judge robert campbell of the st. louis county district court in duluth, minnesota, denied thompson's petition on april 19, 1991, and named tomberlin as sharon's guardian. he wrote that thompson "has demonstrated commitment and devotion to the welfare of sharon kowalski" and that he recognized her contributions to sharon's therapy and counseling and understanding of her "medical, material and social needs." he stated sharon kowalski's own wishes: "in the past two years, when asked where she would like to live, sharon has consistently said, 'st. cloud with karen.'" he counted against thompson's petition her disclosure of sharon's sexual orientation "to sharon's parents and the world without sharon's consent" and the fact that thompson had established "other domestic partnerships" since sharon's accident. thomas b. stoddard, executive director of the lambda legal defense fund, called the decision "a deep offense not only to all lesbians and gay men, but to all americans who choose their partners and households by their own terms and not the legal rules imposed by society." he said: "sharon chose her family. but the judge doesn't agree, so he imposed his own vision on her."