Meet the Plaintiffs: Suzanne Cummins and Holly Mitchell
Suzanne Cummins was raised in Mesa, Arizona and Holly Mitchell was born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas. Suzanne and Holly met on the job and began dating in 2007. They would like to marry but Arizona laws discriminate against same sex couples. They have a family, but they want and need to be a family with the same equal rights and protections granted by marriage that most other Arizona families seldom think about. In 2009, they completed the foster licensing process in the State of Arizona and began fostering 2 girls. In November 2010, Suzanne adopted Jessica and in July 2011, Suzanne adopted Madisyn. As foster parents, both Suzanne and Holly had full parental rights regarding the health and welfare of the children placed in their care. Today, even while sharing daily parenting duties with Suzanne, living in the same household, as a wife and mother, Holly is a legal stranger to Suzanne, Madisyn and Jessica. The State of Arizona allows same sex couples equal rights when it comes to the foster care system but denies them the same rights when they attempt to adopt children out of the foster care system. As a result of Arizona’s denial of same sex parent adoption, Suzanne and Holly decided that Suzanne would become the legal parent of record. Holly has no legal right regarding medical information, nor the ability to approve medical care for their daughters, even though Madisyn has an autoimmune disease Parents will do anything for their children and Suzanne and Holly are no exception. Holly and Suzanne were considering leaving Arizona for another state that would recognize their family and provide them the rights they need to care for their girls and each other. Instead, they chose to stay and fight, joining six other couples in the fight for marriage equality in Arizona. We’re glad they did!
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