American Notes CALIFORNIA

From the age of four, Brian Batey, now 16, has been caught in a bitter custody battle between his Christian Fundamentalist mother and his homosexual father. Rather than comply with a 1982 court order awarding Brian to her former husband, Betty Lou Batey disappeared with the boy for 19 months before surrendering to authorities in 1984. Brian returned to live with his father Frank and Frank's longtime lover, Craig Corbett, in Palm Springs. But when Frank Batey died of AIDS in June, his mother once again tried to get him back.

Last week the tug-of-war came to an end. San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith McConnell bowed to Brian's wishes and left him in the "stable and wholesome environment" provided by Corbett. Betty Lou Batey stormed out in the middle of the hearing, but will not challenge the decision. Said she: "All I can say is that I believe in the ultimate judge, God."