Sharon Mattes, 48, Dies; Central Figure in a Gay Custody Case

[Eugene]

Source: New York Times

Sharon Mattes, 48, Dies; Central Figure in a Gay Custody Case

By Neil Genzlinger
Feb. 15, 2019

Sharon Mattes, who under the name Sharon Bottoms was at the center of a much-publicized custody case in Virginia in the 1990s in which her own mother argued that she and her same-sex partner were not suitable parents, died on Jan. 21 in Richlands, N.C. She was 48.

Ms. Mattes had shunned the spotlight for the last two decades; a notice posted by the Jones Funeral Home in Richlands announced her death. Facebook posts from family members indicated that she had been ill for some time.

In a decade when gay-rights issues made frequent headlines, Bottoms v. Bottoms was a flash point. The case, in which Ms. Mattes ultimately lost custody of her young son to her mother, stretched for years as various courts gave differing rulings.

The exchanges between the sides in the courtroom and the news media were often acrimonious, and some language from the bench was blunt.

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/obituaries/sharon-mattes-dead.html

[irisblue]

1. 🕯️Reading that article is heart rending.

I remember the case, in general terms. How much hate her mother spewed. I hope her son is well and far away from his grandmother.