Finally - and Forever - a Family

It was an historic day in Maine.

So said Cumberland County Judge of Probate Joseph Mazziotti, who yesterday signed and certified documents naming Ann Courtney and Marilyn Kirby the legal parents of the two siblings they have been raising for the past six years.

Packed with friends, family, and supporters, the courtroom erupted in applause when Mazziotti announced that six-year-old Ryan and 10-year-old Michelle after years of struggle finally had two legal parents—parents he described as some of the best-qualified, most caring he’d met in his time on the bench.

“It’s a wonderful day for our family,” Marilyn said later at a celebration at the family’s home in Portland. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Read about the recent ruling by the Maine Law Court that led to this historic day.

See the Press Coverage on this Story:

WMTW.com – Channel 8, Portland (Video)

WCSH6.com – Channel 6, Portland

Portland Press Herald

One Step Closer

Janet Jenkins last Friday came one step closer to seeing her daughter again.

In dissolving the Vermont civil union between Janet and her ex-spouse, Lisa Miller, a Vermont Family Court judge ordered regular parent-child contact between Janet and her daughter, Isabella. Her first visit could be as soon as June 30.

The court's order is the latest development in GLAD's case Miller-Jenkins v. Miller-Jenkins, which you can read about here.

Fighting for Dignity and Respect

Take a look at more photos from the day

After yesterday's oral argument at the Connecticut Supreme Court, GLAD Attorney Ben Klein and the eight plaintiff couples in the case participated in a press conference on the courthouse steps.

Ben opened by saying: "Today the plaintiffs argued for the right to the same treatment and dignity that all other families get. Under the Connecticut constitution, we believe that they are entitled to the same respect and dignity of any other couple."

Lead plaintiffs Beth Kerrigan and Jody Mock then took the microphone to explain how important it is to them and their children to be able to say that they are married, and how heartened they were to hear one of the Justices bring up that point in court. "We have five year old boys in kindergarten, and they always ask us 'are you married?' And it breaks our heart to have to say the truth, which is that we're not. But we're fighting for that."