Newspapers / Lambda (Carolina Gay and … / Feb. 1, 1978, edition 1 / Page 4
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Ill r' ' t t ii II I i i; t • ) I 11 I 11 I i 1 Page Ij. '^Lesbians Are Gord Motliers’ Film Pleads Case of Homosexual Parent pLjJinJfn (staff writer for the Raleigh "News and Observer") neprinted. with permission a was nothing unusual about the mcvie scene — wiother cuddling her little boy and reading him a poem, « circumstances behind that scene, though, were different. who is divorced, is a lesbian. She has kept custody of after^a bitter struggle with her husband and the constant threat of court action to take the boy away, seven other women, she agreed last year to be part of a ® P^QSS release said, that "Lesbians are mothers,., lesbians^^are good mothers." The film—"in the Best Interests of the Children --was shown Thursday night (Nov. 10) at the University of JMorth Carolina Law School. More than 130 people came to see it, perhaps 20 of them men. ' movie’s title is taken from the language in child custody laws ^ most states. Custody decisions are to be made, the laws say, ^in the best interests of the children." , Elizabeth Stevens and Prances Reid, two of the three women vjho mad© the iilm, were on hand at the UNC showing to answer questions. The pair 13 part of the California-based Iris Feminist Collective. ^6sign, they explained, the film was constructed as a free-flewin^ interchange with the eight mothers, their children, a social worker ana an^ attorney vzho specializes in domestic work. It is not a documentary, the film makers said, but is intended to 6 p people realize that a woman’s sexual preference does not etermine whether she can be a good mother. The point is emphasized j 9 3 each family is featured at home during a routine day, 1 about being a mother," one of the women says, "I never ink about being a lesbian," She asks her son what his friends think frierids she is. are ti about her, "It doesn’t bug them," he answers, "Most of my pretty cool,.,-lf my friends won’t accept my mother for what forget ’em." Camille Legrand, the attorney featured in the film, said that "a esblan who is public has very little chance of winning a custody case, u if a woman is willing to change her lifestyle for the purpose of a custody case her chances are much better," Ms, Legrand added that custody from their ex-wives frequently have given the children back to their mothers. "The point to the father was winning and not having the children," she said. Ms, Stevens said that the effort to help lesbian mothers win custody suits is costly and difficult, "We are raising money to win custody an^ she said. Only two percent of the lesbian mothers who fight for custody win, she added, while about 95 "to 98 percent of heterosexual mothers win custody. The situation for homosexual fathers is even worse, she added. "The' are lucky if they have visitation rights," The movie, which cost 'i?l8,000 to make, has been shown libraries in other parts of the cjountry and is scheduled public television as viell^ Ms, Stevens said. at to public be shown on *^ontribute to LAMBDA We welcome articles, poetry, reviews, stories, etc. from our '.•oadn-‘.q. Money to cover printing and iijaiI1i)g or>sts is also welcome. rim
Lambda (Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Feb. 1, 1978, edition 1
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