Taken from the Blue Ridge Lambda Press, published by the Roanoke Valley
Gay and Lesbian Alliance (without permission, but I really don't
believe they'll mind):

Custody fights focus on lesbian mom, gay brother
--------------------------------------------------

The outcomes of two unrelated child custody battles in Virginia could
hinge on the issue of homosexuality.

In one case, custody of a two-year-old boy was taken from his lesbian
mother and placed with his maternal grandmother solely because of the
mother's sexual orientation.  The other case involves a father fighting
custody of his 11-year-old son because the child's mother has another
son in the home who is openly gay.

A 1985 Virginia Supreme Court case, Roe vs. Roe, upheld the precedent
that a court can find a parent to be unfit simply for being gay in the
process of granting custody to the heterosexual parent.  Virginia is one
of six states that permit such decisions in child custody matters.
However, there apparently is no precedent for denying a parent custody
of favor of a heterosexual non-parent, or when a sibling is gay.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Lesbian
Rights is taking up the cause for Sharon Bottoms of Richmond.  On March
31, the Henrico County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court gave
custody of her son to her mother because Bottoms was living with her
lesbian lover.

Bottoms has appealed the decision and it will be heard in Henrico County
on September 7.  The ACLU is collecting donations to cover the costs of
research and legal fees for the case.  Checks payable to Sharon Bottoms
Defense Fund may be sent to Virginia ACLU, 6 North 6th St., Suite 400,
Richmond, VA 23219.

The other case was heard in Roanoke County Circuit Court, which gave
temporary custody of the boy to his father, Michael W. Scott.  Scott
alleged that his estranged wife, Sandra O. Scott, and her 17-year-old
son from a previous marriage, Jay McCulley, created an "unwholesome"
environment for the 11-year-old.  The case ended in the couple being
awarded joint custody of the child.

Jay, who was interviewed by reporters from television stations and the
Roanoke newspaper, said he and his stepfather were "really, really
close, and now he has turned against me."  Jay said his mother has
accepted him as gay, but his step-father ordered him never to come to
his house again.

 Sarah Richardson +++ srich@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu +++ srich@vtvm1.bitnet
 "It sounds corny, but love is the most powerful force that exists
  in the universe. Gay people know this. Heartbreak has taught us.
  No other community on earth would give up everything for love."
                                       -- Jenifer Levin