The challenges that same-sex couples have faced when it comes to custody of their children will be the topic of a film and forum tonight at the University of Arizona.
The movie revisits the early, tumultuous years of the lesbian custody movement through the stories of five lesbian mothers and their four children.
The documentary is narrated by comedian and gay-rights activist Kate Clinton and recounts court rulings granting custody to grandparents, fathers and distant relatives based on the belief that lesbians would be unfit parents.
Interviewees include sons and daughters who were separated from their mothers, as well as the mothers themselves and one woman who made the difficult decision to flee with her children.
After the film, a panel of parents from the local gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community will share stories of their paths to parenthood.
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Speakers include Gayle Brickert-Albrecht, an educator with the Tucson Unified School District who has the unique distinction of sharing custody of her two sons with her former partner. Her legal status is unusual because Arizona does not allow unmarried "second parents" to adopt children.
Other scheduled speakers include family law expert Pamela Liberty.
The event is sponsored by Wingspan's Rainbow Families, the UA's LGBTQ Affairs and the Women's Resource Center. For more information, call 626-1996.
IF YOU GO
"Mom's Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mother's Custody Movement" is scheduled for 7 tonight in the Social & Behavioral Sciences Annex Conference Room, 1443 E. First St., on the northwest corner of First Street and Vine Avenue. The event is free and open to the public. Parking behind the building is free after 5 p.m.
