Many of you may have seen this story on CNN, or read it in a newspaper... A Virginia judge has awarded custody of a two-year-old boy, Tyler Doustou, to his grandmother, Kay Bottoms. The boy was removed from the custody of his mother, Sharon Bottoms, because she is a lesbian. Circuit Judge Buford Parsons ruled that Sharon's relationship with her lover, April Wade, "renders her an unfit mother". There was no evidence of neglect or abuse raised in the hearing. The family was torn apart because of Sharon Bottoms' sexual orientation. This outrageous decision is being appealed. Legal services are being provided through the Virginia ACLU. To contribute to the Sharon Bottoms legal fund, make checks out to: ACLU Foundation of Virginia and mail them to: ACLU Foundation of Virginia Attn: Steve Pershing 6 North 6th Street Suite 400 Richmond, VA 23219 If you want to restrict use of your donation to this case, write "Sharon Bottoms Case Fund" on the check. The foundation is a 501c3, and so donations are tax-deductable and are, in many companies, eligible for corporate gift-matching. Fritz **************************************************************************** Action-alert is a list for mobilizing our community to respond to threats that may come from any direction. To subscribe, send mail to action-alert-request@vector.intercon.com ****************************************************************************