Sharon lived with her mother, Kay Bottoms, for the first few months after Tyler was born in Henrico County.

[3] Sharon Bottoms initially struggled with the responsibilities of raising an infant, so Tyler spent much of his early life with his grandmother.

"[3] At the circuit court appeal hearing in April 1993, Sharon Bottoms admitted that she had hit Tyler twice, cursed in front of him, and had lived on welfare for a year.

Court-appointed psychologists did not find that Tyler had suffered ill effects from being in the care of his mother and her partner.

"[2] The Court of Appeals of Virginia reversed the ruling the next year, granting Sharon Bottoms custody of her son, saying "The fact that a mother is a lesbian and has engaged in illegal sexual acts does not alone justify taking custody of a child from her and awarding the child to a non-parent.