Lesbian Partner Wins Visitation Rights

N E W   Y O R K, July 12 -- When Christine and Janis met and fell in love in the early 1990s, they did what most heterosexual couples do: They partnered and soon discussed having children.

The lesbian couple, though they could not legally marry, moved in together, and one of them, Christine, soon gave birth to two children, a boy, now 4, and a girl, 2, through artificial insemination.

By all accounts, they were a happy family. That is, of course, until the breakup.

Christine and Janis, of Westchester County, N.Y., have become embroiled in heated court battle over the custody of the two children in a case that is emblematic, experts say, of an increasing number of gay and lesbian couples who must negotiate uncharted legal territory when it comes to custody disputes.

“These are horrible cases on all fronts,” said Chris Hwang, a lawyer with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which handles a number of family law cases involving lesbians.

A Ruling Brings Tears

A sobbing Janis, overcome with joy, left the Westchester Family Court on Monday after learning that she would be able to visit the two children that she and Christine raised together for the first time since November, when the couple broke up. A judge ruled that Janis, who is neither the biological nor legal parent but who was the family’s “breadwinner,” had the right to sue for visitation. Janis will be allowed to visit with the children every other Sunday for four hours while the court continues to hear arguments for permanent visitation rights.“I just can’t wait to hug and kiss my kids and not let go of them for four hours,” a tearful Janis told reporters outside the courtroom.

Courts Mixed on Custody Issues

As more and more gay couples, particularly lesbians, are raising children together, legal experts are starting to see more custody battles make it to court.

In Florida and in California, courts have ruled that lesbian ex-partners should not have visitation rights with the children they helped raise, no matter the circumstances.