The Tennessee Court of Appeals has reversed a judge who ruled a lesbian mother can't have custody of her daughter if she has a live-in partner.
The court returned the case to the 28th Judicial District in West Tennessee for a rehearing, The Nashville Tennessean reported Tuesday.
Angel Chandler and her former husband, Joseph Barker, had agreed to an arrangement in which Barker and his new wife had custody of their son, 16, while Chandler had custody of their daughter. But in May, Chancellor George Ellis refused to give his approval, invoking the "paramour provision" that requires single custodial parents to agree not to have overnight sexual partners.
The appellate court found that a child's best interests override the law, while a court-appointed expert said the daughter would be happiest with her mother, who has been in a relationship for the past 10 years.
"I'm so grateful that the judges understood it was a mistake to treat my partner like she was some sort of stranger to me and my children," Chandler said through the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tennessee Court Allows Lesbian Mom to have Custody of Child
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1 comment:
Thank God they did the right thing! This could have had a different outcome which would have hurt everyone involved.
I live in TN with my partner and do not have to deal with this kind of thing as all my children are grown. However I realize that this state has a long way to go with same-sex couples and marriage. I pray that the day soon comes that all couples can have equal rights. It's terrible to think about moving north just so you can be married and have the same rights.
I love your blog by the way and added it to my blogroll. If you want to visit me, you can do so at:
http://alwaysloosetalk.blogspot.com
Loose Talk is a blog for same-sex couples and you will find a little bit of everything there..
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