Optimism for reception of lesbian family rights

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in favor of a non-biological lesbian mother, granting her custody over the children she helped raise. The court found that the it was in the best interest of the children to stay in the custody of the non-biological mother, citing her ability to provide more stabilty for the children. This was a break from the traditions of the court which has historically ruled in favor of the biological parents in custody cases.

Reaction from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community emphasized the importance of providing healthy homes for children and family rights, finding that aspect of the case to be more essential than LGBT equality.

A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article quoted LGBT leader Lee Carpenter:

"These things are frequently framed as gay rights issues, in terms of the parents' rights. That's partly true. But the part of the story that's missing is it's very important for kids," said Leonore F. Carpenter, legal director for Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, which represented Ms. Jones, along with attorney Maureen Gatto, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

"A child in a homosexual household deserves the same rights as a child in a heterosexual household," she said. But she emphasized that "This isn't just about gay families. Any [third party] who has been acting as a parent can apply this."
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I was pleased to find on a LiveJournal account by Booju_Newju a posting that presented the Post-Gazette article with a question: Should biology play a part in custody?

Comments invariably said that the interest and safety of the child must come first in custody cases, even from those who stuggled with the idea of a same-sex couple raising children.