Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

download Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

of 34

Transcript of Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    1/34

    No. 14-50196

    _________________________________________

    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALSFOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

    __________________________________________

    CLEOPATRA DE LEON; NICOLE DIMETMAN; VICTOR HOLMES;

    MARK PHARISS,

    PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES;

    v.

    RICK PERRY, in His Official Capacity as Governor of the

    State of Texas; GREG ABBOTT, in His Official Capacity as

    Texas Attorney General; DAVID LAKEY, in His Official

    Capacity as Commissioner of the Department of State

    Health Services,

    DEFENDANTS-APPELLANTS.

    ____________________________________________

    ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THEWESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, SAN ANTONIO DIVISION, CASE NO.

    5:13-CV-982___________________________________________

    BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE KATY FAUST SUPPORTING

    DEFENDANTS-APPELLANTS AND SUPPORTING REVERSAL

    ___________________________________________

    David Boyle

    P.O. Box 15143Long Beach, CA 90815

    (734) [email protected]

    Counsel for Amicus Curiae B.N. Klein

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 1 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    2/34

    i

    CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PERSONS

    Case 14-50196, Civil

    Pursuant to Fifth Circuit Rule 28.2.1, the undersigned counsel of record

    certifies that the following listed persons and entities as described in the fourth

    sentence of Rule 28.2.1 have an interest in the outcome of this case. These

    representations are made in order that the judges of this court may evaluate

    possible disqualification or recusal.

    APPELLANTS:

    Rick Perry, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of Texas.

    Greg Abbott, in his official capacity as Texas Attorney General.

    David Lakey, in his official capacity as Commissioner of the Texas Department of

    State Health Services.

    (APPELLANTS ATTORNEYS:

    Jonathan F. Mitchell, Solicitor General

    Kyle D. Highful

    Beth Ellen Klusmann

    Michael P. Murphy

    OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL)

    APPELLEES:

    Cleopatra DeLeon, Nicole Dimetman, Victor Holmes, Mark Phariss.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 2 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    3/34

    ii

    (APPELLEES ATTORNEYS:

    Barry Alan Chasnoff

    Jessica M. Weisel

    Michael P. Cooley

    Daniel McNeel Lane, Jr.

    Andrew Forest Newman

    Matthew Edwin Pepping

    AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER & FELD, LLP)

    This list does not include the various amici in the case, especially since they are

    not parties or parties attorneys, and the list of amici is growing. However, if

    wished, a list can be supplied.

    Amicus Curiae Katy Faust is an individual who has no parent corporation, or

    any publicly held corporation that owns 10% or more of stock of that nonexistent

    parent corporation.

    s/David Boyle

    Attorney of record for Amicus

    Curiae Katy Faust

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 3 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 3 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    4/34

    iii

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PERSONS.i

    TABLE OF AUTHORITIES.....v

    ARGUMENT.............................................................................................................1

    INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................1

    A. GOVERNMENTS INTEREST IN MARRIAGE...............................................4

    B. RIGHTS................................................................................................................5

    C. FAMILY STRUCTURE...............................................................................9

    RESPONSES TO COMMON OBJECTIONS........................................................13

    I. I am not saying that same-sex attraction makes you a bad parent..............13

    II. I am not saying that those in same sex relationships are incapable of

    commitment................................................................................................13

    III. But marriage has never been about children, because many heterosexual

    marriages dont produce children.............................................................13

    IV. But what about the childless heterosexual couple?....................................16

    V. Some argue that two loving and caring men make a better home than a

    drug-addicted single mom..........................................................................16

    VI. But what about the hardship that many LGBTQ people have

    suffered?........18

    VII. Other threats to child rights........................................................................18

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 4 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 4 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    5/34

    iv

    VIII. Marriage should just be about adult emotional bonds...........................19

    (ANTECONCLUSION)......19

    CONCLUSION.......21

    CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE22

    CERTIFICATE OF ELECTRONIC COMPLIANCE 23

    FORM 6. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 32(a)..24

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 5 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 5 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    6/34

    v

    TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

    CASES

    De Leon v. Perry, No. 14-50196 (No. 5:13-cv-982, 975 F. Supp. 2d 632 (W.D.

    Tex. Feb. 12, 2014))...1

    RULES

    Fed. R. App. P. 29...1 n.1

    OTHER AUTHORITIES

    Def. of Marriage Act (DOMA), Pub. L. 104199, 110 Stat. 2419 (1996),

    codified at 1 U.S.C. 7 and 28 U.S.C. 1738C, overruled in partby United States

    v. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013)..................................................................5 &n.2

    Frank Ligtvoet, The Misnomer of Motherless Parenting, N.Y. Times, June 22nd,

    2013, available athttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/opinion/sunday/the-

    misnomer-of-motherless-parenting.html?_r=1&.......................................9-10 & n.3

    NPR Staff, What Happens When Kids Fall 'Far From The Tree', NPR Books, Nov.

    8th, 2012, 5:58 p.m., http://m.npr.org/news/Books/163468489..............11 & n.4, 12

    The Parent Trap(directed by David Smith; Walt Disney Productions 1961)15

    The Parent Trap(directed by Nancy Meyers; Walt Disney Pictures 1998).15, 16

    U.N. Convention on the Rts. of the Child (1989)....................................................12

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 6 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 6 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    7/34

    vi

    USA Today,Obama speaks on importance of fatherhood, The Oval blog, Feb.

    17th, 2013, 9:50 a.m., http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/02/17/obama-

    chicago-fatherhood-economy-gun-control/ 1925727/...................................22 & n.5

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 7 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 7 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    8/34

    1

    STATEMENT OF INTEREST OF AMICUS CURIAE

    The present amicus curiae, Katy Faust,1is respectfully filing this Brief in

    Support of Defendants-Appellants, Rick Perry, Greg Abbott, and David Lakey, in

    De Leon v. Perry, No. 14-50196 (No. 5:13-cv-982, 975 F. Supp. 2d 632 (W.D.

    Tex. Feb. 12, 2014)). I grew up with two lesbian parents and wish to discuss my

    experience.

    ARGUMENT

    INTRODUCTION

    My mother and her partner have been together since I was 10, soon after my

    parentsdivorce. Since that time much of my life was spent in their home,

    surrounded by their community of women. They were deeply involved in my

    childhood and adolescence, and I have fond memories of them attending my

    concerts, sporting events, plays, and graduation. Even when off to college,

    studying in Taiwan on a Fulbright scholarship, during my career at the largest

    Chinese adoption agency in the world, and as my husband and I began to raise our

    children, I have remained in close contact with my mother and her partner. They

    continue to be a loving and supportive fixture in my family.

    1I wrote the vast majority of this brief without help from any other party or itscounsel, though my own counsel gave editing, formatting, or other help at the end;

    and no party or its counsel gave money to its writing or submission,seeFed. R.

    App. P. 29. All parties have filed blanket permission with the Court for amicae/i towrite briefs.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 8 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 8 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    9/34

    2

    None the less, I oppose gay marriage. The foremost focus of my opposition

    to gay marriage is the rights and well-being of children.

    I want to be clear that my advocacy against gay marriage and for the rights

    of children will never include condemnation of my mother and her partner or

    details about their private lives. Unlike some in the gay lobby who often uses

    children as pawns to forward their cause, I will not be sharing specifics about my

    parents to advance my arguments. What you need to know about my parents and

    their partners/spouses, is that I love them. They are worthy of dignity, respect and

    privacy.

    Some adult children with gay parents shy away from making their thoughts

    about marriage public because we do not want to jeopardize our relationships with

    those to whom our hearts are tethered. Unfortunately, many gay-marriage

    lobbyists have made gay marriage the sole badge of loyalty to our LGBT family

    and friends. The label of bigot or hater has become very powerful and effective

    tools to silence those of us who choose not to endorse the marriage platform of

    many gay lobbyists. However, those tactics are no longer strong enough to keep

    me silent. Advocating for the rights of children, and how they relate to the

    institution of marriage, is not something that anyone should be timid about.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 9 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 9 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    10/34

    3

    For much of my adult life I was content to keep my opinions on the subject

    of marriage to myself. I was (and still am) sickened by the accusation that I was

    bigoted and anti-gay for my belief in natural marriage. For many years those

    devices kept me quiet. I didnt seek a venue where I could share my views. But I

    have come to realize that my silence, and the silence of others, has allowed for the

    conversation to be dominated by those who claim that only animus, ignorance, or

    indoctrination could lead one to oppose marriage equality.

    You may credit the writing of this brief to a gay marriage supporter. In 2012

    I began blogging under a pseudonym with the goal of centering the marriage

    discussion on childrens rights and well-beingwhere the debates belong. But

    several supporters of gay marriage considered my position not only wrong, but

    harmful. So in addition to writing smear pieces on me, trolling myblog, and

    attacking any commenter who was willing to support me, one gay advocate felt

    that I needed to be exposed in the name of accountability. So he mined the

    internet and revealed my identity. His cohorts shared my name on their own blogs

    and told my husband that they knew who his wife was. This blogger wrote

    slanderous posts on my church and published the names and address of our church

    leaders for the purpose of intimidation. (The names and addresses have since been

    removed, for which I am grateful.) Since I cannot be un-outed I am now writing

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 10 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 10 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    11/34

    4

    under my own name. Had I not been forcibly exposed in the name of love and

    tolerance, I would not be submitting this brief today.

    A. GOVERNMENTS INTEREST IN MARRIAGE

    As you deliberate on whether or not to redefine marriage into a genderless

    institution, the primary question is: What is societys interest in marriage? Is it to

    validate the emotional bonds of adults? Is it to stabilize partnerships? Is it an

    instrument with which to give a stamp of equality to our gay brothers and sisters?

    Adults can, and should, be able to form consensual relationships of their choosing.

    Barriers to a partners bedside in the hospital, shared property rights, and freedom

    to live the life they desire should never be imposed upon by government. If

    society's concern in marriage is adults, then by all means redefine this institution

    which has spanned centuries, cultures and religions to suit that perception.

    But the reality is that societys interest in marriage is not an adult-centric one

    after all. Governments interestin marriage is children. When Congress enacted

    the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)2in 1996, they had this to say about the

    reason behind the legislation: [A]t bottom, civil society has an interest in

    maintaining and protecting the institution of heterosexual marriage because it has a

    deep and abiding interest in encouraging responsible procreation and child-rearing.

    2Def. of Marriage Act (DOMA), Pub. L. 104199, 110 Stat. 2419 (1996),

    codified at 1 U.S.C. 7 and 28 U.S.C. 1738C, overruled in partby United Statesv. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013).

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 11 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 11 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    12/34

    5

    Simply put, government has an interest in marriage because it has an interest in

    children.Id.

    B. RIGHTS

    Our elected governments primary role in this, and any legislation, is one

    which protects the rights and best interest of its citizens. Especially the well-being

    of those who cannot advocate for themselves. What more vulnerable individual

    exists requiring such protection than children? Children do always not have

    powerful lobbies, flashy publications, and lawyers tripping over one another to

    offer pro-bono services for their cause. Marriage is one primary method used by

    government to protect and uphold the natural rights of children.

    Each side of this debate argues on the case of someones right. Those in

    favor of redefining marriage speak of the right to marry and the right to

    parenthood. Unfortunately, rights have lost their true meaning. They are now

    popularly employed as a label for anything that someone really, really wants. This

    is simply desire-based reasoning, which is entirely incorrect. What I am

    referencing here is true rights. Rights which cannot be given by government, but

    which exist pre-government. Rights which are self-evident, as our founding

    fathers would say.

    When you look at a newbornif there is no hospital chart or adults cooing

    over her, cards from friends and family, a birth certificate in your hand - what do

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 12 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 12 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    13/34

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    14/34

    7

    ideal circumstances. Presumably, one could argue that some (even many) of these

    children would be better off by certain objective measures if they were quickly

    removed from their family of origin and placed for adoption. But the burden of

    proof lies with the government to establish that parents are neglectful or abusive

    before terminating their natural rights. Parents who wish to place children for

    adoption must freely consent to having their natural rights terminated, and indeed

    when this consent has been uninformed or deceptively obtained (or even just

    regretted after the fact), heart-wrenching custody battles between biological and

    adoptive parents have ensued.

    Surely a parents right to be in a direct, custodial relationship with his/her

    offspring lies not within the realm of property law, as if the child were something

    owned. Rather, this right is a natural one that is universal and self-evident. The

    childs right to be in a direct, nurturing relationship with his/her parents is its

    reciprocal. Children belong to their parents only to the extent that parents

    belong to their children.

    When a child loses their right to live, at least on this side of the womb, we

    severely punish the perpetrator. The loss of that right is nothing that government

    or any human agent will be able to repay or restore.

    The same is true of the second right - the right to belong to ones parents.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 14 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 14 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    15/34

    8

    Step back from the gay marriage debate for a moment and look at the lives

    of children you know. Perhaps look at your own life. When a parent has been lost

    because of death, abandonment, estrangement, or divorce there is harm. There is

    pain. The child grieves, is angry, and mourns. Whether it is a longing to know the

    mysterious missing half of ones heritage or a life-long gaping wound, losing a

    parent brings pain. It is a loss that cannot be restored by government or any human

    agent. No mentor, teacher, grandparent, Head Start program or case worker can

    take the place of that absent mother or father. Even if the parent resurfaces later in

    life, each day that the parent was absent has been permanently lost.

    This is how one gay father describes his daughters loss:

    Sometimes when my daughter, who is 7, is nicely cuddled up in

    her bed and I snuggle her, she calls me Mommy. I am a stay-at-homedad. My male partner and I adopted both of our children at birth in

    open domestic adoptions. We could fill our home with nannies,sisters, grandmothers, female friends, but no mothers. My daughter

    says Mommy in a funny way, in a high-pitched voice. Although Irefer the honors immediately to her birth mom, I am flattered. But

    saddened as well, because she expresses herself in a voice that is nother own. It is her stuffed-animal voice. She expresses not only love;

    she also expresses alienation. She can role-play the mother-daughterrelationship, but she cannot use her real voice, nor have the real thing.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 15 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 15 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    16/34

    9

    Frank Ligtvoet, The Misnomer of Motherless Parenting, N.Y. Times, June 22nd,

    2013.3

    Why has there been a dramatic shift toward open adoption? Because there

    has been a near-universal recognition that children benefit from having as many

    connections with their family of origin as possible. It is why many states now

    require that adoption records be open to children.

    C. FAMILY STRUCTURE

    To institutionalize something is not just to permit it, to live and let live.

    With the redefinition of marriage, we are not simply allowing people to form

    relationships of their choosing. They have been doing so for decades. I can assure

    you that in the eighties and nineties, the community of women with whom I had

    extensive contact were free to love whomever they chose to love. That has been

    the case for decades in every place where gay sex has been decriminalized.

    When we institutionalize same-sex marriage however, we move from

    permitting citizens the freedom to live as they choose, topromotingsame-sex

    headed households. In doing so, we ignore the true nature of the outcropping of

    marriage. Now we are normalizing a family structure where a child will alwaysbe

    3Available athttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/opinion/sunday/the-misnomer-

    of-motherless-parenting.html?_r=1& (last visited August 4th, 2014, as with all

    other Internet links herein).

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 16 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 16 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    17/34

    10

    deprived daily of one gender influence and the relationship with at least one natural

    parent. Our cultural narrative becomes one that, in essence, tells children that they

    have no right to the natural family structure or their biological parents, but that

    children simply exist for the satisfaction of adult desires.

    When marriage policy and cultural narrative deviates from the reality that

    one man plus one woman makes a baby, we end up with scenarios such as the one

    described by author Andrew Solomon:

    When I met John, who is now my husband, he told me that he had

    had some friends, Tammy and Laura, for whom he had been a spermdonor, and that they had a son named Oliver, of whom he was the

    biological father. A few years later, they asked him to be a spermdonor again, and they produced a daughter, Lucy. A good friend of

    mine from college had gone through a divorce and said that she reallylonged to be a mother, and I said how much I would love to be the

    father of her child. And so we decided to produce a child through anIVF process. John and I then wanted to have a child who would live

    with us all the time, and we decided to use an egg donor, and Laura,the lesbian who had carried Oliver and Lucy, offered to be our

    surrogate as a way of thanking John for providing her with a family.So the shorthand is: five parents of four children in three states.

    NPR Staff, What Happens When Kids Fall 'Far From The Tree', NPR Books,

    Nov. 8th, 2012, 5:58 p.m.4(citation omitted).

    This is truly human trafficking: manipulating children into existence to satisfy

    the desires of adults. In Andrew Solomons post-nuclear family, as he calls it,

    the four children living in three states were conceived with the intent to separate

    4http://m.npr.org/news/Books/163468489.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 17 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 17 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    18/34

    11

    them from one of their biological parents,see id.The desires of the five adults

    were satisfied. The rights of the four children - to be known and raised by their

    biological parents - were not.

    The UN gets this one exactly right. Their Convention on the Rights of the

    Child (1989), Article 7, states, The child shall be registered immediately after

    birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality

    and as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.Id.

    1. The right to something that you cannot produce yourself is no right at all. As

    soon as a homosexual couple can produce a child without any assistance from

    others, than they absolutely have a right to have a child and the right to marry.

    It is not just about a child's rights, though that should be enough for any

    court, political initiative or piece of legislation. It is also a question of the child

    thriving. Beyond the superficial stereotypes, gender is a real phenomenon. There

    are unique, complementary, and demonstrable differences between men and

    women in parenthood. As children age, they benefit from daily interactions with

    their father and mother. Even during infancy, studies have shown that children

    respond differently to male and female faces and voices.

    For those who feel that there is no significant difference between men and

    women in a childs life, I hope that they would take that philosophy into every

    other area of human interaction. They should not object to an all-male Supreme

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 18 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 18 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    19/34

    12

    Court because women, after all, do not offer a unique perspective. We should not

    care if a low-income school district has all female teachers because strong male

    role models are unnecessary. And, if all of that is true, I expect to see our

    President surrounded by an all-female secret security entourage.

    The reality is that to say gender makes no meaningful difference in any

    scenario is silly. I am shocked when someone makes the case that genderless

    marriage will not affect the most vital societal import of all - child development.

    Children are most likely to thrive when they are raised by their mother and father.

    And if those parents are incapable of providing proper care of the child? The most

    appropriate approximation of the family unit is their right; a male and female

    union.

    We have all the social evidence needed to authenticate the truth that children

    need both sexes represented in their parentage. When a child is raised outside of

    an intact family, specifically without the involvement of their father, we see that

    the likelihood that they will be incarcerated skyrockets, they perform poorly in

    school, live in poverty, fall victim to trafficking, are sexually active at an early age

    and experience both poor physical and mental health. Fathers and mothers are

    staples in the diet of emotional food that children require. Without one or the other,

    they are emotionally malnourished.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 19 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 19 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    20/34

    13

    RESPONSES TO COMMON OBJECTIONS

    I.

    I am not saying that same-sex attraction makes you a bad parent. My

    mother was an exceptional parent. She modeled self-sacrifice, healthy

    communication, and was continually nurturing and involved. I never

    went through a phase where I was ashamed of her or her partner. Not

    even that morning when I was cornered by a crowd of girls who were

    taunting me for having two moms. I am grateful that both my

    mother and her partner are involved in my childrens lives.

    Conversely, being heterosexual does not a good parent make.

    Parenting is a skill that gay or straight can learn.

    II.

    I am not saying that those in same-sex relationships are incapable of

    commitment or fidelity. My mother and her partner could hold a clinic

    on both of those. Fidelity and commitment are daily choices that

    homosexual and heterosexual couples must make.

    III.

    Some object, But marriage has never been about children, because

    many heterosexual marriages dont produce children. If that is the

    case, then why have some gay marriage advocates sought, bought,

    and/or trumpeted the studies which are aimed at proving that

    children do not suffer any ill effects by being systematically separated

    from a natural parent? Why then are many gay marriage supporters so

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 20 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 20 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    21/34

    14

    quick to point out that gay couples are, in fact, raising children

    together, apparently as a means of demonstrating the suitability of

    same-sex relationships for the institution of marriage and driving

    home the moral necessity of legally recognizing their relationships? If

    marriage isnt about children, who cares?

    If they are right, that mothers and fathers are interchangeable and one

    or the other is unnecessary, then perhaps Hollywood should make

    anotherParent Trap. In the iconic 1961 film (directed by David

    Smith; Walt Disney Productions),see id., twin sisters Sharon and

    Susan meet a summer camp and realize that they were separated

    shortly after they were born. In the wake of their parentsdivorce,

    Sharon went to live with her mother in Boston and Susan went to live

    with her father in California. Both girls, each longing to meet the

    parent they never knew, devise an elaborate scheme to switch places

    and ultimately reunite their parents so that they are separated no

    longer. There was a remake of The Parent Trapin 1998 (directed by

    Nancy Meyers; Walt Disney Pictures). While changing minor details,

    see id., they maintained the heart-pulling storyline of children longing

    to be reunited with their lost parent which so strongly connected with

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 21 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 21 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    22/34

    15

    1960s audiences. My children, when watching the more recent

    movie, were tearful when the girls parents got remarried. My

    daughter turned to me and remarked how happy she was that Sharon

    could be with her daddy now.

    If we were to remake that universally-appealing plot according to the

    ideas and assertions put forward by some in the gay-marriage lobby,

    we would tell Sharon to stay in Boston because her longing to be

    known by her father is invalid. She is actually very happy only

    knowing her mother. She is wrong to want a relationship with her

    father. We tell Susan that she doesnt need her mom either. She is

    perfectly happy with only her father regardless of what her heart tells

    her. We tell them both that their feelings are illogical and unfounded.

    For that matter, we should tell every child who has an absent parent

    through death, divorce, abandonment or third-party reproduction that

    their sense of loss is illogical. Have you met any of those kids? Are

    they unaffected by the loss of their parent? Truth is, you will not find

    a child in those gay-marriage affirming studies that have come to

    their same-sex parents through any means other than death, divorce,

    abandonment, or third-party reproduction. And yet the studies

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 22 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 22 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    23/34

    16

    show no ill effects? These are quite obviously mutually exclusive

    outcomes.

    IV. But what about the childless heterosexual couple? Does it follow then

    that they cannot be married? Again, we need to take our cues from the

    self-evident. Not every heterosexual union can or will produce a

    child. But every child has a mother and father. If marriage is a child-

    centric institution, then we do right by children when public policy

    reflects this biological reality. Children are made by a man and a

    woman. In the optimal scenario, they are also raised by them. As a

    society, we should make policy to reflect that reality. The ideal.

    V. Some argue that two loving and caring men make a better home than a

    drug-addicted single mom. What fool would disagree with that? I

    actually traveled internationally with two women who were willing to

    adopt a girl with special needs. Those two dear women were game to

    take on a child that no heterosexual couple in her home country, or

    ours really, would adopt. Clearly, that child will have a far better life

    with my friends than in an under-staffed, under-funded foreign

    institution.

    But lets be clear, in the above scenarios we are talking about degrees

    of brokenness. For the child, there is no such thing as an intact

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 23 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 23 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    24/34

    17

    home when they are in a same-sex headed household. To join that

    household they must lose one or both natural parents. Just because in

    a few cases a child who has found themselves in a horrific situation

    would be better off with two parents of the same gender does not

    necessitate writing out of civil code the right to a relationship with

    ones natural parents. Just like the children I know who are being

    raised by their aunt and uncle because their parents neglected them.

    Or the grandparents who are raising their grandson because his mother

    is an addict. Or the child who is being raised by her single mother

    because her father broke both of her mothers legs and now the two

    are constantly moving to stay away from him. Brokenness finds

    children and the people in their lives do their best to pick up the

    pieces. However, we do not institutionalize, incentivize or promote

    the grandparent-headed household, the aunt-and-uncle-headed

    household or the single-parent headed household. Why? Because

    public policy should not encourage or endorse the breaking of the

    parent/child relationship because a couple, or throuple(three

    persons) wants to have a family. Children are entitled to parents. Not

    the other way around.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 24 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 24 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    25/34

    18

    VI.

    But what about the hardship that many LGBTQ people have

    suffered? I understand and lament the personal and emotional

    challenges that many same-sex attracted people have faced in their

    lives. I grieve over the decades that some have spent closeted or

    feeling as though they could not be honest about their inner turmoil or

    attraction. The way to right those wrongs is throw open our hearts and

    homes to our gay family and friends. It is to hire people based on

    their experience, qualifications and education and not their sexual

    orientation/attractions. It is to include them in our activities, parties,

    and Thanksgiving dinners. It is to give them the freedom to establish

    relationships and communities of their choosing. But the remedy does

    not lie in eliminating the rights of children.

    VII.

    Other threats to child rights: I am not so nave as to say that gay

    marriage is the biggest or only threat to children having access to their

    mother and father. Pre-marital sex, cohabitation and divorce are

    statistically a greater risk to children. But please note that there are no

    wide-spread efforts to institutionalize, glamorize and legally

    incentivize those family arrangements. Frankly, if there were? I

    would oppose them too.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 25 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 25 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    26/34

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    27/34

    20

    Should you choose to redefine marriage and promote a family structure that

    necessitates the permanent loss of the rights of children, what counter-balancing

    measures will you take? How many laws will you have to write to ensure that

    children will not be systematically separated from the natural order of parenthood

    in order to satisfy the desires of adults? Will you outlaw third-party reproduction?

    Will you compel adoption agencies to consider gender as one qualification for

    adoptive couples? Will you state that despite the newly redefined institution of

    marriage, that children should not be separated from their natural parents except in

    extreme cases of abuse or neglect?

    Or will you possibly recognize that you cannot have it both ways? Truth is,

    you cannot redefine marriage AND recognize that fathers and mothers are both

    critical to a childsrights and childrensflourishing. What you will find yourself

    doing is political double-speak as President Obama did in a speech last February.

    Our President, who intimately understands the pain of fatherlessness, first said that

    theres no more important ingredient for success than strong, stable families,

    which means we should do more to promote marriage and encourage fatherhood.

    USA Today,Obama speaks on importance of fatherhood, The Oval blog, Feb.

    17th, 2013, 9:50 a.m.5But because he has now evolved on the subject of gay

    5 http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/02/17/obama-chicago-fatherhood-economy-gun-control/1925727/.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 27 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 27 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    28/34

    21

    marriage, he had to add that loving, supportive parents can include gay and

    straight parents. So how do you promote marriage and encourage fatherhood

    when some marriages exclude fathers? You cant. You can either believe that

    fathers and mothers are valuable and children have a right to both, or, you can

    redefine marriage to promote a family structure where a father or mother will never

    be present. Period. When gay couples have equal access to the institution of

    marriage it means that children will not have equal access to parents influencing

    and raising them the way nature intended.

    You must either side with adult desires or side with childrens rights. You

    cannot do both.

    The choice is yours. Thank you.

    CONCLUSION

    I respectfully ask the Court to reverse the judgment of the court below; and

    humbly thank the Court for its time and consideration.

    August 4, 2014 Respectfully submitted,

    s/David BoyleP.O. Box 15143

    Long Beach, CA 90815(734) 904-6132

    [email protected] for Amicus Curiae Katy Faust

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 28 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 28 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    29/34

    22

    CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

    The undersigned certifies that he electronically filed the foregoing with the

    Clerk of the Court for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by

    using the appellate CM/ECF system on August 4, 2014.

    He also certifies that all parties or their counsel of record will be served through

    the CM/ECF system if they are registered CM/ECF users:

    Jonathan F. MitchellKyle D. HighfulBeth Klusmann

    Michael P. MurphyOFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

    P.O. Box 12548 (MC 059)Austin, Texas 78711-2548

    (512) 936-1700

    Barry Alan Chasnoff

    Daniel McNeel Lane, Jr.Matthew Edwin Pepping

    AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER & FELD, LLP

    300 Convent Street, Suite 1600

    NationsBank PlazaSan Antonio, TX 78205

    Jessica M. Weisel

    AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER & FELD, LLP2029 Century Park, E., Suite 2400

    Los Angeles, CA 90067-0000

    Michael P. CooleyAndrew Forest Newman

    AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER & FELD, LLP

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 29 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 29 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    30/34

    23

    1700 Pacific Avenue, Suite 4100

    Dallas, TX 75204

    August 4, 2014 Respectfully submitted,

    s/David BoyleP.O. Box 15143

    Long Beach, CA 90815(734) 904-6132

    [email protected] for Amicus Curiae Katy Faust

    CERTIFICATE OF ELECTRONIC COMPLIANCE

    The undersigned also certifies that on August 4, 2014, this brief was transmitted

    to Mr. Lyle W. Cayce, Clerk of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth

    Circuit, via the courts CM/ECF document filing system,https://ecf.ca5.uscourts.

    gov/.

    The undersigned further certifies that: (1) required privacy redactions have been

    made, 5th Cir. R. 25.2.13, if any in fact were needed; (2) the electronic submission

    is an exact copy of the paper document, 5th Cir. R. 25.2.1; and (3) the document

    has been scanned with the most recent version of McAfee Anti-Virus and Anti-

    Spyware 16.8 and as per that program is free of viruses.

    s/David Boyle

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 30 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 30 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    31/34

    24

    FORM 6. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 32(a)

    Certificate of Compliance with Type-Volume Limitation,

    Typeface Requirements, and Type Style Requirements

    1. This brief complies with the type-volume limitation of FED. R. APP. P.

    32(a)(7)(B) because:

    X this brief contains 4846 words, excluding the parts of the brief exempted by

    FED. R. APP. P. 32(a)(7)(B)(iii), or

    this brief uses a monospaced typeface and contains [state the number of] lines

    of text, excluding the parts of the brief exempted by FED. R. APP. P.

    32(a)(7)(B)(iii).

    2. This brief complies with the typeface requirements of FED. R. APP. P. 32(a)(5)

    and the type style requirements of FED. R. APP. P. 32(a)(6) because:

    X this brief has been prepared in a proportionally spaced typeface using 2010

    Microsoft Word in 14-point Times New Roman font, or

    this brief has been prepared in a monospaced typeface using [state name and

    version of word processing program] with [state number of characters per inch and

    name of type style].

    s/David Boyle

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 31 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 31 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    32/34

    25

    Attorney for Amicus Curiae Katy Faust

    Dated: August 4, 2014

    Thank you for your time.

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512728659 Page: 32 Date Filed: 08/11/2014 Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768187 Page: 32 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    33/34

    Uni ted States Cour t of AppealsFIFTH CIRCUIT

    OFFICE OF THE CLERK

    LYLE W. CAYCE

    CLERK

    TEL. 504-310-7700

    600 S. MAESTRI PLACE

    NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130

    September 15, 2014

    Mr. David Christopher BoyleP.O. Box 15143Long Beach, CA 90815

    No. 14-50196 Cleopatra DeLeon, et al v. Rick Perry, et alUSDC No. 5:13-CV-982

    Dear Mr. Boyle,

    You must submit the seven (7) paper copies of your brief requiredby 5THCIR. R. 31.1 within five (5) days of the date of this noticepursuant to 5th Cir. ECF Filing Standard E.1.

    Failure to timely provide the appropriate number of copies mayresult in the dismissal of your appeal pursuant to 5THCIR. R. 42.3.

    **You must electronically file a "Form for Appearance of Counsel"within 14 days from this date. You must name each party yourepresent, see FED R. APP.P. 12(b) and 5THCIR. R. 12 & 46.3. The

    form is available from the Fifth Circuit's website,www.ca5.uscourts.gov. If you fail to electronically file the form,the brief will be stricken and returned unfiled.

    Sincerely,

    LYLE W. CAYCE, Clerk

    By: _________________________Renee S. McDonough, Deputy Clerk504-310-7673

    cc:Mr. Ralph Joseph Aucoin Sr.Mr. Richard Arthur BordelonMr. Barry Alan ChasnoffMr. Michael P. CooleyMs. Deborah Jane DewartMr. Stuart Kyle DuncanMr. William C. DuncanMr. Thomas Molnar Fisher

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768196 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/15/2014

  • 8/11/2019 Katy Faust Amicus Briefs

    34/34

    Mr. Steven W. FitschenMr. Steven James GriffinMr. Robert Smead HoganMr. Lawrence John JosephMr. Jon Roy KerMs. Beth Ellen KlusmannMr. Daniel McNeel Lane Jr.

    Ms. Mary Elizabeth McAlisterMr. Jonathan F. MitchellMr. Michael P. MurphyMr. Andrew Forest NewmanMr. David Robert NimocksMr. Leif A. OlsonMr. Matthew Edwin PeppingMr. Eric C. RassbachMr. David RobinsonMr. Dean John SauerMr. Michael Francis SmithMr. Kevin Trent SniderMs. Anita Leigh StaverMr. Mathew D. Staver

    Dr. David Robert UphamMs. Jessica M. WeiselMr. Robert Paul WilsonMr. Russell Henry WithersMs. Cecilia M. Wood

    Case: 14-50196 Document: 00512768196 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/15/2014