Transsexual wins child custody when judge rules him to be male

The Orlando Slantinal ^ | 02/22/03 | Maya Bell

[William Terrell]

Yep, gender is a state of mind. I'm drafting legislation for the Congress to declare that males are impregnatable, then I plan on having a baby and collecting welfare and ADC.

[Thinkin' Gal]

This isn't a slippery slope, it's the bottom of the cesspool.

[JudyB1938]

Sorry, Mr. Terrell. I've seen your picture. They'd take one look at you and know you were lying. :0)

[waterstraat]

Chromozones are the only thing you cannot change. The only objective way to do it, is to rely soley on xx and xy chromozones, regardless of outside plumbing(born or changed), and regardless of xxy, xyy, or any other variations. Anyone with chromozones other than xx or xy is out of luck, and anyone with chromozones that do not match what they are born with, is also out of luck. Thus, someone like Jamie Lee Curtis, who has xy chromozones, should not have been allowed to adopt.

[Polybius]

If I cut off my arms and legs will a court hold that I am legally an earthworm?

If you are French President Jacques Chirac, the answer would be , "Yes".

The Sun prints a paper in French to shame wriggly wobbler Chirac

[LibKill]

Pinellas Circuit Judge Gerard O'Brien found that Michael Kantaras' sex-change operation in 1986 legally made him a male

IT is not male. It is a surgically mutilated woman.

It takes more than a surgeon's knife to make a man, or a woman.

I don't have a law degree, but it seems I see more clearly than this 'Judge'.

[Dante3]

The judge apparently had an agenda. On Court TV it was pointed out how confusing and embrassing this was to the child. One reason the mother was accused of being unfit: she was religious and she was terribly upset when Michael left her for another woman. Yes, Michale committed "adultery."

[LibKill]

The judge apparently had an agenda.

Yes, that is very apparent.

[Dante3]

And the children end up suffering. From what I saw of the trial and the discussion, Linda would make a far better parent than Michael. The child isn't even Michael's. "He" is not a man, just a mutilated female. And a truly weird looking man at that.

[Dante3]

Meant to say person instead of man.

[Holden Magroin]

Will the legislature ban transexual adoptions? Why wasn't this covered by the ban on homosexuals adoptions?

[punster]

What about the cases of children that are born intersexual? In what gender are they to be raised? It has been highly unsuccessful for the doctors to decide, at birth, for the child. Some infants, with severe hypospadias, were assigned as females, because it was easier to do surgery to assign them as females, than it was to repair the hypospadias. These individuals, though raised as girls, did not develop a female identity. They identified themselves as boys.

On the converse, what about the case of the girls that are born with androgen insensitivity syndrome. They are XY (male) genetically, but their physical form is female. They have a genetic trait that makes them insensitive to the action of testosterone. These girls do develop a female identity and are feminine in their behavior.

Or, for that matter, what about the genetic females that are born with adrenogenital syndrome? They will show some masculinization of their external genitals. They also have varying levels of disturbance in their sexual identity or sexual orientation.

The idea of sexual identity does not seem to be tied to sex of rearing, nor does it seem to be tied to genetic sex. What is the answer?

[gomaaa]

Excellent points. Gender is not as black and white an issue as many think. If it looks like a duck, acts like a duck, and quacks like a duck, isn't it a duck?

In any event, I would hope that the judge would rule in the child's best interest, regardless of the gender of the parents. There is a bias in many family court cases towards the mother, even if the father may be a more suitable parent. Divorce cases are be difficult to decide even if there is no question of the parents' respective sexes.

[punster]

Yes. It should always be the child's best interest, when custody is decided. It makes little sense to grant custody to one parent, if granting custody to the other parent would be more to the child's best interest.

[Dante3]

I do believe the best parent should be given custody. In this case Michael was definitely not the best parent. Among others, Michael chose to leave the "wife" and child for another woman. I hope the case will be appealed.

[cherry]

"Michael will be the better parent. I think the judge was wise. Too bad he has this unhappy sexual identity confusion, but he is truly a fine person. That has to count for something"

basis ,please.....

[Dudoight]

I watched the trial, because I had known this couple in a professional capacity, years ago. Why is Michael any worse than Linda? Linda is obviously a lesbian. Neither parent is a normal heterosexual. The question is, what is best for the kids? Which parent would serve the children's needs best? I base my opinion on the stability of the personality, not the sexual orientation.