
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 10, 1993                   TAG: 9309100174
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

TALK SHOW OFFERS DELUGE PARTIES IN CUSTODY CASE

A woman who won custody of her lesbian daughter's 2-year-old son does not plan to accept any of the numerous offers to appear on television talk shows, her lawyer says.

Richard Ryder said he is willing to go on TV, but his client - 42-year-old Kay Bottoms - values her privacy.

"She's not the type person that likes publicity. She wants to get on with her life and raise the boy," he said.

Donald K. Butler, attorney for Sharon Bottoms, said he and his client also have been deluged with requests for talk-show appearances. Sharon Bottoms, 23, and her 27-year-old companion, April Wade, agreed to appear on the CBS show "Eye to Eye with Connie Chung" Thursday night.

Other hosts seeking the couple include Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue, Larry King, Sally Jessy Raphael, Geraldo Rivera, Maury Povich, Montel Williams, Jane Whitney and Jerry Springer.

"I haven't heard from Ted Koppel yet, but probably everyone else," Butler said.

Ryder said he has heard from the same programs that contacted Butler.

"I'll put it this way - I didn't ever expect to talk to Diane Sawyer on the telephone," Ryder said.

Henrico County Circuit Judge Buford M. Parsons Jr. ruled Tuesday that Kay Bottoms could retain custody of 2-year-old Tyler Doustou. Parsons upheld a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge's ruling earlier in the year giving custody to Kay Bottoms.

Parsons said the state's law is clear: Sharon Bottoms' homosexuality makes her an unfit parent.

None of the programs mentioned a willingness to pay for interviews, Butler and Ryder said, though travel arrangements and hotel accommodations routinely were offered.

by CNB