OPEN LETTER TO ZONTA BANGKOK CLUB NINE AND OTHER ZONTA CLUBS IN BKK Hello, my name is Carmen Lake. My parents commissioned surrogacy in Thailand to achieve their big dream to complete a family, my family now. When they came in March 2014, there was no laws about surrogacy and they did not think at that time such a nightmare they were going to live. I was born in January, but has been trapped here ever since because my surrogate “changed her mind”. My parents and their thai supporters have recently found out that the she planned from the very beginning to keep me because she wanted a mixed race baby for herself, not to help another couple fulfill their dream. She did surrogacy completely voluntarily and receiving a compensation for that. Even she knew it was wrong to keep a child of someone else. Since March, the surrogate and her legal representative, member of your honorable club, have been repeatedly lying to the press and government officials about the surrogate’s intentions and her family situation, and making accusations of human trafficking - and now my parents have learned that they plan to accuse us of posting “naked” pictures of me to make money. They have also pressed child abduction charges, even though she signed consent for my parents to take me home from the hospital. They accused us to have more children and more surrogates because in a file the surrogate stole from us at the hospital, they found some “timelines” that they do not understand and they did not contrast to know what a “timeline” in IVF means. Just because there are other women names they think we have multiple surrogates. My parents life is being destroyed and our family divided (my brother, Álvaro, is now back at home in Spain for his protection because we suspected that they attempted kidnap with the help of a nanny worked with us) My parents are incurring enormous legal expenses to defend ourselves from the lies and accusations and to petition legal custody of me. The Thai public’s support is amazing, we have over 130,000 signatures on our Change.org petition and over 90,000 likes on our Facebook page. Some of my fans have has also started a fake surrogate Facebook page which has over 20,000 likes and is where supporters are sending proof against the lies and mis-statements of the surrogate and her representative...this proof is in the form of evidence found in Facebook, pointing out mis-statements in the Thai television interviews, and most importantly private messages in Facebook with various contacts very close to both the surrogate and her representative, providing us with information and messages of support. Our international human rights are being infringed upon because the law that should help us does not include homosexual couple even though my parents are legally married in their respective countries, the U.S. and Spain. Also I am an American citizen already and I am not able to leave although it is obviously is in my best interest. Now I am a baby girl but someday I will be a woman, and I will fight, as you do, for woman rights and human equality. Because in my family, obviously, we believe in equal rights. One of your members does not believe in that, and that´s why we have been trapped here 8 months already. At this time I would had to go to the daycare with my brother, be with other children playing and discovering things, I would had to be hugged by my aunt, by my cousins. I have a lot of family in Spain that they are waiting for me. I have my room waiting for me, my future… But I can´t because a member of your club. And instead, Im almost all the time inside a condo for my safety. My parents have proof, real and verify proof, of everything they say, so please if you would like to have it or just set a meeting to know us so we can explain better our situation we will really appreciate. Also, you can find our cause in other social media: https://www.change.org/p/bring-carmen-home https://www.facebook.com/bringcarmenhome… https://twitter.com/twogaypapas #BringCarmenHome photos in Twitter Here are some links to our most recent Thai interviews: Channel 3 August 14th, 2015 - Bud starts talking about the situation at 4:57 เรื่องเล่าเช้านี้ พ่อน้องคาร์เมนยื่นคำร้องต่อศาลขอสิทธิ์เลี้ยงดู (14 ส.ค.58) https://youtu.be/D9vKhxzXWiM Thairath TV August 14th, 2015 - Bud starts talking about the situation at 1:27 เรื่องนี้ยังไม่จบ! เปิดใจพ่อ 'น้องคาร์เมน' หลังเจรจาหญิงอุ้มบุญไม่สำเร็จ ขอสู้คดีในศาล http://www.thairath.co.th/content/518332 Sincerely Carmen Lake