Did Homophobia Kill This Child?

Monday's Los Angeles Times features a front page story about the tragic details behind the violent death of 2-year old Sarah Chavez. The article includes all sorts of intimate details for the committed reader of the lengthy piece but fails to acknowledge a possible contributor to the death of the toddler: institutionalized homophobia. The reporter, while matter-of-factly naming the "foster couple" who cared for Sarah Chavez as Diana Hardy-Garcia and Corri Planck never exolicitly mentions that they are a lesbian couple. In fact, these two women are not "just your average lesbian couple." Both women are relatively well-known lesbian activists. Planck is the Deputy Director of the Family Pride Coalition, and Diana Hardy-Garcia was for years the most prominent spokesperson for gay rights in Texas as Executive Director of what became Equality Texas.

The article details the story of how the lesbian couple became foster parents to the little girl, and also how distressed they were when the County Department of Child and Family Services suddenly removed the children from their care and placed her back with her great aunt and uncle. Three days after Sarah's death on October 11, 2005, these two "family members," Frances Abundis and Armando Abundis, Sr. were charged in her murder. The coroner's report said that Sarah died from blunt force trauma to her stomach that completely severed her small intestine. Most media reports are revolving around the negligence on the part of DCFS, but I am curious as to the source of this negligence and whether it was not compounded by homophobia. Why rush to take the child from a loving home to give her to two "relatives" she barely knew?

Intrepid Lesbian Reporter Karen Ocamb is also following the Sarah Chavez case.