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HOUSTON VOICE www.houstonvoice.com
JUNE 17 2005 5
I national news briefs
Judge approves trans man's shared custody rights
MIAMI (AP) — A Florida judge last week approved a shared-custody settlement reached in
mediation by a transsexual man and his ex-wife over their two children, ending a bitter dispute that wound up on national television. "I
just think there is a great message of hope
that comes out of this," said Karen Doering,
attorney for the husband, Michael Kantaras.
Kantaras, born Margo Kantaras, underwent
a sex change operation in 1987. He married
Linda Forsythe in 1989, and they settled in
the St. Petersburg area. They had two children, a boy from a prior relationship of
Linda Kantaras adopted by Michael
Kantaras, and a daughter she bore in 1992
following artificial insemination with sperm
donated by her husband's brother. The couple divorced in 2002, and he was awarded custody of the children. She appealed, even
though both lawyers said the judge deemed
the husband to be more fit as a parent. A
Michael Kantaras, who underwent a sex-change Florida appeals court in Lakeland said there
operation in 1987, won shared custody of his two was no legal marriage for a court to dissolve,
children last week after a bitter dispute with his and remanded the custody challenge to a
ex-wife. (Photo by Mark Guss/AP) lower court for further proceedings.
Lawsuit asks federal court to nix
Mich, anti-gay marriage measure
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A new federal lawsuit seeks to strike down Michigan's
constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and a
woman, saying it violates the U.S.
Constitution. Bangor attorney Jessie Olson
is named as a co-plaintiff with her partner
in the suit filed last week in U.S. District
Court in Kalamazoo. She said the amendment is stripping away job benefits such as
health insurance from gay and unmarried
heterosexual domestic partners, and their
children. Michigan voters approved the
amendment, which adds Section 25 to
Article 1 of the state's constitution, with
November's passage of Proposal 2. "Section
25 applies at all levels of state, county and
municipal government, imposing a special
disability on people in same-sex relationships whether they seek protection for their
relationships from government employers,
administrative agencies, cities, towns or the
state legislature," the lawsuit says.
Two gay former high school students
awarded $300,000 in Calif, lawsuit
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two gay former high
school students in San Diego County were
awarded $300,000 after a jury found school
officials failed to protect them from harassment. Jurors determined Joseph Ramelli
and Megan Donovan, both 19, were
harassed with the knowledge of officials at
Poway High School in Poway about 20
miles northeast of San Diego. Both students were harmed after authorities didn't
do enough to prevent harassment, jurors
said. Ramelli was awarded $175,000 and
Donovan $125,000. Plaintiffs' attorney
Bridget J. Wilson argued during trial that
school officials took "minimal or no action
at all" even though the two were verbally
threatened, and Ramelli was spit on,
punched, kicked and had his car vandalized. Both students left the school following
their junior year and enrolled in an independent study program before graduating.
Ore. Senate panel OKs civil unions,
as Maine kills marriage amendment
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Senate panel
passed a bill to create civil unions last
week, the latest step in the legislature's
battle over whether gay couples should
have legally recognized relationships.
The bill to extend the benefits and
rights of marriage to gay couples
passed on a partisan 3-2 vote, with
Democrats in favor. It will now head to
the full Senate, where it is expected to
pass, setting up a tug-of-war with the
Republican-controlled House, which is
considering its own bill. That legislation would provide a more limited set of
reciprocal rights to any two people over
18, including relatives. Sen. Charles
Starr (R-Hillsboro) argued that the bill
goes against the will of the voters, who
passed a ban on gay marriage last year.
Meanwhile, a proposed constitutional
amendment in Maine seeking to ban
same-sex marriages is dead for the session following a Senate vote last week.
The amendment would have needed a
two-thirds vote of approval in the House
and Senate to be sent on to voters. Early
in the week, representatives denied the
bill even a majority vote of approval as
they rejected it 88-56.
After fight, N.Y. GOP adds gay
group to executive committee
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Over the objections
of one of its more conservative leaders.
New York's Republican State Committee
voted last week to give a seat on its executive committee to a group that represents
gay GOP members. The vote to give the Log
Cabin Republicans representation on the
executive committee came at a closed-door
meeting of the state GOP leadership and
over the objections of state Sen. Serphin
Maltese, the Queens GOP chair. "I felt a
group should not be recognized strictly on
sexual orientation," Maltese said.
From staff and wire reports
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