[Research Notes: Tina Kaufman Testimony] Page: 1 of 16
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Tina Kaufman, my call to her home, 7:30 p.m., 2/3/98.
We got together in 1982 and were together for a total of 13 years. I guess in 1990 or thereabouts we had decided
to have kids. Previous to that Sh. wanted them and I didn't feel we were in a good position for that. We agreed to
table the discussion for kids until she reached the age of 35.
Right about then I also started wanting kids and we'd bought a house and were pretty settled.
SF when first got togehter. Holy Union in MCC 1984. Couple 2 years. Cohabiting for the 2 years before HU.
Dated but pretty much lived together first 10 months then she moved in with me.
We had our own accounts but had an account togehter. Her name on all my accounts, my name on all her
accounts, joint accounts. Retirement accounts in both of our names and everything was jointly held. When paid,
all money in one account and then took money out from there for ourselves. Joint savings accounts.
We both paid on each others' cars out of the one account but not names on each others cars. Shila had terrible
credit so we didn't do that because of her credit.
I stayed there until Sept 87. I had gotten my PHD in SF, came to Dallas to do postdoctoral feelowship. PHD in
physiology. Physician assistant. Adjunct clinilca faculty for PA program at UT Southwesxtern. Sh. is a
schoolteacher for DISD, during day switches grades year to year but elemen. school, then teaches at night classes
for Eastfield college. Masters in child education.
We k/o went back and forth as we could afford to. She moved here in June 1988. As son as her school contract
ended she moved here. I had already moved all of her stuff out and she was staying with a friend.
Was our intention for her to join me here. She had to finish up masters and finish out contract, then plan was for
her to join me.
I just didn't feel like, I was still in grad school when she started talking about it. We weren't settled, didn't seem
like a good tim.e I was young, still in 20s, she was 3 yeras older. We agreed to table it until in 30s. I guess once I
hit age of 30 I started thinking about having kids.
Sh and I both took nephews in when young, they spent summers with us and we practially raised them for part of
the time.
My family, I have a much larger family, looked at Sh as their family member.
Actually she didnt' talk about it when first got together. After 2-3 years started talking about it. I was 25 or 26 and
still in grad school.
Then moved out here and it still seemed we weren't settled. Renting, not macking much money. After we ended
up buying a house that we really started seriously thinkihng about having children.
Bought jointly in 90, where she's living now.
We had agreed to go ... we had talked about how to have a child. Being g/l it's not by accident. You have to put
serious talk into it. Talked Al, adoption. Didn't like Al at first bec. didn't want anonymous donor as a father. We
wanted to be able to tell the kids who their father was. So we thought adoption was better course. So we applied
to state Adoption Servies to adopt.
Can only have one legal adopted parent. Decided sh. was better, she had summers off, Xmas off, we figured she
was a better choice on paper. Once got into process, DHS asked, are you a gay couple? Sh said yes. Styopped
interview, said we need Tina here. So they then conduct3ed it as if we were married.
Right. Their questions were directed to us as if we were a married couple. How finances? How argue? How
manage joint decisions of child? All questions directed to us =as if we were a married couple.
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[Research Notes: Tina Kaufman Testimony], text, February 3, 1998; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc824944/m1/1/?rotate=180: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.