Group Says Vermont Conviction Boosts Gay Parents' Rights

A lawyer for a group that promotes the rights of gays and lesbians says a pastor's conviction in Vermont reinforces the rights of same-sex parents.

Kenneth Miller, a Virginia pastor, was convicted Tuesday for helping a woman flee the country with her daughter in 2009 so she wouldn't have to share custody with her ex-partner, who lives in Vermont.

Gregory Nevins of Lambda Legal says an acquittal could have been a "green light" for people fighting same-sex custody battles to move to states that would support their positions.

But Mathew Staver of the Liberty Counsel, which represented Lisa Miller until her disappearance, says he thinks the case was too narrowly focused to have broader implications.

Lisa Miller and her daughter were last known to be in Nicaragua.

The Millers aren't related.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.