February 29

Events

1980 - The close maternal bond is good - even for lesbians - A Provincial Court judge in Kingston, Ontario awarded sole custody of 10 year old daughter to her lesbian mother o this date. the court concluded that "proselytizing or copying of sexual patterns" were not dangers to the child. They also determined that there was no special reason to worry that the child would be sexually victimized by her mother as well. This was the third reported Canadian case of court awarding custody to homosexual parent.

1980 - "You can get acquitted any time you want, but you can never leave" - Pink Triangle Press had been taken to court on obscenity charges for publishing "Men Loving Boys Loving Men," a report that profiled three sexually active pedos, in The Body Politic. They eventually were acquitted of the charges, but on this date Toronto Judge George Ferguson ordered the company and its publishers back to Provincial Court to face new trial on obscenity charges. The Body Politic decided to appeal that decision, and eventually won that as well. In the end the publishers were completely vindicated.

1992 - How not to win friends and influence people - False Memory Syndrome Foundation is an advocacy group for people whose children have accused them of sexual abuse. In a newsletter the organization published on this date they said the organization is "not in the business of representing pedophiles." How do they know this? Here's their evidence: "We are a good-looking bunch of people: graying hair, well-dressed, healthy, smiling.... Just about every person is someone you would likely find interesting and want to count as a friend." Anti-pedos were unconvinced by their seeming "normalness." Pedos were displeased by the perpetuation of bogus stereotypes. No one on any side of the pedo issue was convinced by their denials.

2000 - He's lucky they didn't shoot him - United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces heard the case of Derrick Patterson, a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, on this date. Patterson had been found guilty of raping a child under 16, forcible sodomy of a child under 12, and committing indecent acts with a child. He had been sentenced to 25 years in prison. The appeal was based on the fact that the judge had allowed irrelevant testimony on the prospects of treating pedos, when Patterson had not even been diagnosed as a pedo by anyone and despite the fact that the witness giving the testimony knew nothing about Patterson at all. The appeals court said, "Any error that may have been committed in admitting expert testimony concerning a groomer’s lack of potential for rehabilitation was not plain error requiring the reversal of appellant’s sentence."