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Judge Bans Gay Father From Leaving Children Alone with Stepfather

Posted by on Aug 22, 2011 in Oh Hell No! | 15 comments

William Flowers and his now ex-wife divorced in 2004, leaving him free to marry his husband, Jim Evans, in a Connecticut ceremony last year. After the (lady)divorce, William’s ex-wife took custody of the children, but he recently petitioned for custody of them.

There’s been no unfit parenting, no abuse, no drama at all – he just missed his kids and wanted to be more involved in their lives.

So why on earth has a Houston judge countered William’s request for custody with a court order prohibiting him from ever leaving his children alone in the company of any man unrelated by blood or adoption?

This unusual order will prevent male doctors, male teachers, and male pastors from ever providing care for the children. Oh, and their stepfather Jim – William’s legal husband.

Attorneys who practice family law in Texas point out that in cases of abuse, it is common for courts to prevent children from being alone with specific people. But those same lawyers say that they’ve never heard of a case in which a step-parent or long-term partner is permanently enjoined from being alone with his or her step-children when abuse is not even alleged, let alone proven. No lawyer consulted for this story has ever heard of an order which prohibits children from being left alone with an entire gender.

The primary mandate of family courts is to protect the best interest of the child. So why erect barriers to the functioning of William and Jim’s family in the first place?

After being read the injunction, Austin family law attorney Jennifer Cochran said that not only had she never seen such an order, the provision is “just not reasonable.” The fact that William can’t leave the children alone with any man to whom they aren’t related by blood or adoption “strikes at the very heart of the fact that he’s gay…it’s judicial activism, legislating from the bench,” and has nothing to do with protecting the best interests of the children, said Cochran.

William’s ex-wife claims the order would be necessary whether his new spouse’s name was Jim or Jane – to which we reply, Your ex-husband remarried a man. Get over it. You’re setting a terrible example for your children, and you are coming between them and two loving parents, a proper education, and even medical care for goodness sake!

Again, get over it. You’re embarrassing yourself, lady.

(via Chron)