Why it matters: Houston judge says husband can't be with kids

This one's a doozy.

A Houston judge entered an order on June 24 which prohibits a father from leaving his children alone with any man they aren’t related to “by blood or adoption.” Because there was no allegation of abuse in the case, family law practitioners say the order is an unheard of infringement on the rights of parents and a judicial condemnation of the fact that the man, William Flowers, is not only gay but married to his partner, Jim Evans.

.... So if, for example, William wants to visit his mother in the hospital (where she’s been for several weeks), he can’t leave his kids at home with his husband. As written, the injunction also prohibits male doctors, teachers and pastors from being alone with the children.

Attorneys who practice family law in Texas point out that in cases of abuse, it is common for courts to prevent children from being alone with specific people. But those same lawyers say that they’ve never heard of a case in which a step-parent or long-term partner is permanently enjoined from being alone with his or her step-children when abuse is not even alleged, let alone proven. No lawyer consulted for this story has ever heard of an order which prohibits children from being left alone with an entire gender.

That's Texas, home of your would-be next president.

Seriously, this is so wrong on so many levels. Apparently, the judge has no problem with William, but assumes that any man around the kids must be a pedophile? Of course he wouldn't treat William's WIFE that way, if William were straight. Can you imagine him saying, "you can't leave your kids alone with any woman"?

I'm just so tired of this crap from the bigots, the haters, and the ignorant.