Mom has upper hand in same-sex custody dispute

IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (AP) -- An Upper Peninsula woman has no rights to a child born to her former female partner. The Michigan appeals court last week agreed with a Dickinson County judge who dismissed a lawsuit by Jennifer Stankevich. She was seeking custody and other rights. Stankevich and Leanne Milliron had a same-sex marriage in Canada in 2007 but separated two years later. While Stankevich apparently had a role in the child's early life, Milliron is the biological mother and has the upper hand in any legal action. Michigan doesn't recognize same-sex marriage. And because Stankevich is not the biological parent, her case ends there. A federal judge in Detroit is considering a challenge to Michigan's ban on gay marriage and other laws affecting same-sex couples. A trial is scheduled for February. Published: Wed, Oct 23, 2013