ROANOKE TIMES 

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

DATE: TUESDAY, February 28, 1995                   TAG: 9502280117
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

LESBIAN'S CUSTODY CASE GETS HEARING

Homosexuality is no reason to declare a woman an unfit mother, the attorney for a lesbian fighting to regain custody of her son argued Monday before the Virginia Supreme Court.

Donald K. Butler told the justices that a trial court had little reason beyond Sharon Bottoms' sexual orientation to take her son, Tyler Doustou, away from her and her live-in partner, April Wade.

The child has lived with his grandmother, Kay Bottoms, since a Henrico Circuit judge ruled in 1993 that Sharon Bottoms was an unfit mother.

- Associated Press 


 by CNB