CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Two women who once raised a now-7-year-old child together as a lesbian couple are fighting for custody in the Colorado court of appeals. Observers say the case could set a precedent for how the rights of "psychological parents" and legal parents are determined. Psychological parents are defined as having a significant emotional role in a child's life even though they have no legal standing. The names of the women have been blocked out in court papers and the case sealed because a child is involved, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reported Wednesday. The Denver women, who were in a relationship for 11 years, wanted to jointly adopt a baby from China. Only one of the women could legally adopt the girl under Colorado law, but a Denver district court judge granted their request to share rights and responsibilities for their daughter. Both women took several months off from their jobs after the adoption and reduced their workloads so they could spend more time with the girl. The child called her adoptive mother "Momma" and her other caregiver "Mommy," according to court documents. However, in February 2001 the women broke up and were back in court fighting over custody of the girl. Magistrate Diane Dupree ruled that both are mothers to the child and gave each woman equal parenting time and joint decision-making responsibilities. "The evidence is overwhelming that before their breakup, the parties considered themselves equal parents of [the child]," Dupree wrote in her ruling. The adoptive mother appealed the decision. It was affirmed by district court judge Michael Mullins, so she took her case to the court of appeals. The adoptive mother wants sole decision-making powers and the majority of the girl's time, said attorney Jim Rouse. The two women currently share parenting time equally, and the psychological mother wants to maintain that. The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Lesbian Rights have filed motions in support of the psychological mother.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle are expecting! Here's when baby Griner is arriving
April 15 2024 12:52 PM
Tennessee Senate passes bill making 'recruiting' for trans youth care a felony
April 14 2024 11:17 AM
Italy’s prime minister says surrogacy ‘inhuman’ as party backs steeper penalties
April 14 2024 10:36 AM