Ashley's Story: The foster home seemed perfect. It held a dark secret.

Twenty-one years ago, a little girl named Ashley disappeared into the center of a political controversy.

The public never knew the 8-year-old’s name. They never saw her face. Never heard her voice.
But she became a symbol when a gay man sought to adopt her. On one side, people viewed Ashley as a vulnerable child going to a loving home. On the other, people feared her moral well-being was in danger.

The debate captured the state’s attention and spurred rallies, protests and legislation. Less than a year later, Ashley would be unwillingly thrust back into the spotlight.

Each time, when tempers cooled and the public’s attention shifted, the little girl would be left to deal with the aftermath.

All she wanted was a family. A place where she belonged.

Instead, Ashley would be exploited, abused and, ultimately, abandoned by people who said they cared about her. And her invisible wounds would persist for decades.

This is Ashley’s story. It’s a tale describing what happened before and after a political circus came and went. It’s the complex truth behind the easy answers everyone wanted to promote for their own ends. It follows an irrepressible girl whose quest for peace spans three decades. It’s the story of a search for control and freedom that leads her to the streets and the discovery that the worst trauma is the kind you do to yourself.

Ashley's Story: The foster home seemed perfect. It held a dark secret.