Ala. Court Rules Against Gay Mother

By PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — In awarding custody of three teen-agers to their father over their gay mother, the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court on Friday wrote that homosexuality is ``an inherent evil'' and shouldn't be tolerated.

The nine-judge panel ruled unanimously in favor of a Birmingham man and against his ex-wife, who now lives with her gay partner in southern California.

The parents weren't named in court documents to protect the identity of the children, ages 15, 17 and 18.

Chief Justice Roy Moore wrote that the mother's relationship made her an unfit parent and that homosexuality is ``abhorrent, immoral, detestable, a crime against nature, and a violation of the laws of nature.''

Moore also quoted scripture, historical documents and previous state court rulings that he said backed his view.

Moore is known for his decision to place washing machine-sized monuments of the Ten Commandments in the state judicial building after he became chief justice last year. He also fought to keep a Ten Commandments plaque in his courtroom when he was a district judge.

David White, state coordinator for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Alabama, said Moore's opinion reflected outdated thinking.

``It's unfortunate Alabama is going to be embarrassed once again by a religious fanatic in a position of power in Alabama,'' White said. ``It's obvious he cannot judge a gay person fairly and he should be removed from office.''

John Giles, state president of the Christian Coalition, said Moore's decision protected the institution of marriage and strengthened the traditional family.

The father had held custody since 1996, but the mother petitioned for custody in June 2000, contending the father had been abusive.

John Durward, the father's attorney, said his client ``is very relieved.''

The mother's attorney, Wendy Crew, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

...(breathing deeply)...

Okay, when I heard this on the news, I stuck my fingers in my ears and ran away. But in some kind of must-look-at-the-car-wreck way, I had to know.

Y'know, I left Alabama once, partly because of this kind of shit. (But mostly because I just wasn't happy with my life.) I never felt at home anywhere else, and still wasn't happy, so I came back. Much better now. Yet, the shit continues. I'm so mad, I could chew nails and spit tacks.

This "judge" guy got elected in the first place because of his biases and he'll keep getting elected forever. What is wrong with the world?

Anyway, I'm going to take some Happy Campers and let myself be overcome by their valeriany goodness.

It is terrible, but hardly a surprise.

Can't honestly say it is much better here in Illinois.

Warlock.

Grrrr Arrrg

Oh, wait ...

What I meant to say is that, for all his faults, how can you hate a judge who writes such beautiful poetry?

God I hate this town.

Edited to add: When following the link in the original post, you might find that the article has ticked off the front page. If so, try going to the ``U.S.'' section. It stays there a bit longer.

But its also really, really steeped in the most primitive forms of modern religion. Very, very sad. And infuriating.

Nor very Christian, if you ask me.

Makes me glad to live in southern Cali

quote:

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Originally posted by the literary exterminator:
What I meant to say is that, for all his faults, how can you hate a judge who writes such beautiful poetry?

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Oh, holy hell, that POEM! I didn't even know about that. It's hilarious. My dog writes better poetry. With his ass.

quote:

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Originally posted by maudmac:

John Giles, state president of the Christian Coalition, said Moore's decision protected the institution of marriage and strengthened the traditional family.

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I thought we were finally getting past that whole "the traditional is the only one that can properly raise children."

Sometimes people suck.

quote:

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Chief Justice Roy Moore wrote that the mother's relationship made her an unfit parent and that homosexuality is ``abhorrent, immoral, detestable, a crime against nature, and a violation of the laws of nature.''

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So much for it being a ‘violation of the laws of nature.’

quote:

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Originally posted by Scout:
In the book “Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity” the researcher documented homosexual-style behavior in over 190 species in the animal kingdom.

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damn straight.
its okay for the hairy ape be homosexual but not for the hairless ape.
now as someone who has studied human evolution, i can say that homosexual behaviour is never looked upon as all those nasty words that that guy was saying. homosexuality is AS natural as heterosexuality.
that guy is deluded and should not be in a position of power.

quote:

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Originally posted by drlloyd11:
I know it is not as good as seeing him getting beaten to a pulp , but it does help to realize that ten years ago this would not have even made the news as it was so common.

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Oh, and just so no one thinks that his words were out of context, here's a longer quotation from Moore's opinion, from this article:

quote:

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No matter how much society appears to change, the law on this subject has remained steadfast from the earliest history of the law, and that law is and must be our law today. The common law designates homosexuality as an inherent evil, and if a person openly engages in such a practice, that fact alone would render him or her an unfit parent.

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Topic, now, please: There is just no way on Earth that homosexuality violates the "laws of nature". People who think that don't know about nature. Same-sex couplings/bondings/whatever have been observed all over the place. I remember reading somewhere about a study of seagulls. They found that 14% of female seagulls nested with other females. (If I'm remembering correctly.)

I also remember reading something about a theory on the social value of homosexuality. It said that human civilization has always needed people who were outside the reproduction loop. Men and women who had no investment in their own offspring were free to perform other vital tasks, and the whole tribe benefitted. Hey, we're essential!

On the topic at hand, what is there to say other than *sigh*.

Scotland's first First Minister (that's like the U.S President or the U.K. Prime Minister but without nearly as much power) was a guy called Donald Dewar (sadly deceased and much missed). There was a section in an Education Act, Section 28, which stated that homosexuality was not to be "promoted" in schools. Like we have anywhere near that many toaster ovens in Scotland anyway. (ahem, bad joke.) Anyway this section was put forward for repeal and Donald said (paraphrasing) this on the subject,
"We cannot call ourselves a civilised society while something like this is on the statute book."

quote:

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Originally posted by Walker:

The world is changing. Slowly. But progress is being made, at different rates, in different places. The fact that this made the press is progress. Not nearly fast enough, but still it provides hope.

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I agree, but it still irks me that progress needs to be made at all. You know?

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Kind of an unusual name. There's hardly any except Warren Beatty and, you know, President Harding. It's probably not either of them.
~Willow in IWMTLY

btw - I love giraffes.. they're my favourite animal, and it's been suggested that at least 25% of the male population is gay, and loving it...

*David Attenborough voice*

Watch the giraffe as it approaches it's proposed mate, and they intertwine necks. A sure sign of affection...

Goodness, they appear to be both male.

As I was saying.. I love giraffes..

This reminds me of a custody case a number of years ago where the judge ruled that a teenage girl should live with her father, who had killed his first wife, rather than her mother, who was a lesbian. When even murderers are considered more fit parents than queers, you know something's seriously wrong!

quote:

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Originally posted by Caity:
Geez...

btw - I love giraffes.. they're my favourite animal, and it's been suggested that at least 25% of the male population is gay, and loving it...

*David Attenborough voice*

Watch the giraffe as it approaches it's proposed mate, and they intertwine necks. A sure sign of affection...

Goodness, they appear to be both male.

As I was saying.. I love giraffes..

C.

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"You sold me queer giraffes!"

quote:

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Originally posted by Twisted Rabbit:

And this line from "Gladiator" :

"You sold me queer giraffes!"

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TEEHEE!!! Go the Giraffes!!!

Caity

This is one of those cases where all you can do is sigh and feel sorry for a world that is so short-sighted and ignorant. Stuff is changing... and yes, it's changing WAY too slowly, and yes, you do wonder why it's necessary to have to argue this at all, but....

And hey, that poem made my mom laugh, and she was once the biggest anti-gay gal ever, so just her complete change in opinion gives me hope. People will change... they just have to be shown the ignorance of their ways first.

Oh, and yay the giraffes!!!!

During the story, they included a brief interview with two women who are raising their young daughter.
And Dr Kerryn Phelps (president of the Australian Medical Association, and also a lesbian) also spoke out to support the new study.

The whole report was very positive.
Anyway I just thought I'd mention it as a little good news story