Texas Supreme Court To Take Up Case Of Father Who May Lose Custody For Saying His Child Is Not Transgender
'Father contends that [the child] is a normal boy confused in his identity'
How Safe Are Your Parental Rights? It Increasingly Depends On Your Politics
If the issue at hand is your child's confusion about his sex, then your parental rights can be bargained away in court far too easily.Dwyane Wade wants his son to transition into a girl so that he can 'capitalize on the financial opportunities' from companies like Disney, ex-wife alleges
Former NBA star Dwyane Wade is now facing startling allegations from his ex-wife and the mother of his two children. His ex claims that Wade has pressured their younger son into becoming a girl so that Wade can reap a "profit" from various companies interested in using transgender models for their products.
Back in August, Wade filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court so that his 15-year-old son Zion can legally become a girl and change his name to Zaya. Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, who was married to Wade from 2002 until 2010, contested that filing, saying that it violates their custody agreement.
Their 2011 agreement awarded full custody of Zion and his older brother Zaire, who is now 20, to Wade. However, it also stated that Funches-Wade "shall discuss with and obtain input in the major decisions affecting care, welfare, activities, health, education and religious upbringing." Despite this statement of cooperative parenting, Wade insisted that he retains full authority to make decisions regarding Zion's supposed transgenderism and that he informed Funches-Wade about the transition only as a "courtesy."
Funches-Wade wants Zion to delay making any transition decisions until he is an adult. She also alleged that Wade and his current wife, Gabrielle Union, have a significant financial interest in having Zion become Zaya. She stated that back in March, Wade told her "that a lot of money had been already made and that additional money will be made in relation to our child’s name and gender issue." She also claimed that Wade mentioned several global corporations which were interested in investing in Zaya, though it is unclear whether they would still be interested in him, should he remain Zion.
Zion "came out" as a girl in 2019, when he was just 12. Since he has dressed as a girl and gone by the name Zaya, he has received modeling contracts from Tiffany and Dove. Funches-Wade also alleged in the filing that Disney may also be interested in signing a deal with Zaya.
"'I have concerns that [Wade] may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies," Funches-Wade asserted in the court filing.
"[Wade] told me that he intended to make our child very famous due to the name and gender issue and also informed me that there would be endorsements/contracts associated therewith," the filing also states.
Wade discussed Zion's transition into Zaya on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2020.
"Our [then] 12-year-old came home ... and said, 'Hey, I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward I'm ready to live my truth, and I want to be referenced as 'she' and 'her,' and I would love for you guys to call me Zaya,'" Wade told host Ellen DeGeneres.
"I watched my son, from day one, become into who she now eventually has come into," he added. "And for me, ... nothing changes with my love. Nothing changes in my responsibilities. So, all I had to do now is get smarter, educate myself more. And that’s my job."
A hearing on the case is scheduled for December.
Court threatens mom with losing child custody unless she gets rid of Confederate flag-painted rock
A New York appellate court has threatened a mother with losing custody of her multiracial child unless she gets rid of a "small" rock near her driveway that is painted with a Confederate flag.
What are the details?
The Albany Times-Union reported that a panel of five judges in the state's second-highest court ruled unanimously that the white woman and the black father of her elementary-age child could retain joint custody of their daughter — but that if the mother did not remove the rock, she could face a "change of circumstances" in the custody battle.
Justice Stanley Pritzker, who authored the court's decision, wrote that during a fact-finding hearing, "the mother testified that she has never used any racial slurs in front of the child or at all," but noted that neither the judge who presided over a prior 2018 ruling nor the child's law guardian address the mother's possession of a "small Confederate flag painted rock near her driveway."
"Given that the child is of mixed race, it would seem apparent that the presence of the flag is not in the child's best interests, as the mother must encourage and teach the child to embrace her mixed race identity, rather than thrust her into a world that only makes sense through the tortured lens of cognitive dissonance," Pritzker wrote.
"Further, and viewed pragmatically, the presence of the Confederate flag is a symbol inflaming the already strained relationship between the parties," the judge continued. "As such, while recognizing that the First Amendment protects the mother's right to display the flag if it is not removed by June 1, 2021, its continued presence shall constitute a change in circumstances and Family Court shall factor this into any future best interests analysis."
According to The Washington Post, the court's decision was clear: "The rock puts the woman's child custody at risk." The newspaper noted that the mother was not represented by an attorney.
Jason Leifer, the attorney serving as the child's law guardian, told the Times-Union that while he agrees the rock needs to go, he's concerned about the precedent the court's ruling could set for future custody battles between parents.
"I think parties will now raise objections to many symbols and opinions held by the other party, including some that the majority of society does not find offensive," Leifer told the outlet. "What's going to have to happen is this — if the issue is raised the court will need to hear evidence of the child how the child's well-being is negatively affected by a parent's views and opinions. In some cases this will be easy, such as if a child is being indoctrinated into a hate group, but in many cases it won't be so easy."
Leifer told the Associated Press, "I just think that this thing opens a door to litigating... someone's personal opinions on something."
Kim Kardashian files for divorce from Kanye West
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce from rapper Kanye West after nearly seven years of marriage.
What are the details?
According to TMZ, the first outlet to report the news, Kardashian is seeking joint custody of the couple's four children, North, Saint, Psalm, and Chicago. Sources told the tabloid that West is "fine" with a joint custody arrangement and neither party has thus far contested their purported prenuptial agreement.
Kardashian and West began dating in 2012 after years of friendship, and wed in 2014. Both were already in the limelight, with Kardashian a household name as part of her family's reality TV show, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," and West's established fame as a music mogul.
Each have built their own substantial fashion empires, with Kardashian's net worth at nearly $1 billion and West's at a reported $1.3 billion.
Rumors have swirled for several months that the couple might split, exacerbated by West tweeting last summer that he was seeking a divorce. Kardashian then made a public appeal asking for privacy and understanding regarding her husband's purported mental health issues.
Both Kardashian and West have become outspoken politically in recent years, and each met with President Donald Trump individually regarding separate issues. Kardashian discussed criminal justice reform with the former president and issued pleas for the release of non-violent offenders, while West had a high-profile Oval Office meeting where he donned a MAGA hat.
West later threw his hat in the ring to run for president under the banner of the "Birthday Party" in 2020, but his movement failed to take off.
The Los Angeles Times reported on the divorce filing:
Speculation about the cause of the rift has focused on West's 2020 presidential campaign, his Twitter rants and his struggles with bipolar disorder, contrasting that with Kardashian's interest in becoming a lawyer and her work on criminal justice reform.
Anything else?
The Daily Mail reported that Kardashian "will reportedly discuss the end of her marriage on the last series of the [Kardashian] family's E! reality show," and West is not happy about it.
"He is less than thrilled," one source said of West. "She will continue to focus on her business empire. Kim has been in individual counselling and is at peace with where her life is headed."
Kim Kardashian Files for Divorce from Kanye West After Almost 7 Years of Marriage | People www.youtube.com
Alabama lab owner gets prison time for falsifying drug tests that cost parents custody of their kids
A previously-convicted felon who owned an Alabama laboratory has been handed a lengthy prison term, after being convicted of falsifying paternity and drug tests that resulted in several parents wrongly losing custody of their children.
What are the details?
Brandy Murrah, 37, was sentenced to 15 years hard time, after pleading guilty to falsifying test results in at least that many instances that falsely claimed samples came back positive for drugs, the Dothan Eagle reported.
Murrah previously owned A&J Lab Collections—a business that collected hair follicle and urine samples and the like—and was supposed to forward them on for analysis and then report the findings to the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
But Murrah was caught falsifying the results after a mother who was accused of using drugs—and knew she was clean—called the doctor who purportedly signed off on her results collected by A&J. The doctor said they never received any sample, and the parents pressed for an investigation that found Murrah had submitted several fake results.
The Eagle reported:
Jennifer Severs of Troy was in a custody battle with her ex-husband when Murrah collected hair follicle samples for drug screenings on the family as part of the custody case. The test showed Severs was positive for drugs even though Severs said she doesn't use any drugs. Additional tests were negative, but Severs said it still took months before she was finally reunited with her children because the Department of Human Resources used the original test results. It was Severs who actually contacted a doctor listed on Murrah's report only to learn that the doctor had never done the screening. She then contacted the Ozark Police Department.
Severs said the experience scarred both her and her children.
"This is a daily battle for me on who I can trust," Severs said. "This is a daily battle for my children."
Murrah never provided a motive, but WTVY-TV reported that "it is believed Murrah owed for previous tests and the labs that tested samples she collected may have no longer been willing to extend her credit."
In another instance, a mother who was a former drug user lost her 3-month-old baby after A&J lab results showed that the mother tested positive for methamphetamine and that the baby's test indicated exposure. But both were false.
"It was terrible," the woman told the court. "I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest because I knew I was doing right with this one. I knew I was doing right."
Subsequent testing showed that the mother was clean, but her baby was still out of her care for roughly three weeks. She added, "I don't understand why anybody would ever do that to any family, any children, for no reason."
According to Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams, Murrah had been convicted of several felonies prior to the charges lodged against her involving her lab company. Murrah's defense attorney, David Harrison, pointed out that she could have faced up to 99 years in the slammer for her convictions under Alabama's sentencing guidelines.
An unknown number of parents lost custody of their children due to Murrah's bogus lab results. To them, she did offer an apology, the New York Post reported, telling the judge in the case, "I know I did wrong. I've done a lot of things wrongs in my life...I"m sorry for anyone I ever hurt. I really did not do this intentionally to ever hurt anyone."
Today's top stories
www.theblaze.com
freebeacon.com
www.theblaze.com