April Divilbiss and Family
Greetings,
My name is April Divilbiss and I live in Memphis, Tennessee. I am currently, since March 1997, in a Polyfidelitous Vee with two men. We usually refer to ourselves as being in a closed group marriage. We have a 3-year old daughter that was fathered by a previous fiancée of mine. I was never married to her father, and he left town with no forwarding address a week after I informed him of the pregnancy. Therefore, my legally wed husband and the man I have taken to be my second husband (not legally of course) have been the sole father-figures in my daughter's life, and they refer to her as their daughter. On November 21, 1998, MTV aired a documentary concerning Polyamorous lifestyles and we were one of the featured families.
On November 21, 1998 I received an emergency protective custody order from the state of Tennessee telling me that my daughter was now in the care and custody of her paternal grandmother and step-grandfather due to a petition they filed after seeing this documentary. My daughter had been spending the night with them at their request, as they frequently have her over on the weekends. The only charge brought against us is immorality due to our lifestyle. There are no allegations of any form of abuse in this case, only moral degradation.
We need help. We need to find legal representation that will believe in our case and help fight it. Our daughter understands one thing: Mommy loves Daddy Shane and Chris, and Daddy Shane and Chris loves mommy, and most importantly we all love her. We have a legal defense fund set up for us by Loving More Magazine, and it will go towards any lawyer who will defend us. Is there any way you can help?
--Thank You,
April Divilbiss
