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TORONTO — Openly gay Toronto mayoral candidate and former Ontario cabinet minister George Smitherman is a big step closer to adopting a baby boy. The Toronto Children's Aid Society has granted Smitherman and his husband Christopher Peloso "approval in principle" to adopt, Smitherman said in a press release Sunday. "Christopher and I are very proud to share the news," he said. "Despite our overwhelming joy at the prospect of being parents to a beautiful baby boy, we must ask for your complete co-operation in respecting our privacy and the important legal process that governs our potential adoption."

Friday January 29, 2010 Judge Gives Miller 30 Days to Transfer Daughter to Former Lesbian Lover or Face Arrest By Matthew Cullinan HoffmanRUTLAND, VERMONT, January 28, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Ex-Lesbian Lisa Miller has been given 30 days to transfer custody of her daughter to her former lesbian partner, or possibly face criminal penalties.Although Vermont Judge Richard Cohen has so far refused to issue an arrest warrant for Miller, he has set a deadline of February 23rd for the transfer to take place.If Miller does not appear during that time, Cohen said on January 22, "I will consider all possible...

SANTA CRUZ — In a case that could have far-reaching implications for gay rights, a Santa Cruz woman is seeking to maintain joint custody of 10-month-old twins that she and her former partner, the biological mother of the children, had agreed to raise. As court battles over the rights of non-biological gay parents garner national attention, the Santa Cruz case contains a complicated wrinkle: The biological mother is now involved in a romantic relationship with the sperm donor, who has joined her in seeking full custody of the boys. "It's the first case I'm aware of where a lesbian couple...

A federal trial on same-sex marriage focused Wednesday on the similarities and differences between homosexual and heterosexual couples, with a psychology professor citing "remarkable similarities."Letitia Peplau, an expert on couple relationships, testified that studies have found that the quality of heterosexual and homosexual relationships was on average "the same" as measured by closeness, love and stability."On average, same-sex couples and heterosexual couples are indistinguishable," said Peplau, a UCLA professor of social psychology called by attorneys for two same-sex couples who are trying to overturn Proposition 8, the 2008 voter initiative that reinstated a state ban on same-sex marriage.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Children raised by same-sex parents are as well-adjusted and safe from abuse as kids who grow up with a mother and father, a Cambridge University psychologist testified Friday in a federal lawsuit challenging California's same-sex marriage ban. "For a significant number of these children, their adjustment would be promoted were their parents able to get married," developmental psychologist Michael Lamb said while undercutting arguments made by sponsors of Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage ballot measure passed in 2008. Lamb said there was no evidence that children with gay parents were more likely to become gay themselves or...

Isabella and Lisa Miller Alexandria, Va., Jan 5, 2010 / 06:13 am (CNA).- In a case showing some ramifications of the legal recognition of same-sex unions, a Virginia woman has disobeyed a Vermont court order to turn over sole custody of her biological daughter to her former lesbian partner.Lisa Miller conceived and gave birth to her daughter Isabella through artificial insemination in 2002 while living in a same-sex civil union with Janet Jenkins in Vermont. Miller left Jenkins and homosexual practice a year later and converted to an evangelical form of Christianity, the New York Times reports.Jenkins brought a...

A woman at the center of a complex dispute with her former lesbian partner defied a court order to give up custody of her 7-year-old daughter, an attorney said Friday. A Vermont judge had ordered Lisa Miller to turn over daughter Isabella to Janet Jenkins at 1 p.m. Friday at the Falls Church, Va., home of Jenkins' parents. Miller did not show up with the girl, said Sarah Star, Jenkins' Vermont-based attorney. Jenkins has notified Fairfax County, Va., police that Isabella is missing, Star said. "She's very disappointed, obviously," Star said. "She's very concerned about Isabella and asks that if...

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The birth mother of a 7-year-old Virginia girl must transfer custody of the child to the woman's former lesbian partner, a Vermont judge ruled, adding that it seems the woman has "disappeared" with her daughter... ..The couple broke up in 2003, and Miller moved to Virginia, renounced homosexuality and became an evangelical Christian...

Vt. Judge: Birth Mom Must Give Child To Ex-Partner By WILSON RING Associated Press Writer Dec. 29, 2009 MONTPELIER, Vt. -- The birth mother of a 7-year-old Virginia girl must transfer custody of the child to the woman's former lesbian partner, a Vermont judge has ruled. Vermont Family Court Judge William Cohen ordered Lisa Miller of Winchester, Va., to turn over daughter Isabella to Janet Jenkins of Fair Haven at 1 p.m. Friday at the Virginia home of Jenkins' parents. Miller and Jenkins were joined in a Vermont civil union in 2000. Isabella was born to Miller through artificial insemination...

For research I'm doing into the facts about the effects of gay parents on children. I've heard so much about how there are absolutely no differences on kids when they've been brought up in a "Heather Has Two Mommies" kind of household, but I've seen very little, if any research. The URL I found above seems like a lot of puffery. I am not looking for opinions, but links and reports on any studies into this. If you have worked with this population, your insights would be welcomed.

Are children reared by two individuals of the same gender as well adjusted as children reared in families with a mother and a father? Until recently the unequivocal answer to this question was "no." Within the last decade, however, professional health organizations1, academics, social policymakers and the media have begun asserting that prohibitions on parenting by homosexual couples should be lifted. In making such far-reaching, generation-changing assertions, any responsible advocate would rely upon supporting evidence that is comprehensive and conclusive. Not only is this not the situation, but also there is sound evidence that children exposed to the homosexual lifestyle...

On Wednesday, Liberty Counsel lawyers appeared in court to defend Lisa Miller. Last month a Vermont court ordered the custody of Miller's biological daughter transferred to her former lesbian lover. The ACLU and Lambda Legal Defense Fund are seeking to transfer custody of 7-year-old Isabella to Janet Jenkins, a Vermont resident who lived with Miller in that state before the latter's conversion from the homosexual lifestyle. Miller met with the ire of a Vermont judge after she refused to send her daughter to scheduled visitations with Jenkins because, she says, Isabella has been traumatized by past visits. The Virginia Court...

A former Duke University employee and adoptive gay father charged with molesting his five-year-old son--and offering the boy as a sex object to pedophiles online--is expected to make a plea bargain, according to a Dec. 1 article in local newspaper the Durham Herald Sun. Frank Lombard faces charges stemming from alleged instances in which he molested his young adopted son and chatted about the deeds online even as he carried them out. It’s thought that the U.S, Attorney’s Office is positioning the case for a plea arrangement because the Office is set to file an "information," which allows the prosecution...

A Vermont court ordered a Christian child taken away from her mother and given to a lesbian ex-partner, setting up, according to a lawyer for the Christian family, a dispute that the U.S. Supreme Court likely will have to resolve. Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, told WND the recent order from the Vermont judge that Lisa Miller turn over her young daughter, Isabella, to the lesbian ex-partner, Janet Jenkins, on New Year's Day is being appealed. In the interim, a separate court hearing on the dispute is scheduled to be heard in a Virginia court during this coming week....

Former Vice President Dick Cheney's gay daughter is a mommy twice over. Mary Cheney gave birth to a six-pound-14-ounce baby girl Wednesday morning at Washington, DC's Sibley Hospital. The newborn, named Sarah Lynne Cheney, is the second child for the 40-year-old Cheney and her longtime partner, 48-year-old Heather Poe. The couple welcomed Samuel David Cheney into the world back in 2007. His birth sent shock waves through the Republican party and rekindled the debate over gay marriage. Cheney is the birth mother for both children. The couple has not revealed who is the biological father of either child.

Washington (AP) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Mary Cheney has delivered a baby girl. It's the second child for Cheney and her partner of more than 17 years, Heather Poe. Sarah Lynne Cheney was born Wednesday morning at Sibley Hospital in Washington, weighing 6 pounds and 14 ounces. She is the seventh grandchild of the former vice president and his wife, Lynne. Mary Cheney and Poe had their first child, Samuel David Cheney, in 2007.

Democrat Pete Stark, who told a town hall questioner “I wouldn’t dignify you by peeing on your leg, it wouldn’t be worth wasting the urine” has proposed a new bill to punish Red States for daring to prohibit adoptions by gays. Not surprisingly, Stark’s bill, “Every Child Deserves a Family Act” is built on a lie. The bill would withhold federal welfare funding from any state the Gay lobby doesn’t like. Its immediate targets are Utah, Nebraska Florida, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Where did Stark’s data come from? Stark’s bill says, “A report from the Evan B. Donaldson Institute found that...

Mary Cheney, the former vice president’s daughter, and her long-time partner, Heather Poe, are expecting their second child, a source close to the family told True/Slant. [Ed. Note: Since publishing this piece, Cheney has confirmed that she and Poe are expecting their second child in mid- to late November.] Cheney has worked as a principal at Navigators Global, a bi-partisan communications firm, but recently announced that she would be leaving the company for maternity leave and to begin a new consulting firm with her sister, Liz. Close friends were informed that she was expecting a second child about four months...

Vicky* remembers the moment she first held her adopted baby in her arms. "He was destined for us. There was never a doubt in my mind that he wasn't mine," says Vicky, who, along with her partner, Beth*, is raising a 6-year-old boy they adopted from Guatemala. Parenthood didn't come easily for the couple. They struggled with infertility problems and then took a tremendous risk by adopting internationally, which is illegal for an openly gay couple. But once the tumultuous adoption process was finalized, this non-traditional family continued living a very ordinary, suburban life. "It's just like any other family...

Elton John 'Is A Sinner': Church Attacks Singer Over His Plan To Adopt Ukrainian Baby Boy By WILL STEWART Elton John was branded a 'sinner' by the Orthodox Church in Ukraine last night in the row over his wish to adopt a baby from the country. The comment came after officials confirmed there has been no application yet for the 62-year-old singer to adopt Lev, a 14-month-old boy whose mother has HIV. [Pic in URL] However, at least one government source speculated that liberal politicians might seek to put a law through the Ukrainian parliament to enable the pop star...