Child Custody: Hell For Lesbian in Vermont

We all have exes we really want to slap, right?

But what would you do if your ex - who you also had a baby with - claimed she was now straight and ran away with your child?

If you were any sort of normal person I'm guessing you'd be pretty pissed, quite frankly.

Well that's exactly what 'former-lesbian' Lisa Miller has done. Miller and her ex-partner Janet Jenkins got a Civil Union back in 2000 and Miller gave birth to little Isabella Miller-Jenkins in the same year. (That is not the family in question above - there we have an example of a real happy family.)

Now however, Miller has renounced homosexuality altogether and has pretty much gone into hiding in order to keep the child for herself.

The couple broke up way back in 2001, and courts in both Vermont and Virginia ruled in favour of Jenkins, even though she is not the birth mother. Miller did however have some custody over the child, but had since been warned that she may lose her custodial rights if she violated orders any further.

So Miller, who is now in hiding, was probably just scared of losing her daughter for good, but what was she thinking? Now her chances of seeing her daughter on a regular basis are next to nothing.

Jenkins has recently stated that she just wants "to be with her. Like any normal parent."

Thanks to morganSDGLN at Twitter for the tip!

Should gay marriage be taught in schools?

So I'm a dance teacher and I admit it's probably the straightest job you can ever have, but that's what I do.

Last week, I was teaching 2 young girls aged around 10 years old, when one of them ever asked me if I'd ever had a male examiner for any dance exams. I said 'yes, once'. Then, one of the girls asked 'Was he gay?' and I replied, saying 'yes, he was married.' I then went on to explain that he was married to a man. Then, girl A asked 'It's illegal for a girl and a girl to get married though, isn't it?'

EXCUSE ME?!

What made this little girl feel as if there was any difference between love between two men and love between two women? Maybe it's shoddy parenting...

Take exhibit A, children's book 'King and King.'

King & King, written originally by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland and then later translated into English, is all about a gay prince who marries another gay prince and lives happily ever after, just as in a normal fairytale, just with a hint more homosexuality about it. (Although this is debatable, as the Prince is still traditionally played by a man in tights.)

Now you'd think that parents would be all for teaching their children that discrimination is incorrect and that you should not tease people for being gay. However, when teachers in Lexington, Massachusetts proposed that they read the book to their pupils to teach them about same-sex marriage, several parents of the children complained, declaring that book made gay relationships to be 'the way things should be' and one couple even filed for a lawsuit. (This lawsuit was later dismissed, thankfully, after the judge ruled that diversity is a 'hallmark of our nation.')

Now, am I the only one thinking 'GAY IS THE WAY?' Clearly not. But that's not my point. My point is, relating back to 'yes, in England it is legal for 2 girls to get married' is something that parents should be responsible for telling their children if they are not willing for their school to do so, along with 'touching fire will hurt you' and 'never take candy from strangers.'

So what do you think? Should same sex marriage be taught in schools?

Oh, and while I'm here... KEEP VOTING NO ON PROP 8!