Sharon Kowalski

aidanjm

Lifer
Aug 9, 2004
12,411
2
0
In the Shiavo case, the courts are deferring to the wishes of the spouse. I see that as a desirable thing. I wanted to point out that gay and lesbian couples don't have a similar level of legal protection because they don't have access to marriage. This makes them vulnerable to the depraved intentions of their homophobic, Christian relatives. Example: Sharon Kowalksi was a lesbian who was left quadiplegic and comatose in a car accident in 1983. At the time of the accident, she had been 4 years in a relationship with Karen Thompson. Kowalski's parents refused to accept their daughter was a lesbian. They took legal guardianship of Sharon after the accident, whisking her 200 miles away from her partner (Thompson), and refusing Thompson any further access to Sharon. Even tho Kowalski eventually began to type out messages on a keyboard saying she wished to live with Thompson, the homophobic parents (and the court) considered her incompetent to decide her own future. She was trapped in the care of her antigay parents for almost a decade. I cannot imagine a more horrendous scenario.


Why Can't Sharon Kowalski Come Home?

Kowalski, Sharon (b. 1956) and Karen Thompson (b. 1947)

Kowalski and Thompson first met in 1976... In 1983, they had been together for four years and had had a commitment ceremony, when, on November 3, a drunk driver hit the car in which Kowalski was driving with her niece. Her niece was killed, and Kowalski was left first comatose, then severely disabled from a head injury.

When Thompson told Kowalski's family, who lived in a very conservative part of northern Minnesota, that she and Sharon had been lovers, they reacted harshly and resolutely. In July 1985, Donald Kowalski, Sharon's father, acquired legal guardianship of his 27-year- old daughter without even a court hearing, then moved her to a nursing home almost 200 miles from her home with Thompson. He then left orders forbidding Thompson to see her lover, even though she had been working successfully to help Sharon regain some of her lost abilities.

Though Kowalski continually typed out messages (the only way she could communicate after the accident) saying she wished to live with Thompson, her parents and the court considered her incompetent to decide her own future.

Determined that her lover would not be left alone and poorly cared for in an institution, Thompson began a lengthy battle to bring Kowalski home. Her case cost over $300,000 in legal fees, which she raised by speaking around the country at gay pride rallies and other events, not only to tell her own story, but also to raise awareness about the need for legal protection for gay and lesbian relationships.

Not only gay men and lesbians, but also disabled rights advocates as well, rose up in support of Thompson and Kowalski, rallying to slogans like "Free Sharon Kowalski" and "Bring Sharon Home." Along with offering moral support and financial contributions, many also took Thompson's advice to draw up durable powers of attorney for health care and living wills, to protect them should the time come when they were unable to speak for themselves.

Thompson's perseverance paid off. In September, 1988, Kowalski was finally tested for competency, and the court found that she was capable of understanding and communicating her wishes.

In February, 1989, Karen Thompson was finally able to visit her lover for two weekends every month. Thompson continued to fight for guardianship of Kowalski, even though the courts tried to award guardianship to a supposed "neutral third party" with close ties to Sharon's parents. In 1991, Kowalski and Thompson finally won their case when the court allowed Thompson to bring Kowalski home.

Although she sustained permanent disabilities in the accident, Kowalski improved dramatically once she was allowed to return to her home and chosen family.

Thompson and Kowalski have both continued to speak out for gay rights and the rights of disabled people.

The two lesbians' experiences have been the subject of a film, Lifetime Commitment: A Portrait of Karen Thompson by Kiki Zeldes (1994). Rosemary McLaughlin's play Standing in the Shadows (2001) is loosely based on the Thompson/Kowalski story.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: aidanjm
In the Shiavo case, the courts are deferring to the wishes of the spouse. I see that as a desirable thing.

I wanted to point out that gay and lesbian couples don't have a similar level of legal protection because they don't have access to marriage.

This makes them vulnerable to the depraved intentions of their homophobic, Christian relatives.

Even tho Kowalski eventually began to type out messages on a keyboard saying she wished to live with Thompson, the homophobic parents (and the court) considered her incompetent to decide her own future. She was trapped in the care of her antigay parents for almost a decade.

I cannot imagine a more horrendous scenario.

The "scenario" has gotten worse by the frequency and depravity escalating proportionately to the amount of power gains the Christians have been gaining and being allowed to gain by the meekness of the American Sheeple.

Of course this is further exaberated by the influx of pre-brainwashed instant southern citizens crossing the border from Mexico.

All of this is leading towards a faster breaking point of those that do not appreciate the discrimination that comes along with a Christian Theocracy run Government.

Unfortunately I don't see the minority of those that believe in the true Patriotism of the original founding Fathers of the U.S. winning this War.

History will simply just show there was once a glimmer of a remarkably free Society that couldn't hold up against the usual Religious and Power mongering human frailties causing yet another Historical repititious cycle of hate and darkness.
 

aidanjm

Lifer
Aug 9, 2004
12,411
2
0
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
History will simply just show there was once a glimmer of a remarkably free Society that couldn't hold up against the usual Religious and Power mongering human frailties causing yet another Historical repititious cycle of hate and darkness.

you never know, maybe there will be a huge change in 4 years time. :)