Thursday, April 4, 2002

A story released today by the Virginia-Pilot reports that the Virginia Department of Social Services has ruled that Darlene Davis may continue to provide child care in the home she shares with a live-in male companion.

Since last May, Ms. Davis had been operating a day care center at her home on a provisional license while the department decided if living with a man to whom she is not married violated Virginia's 125-year-old law against cohabitation.

Davis, 62 and her companion, Cary Cohen, have lived together for 17 years. They had decided not to marry so that Davis, who is a widow, could retain her military health benefits. In past years, Davis had listed Cohen, 63, as a boarder on her day care license application. Last year, she described him as a roommate.

"It was stressful and absolutely ridiculous. I did nothing wrong,'' said Davis. "After 30 years in the business and having a clean, spotless record, I didn't feel like I was being treated justly."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the American Association for Single People wherein Davis is a member came to her defense in June. ACLU threatened to sue the department for infringing on Davis' constitutional rights if her license was not restored by March 18 while AASP on their part intervened by submitting a legal brief to the Department of Social Services

Davis said a social service official contacted her by phone March 11 to inform her that her license was valid. No explanation for the decision was given. Davis received the license by mail three days later.