Georgia court rules in favor of lesbian parent in custody battle

The Georgia court of appeals ruled Wednesday that a parent's custody or visitation rights cannot be limited because of that parent's sexual orientation. The court also stated that no such omission is valid on the grounds of sexual orientation when there is no direct effect on the child. "This is really great news for our client and gay and lesbian parents in Georgia," Jack Senterfitt, senior staff attorney in Lambda Legal's Southern regional office in Atlanta, said in a statement. "It means custody arrangements can't be challenged just because a parent is gay or lesbian." In 1994, Kelvin King and Victoria Moses had a daughter. The couple were never married, and in 2002 a court granted Moses custody of their daughter. Despite not paying child support for over a year, King sued Moses for custody rights after her partner moved in with her. (The Advocate)