Tennessee Appeals Court Rejects "Paramour" Clause for Lesbian Couple's Custody Agreement

A judge who refused to allow a gay woman and her partner to take custody of the woman's daughter has to reconsider, the Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled. Angel Chandler and Joseph Barker had agreed that Chandler and her partner would take custody of their daughter, 14, while Barker and his new wife took custody of their 16-year-old son. But a Gibson County judge rejected the plan they agreed upon, saying that state law required every parenting plan to have a "paramour provision": that the parent won't have someone stay the night if they aren't married. Since Tennessee law doesn't allow for gay marriage, Chandler and her partner of 10 years were in violation of that provision, the judge ruled. Chancellor George Ellis of the 28th Judicial District in West Tennessee imposed the restriction in May even though Chandler's ex-husband had not asked for it. Full Story from The Tennessean.com: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090922/NEWS01/909220331/Custody+ruling+on+gay+parenting+reversed

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Tennessee.

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