights a very challenging reality for adoptees.
The Times article wrote:
"The boys wrote that they had been starved, waterboarded, and brutally beaten with broom handles, rakes, belts, and metal water bottles. They said they had been sleep-deprived and relentlessly insulted — "faggot”, "pussy”. Boys who self-harmed reported having bleach and salt rubbed in their wounds; others wrote that they were threatened with knives and kept in solitary confinement for months on end.
According to their statements, one boy was punched unconscious by staff; another boy's nose was broken, and another's shoulder was dislocated. Staff would get drunk at work, force the boys to fight each other for their entertainment, and threaten to kill them. Many reported that Logan was beaten for screaming in his sleep and wetting the bed."
The Times article also stated:
"The other three — Emmanuel from Haiti, Cassius from Illinois, and Noah from Ethiopia — are all 17 and black and were adopted by white Christians who then changed their minds. Popular with pro-lifers, adoption in the U.S. has an estimated failure rate of up to 25 percent. For adoptive families in the public eye, troubled teen facilities can offer a face-saving solution."
A shocking video of a raid on Atlantis Leadership Academy has surfaced, where the reporter emphatically states, "Atlantis Leadership Academy was an American facility, run by Americans. The problem with all the boys being from the USA is another USA problem. The kids that were abandoned by U.S. adoptive parents is another USA issue."
The video vividly depicts the heartbreaking reality these boys faced. While the incident occurred in Jamaica, it is fundamentally a USA issue, highlighting how such situations are less common in Jamaican culture. The reporter's tone, almost laughing at the absurdity, starkly contrasts with the gravity of the situation, underscoring the insanity of such abandonment.
This reminded me of my experience when I called to file a report with the Cabinet for Health & Family Services, Child Abuse hotline about this case. I was told that because these boys were abandoned in another country, it was up to that country to pursue legal avenues. This is insanity and all too common for adoptive parents to resort to when their children are not what they want them to be or if they show signs of non-compliance or grievances with being adopted. These might show up as acting out, anger, rage, addictions, and emotional, mental, and psychological issues.
The Kentucky Lantern reports,
"As Kentucky governor, Matt Bevin said his overriding goal was to reform what he said was the state's "broken machine" of adoption and foster care system. In that same interview, Bevin and his wife, Glenna, said their adoption of four children from Ethiopia grew from their faith-driven desire to provide homes for children in need. "It is our desire to make Kentucky a model for the nation and the world," said Matt Bevin, a conservative Christian and Republican who served as governor from 2015 through 2019. But now, one of those adopted children, a 17-year-old boy, is at the center of international attention after he and seven other boys were removed from the Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica in February, where authorities found horrific conditions, according to a lengthy article published July 13 in the Sunday Times of London."
Despite this, no action has been taken against Matt and Glenna Bevin, and this raid happened in April. From my knowledge, under Kentucky law, abandonment is defined as "a parent or guardian leaving a child in circumstances where the child's well-being is threatened, or they are left without proper care." Given these laws, why haven't Matt and Glenna Bevin been charged for their actions? I am sure there are some legal reasons why, which I am positive was a part of the Bevin’s plan.
I just learned from an article that Kentucky Lantern just posted that Noah Bevin is back in the United States and is “safe.” However, it also states that the Bevans are not involved. Are we surprised? So, that leaves us to wonder about Cassius and Emmanuel. Where are they?
This behavior and treatment by adoptive parents is not an isolated incident. It is, unfortunately, a common theme in the adoption community regarding adoptive parents. Many adoptees, deeply traumatized from being separated from their first families, are expected to integrate into their adoptive families without any issues seamlessly. When they struggle, as many do, they are often sent away to boarding schools or troubled teen programs, effectively abandoned by the very people who were supposed to provide them with love and stability.
Christian White Saviorism
The white savior Christian narrative in adoption perpetuates a deeply flawed and harmful mindset, where adoptive parents, often white and affluent, see themselves as benevolent rescuers of children from less privileged backgrounds, usually children of color. This narrative is rooted in a paternalistic view that prioritizes the savior's image over the genuine needs and identities of the adopted children. It creates a superficial sense of moral superiority while ignoring the complex realities and traumas of adoption. No wonder it was so easy for the Bevins to toss Noah to the wolves, a horrific reality we see repeatedly.
This mindset can lead to severe emotional and psychological damage for the adoptees, who are often expected to express gratitude for being "saved." At the same time, their histories, cultures, and identities are erased or devalued. It fosters an environment where adoptees are commodified, their worth measured by how well they conform to their adoptive parents' expectations. When these children inevitably struggle with identity and belonging, they are too often discarded, as seen in the tragic cases of Noah Bevin and the other boys, revealing the white savior narrative as not just misguided but profoundly and enormously damaging.
In my view, the Bevins' actions epitomize the problematic white savior mentality. I learned they tried to adopt a child of color in the USA who was in foster care, and they were denied because they already had five biological children. Being denied the adoption of a single child of color due to their already large family of five, they flew to Ethiopia to adopt four more children, bringing their total to nine. How were they able to adopt internationally and not domestically?
Recommended Resource: InterCountry Adoptee Voices by Lynelle Long.
This discrepancy raises essential questions about the differences in adoption standards and regulations between domestic and international adoptions. Domestic adoption processes in the U.S. are often more stringent, with thorough background checks, home studies, and evaluations designed to ensure the suitability of prospective parents. The fact that the Bevins were declined domestically suggests that concerns may have been raised during these evaluations.
However, international adoption systems, especially from countries with fewer resources or different regulatory frameworks, can sometimes be less rigorous, allowing families who may not meet domestic standards to adopt abroad. This raises ethical concerns about the disparities in adoption practices and the potential for vulnerable children in international adoptions to be placed in environments that may not be adequately vetted.
This decision to adopt four children from Ethiopia seems less about genuine compassion and more about making a political and evangelical statement. The adoption of these children of color, in my opinion, was done with little regard for the complex and often heartbreaking experiences that international adoptees endure. It appears to have been a move to "look good" rather than a sincere effort to provide a loving and supportive home.
Please Read: 100 Heartfelt Transracial Adoptee Quotes That Honor The Truth of Adoption.
When Noah could have had struggles and possibly did not conform to the narrative he was being pressured to assimilate into, the Bevins' response was to abandon him, shipping him off when the going got tough. This action underscores a severe lack of intent and remorse for the immense emotional and psychological harm inflicted on Noah and their adopted children, revealing the adoption as a facade rather than a genuine act of love and care.
Money is a driving force behind these adoptions.
Follow the money. Adoptive parents, usually unprepared for the unique challenges adoptees face, often seek quick fixes with cash in hand. When their adopted children do not meet their expectations, these parents see sending them away to boarding schools, therapy centers, wilderness camps, and leadership academies as a solution. They wash their hands of them, leaving these children high and dry and in abusive situations in the guise of "Tough Love."
This is not only a failure of the adoptive parents but also a systemic issue within the adoption industry that prioritizes placements over the well-being of the child.
The Bevins have long championed a Christian pro-adoption narrative, using their platform to promote international and domestic adoption.
The Kentucky Lantern states:
"The four adopted children had no difficulty assimilating into the Bevins' household—even though they were a different race and spoke a different language, the couple said in the KET interview.
"It really wasn't a big adjustment," said Glenna Bevin, who, as Kentucky's first lady, took on improving adoption and foster care as her primary cause.
"Kids are amazing," Matt Bevin said. "It really has been a very, very seamless transition."
These insights reveal a disturbing lack of understanding and preparation for the challenges that come with adopting children from different countries and backgrounds.
The Times article states:
"No one is here for the three adopted boys. Noah, the former Kentucky governor's son, is unsurprised. I ask why he thinks Bevin adopted him. "Public image," he mutters. Darkness has fallen before the court finally rises, and they emerge looking dejected. The judge has had to make them wards of the Jamaican state. As they trudge back across the car park to their bus, CPFSA officers try to rally their spirits. Now that they have full custody, they can work with the U.S. attorneys to find them new homes back in America. The boys stare at their feet, broken and lost."
The reality is that international adoptees like Noah, Cassius, and Emmanuel often struggle with significant trauma and identity issues from being adopted and removed from their biological families and cultures. Instead of addressing these challenges and, at all costs, doing the parental job of never giving up on their children, the Bevins chose to ship Noah off to facilities in Florida and eventually Jamaica, abandoning him when those programs not only failed him but abused him adding more trauma to a traumatic beginning.
What kind of parents do this? Sadly, adoptive parents have created a trend that they do! They are ill-prepared for the reality of adoption, and the root issues adoptees face, more so international adoptees. Money talks. These programs cost anywhere from $6000/mo-$10,000/mo, possibly more. Poor adoptive families don't have the means to ship their kids off, but wealthy, affluent adoptive families do.
There is little to no government oversight on Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) facilities, allowing these establishments to operate with alarming impunity. This lack of regulatory scrutiny enables many TTI programs to fly under the radar, perpetuating environments rife with abuse and mistreatment. The absence of stringent monitoring and accountability mechanisms has created a systemic blind spot, leaving vulnerable youth at the mercy of unregulated institutions prioritizing profit over their charges' well-being and safety. As a result, numerous cases of severe emotional, physical, and psychological harm continue to emerge from these unchecked facilities, highlighting an urgent need for comprehensive oversight and reform.
Consider Reading: What Has Happened to the Ethiopian Son Adopted by Former Kentucky Governor Bevin? by Maureen McCaulley of Light of Day Stories.
The Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) has been associated with alarmingly high suicide rates among its participants, a grim testament to the profound and often unaddressed trauma inflicted within these programs. Studies and survivor testimonies reveal that the abusive and punitive environments typical of many TTI facilities contribute significantly to the mental health crises experienced by the teens subjected to their harsh regimes.
Being an adoptee in the Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) starkly differs from a child who wasn't adopted due to the compounded layers of trauma and identity issues faced by adoptees. Adoptees often enter the TTI already grappling with feelings of abandonment, loss, and identity confusion stemming from their adoption experiences. The separation from birth parents and the challenges of navigating adoptive family dynamics can lead to deep-seated emotional wounds.
In contrast, non-adopted children in the TTI may face behavioral or emotional difficulties but typically do not carry the additional burden of adoption-related trauma. The TTI environment, often characterized by strict discipline, isolation, and punitive measures, can exacerbate adoptees' pre-existing trauma, leading to a more profound sense of isolation and psychological distress.
The lack of understanding and support for adoptees' unique needs within these programs can further hinder their emotional and psychological healing, making their experience in the TTI significantly more challenging and detrimental. While I do not wish to underscore the experiences of those harmed by the TTI, expressing the differences in these experiences is vital to understanding why this is so detrimental to adoptees who are sent to these awful places.
The lack of proper mental health support, combined with isolation from family and familiar support systems, exacerbates feelings of hopelessness and despair. As a result, adoptee adolescents emerge from these programs with deep psychological scars, and tragically, some see no way out other than taking their own lives. This stark reality underscores the urgent need for reform and oversight in all adoptions and the TTI to prevent further loss of young lives.
Adoption is inherently traumatic due to the profound loss of biological families, leaving adoptees to grapple with issues of identity, belonging, and abandonment. When compounded by the severe mistreatment often experienced in the Troubled Teen Industry (TTI), this trauma intensifies, creating a profoundly damaging scenario. For adoptees abandoned by their adoptive parents and subjected to the TTI's abusive practices, the situation becomes unimaginably worse.
The harm of using religion as a front for adoption is evident in this case. The Bevins' actions show that their commitment was more about the image of being saviors than genuinely supporting and understanding their adopted children. This superficial approach to adoption does more harm than good, leaving children like Noah to suffer the consequences.
The trauma he has experienced will take a lifetime to heal if he does heal at all. Wounds like Noah carries are sometimes too big to heal. I do believe with the right resources, tools, and support system, he can overcome these challenges, but he will likely be working the rest of his life to find the happiness he was promised when he was adopted. After such betrayal, I can only imagine.
From what I have found online, Noah will turn 18 on November 11. Imagine the feelings of betrayal, confusion, and abandonment he must be experiencing. Not only was he separated from his birth family and removed from his homeland, but he was also abandoned by his adoptive parents in a foreign country. This dual layer of abandonment is not something anyone should have to endure. Where are Noah's friends and siblings? Why is there no one standing up for him? What kind of cruel world do we live in where a young man can be so utterly forsaken?
This story is so heartbreaking to me!
Noah's plight is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities adoptees face. Many adoptees struggle with feelings of abandonment and identity, and when their adoptive families further mistreat them, it compounds their trauma. This is a common narrative in the adoption arena, where adoptees are treated as commodities that can be discarded when they no longer meet the expectations of their adoptive parents. This injustice must be brought to light. As I delve deeper into Noah's story and the other two abandoned adoptees, I uncover more stories of adoptees who have faced similar fates. The treatment of Noah Bevin is not only unfair and unjust; it is criminal.
Paris Hilton, a prominent advocate with her lived experience in the Troubled Teen Industry (TTI), has also lent her voice to Noah's story. Paris attended the hearing in Jamaica in April when Atlantis Leadership Academy was shut down. Her voice and mission 11:11 are crucial in shedding light on these injustices. Paris’s organization is the one that has shared the most recent update about Noah Bevin being returned to the United States. I am so grateful for her work! But we have so much work to do.
These vulnerable youth are left to endure the emotional and psychological turmoil of adoption, the cruelty of TTI environments, and the additional heartbreak of being forsaken by their adopters—all while in a foreign country. The compounded trauma from these experiences is devastating, leading to long-lasting and deep-seated emotional and mental health challenges. This scenario highlights a deeply troubling and catastrophic reality for the affected adoptees, emphasizing the urgent need for systemic change and better support mechanisms.
According to The Times, "The other three — Emmanuel from Haiti, Cassius from Illinois, and Noah from Ethiopia — are all 17 and black and were adopted by white Christians who then changed their minds. Popular with pro-lifers, adoption in the U.S. has an estimated failure rate of up to 25 percent. For adoptive families in the public eye, troubled teen facilities can offer a face-saving solution."
The TTI industry has long been associated with abuse and neglect. Adoptees are overrepresented in these facilities, as well as in prisons, jails, treatment centers, and mental health institutions. Studies have shown that adoptees are four times more likely to attempt suicide compared to their non-adopted peers. This alarming statistic underscores the severe mental health challenges many adoptees face, exacerbated by abandonment and mistreatment. The following links provide more information on these statistics:
- Overrepresentation of Adoptees in the Criminal Justice System
- Mental Health Challenges Among Adoptees
To Noah, Emmanuel, Cassius, and any other adoptees who have been thrown into a TTI from the adoptee community:
Our hearts break for you. You did nothing to deserve this treatment and abuse. We stand with you and will continue fighting for justice and accountability. Your stories are not forgotten, and we will work tirelessly to ensure no other adoptee endures what you have faced.
Please contact me. I have some resources and adoptee-centric organizations I would like to share with you.
As part of this effort, I have started a movement called "Adoptee Survivors of the Troubled Teen Industry." This initiative, an affiliate of Adoptee Remembrance Day, seeks to hear and amplify the stories of adoptees who have been harmed by the TTI and thrown away by their adopters. We want to bring these injustices to light and fight for change together.
I have already made some connections with adoptee survivors of the TTI, and I am excited to come together to see how we can advocate for these children, who deserve so much better.
If you are an adoptee survivor of the TTI industry, I would love to chat with you. Also, if anyone knows anything about Noah's whereabouts, please consider making a statement and commenting on this topic. We know he’s back in the U.S.A. but now what? He turns 18 in a matter of months. What happens then?
A special thanks to DECCA AITKENHEAD, the reporter from The Times, for all her hard work in putting this awful story together. The adoptee community is outraged by the actions of the Bevins and the other adoptive parents. This case serves as a stark reminder of the dire need for accountability and reform in the adoption process.
Q & A
For my readers, what should happen to the Bevins and the adoptive parents who have abandoned their sons? Should they face legal consequences? How can we ensure accountability in such cases? What steps should be taken to reform the adoption process and prevent future tragedies? I feel these adoptive parents need to be put in jail and legally charged like any other parent would face abandoning their kids. I also think the entire adoption industry needs to be abolished and reconstructed entirely differently with the removal of all funds charged for human beings, guardianship over adoption, 100% truth, and a transparency approach, but I'm interested in your thoughts. Your input is invaluable in this fight for justice and change.
Follow Adoptee Remembrance Day—October 30th—to help raise awareness about deportation among adoptees and bring to light these unjust and vital topics. RSVP to the event on Facebook and invite your friends and family to participate. You can’t claim to love adoption and not want to support those adoptees who are deeply impacted by decisions they had no choice in.
Thank you for your compassion and support. Let's make a difference together.
I see you; I feel your pain for all the adoptees who feel forgotten, lost, and alone. Please don’t give up, and know you aren’t alone in feeling like you do.
I have compiled a list of recommended resources for adoptees and advocates. It can be found here: Recommended Resources for Adult Adoptees and Adoption Advocates.
Thank you for reading and for supporting me and my work.
Understanding is Love,
Pamela A. Karanova
Here are some of the writing pieces I’m the proudest of:
Adoption: Mislabeled, Medicated, & Diagnosed Adoptees Could Be Grieving Profoundly.
The Perplexity of Forced Bonding in Adoption - I share my thoughts on the bonding process in adoption.
100 Heartfelt Transracial Adoptee Quotes that Honor the Truth of Adoption - 100 Transracial Adoptees come together to share feelings on how adoption has impacted them.
Adoptees, Why Are You So Angry? - Adoptees share feelings on why they are angry.
Why Do Adoptees Search? An Adoptee Collaboration - Many adoptees experience why they choose to search for biological families.
100 Heartfelt Adoptee Quotes that Honor the Truth of Adoption - 100 Adoptees come together to share heartfelt feelings on how adoption has made them feel.
My Friend Has an Adopted Child, and They Don’t Have Any Issues with Being Adopted - Shining a light on the comment so many adoptees hear over and over.
Here are some of the articles I have been featured in:
These Adoptees Refuse to Be Christian Pro-Life Poster Kids by Kathryn Post of Religious News Service.
Toward Preventing Adoption- Related Suicide by Mirah Riben.
Before a month celebrating adoption, a day to recognize adoptees’ trauma by Religion News Service.
Bringing Adult Adoptee Issues to Light by Angela Burton of Next Avenue.