Since 2004, “former lesbian” Lisa Miller has violated numerous court rulings in Vermont and Virginia that granted visitation rights to her former partner Janet Jenkins for their daughter Isabella, who was born in 2002.
After unfavorable family-court rulings, Miller worked with religious-right activists to undermine U.S. family law by demanding a special right of ex-gays and religious extremists to move from state to state to escape their family obligations. Had she succeeded, the ability of U.S. states to enforce custody and deadbeat-dad laws could have been damaged. But on June 6, 2008, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld Vermont’ jurisdiction over her former partnership and the resulting child. The Liberty Counsel then vowed to find other ways to sidestep the nation’ laws. In October, a Vermont court was to have considered jailing Miller for contempt of court.
Instead, The Rutland Herald reported, a Vermont judge “decided against punitive measures, instead imposing a new visitation schedule and ordering Jenkins and Miller to communicate directly during preparations for visits and the visits themselves.”
Miller violated that unwise compromise, and on Aug. 25, it seems, the ACLU requested that Lisa Miller be jailed in Virginia and forced to pay attorney fees. But a Virginia judge ruled that although Miller violated a Vermont judge’ visitation order, no fines would be assessed against her. The Christian Post reported, “The court ordered Miller to pay $100 per day for pending visitation orders issued in Vermont, but there are none at this time.” According to World magazine, “a Vermont judge has yet to issue a ruling following a hearing last week that considered Jenkin’ request for custody of Isabella. Later this year, the Virginia Court of Appeals is expected to hear oral arguments on whether Virginia must enforce Vermont’ orders in the case.” The Christian Post points out, “The appeals court previously ruled that Virginia must recognize Vermont’ orders but has not ruled” on whether Virginia must actually enforce those orders.
Focus on the Family and the religious-right Liberty Counsel called the ACLU’s loss “good news” for fugitive antigay Christians.
In an interview last year, Miller maintained her claim to be ex-gay but essentially admitted she had never really been predominantly same-sex-attracted. With Jenkins in particular, she had merely sought platonic female companionship — and apparently deceived Jenkins into forming a civil union. If that is true, then Miller has spent the past five years falsely equating a true lesbian sexual orientation with her largely sexless, insecure, and emotionally unstable “lifestyle.”
Ex-gay advocate Debbie Thurman has formed a Facebook support group for Miller’s fugitive behavior against the U.S. family court system.
