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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
OCTOBER 1, 1993
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Colorado seeks Supreme Court ruling again
Denver-The state attorney general has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a state high court ruling that blocks Colorado's anti-gay rights amendment from taking effect.
Attorney General Gale Norton said it's unlikely the federal justices will act on the request soon because the court has been in
recess.
The amendment would ban state and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. It also would strike down gay-rights ordinances in Aspen, Boulder and Denver.
A Denver District Court judge blocked the amendement in January from taking effect, saying it violates the U.S. Constition's equal protection clause. The state Supreme Court upheld that preliminary injunction in July.
A lawsuit challenging the amendment's constitutionality is to be tried Oct. 12.
The lawsuit was filed by nine individuals-including tennis star Martina Navratilova of Aspen-and the cities whose local ordinances would be voided by the initiative.
Lesbian's ex-husband supports her in custody challenge
Richmond, Va.-A lesbian should have custody of her 2-year-old son because the child "means the world to her," said the woman's ex-husband.
Dennis Doustou said he has not had any contact with his son since the child's birth. But he said a court decision in early September to give custody to the child's maternal grandmother "pushes me harder to be a part of Tyler's life."
On March 31, a Henrico County juvenile
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court judge awarded custody of Tyler Doustou to the grandmother, Kay Bottoms. He determined that Sharon Bottoms, 23, was an unfit mother because she lived with her lover, April Wade, 27.
That decision was upheld in September when Henrico Circuit Judge Buford M. Parsons Jr. found that Sharon Bottoms' conduct was immoral, illegal and potentially damaging to the boy.
Doustou said what he wants is his exwife to regain custody.
Meanwhile the Virginia ACLU is collecting a defense fund to pay Bottoms' legal expenses as she appeals the decision. Donations can be mailed to the Sharon Bottoms Defense Fund, Virginia ACLU, 6 N. Sixth St., Suite 400, Richmond, VA 23219. Checks should be made payable to Virginia ACLU.
Judge ignores arrest warrant and legal guardian's rights
Pittsburgh-A 5-year-old girl spent the weekend with her mother after a judge refused to allow her to return home with the gay man who won custody of her in California. The judge's action directly conflicts with a warrant issued in California for the mother's arrest on a charge of felony child abduction.
Judge Joseph Jaffe of Allegheny County Common Pleas Court ruled late September 17 that Catherine Thomas and her mildly retarded daughter, Courtney, should stay together under the supervision of Allegheny County Children and Youth Services pending a hearing that was set for September 20.
Thomas was arrested September 17 as she and Courtney waited for a train in Pittsburgh. She was undertaking her second flight in a year to keep from complying with court orders giving custody of the child to Kevin Thomas, a former friend and baby sitter.
Jaffe ruled at the request of Ms. Thomas' attorney.
The 43-year-old Kevin Thomas, who changed his last name to match the child's, traveled from his home in Van Nuys, California, to get Courtney, but was allowed to see her only briefly.
Glen H. Schwartz, Kevin Thomas' Los Angeles attorney, said the judge appeared to defy the California ruling giving Thomas custody. "There is a valid California judgment. This is beyond my legal comprehension," he said.
Thomas, who has lived with a male companion for 25 years, was a platonic friend of Courtney's mother and stayed with the child while her mother worked until last year. When the friendship soured, he sued for custody.
In September 1992, the court awarded Thomas visitation rights. Ms. Thomas fled with Courtney to Vancouver, British Columbia, where Thomas located them.
California Superior Court Judge Martha Goldin then awarded Thomas primary custody of the girl, giving the mother custody on the weekends. The judge declared Thomas is her father because she has regarded him since infancy as her "daddy.”
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Thomas telling her story on a taped segment of the CBS television show Eye to Eye September 16 spotted her at the train station the next day and called city police, leading to the arrest.
Santa Cruz a lesbian mecca
Santa Cruz, Calif.-There has been an ongoing pilgrimage to Santa Cruz by lesbians from across the country, who have come in search of the safe haven called a "lesbian mecca" by Ms. Magazine more than a decade ago.
Notable among the cities friendly offerings is the women's studies program at UC Santa Cruz and the presence of gay studies courses, one of the few universities in the nation with such classes. A Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community Center opened three years ago and there's La Gazette, a feminist magazine with a strong lesbian factor. Lesbian-owned businesses like Herland, a women's cafe and bookstore, are also important community features. Famous lesbian residents like poet Adrienne Rich add to the mix.
Lesbians have been drawn to Santa Cruz by its reputation as a town accepting of alternate lifestyles-a reputation that began back when Mike Rotkin became the first feminist mayor and John Laird the first openly gay mayor in the early '80s.
Tipper Gore leads Washington AIDSwalk
Washington-The health care reforms that the Clinton administration is proposing will guarantee that people with AIDS "have the security of having their needs met," Tipper Gore told thousands of demonstrators September 18 as she led the annual Washington AIDSwalk past the White House and through the streets of the capital.
March organizers claimed 30,000 people participated and that $1.25 million was raised for local AIDS work.
Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the nation's newly confirmed surgeon general, said she will use her office as a "bully pulpit" to send out the message of AIDS prevention and education.
Elders said her job as surgeon general is twofold; to help those afflicted and to promote prevention.
Mrs. Gore's presence was applauded as a strong sign of the Clinton administration's committment to AIDS.
President hears health care horror stories
Washington-Brigitte Burdine was talking to the president of the United States, but her niece wasn't impressed. Two-year-old Chase was more interested in the swing flung over a huge tree near the Oval Office.
So, Chase played quietly while her aunt told President Clinton and a Rose Garden audience of the girl's health-care horror story.
Burdine said Chase has the AIDS virus, and her mother, Heather, has AIDS. The mother's insurance company has refused to pay claims until it can determine whether she contracted the virus before getting in-
surance.
Meanwhile, the bills are piling up. Heather's parents are adopting Chase in case Heather loses her insurance.
The family is worried that Heather's
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