Youth Initiative News
GLAD Files Motion in Support of Maine Transgender Student Denied Bathroom Access
GLAD has filed a motion for summary judgment in a case in which we are representing a transgender teen girl whose Orono, Maine elementary school denied her use of the girls’ restroom. The motion filed this week in Penobscot County Superior Court in Bangor, Maine, argues that the school’s action …
GLAD Praises Blue Cross/Blue Shield Decision to Cover HPV Vaccine for Males
GLAD praised the decision by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) to cover the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for males. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the vaccine for girls aged 9-26 to protect them against cervical cancer, and boys of the same age to protect …
Maine Legislature Passes Anti-Bullying Bill
Yesterday, Maine’s House of Representatives and Senate passed “An Act to Prohibit Bullying in Schools,” which establishes strong anti-bullying protections for Maine students.
“We are thrilled with this bill and the acknowledgement of what we all know: that bullying is a pervasive and serious …
VT Supreme Court Again Affirms Custody for Janet Jenkins
The Vermont Supreme Court has issued a unanimous decision affirming a trial court’s 2009 order giving Janet Jenkins sole physical and legal custody of her daughter Isabella Miller-Jenkins. The Court’s decision can be viewed here.
The court wrote that Vermont “has determined that same-sex …
Mother Seeks Public Help to Locate Missing Child
Janet Jenkins today appealed to the public for help in locating her daughter, Isabella Miller-Jenkins. In an interstate custody dispute, the child’s other mother failed to transfer custody per court-order and has disappeared with the child.
In November, the Rutland Family Court in Vermont …
Vermont Supreme Court Upholds Visitation for Janet Jenkins and Daughter
Vermont’s highest court issued a ruling on March 14 upholding visitation rights for Janet Jenkins and her five-year-old daughter, Isabella. Isabella’s biological mother, Lisa Miller, Janet’s former civil union spouse, challenged Janet’s parental rights in a case that has been ongoing since the …
Victory for Teenaged Girl with HIV
GLAD applauds the February 19 decision by the Massachusetts Court of Appeal in favor of 18-year-old Ashley Shaw, who has sought for three years to get MassHealth to cover her HIV-related surgery. The unanimous decision today affirms her right to access to care.
Read GLAD’s Press Release [PDF]
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The Importance of Family, at Any Age
Starr Waisenen and Connie Bergen have raised their daughter Melissa together for the past 24 years. But until a recent Maine Law Court decision (see story below) allowing same-sex couples to jointly adopt, Starr and Melissa had no legal relationship. In this story from Maine Public Broadcasting …
Appeals Court Upholds School’s Right to Teach About Family Diversity
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit today unanimously affirmed District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf’s dismissalof a lawsuit brought by two sets of parents against the Lexington school system. In the suit, parents David and Tonia Parker and Robert and Robin Wirthlin claimed that a …
Victory for Same-Sex Parents and Children in Maine
At last, Ann Courtney and Marilyn Kirby of Portland will be able to form a permanent, legal parental relationship with their foster children, 10-year-old “M” and her brother, six-year-old “R”. In a unanimous decision, Maine’s Law Court issued a ruling that paves the way for the siblings to be …