A Florida judge has ruled that a gay man who fathered a child via artificial insemination may be listed on the girl's birth certificate along with the two lesbian women that are raising her, the Christian News Network reports. The ruling ends a two-year legal battle between the women and their friend, who they approached to help them produce a child. Maria Italiano, 43, and Cher Filippazzo, 38, turned to Massilmiliano Gerina three years ago to ask if he would consider being a sperm donor so they could have a baby. When he agreed, the three made a verbal agreement that Filippazzo would adopt the baby and the two women would raise it. However, just before the baby was born, Gerina reportedly changed his mind and stated that he did not want to merely be the donor, but he wanted to have a parental role in the child's life. The women disagreed and did not want Gerina to be listed on the birth certificate as the baby's father, but Gerina hired an attorney and began to fight for legal recognition in the courts. Last week, Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge Antonio Marin ruled that Gerina's name could be placed on the birth certificate along with Italiano and Filippazzo, making the baby the child of three parents.
