Pip Brown (aka Ladyhawke of My Delirium fame) says she felt ‘constant fear' as a teenager because she was a lesbian at a Catholic school.

"Growing up in the Catholic school system, as I reached my teens I started to feel immense shame and denial about my sexuality.

"I suffered the constant fear of being judged and alienated by my friends and family. These feelings took a long time to shake off and work through."

It took her a long time to shake the guilt.

A kindred spirit in the form of Nott, has helped her do this, she says - just as she helped Nott shake off her guilty feelings.

Instead of carrying their guilty burden, the stars have channeled their experiences in controversial new music video called Guilty Love. In this, two girls fall in love at their Catholic school.

Ladyhawke, who is now 41-years old, says she and Nott decided to share their experiences on the emotional comeback tune to "hopefully help anyone going through the same thing, to know they're not alone."

The lyrics include the line: "Who am I to blame for the shame but the skies above."

Nott, 26, adds: ‘We talked about growing up religiously and how we carried a lot of shame around the idea of what a woman (or person) should be.

"The love that once caused so much guilt ended up being the most healing and spiritual."

Source

• Metro UK
• Image: RNZ

Fr Scott Nolan recently informed Kent County District Court Judge Sara Smolenski she should not receive communion at his church.

The Diocese of Grand Rapids said it supports the decision.

"No community of faith can sustain the public contradiction of its beliefs by its own members".

"This is especially so on matters as central to Catholic life as marriage, which the Church has always held, and continues to hold, as a sacred covenant between one man and one woman," the diocese said in its statement.

Smolenski was baptised in the parish church, educated in the parish school. Her parents were married there and she recently donated $7000 to the building fund.

Smolenski said that St Stephen church helped form her faith.

"My faith is a huge part of who I am, but it is the church that made that faith, the very church where he is taking a stance and saying ho-ho, not you," she said.

Smolenski married her life long partner in a civil ceremony in 2016.

Open about her sexuality, she had never been denied communion before.

On November 17, 2019, Nolan offered her Holy Communion, however on November 23 Nolan phoned her to inform her of his new rule.

Nolan has not responded to media who want to know what brought about the change.

Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor at Manhattan College who studies Catholic ecclesiology, is calling the communion denial a "very violent act".

"To deny a parishioner who approaches the altar for communion ... is to replace her conscience with his own, and to usurp the mercy of God," Imperatori-Lee told HuffPost.

"I can't think of anything more antithetical to ministry than that."

While Catholic teaching on same-sex marriage is clear, some are asking if LGBTQ people are being singled out.

Lisa Sowie Cahill, a theology professor at Boston College says it seems the reason for a Catholic priest denying someone communion is more about sexuality than any other issue.

The Church does little about those who contradict Church teachings on e.g. environmental justice, welcoming the stranger or the death penalty she says.

Source

• Huffington Post

The public speaker from Hagley, believed that her family would cast her out for her sexuality.

She struggled to tell her parents but when she finally did, their reaction was heart-warming.

Jackie said: "I came out to a few close friends when I was 14 but 15 was my official opening of that closet door to tell my parents.

"I didn't actually come out to them, I kind of had it dragged out of me - in a non-violent way.

"This time between the ages of 12 and 15 were the very formative years for this part of my life and around this time I started seeing my very first girlfriend.

"That was lovely and felt right of course but it was still really scary because now it was real.

"And, you know when you're a kid you think you can smoke out the bathroom window and they won't know, of course we know now as an adult that that's just not the case.

"It was the same with this really, I thought I was just acting as I always would but my parents noticed a change in my behaviour.

"They've never really told me what but they had clearly noticed that something wasn't 'right'.

"One evening, I was about to go out and meet this girl, I must have backchatted them or something and it brought everything to a head.

"They said 'you're not going out of this house until we know what's wrong with you.'

"I became defensive to begin with and then broke down in tears, as you do when you're a teenager, but I still wasn't saying anything.

"We kind of battled it out for the best part of an hour before eventually I said words that would have seemed quite hurtful to my mum but it was all I could do to protect myself.

"I said 'I can tell you dad but I can't tell you mum' and it still hurts me now that I said that but it's years later and they now understand the reasons why."

Jackie's father wasn't born into a Catholic family but converted to the religion in support of his wife.

Her mother was born into a strict religious family so that made coming out to her more difficult.

She continued: "So my dad took me to the garage to talk and I was still extremely scared.

"He started prompting me with questions, asking me if I was on drugs, being abused or pregnant.

"I said no and I cold see the confusion on his face because he now knew there was something going on but he couldn't work out what it was.

"So I said 'if I tell you dad, will you still love me? Will you throw me out the house?' Continue reading

• Image: jackiehandy.com

Lawyers and activists say the women, aged 22 and 32, were seated on stools facing the judges and given six strokes from a light rattan cane on their backs by female prison officers.

More than 100 people witnessed the caning. Read more

Yet lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people continue to face high levels of violence and discrimination across the world.

72 countries criminalise male homosexuality, with 45 also criminalising female homosexuality.

In the Commonwealth, 36 of its 53 countries maintain laws that make same-sex intimacy between men a crime and, in 16 of them, it is also punishable offence between women.

In the majority of criminalising countries, homophobic laws are a legacy of British colonisation.

Although the number of countries that criminalise LGBT+ people is slowly decreasing, with Belize and the Seychelles decriminalising in the last couple of years, deep stigmatisation persists.

A new series of photographs captures the faces of the LGBT+ rights movement in the Commonwealth.
The photos, taken by photographer Eivind Hansen, were commissioned by UK-based LGBT+ rights charity Kaleidoscope Trust.

I've always wanted my work to represent a positive change in the world. Photographing people within the LGBT+ spectrum has become something that's very important to me", East London-based photographer Hansen said.

"I hope the photos can create more visibility around LGBT+ people and their struggle for equality in the countries they come from.Queer Commonwealth: Faces of the LGBT+ Movement captures 33 members of the Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN), which in 2017 became the first LGBT+ network to receive Commonwealth accreditation", said Paul Dillane, executive director of Kaleidoscope Trust.

As a founding member and Secretariat of The Commonwealth Equality Network, Kaleidoscope Trust strongly believes in joint advocacy.

With 36 out of 53 Commonwealth nations criminalising homosexuality, the fight for global LGBT+ rights continues.

These photos celebrate the vibrancy, positivity and diversity of LGBT+ activists from across the Commonwealth.

Making its debut in central London this week to coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the exhibition features subjects from Belize and Tonga, Namibia and Sri Lanka, Cyprus and Malaysia and beyond.

At CHOGM, leaders of Commonwealth governments, including Theresa May, Cyril Ramaphosa and Justin Trudeau, will meet in London to decide collective policies and agree joint work.

The advocates featured in these images stand ready to ensure the concerns and the rights of the Commonwealth's LGBT+ people are heard and represented.

Donnya Piggott is an LGBT+ activist from Barbados, where homosexuality carries a potential penalty of life imprisonment.

Donnya founded Barbados Gays and Lesbians Against Discrimination (B-GLAD) in 2012. B-GLAD focuses on public education and advocacy, working on behalf of the community to increase public understanding of the needs of LGBT+ Barbadians.

"In order to create real change we have to work with the public at large. Whether it's going to churches and having those difficult conversations with people of different faiths, or reaching out to people who engage in behaviours that harm the queer community", she said.

Qasim Iqbal is an LGBT+ and HIV activist based in Pakistan.

In Pakistan homosexuality is illegal, though the sodomy ban is rarely enforced. In 2011, Qasim launched Naz Male Health Alliance (NMHA), the first and only LGBT+ community-based organisation in Pakistan, which provides support for improving the sexual health, welfare and human rights of LGBT+ people.

Seven years later, he remains the only openly gay and HIV positive activist in Pakistan.

"As a young boy I was bullied. I learned to be strong, but to this day I see many of my childhood friends who struggle with maintaining a stable self esteem because of the bullying they faced.

Seeing their struggle made me realise that I had to stand up for justice and for humanity in a country where even the government is a bully", said Iqbal. Continue reading

• Images: Indy100 by Eivind Hansen

The baptism took place in the Church of Santa Rita de Cassia in Telde, Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands.

The women were married in a civil ceremony in 2012 and had taken the child to the church for baptism.

But moments before the ceremony began, Fr Jose Ramirez reportedly told Yurena Mederos not to approach the altar.

Video footage showed her partner, Milvia Armas, and the 15-month-old baby's godparents taking part in the ceremony.

Then Ms Mederos was shown standing up and addressing the congregation.

She relayed to the audience what she claimed the priest told her - that she couldn't "go up on the altar because you are not the biological mother of the child".

Ms Mederos added that the priest also warned "I don't want people like this in my church".

An argument ensued, with the couple's relatives reproaching the priest for his attitude.

"A lot of gays and lesbians came out screaming and hurling all kinds of insults at me," Fr Ramirez said.

The priest said one godfather "told me that he was homosexual and that when he had a child, he would have him christened 'because I bloody well say so'."

Fr Ramirez disputed Ms Mederos's claims and said he believed the family had planned the confrontation.

He said he had warned the couple on two occasions prior to the ceremony that "the Church establishes that only the biological parents have the right to baptise their children".

He added the Church recognised adopted children for such ceremonies, "unlike same-sex marriage".

Ms Mederos said she could not understand how women with adopted children could have them baptised, but she could not.

She later claimed Fr Ramirez told her the baptism was not valid because the children's parents were homosexual and this was dangerous for the child.

Fr Ramierz disputed this version of events, adding that the baptism was valid and the ceremony could not be carried out again elsewhere.

Sources

• Daily Mail
• El Pais
• Image: Daily Mail

Cardinal Dolan, who is archbishop of New York, is also the grand marshal for the parade on March 17.

The parade committee chose OUT@NBCUniversal -a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resource group - to march up Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.

NBC, the long time broadcast home of the parade, was prepared to drop its coverage unless a compromise could be reached that resulted in the inclusion of a gay group.

Sponsors had threatened to pull out and politicians had refused to participate because of the ongoing exclusion of gay groups marching with their own banner.

The committee said its "change of tone and expanded inclusiveness is a gesture of goodwill to the LGBT community in our continuing effort to keep the parade above politics".

The committee's statement said the parade was "remaining loyal to church teachings". The parade is not run by the Church.

A parade spokesman said other gay and lesbian groups could apply in future years.

Last March, Guinness beer dropped its parade sponsorship.

Cardinal Dolan said on September 3 that the parade committee that operates the annual event "continues to have my confidence and support".

"Neither my predecessors as archbishop of New York nor I have ever determined who would or would not march in this parade . . . but have always appreciated the cooperation of parade organisers in keeping the parade close to its Catholic heritage," he continued.

Cardinal Dolan concluded by praying "that the parade would continue to be a source of unity for all of us".

Last year, the cardinal said he supported the inclusion of gay people in the parade, but did not take a position on whether they should be allowed to march under their own sign.

The parade always pauses in front of St Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

In 1993, then-Cardinal John O'Connor, facing gay protesters who staged a sit-in during the parade, vowed that he "could never even be perceived as compromising Catholic teaching" by entertaining their admission as an identifiable group in the event.

But Pope Francis has made it clear he wants Church leaders to highlight Catholicism's outreach to the poor and vulnerable, rather than always fighting culture war issues on gay marriage and the like.

Some gay groups in the US were unhappy that only one such group was in the 2015 parade.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Irish Central
• Associated Press
• Image: Irish Central

Mike McMahon was a former director of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.

This is the national body for liturgical music leaders in the Catholic Church in the United States.

More and more Catholic institutions in the US are dismissing gay and lesbian staff members.

This is not because of their sexual orientation, but because they are contracting same-sex marriages.

Marriages in these cases are public acts, liable to give scandal and confuse the laity, Church sources say.

Continue reading

The child's godmother is Argentina's president Christina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Continue reading

The priest said he couldn't answer that.

More than 20 years later Shawn Reynolds still remembers the anguish on the couple's faces. "He didn't say anything about Christ's love," Reynolds says.

Those were the days of "tears and fears," says Mary Ellen Lopata, co-founder of the support group Fortunate Families.

"Now parents are reacting with fire and ire. Things have changed dramatically. The church has lost so much in not welcoming our gay and lesbian children. They have left the church in droves because they are not welcomed. They can stay if they're silent, suppressing a big part of who they are. Now the church is starting to lose their parents as well."

Her husband, Casey Lopata, says that the role families play is crucial, and that while gay and lesbian Catholics are often dismissed, their parents are not.

"Gay and lesbian children are growing up in our parishes," he says.

"We need to be conscious of that. Are they good or not? Parents have a lot to say."

Deb Word, a board member of Fortunate Families and a foster mom with a gay and lesbian youth program in Memphis, Tennessee, says that her role as a Catholic is to remind her friends and her church that God loves these kids, always.

"We have to start by acknowledging that there are GLBT kids in the pews, and that God loves them," she says. " 'God loves you, but . . .' is different from 'God loves you.' " Continue reading

Image: Wikimedia Commons

"For the archdiocese, this case has always been about an employee violating a legally enforceable contract that she signed," said communications director Dan Andriacco.

"Our schools are Catholic schools and the work that our school employees do is an extension of that ministry."

Continue reading

General secretary Francois Pihaartae has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat in his view, same sex marriage remains against God's will.

"Pacific churches are very much conservative. And also really hard to convert to this new idea of same-sex marriage," he said.

"I don't think that the decision of the New Zealand Government will change the discussion."

Pihaartae has warned gay couples in the Pacific who travel to New Zealand to get married will not have their marriage recognised by the church.

As reported in CathNews, Fr Marcel Guarnizo denied Holy Communion to Barbara Johnson, a known lesbian in a relationship at her mother's funeral, in a statement the suspended priest Guarnizo tells his side of the story.

I would like to begin by once again sending my condolences to the Johnson family on the death of Mrs. Loetta Johnson.

I also feel obliged to answer questions from my parishioners, as well as from the public, about the incident on February 25th.

Here are the facts: On Saturday, February 25th I showed up to officiate at a funeral Mass for Mrs. Loetta Johnson. The arrangements for the Mass were also not my own. I wish to clarify that Ms. Barbara Johnson (the woman who has since complained to the press), has never been a parishioner of mine. In fact, I had never met her or her family until that morning.

The funeral celebration was to commence at 10:30a.m.

From 9:30 to 10:20, I was assigned to hear confessions for the parish and anyone in the funeral party who would have chosen to receive the sacrament.

A few minutes before the Mass began, Ms. Johnson came into the sacristy with another woman whom she announced as her "lover." Her revelation was completely unsolicited. As I attempted to follow Ms. Johnson, her lover stood in our narrow sacristy physically blocking my pathway to the door. I politely asked her to move and she refused.

I understand and agree it is the policy of the archdiocese to assume good faith when a Catholic presents himself for communion; like most priests I am not at all eager to withhold communion. But the ideal cannot always be achieved in life.

In the past ten days, many Catholics have referenced Canon 915 in regard to this specific circumstance. There are other reasons for denying communion which neither meet the threshold of Canon 915 or have any explicit connection to the discipline stated in that canon.

If a Quaker, a Lutheran or a Buddhist, desiring communion had introduced himself as such, before Mass, a priest would be obligated to withhold communion. If someone had shown up in my sacristy drunk, or high on drugs, no communion would have been possible either. If a Catholic, divorced and remarried (without an annulment) would make that known in my sacristy, they too according to Catholic doctrine, would be impeded from receiving communion. This has nothing to do with Canon 915. Ms. Johnson's circumstances are precisely one of those relations which impede her access to communion according to Catholic teaching. Ms. Johnson was a guest in our parish, not the arbitrer of how sacraments are dispensed in the Catholic Church.

In all of the above circumstances, I would have been placed in a similar uncomfortable position. Under these circumstances, I quietly withheld communion, so quietly that even the Eucharistic Minister standing four feet from me was not aware I had done so. (In fact Ms. Johnson promptly chose to go to the Eucharistic minister to receive communion and did so.) There was no scandal, no "public reprimand" and no small lecture as some have reported.

Details matter. Ms. Johnson was not kneeling when she approached for communion, she did not receive the cup as the press has reported she has stated. It is the policy of St. John Neumann parish never to distribute under both species during funerals.

During the two eulogies (nearly 25 minutes long), I quietly slipped for some minutes into the sacristy lavatory to recover from the migraine that was coming on. I never walked out on Mrs. Loetta Johnson's funeral and the liturgy was carried out with the same reverence and care that I celebrate every Mass. I finished the Mass and accompanied the body of the deceased in formal procession to the hearse, which was headed to the cemetery. I am subject to occasional severe migraines, and because the pain at that point was becoming disabling, I communicated to our funeral director that I was incapacitated and he arranged one of my brother priests to be present at the cemetery to preside over the rite of burial.

Furthermore, as the testimony of the priest that was at the cemetery conveys, he was present when the Johnson family arrived, and in fact mentioned that being called to cover the burial rite is quite normal, as many priests for reasons much less significant than mine (rush hour traffic, for example) do not make the voyage to the cemetery. He routinely covers for them. This change in plans, was also invisible to the rest of the entourage. Regrets and information about my incapacitating migraine were duly conveyed to the Johnson family.

I have thanked the funeral director and the priest at the burial site, for their assistance that day. Mrs. Loetta Johnson was properly buried with every witness and ceremony a Catholic funeral can offer. I did not and would not refuse to accompany Barbara Johnson and her mother to the cemetery because she is gay or lives with a woman. I did not in any way seek to dishonor her memory, and my homily at the funeral should have made that quite evident to all in the pews, including the Johnson family.

I would like to extend again to Ms. Johnson and her family, my sincerest condolences on her mother's death. I would never intentionally want or seek to embarrass anyone publicly or increase anyone's emotional distress during such a difficult time. I did not seek or contrive these circumstances.

But I am going to defend my conduct in these instances, because what happened I believe contains a warning to the church. Such circumstances can and will be repeated multiple times over if the local church does not make clear to all Catholics that openly confessing sin is something one does to a priest in the confessional, not minutes before the Mass in which the Holy Eucharist is given.

I am confident that my own view, that I did the only thing a faithful Catholic priest could do in such an awkward situation, quietly, with no intention to hurt or embarrass, will be upheld.

Otherwise, any priest could-and many will-face the cruelest crisis of conscience that can be imposed. It seems to me, the lack of clarity on this most basic issue puts at risk other priests who wish to serve the Catholic Church in Washington D.C.

As to the latest allegations, I feel obliged to alleviate unnecessary suffering for the faithful at St. John Neumann and others who are following the case.

I wish to state that in conversation with Bishop Barry Knestout on the morning of March 13, he made it very clear that the whole of the case regarding the allegations of "intimidation" are circumscribed to two conversations; one with the funeral director and the other with a parish staff member present at the funeral. These conversations took place on March 7th and 8th, one day before the archdiocese's latest decision to withdraw faculties (not suspend, since Cardinal Wuerl is not my bishop) on the 9th of March. I am fully aware of both meetings. And indeed contrary to the statement read on Sunday, March 11th during all Masses at St. John Neumann, both instances have everything to do with the Eucharistic incident. There is no hidden other sin or "intimidation" allegations that they are working on, outside of these two meetings.

The meetings in question, occurred in our effort to document from people at the funeral Mass in written form a few facts about the nature of the incident. We have collected more than a few testimonies and affidavits, testifying to what really took place during the funeral liturgy.

My personal conversation with both parties in question were in my view civil, professional and in no way hostile. I respect both individuals in question and really do not know the nature of their grievance.

On March 13, I asked Bishop Knestout about detail on this matter but he stated that he was not at liberty to discuss the matter. I would only add for the record, that the letter removing me from pastoral work in the Archdiocese of Washington, was already signed and sealed and on the table when I met with Bishop Knestout on March 9, even before he asked me the first question about the alleged clash.

In the days to come I look forward to addressing any confusion about the above conversations if the archdiocese or the persons involved wish to talk about it publicly or privately.

I am grateful for all the good wishes and prayers I have received. And sincerely, having lost my own mother not long ago, I again extend my condolences to the Johnson family. I finally wish for the good of the Universal Church, the archdiocese, my parish and the peace of friends and strangers around the world, that the archdiocese would cease resolving what they call internal personnel matters of which they cannot speak, through the public media.

I remain my bishop's and my Church's, and above all Christ Jesus' obedient servant,

According to the Washington Post, when Johnson approached Fr Marcel Guarnizo for Communion, Guarnizo put his hand over the Host and said, "I can't give you Communion because you live with a woman, and in the eyes of the church, that is a sin."

The letter of administrative leave from Bishop Barry Knestout says Guarnizo was suspended from ministry because he engaged in "intimidating behaviour" toward parish staff and others that is incompatible with proper priestly ministry.

Fr Thomas LaHood, the parish priest at St John Neumann, said the suspension was not related to the Holy Communion incident but to other actions over the past week or so.

However Guarnizo insists the suspension has everything to do with his decision to withhold Communion.

In a statement responding to the Archdiocese's suspension, Guarnizo says "I understand and agree it is the policy of the Archdiocese to assume good faith when a Catholic presents himself for communion; like most priests I am not at all eager to withhold communion."

Guarnizo says in this case the choice was clear.

"If a Catholic, divorced and remarried (without an annulment) would make that known in my sacristy, they too according to Catholic doctrine, would be impeded from receiving communion."

"Ms. Johnson's circumstances are precisely one of those relations which impede her access to communion according to Catholic teaching."

"Ms Johnson promptly chose to go to the Eucharistic minister to receive communion and did so. There was no scandal, no "public reprimand" and no small lecture as some have reported", wrote Guarnizo.

Subsequent to the communion refusal and the media response, the Johnson family released the following statement.

"The Johnson family continues to pray for the Archdiocese of Washington, Father Guarnizo, and all Catholics during this time of upheaval. While we understand this letter does not pertain to the events that occurred at our mother's funeral, we are hopeful that Bishop Knestout's decision will ensure that no others will have to undergo the traumatic experiences brought upon our family. We urge all Catholics to put aside political points of view, and pray that our Church will remain in Christ's love."

Sources

• Washington Post
• CNA
• The Tablet
• Image: Conservatism Institute

"I hate the fact that I had to make a choice between being loving and protecting the teachings of the church," Breslin told Mass-goers. "The lesbian couple is saying that their relationship is a good one that should be accepted by everyone; and the church cannot agree to that." Breslin added that he saw ample love all around Boulder, but "a scarcity of discipleship. . . . I chose to protect the faith over doing what would have looked like the loving thing to do."

In the pews, Shawn Reynolds, a gay parishioner, remembers that he shut down during the homily. He left at communion and hasn't returned. "Pastors are supposed to tend to the flock, not disperse them," he says.

Incidents like this one lead some gay and lesbian Catholics to wonder if there's a future for them in today's Catholic Church. The past decade has brought a number of disappointments to these Catholics, who had hoped for greater acceptance and a greater emphasis on love.

They point to the U.S. bishops' 1997 document Always Our Children, comparing it to what has been understood as the harder line of a 2006 document, Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination. They find other evidence of the church's harsh official position in the prohibition in 1987 of DignityUSA (the oldest advocacy organization for gay and lesbian Catholics) from meeting on church property and the 2006 Vatican decision that gay men called to the priesthood would face greater barriers.

Arthur Fitzmaurice, who has been active in gay ministry in the Los Angeles area and is on the board of the Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministry (CALGM), sees the messages from the bishops as unbalanced and unhelpful. "Being gay has been a gift from God," he says. "Neither they nor I can put down what God has given me. But the bishops' silence or negative rhetoric is driving people away."

The gulf between the bishops and gay and lesbian Catholics plays out most starkly in the battle over same-sex marriage, the most prominent gay rights issue in the United States today.

Continue reading: Pride and Prejudice: The uneasy relationship between gays and lesbians and their Church

Image: Change.org

The man, who has not missed one day of contact with his 9 year old daughter, pleaded before a NSW judge not to agree the request by the birth mother's lesbian ex-partner.

"She knows me as her father. She know me as her parent," he told the court.

"The person who's going to suffer is my daughter. She knows that her father is going to be removed from her life. She's going to have three mothers and no father and I think the whole thing is an absolute outrage."

NSW law provides for only two parents to be listed on the birth certificate, and according to the Sydney Morning Herald, this case highlights the legal inadequacies when dealing with multi-parent families.

Before the child's birth in 2001, the lesbian couple, wrote to the man referring to him as "daddy" and talking about their future as a family together.

The man, over the years, contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the care and education of 'his daughter' and while away, allowed the birth mother to live in his house because she was short of money.

The birth mothers ex-partner wanted the father removed from the birth certificate to reduce confusion with the likes of government departments and schools.

Recognising the powerful symbolism of being on a birth certificate, a reluctant Judge Walmsley said he would probably have to grant the request.

He will give his decision next month.

Sources:

• SMH
• Image: Daily Mail

Richards, the "donor dad", provided sperm to Jesse Star, paid $5000 for her fertility treatments, paid for the midwife, and agreed to father a child with Ms Star's partner Sofia Marita, but that failed.

The women separated in 2008 and ten years after the birth of the three parents' daughter, Marita is in court seeding to have Richards name removed from the girls' birth certificate.

Richards has seen his daughter for five hours a fortnight since she was aged one, and although not obliged to, he paid $150 support a week for her first year, and one-third of her school fees for two years.

The girl is the major beneficiary in his will and she calls his mother "Nan".

Last year he had allowed Ms Star, listed on the birth certificate as a clairvoyant and funeral celebrant, to stay at his Hazelbrook home for three months when she was unable to pay rent at her own home, Richards said.

He is devastated that he may be taken off the birth certificate.

"It's a very depressing situation ... the birth certificate is more than a bit of paper; it tells people who you are," he said.

"No one seems to care about fathers these days."

In NSW, a sperm donor does not have legal parenting responsibilities - and thus cannot make decisions about the child's education or medical needs - even if a court grants visitation rights and he is on the birth certificate.

It is not possible under NSW law to have three parents with legal responsibilities. Had Mr Richards had sexual intercourse with Ms Star or married her, he would have gained that legal status.

Partners of lesbian mothers gained that right automatically with the introduction of the Miscellaneous Acts Amendment (Same Sex Relationships) Act.

It is the first case of its kind since the introduction of a retrospective law in 2008 giving lesbian couples equal parenting responsibilities or legal status.

Of 94,354 birth registrations last year, 117 were for children born to same-sex parents.

Both women declined to comment and the case is continuing in court.

Source

• SMH
• Image: WGLB