California Family Threatened by Discriminatory Immigration Laws
Immigration Equality released this press release today about a family threatened with being split apart because of discriminatory immigration laws. We hope the press will generate U.S. government interest in staying the deportation, and understanding of the need for passage of the Uniting American Families Act to stop the destruction of our families.
.
“From the moment my sons were born we have never been apart. It’s tearing me apart to have to leave without them,” said Shirley.
.
Unlike married straight Americans, Jay cannot sponsor her life partner for immigration. The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) would remedy this discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans and allow them to sponsor their partners for immigration. The bill, introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy in the Senate and Rep. Jerrold Nadler in the House, has 107 additional cosponsors in the Senate and House.
.
Shirley and Jay are also seeking a private bill from their members of Congress for a stay of deportation, so that they can stay together in the U.S. or have time to make plans to uproot their family and move together to another country.
.
“Once again a family is on the verge of being torn apart because U.S. immigration laws discriminate against gays and lesbians,” said Immigration Equality Policy Director Julie Kruse. “We hope the U.S. government takes immediate steps to keep Shirley and Jay and their children and parents together, and that Congress passes the Uniting American Families Act so the destruction of our families ends.”
.
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA-12) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who represent Shirley and Jay in Congress, have cosponsored the Uniting American Families Act.
.
“Shirley Tan’s unacceptable situation is just one example of why Congress must pass immigration equality legislation. The Uniting American Families Act, which I co-sponsored, will allow lesbian and gay Americans to sponsor their permanent partners for residency in the United States,” said Rep. Jackie Speier. “In the near term, I am confident that any official who examines the facts in Shirley Tan’s case will come to the conclusion that this hard-working mother of two should not be sent to a country where she has no support network and was the victim of a horrific act of violence.”
.
This week, the White House issued a statement about the Uniting American Families Act, saying “[President Obama] thinks Americans with partners from other countries should not be faced with a painful choice between staying with their partner or staying in their country.”
.
So sad to hear about that story, it seems even though the individual senator or congressman can do nothing to help the bi-national couples who is staying in US. I hope it brings more public attention and push the UAFA to pass ASAP.
Comment by Caeton — March 27, 2009 @ 7:36 pm
Please congress pass the Uniting American Families Act, It’s so painful to wake up and not being able to hug my loved one… It’s so painful to see him leaving in the airport lobby… Why is it so hard to love and have compassion?… My government is torturing me by not passing a law like this…
Comment by Nathan Surrett — March 27, 2009 @ 8:22 pm
Julie never seems to stop working for us. Thank you. It’s time for action. My partner and I plan to call and make a donation to IE.
Comment by Rick — March 27, 2009 @ 9:27 pm
Just watched a PBS special on immigration tonight.
There are very strong anti-illegal immigrants demonstrations.
I seriously think that we SHOULD NOT attach UAFA with CIR. There’s a bigger chance to get UAFA pass by itself. Our case number is much much smaller than the illegal immigrants….
Comment by Shawn — March 27, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
Guyz, we need to do something, Please Print the whole article and fax it to congress, Rep, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, everywhere… We got to Do something here.
The twins lose their mother, it totally affect their life and Future.
Let’s do it together, Every Fax to congress, Senator office means a lot to them.
we have 35000 couples here, Over night, Each Congress fax machine will receive 35000 copy of their stories. Raise our VOICE NOW…………
if you wanna do help, please send me an email, i will send you a fax list of the whole house, everywhere
binationalcouplesright@gmail.com
Comment by Ken — March 27, 2009 @ 9:57 pm
I’m so sorry for Shirley and Jay. We need to fight so we can all just be together. Also, I’m not too sure if we should be added to the immigrtion reform as there are meny democratic senators/congress men and women that are against immigration reform. I feel that our situation is a basic human right. I was looking at a website on sponsoring a family member for a green card today, and it stated that a step parent, brother, sister, mother/father in law, daughter, son, step daughter, and the family pet, can be sposored for a green card, and we cannot! I feel that we need to all get together and arrange a demonstration in Washington in the very near future as our fellow gay and lesbians are only caring about gay marriage and saving money on taxes. They ae not going to help us! It is great to read the blogs on here and that me and my partner are not alone. If anyone that reads these blogs and are also in a binational relationship that are living in Arizona, let me know. I would like to know friends that are having the same problems as we are having, gay or lesbian.
Comment by Gerry D — March 27, 2009 @ 11:59 pm
Powerful story. We should concentrate on Senator Feinstein (she too is their Senator) to get her onboard with UAFA. How can she turn her back on this situation.
As for UAFA, trying to go both routes (freestanding and part of CIR) I think doubles our chances. There are anti-immigrant bigots within our own community. We need to educate them. Love and family should be uniters.
This is going to be hard, so everyone must do whatever we can.
Comment by Don George — March 28, 2009 @ 10:33 am
@Don
Are there any particular LGBT organizations that are openly anti-immigrant or are you referring to just individual anti-immigrant gay people? What is the Log Cabin Republicans, if they still exist, opinion CIR?
Comment by nola — March 28, 2009 @ 11:18 am
I read this story on change.org and again, some people were focusing on the fact that Shirley Tan is illegal. This is what people catch at first glance. They don’t like law breakers, no matter what the reasons are, even though this is an unfortunate case.
I think we should really be aware of the fact that it’s not a good idea to always put the UAFA in the same boat with illegal people, asylum, etc.
Because, and I think this is very overlooked, many of us were forced to leave the country, to live in exile, to pay horrendous Visa/ college fees to stay in the US or took upon themselves the responsibility to find a legal way.
We are aware that this is not the case for everybody, but for the majority. And this is not seen.
They should see the sacrifices that have been made, the difficulties those couples are suffering. Unfortunately, in the last couple of weeks, when we need media attention, the only attention we are getting on UAFA is on couples struggling with asylum or illegality.
They are focusing on the minority instead of the majority.
You all know how sensitive the public is to illegal/ asylum issues, so we should be more careful to portray ourselves correctly.
Comment by Lee — March 28, 2009 @ 11:36 am
Hi all,
A million gay march is in the works for 50 cities(one in each state and Amsterdam) on June 28th, 2009.
The website is http://www.milliongaymarch.org
I think if they are going to go ahead with it, we should get on board(and quickly!). I have no idea if IE or others have contacted them, since I have read nothing about it on the IE website, so I think Ken and his 70,000 letter campaign could add another recipient.
What do you all think?
Is anyone from IE in contact with the organizers? Is anyone going to speak on the issue of Uniting American Families???
I am posting this on 4.uafa.com as well, under Action Alerts.
Comment by TheHeatIsOn — March 28, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
Sorry everybody: The correct URL is:
http://www.4uafa.com
Comment by TheHeatIsOn — March 28, 2009 @ 12:12 pm
I also started a thread here:
http://milliongaymarch.wetpaint.com/thread/2621987/Uniting+American+Families+Act(UAFA)
Comment by TheHeatIsOn — March 28, 2009 @ 12:31 pm
I just want to thank you again for all your efforts and let us try our best to get media coverage and publicity for UAFA. Not sure if you are aware of this but the House has established a LGBT Equality Caucus and there are a few members who are not on the cosponsor list yet. Here’s the few names that we can contact also;
Rob Andrews (D-NJ)
http://www.house.gov/andrews/contact_offices.shtml
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
http://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/SinglePages/SinglePage.aspx?NewsID=55
Robert Brady (D-PA)
http://www.brady.house.gov/
Kathy Castor (D-FL)
http://castor.house.gov/Contact/
Charles Gonzalez (D-TX)
http://www.gonzalez.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=35
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
http://patrickkennedy.house.gov/
Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH)
http://www.kilroyforcongress.com/2008/1/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
http://lofgren.house.gov/emailform.shtml
Jim McDermott (D-WA)
http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/contact.shtml
Patrick Murphy (D-PA)
http://www.patrickmurphy.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=86
Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
http://www.house.gov/pallone/contact.shtml
Joe Sestak (D-PA)
http://www.sestak.house.gov/contact.shtml
Edolphus Towns (D-NY)
http://www.house.gov/towns/offices.shtml
They are all members of the LGBT Equality Caucus so they should definitely show their supports for the UAFA bill.
Comment by Simon M — March 28, 2009 @ 12:38 pm
As i have mentioned previously, attaching UAFA to a CIR legislation is my deepest concern at the moment. Even though we support the Hispanic community and a CIR legislation, it really doesn’t give the UAFA a higher chance of passing. In fact, I think that it will hurt us because the majority of Hispanics are really not very supportive of the LGBT community. It is mainly because most Hispanics are Catholics and heavily religious. I don’t need to say more. Just look at the Proposition 8 situation in California, the majority people who voted for Prop 8 are African-Americans and Hispanics. With that being said, I also don’t disagree with John Kerry’s statement that the bill will not likely pass as a stand alone bill. It will pass the House because Dems have the majority but it will meet with heavy resistance in the Senate. The Repub senators will undoubtedly filibuster it because the Dems don’t have 60 votes in the Senate to stop the debate. Therefore, UAFA will definitely fail if it is being voted on as a stand alone bill. (you might disagree but I have been monitoring the American politics and law-making processes for a long time and I believe that most people who are familiar with the Congress would agree with me).
In my opinion, the best way to get the bill to pass is for the Congress to attach the bill to a spending or appropriation bill especially something that is related to funding the US military or a fiscal budget. It is possible for the both the House and Senate to do so. This is how they pass the bill to repeal the HIV ban last year by attaching the bill to a bigger foreign policy bill. By doing so, it will dramatically increase the chance of UAFA being passed because the Right will not vote against funding the military troops especially during these war times or an essential budget bill. I think we should definitely inform others about this because from what I see on multiple blog sites, people aren’t aware of this at all. And I am worried because IE does not see this as a viable option. Hope to get some feedbacks on this.
Comment by Simon M — March 28, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
Just saw your reply to me on Facebook, Simon. I agree with you, IE should consider this strategy. Thoughts on this, Julie? I think you should definitely pursue this as a third route because although my partner and I will still ask for UAFA’s inclusion in the CIR when we write our letters next month, we are still not convinced that the inclusion in CIR will really improve our chances.
Comment by Tim — March 28, 2009 @ 12:55 pm
Simon, thank you for your insight, I hope that IE will respond to this, we would also like to have their opinion. You are also right about the Hispanics not supporting LGBT issues.
Even HRC said that they doubt UAFA will be included in CIR. HeatIsOn already suggested using the rider option.
It would be great to have a response on this, because a lot of people here are voicing their doubts about CIR.
Comment by Lee — March 28, 2009 @ 12:59 pm
No problem, Lee. I am just as concerned as anyone else because I am also a victim of the immigration discrimination as well. I hope to contribute as much as possible to the fight for immigration equality for the LGBT community. Like many others, my life with my spouse is really depended on the passage of this bill. One more thing, I think we can also write to Andrew Sullivan who writes for the Atlantic. He is very vocal on behalf of the LGBT community. I think he has already covered the issue relating to immigration inequality but I think it will be helpful if he could highlight it again now that we are gaining so much momentum on the bill. Here’s the link;
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/
Comment by Simon M — March 28, 2009 @ 1:19 pm
Another media professional that I strongly suggest we contact about the UAFA is Keith Olbermann. I believe we have a better chance of getting him to put some light on the issue than anyone else. I think it’s difficult for Rachel Maddow to do anything because of of the possibility of being accused of her using the media to further gay agendas as she is gay as well. And the same goes to Ellen DeGeneres. But I honestly think that Keith Olbermann will definitely give us some airtime if enough us contact him or the producer of the show and tell him our stories. Remember the special commentary he did on Prop 8. I am eternally grateful for his support and the work that he has done for the LGBT community. i think we should shift our focus from Ellen and Oprah to Here’s the links to the Prop 8 commentary and also his contact;
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/10/keith-olbermanns-prop-8-s_n_142862.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364×2166226
Comment by Simon M — March 28, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
Great idea Simon re Andrew Sullivan – will crosspost this on IE’s Facebook wall right away. Here’s what I wrote to Andrew just now:
“Dear Mr Sullivan
I am writing to you since you have been vocal about LGBT rights in the past and I feel that we desperately need to keep the momentum of the last two weeks going. I wanted to draw your attention to a bill that would change the lives of up to 45,000 gay & lesbian binational couples in the US: it is called the Uniting American Families Act and was reintroduced in February by Jerrold Nadler and Patricky Leahy in the House & Senate. It would allow US citizens to sponsor their same sex foreign partners for a green card.
Here are the links to Immigration Equality which fights hard on our behalf to get this law passed, and to the Library of Congress pages for the bill:
1) http://www.immigrationequality.org/template.php?pageid=49
2) http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1024
I’m the British half of a gay binational couple: my partner lives in the US and I would love nothing more than to join him permanently in the United States. We care deeply about each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together. It goes without saying that I want to make a good contribution to US Society. But the Defense of Marriage Act means that the federal government does not recognise same-sex partnerships and it prevents Michael from sponsoring me for a green card. As things stand, we are separated from each other for the majority of the year as I can only travel to America two weeks at a time, and I will not consider living in the US illegally no matter how desperate it gets for us.
So for us to be together, we have to hope that either I get a permanent work visa for autumn 2010 or that the UAFA gets passed. If neither comes about, it would force Michael to choose between me and his country and having to go into exile. It is time that the LGBT community receives the same equality rights with regards to immigration and same sex marriage. The Washington Post’s editorial on the 16th of March (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/15/AR2…) was a significant first step towards alerting the wider public about this discrimination of local and bionational LGBT couples but there has to be further action to achieve full equality. It is vitally important too that we ensure our situation is not misrepresented as the Right is wont to do, and that the vast majority of us are law-abiding citizens who just want to have our basic rights of wanting to live with our loved ones acknowledged on a federal level. President Obama has touted himself as a fierce advocate for LGBT rights during the election campaign, and what with the Rick Warren debacle and his remark that “DADT needed to be studied”, he has, frankly, disappointed many of us so far. The public needs to understand just how dire the situation is for many of us, be made aware of the heart-rending choices we are forced to make.
Please join us in our cause, help us draw attention to this vital issue and urge for the passing of the UAFA. Perhaps an open letter to the President would be an idea. We want UAFA to get the proper (i.e. national) and accurate media coverage it deserves, and I believe you would be a great aide in achieving this.Thanks for reading.
Yours sincerely,
Tim”
Comment by Tim — March 28, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
When Adam was running this blog two years ago, he stated several times that Immigration Equality is always looking for bills that have a good chance at passing and are willing to accept the UAFA as an add on.
Comment by nola — March 28, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
Hey, just another thought: anyone think it worthwhile to leave messages on Obama’s facebook profile?
Comment by Tim — March 28, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
@Tim. I don’t think it would hurt.
Comment by nola — March 28, 2009 @ 2:13 pm
I think Obama supports us, however, he can’t speak openly because he doesn’t want to offend the conservative religious groups and people.
Comment by Caeton — March 28, 2009 @ 3:22 pm
Obama wanted to repeal DOMA from the beginning (he also said it during his campaign) and:
‘This week, the White House issued a statement about the Uniting American Families Act, saying “[President Obama] thinks Americans with partners from other countries should not be faced with a painful choice between staying with their partner or staying in their country.’
If the bill ever reaches his desk he will sign it. If. So let’s make sure it gets there.
Comment by Lee — March 28, 2009 @ 4:24 pm
I’m a big fan of President Obama and voted for him. We need more than a statement, though. We need a commitment that he will fight for us on this. As Jim Lewis often says, this is a civil rights issue. I certainly hope that the first African American President sees it that way and will give us more than supportive statements. –Brandon, http://www.urbaneblog.com
Comment by Brandon — March 28, 2009 @ 4:37 pm
I agree that there’s no doubt about Obama signing it if the bill ever reaches his desk. He believes in equal rights for every American citizen under the protection of the US constitution. Unfortunately, that is as far as Obama can go in terms of showing support for the bill. The Republicans will definitely attack him if he openly mentions his support for the UAFA because he should be focusing on the economy and the war right now. We can write to the White House but the best they can do now is issued statement like the one mentioned above and reassure the LGBT community that we have their support. The main thing that we should focus on is how to get the bill pass the Senate. That remains the biggest obstacle at this point. With the huge majority of Dems in the house now, it will have no problem passing even if a few House Dems vote against it which i doubt it will happen but the problem is in the Senate (sorry if I’m repeating myself over and over again). With the filibuster rule in the Senate, they will need 60 votes to stop the filibuster and i believe that there’s only 57 Dems senators. And i don’t think we will get all of the Senators to vote for it because there are a few conservative Dems that will probably vote against it. The best thing to do now is to try to get as much publicity for the bill through the mainstream media and tell people our stories. My emphasis are getting media coverage for the bill and focus on contacting your respective Senators and House Reps to let them know that you want them to support/cosponsor the bill. Anything else is only secondary support.
Comment by Simon M — March 28, 2009 @ 5:25 pm
DO NOT ATTACH UAFA TO THE CIR!!
UAFA deals with very different issues.
Making the UAFA as the first gay right issue is much more promising than tacking along with the illegal immigrants issue.
I don’t understand why IE does not have the belief and confidence.
As someone noted above, many people don’t want to deal with law breakers (illegal immigrants).
I am, however, very supportive of the 1,000,000 GAY MARCH!!
Comment by Shawn — March 28, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
Just realized that 6/28 is the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
OMG, what have we achieved in the past 40 years???
NOTHING!! It’s about time. Now and forever!!
Comment by Shawn — March 28, 2009 @ 5:33 pm
‘Steve Schmidt, chief strategist for U.S. Sen. John McCainâ��s (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign, came out in favor of marriage rights for same-sex couples in an interview with the Blade last week while urging the Republican Party to be more inclusive of gays and lesbians.’
http://washblade.com/2009/3-27/news/national/14284.cfm
He supports gay marriage ( his sister is a lesbian), why not inform him about the UAFA?
Comment by Lee — March 28, 2009 @ 5:58 pm
I need to correct my last comment – there are 56 Dems in the Senate – 1 is still undecided (most probably Al Franken will win the seat) and 2 Independents – Senators Joe Lieberman from Connecticut and Bernie Sanders from Vermont and both of them caucus with the Dems. Senator Sanders has already cosponsored the bill and folks from Connecticut, please contact senator Lieberman and tell him that you want him to support this bill. Thanks. Our chances of getting the bill to pass will significantly increase if Al Franken wins the seat. We will then have 59 Dems+Independents.There are a few moderate Republicans that can be convinced to vote for the bill as well such as Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania and Olympia Snowe from Maine. Start contacting these Senators and let them know that you want them to support the bill.
Comment by Simon M — March 28, 2009 @ 6:04 pm
What about Leisha Haley???
Comment by TheHeatIsOn — March 28, 2009 @ 8:25 pm
All of us have been posting comments and putting our heads together to make lists, share ideas, etc.
Lee and I wonder if IE could help us out a little.
Wouldn’t it be more efficient if you posted these types of things? Our contact lists get lost in the comments section. And we are never sure if the information is correct.
Couldn’t you also give us more specific instructions on what to do? We had to come up with all this information on our own.
See Shawn’s last post (thank you, Shawn!)
We also wonder if there is a reason that we have almost no mainstream print or tv media coverage.
What can we do to change this?
Comment by TheHeatIsOn — March 28, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
From my personal point of view. I think the most important factor to make UAFA pass is to make more public attention. I thought UAFA failed in the past because the public didn’t know the suffers of the bi-national couples. Also the congressmen and senators have no interest to support us. Therefore I think if we can bring more public attentions. We’ll have a better chance to make it pass eventually.
Comment by Caeton — March 28, 2009 @ 10:14 pm
Guyz, I think IE should organize the March. We all should protest & march together in D.C.
It’s hard to have some in Denver, Some in S.F or L.A; the group break up couldnt make us bigger and stronger.
Comment by Ken — March 28, 2009 @ 10:18 pm
@ Simon, good post: I was thinking about numbers in the Senate as well and coming to the conclusion too that some Republicans could be swayed to sponsor the bill. Even then we would have to count on EVERY Democrat senator to be on board and I can see this happening ONLY if we make it very clear to the more conversative Dems that UAFA is not intended to introduce gay marriage but to achieve immigration equality. If we put this into terms they’re comfortable with, we may have a good chance of getting all Democrat Senators on board. Oh, and Simon: when will we know for sure if Al Franken has won the seat?
@ Lee, I agree it’d be fantastic if IE had a Contact List page for all the names we’ve put together so far. And I second the request for some feedback as to what we can do from our end to increase media coverage of UAFA and ensure it’s reported properly?
Comment by Tim — March 29, 2009 @ 4:33 am
The Obama statement is so wise as we have all experienced: ….those who adhered to “man’s” law were forced to be separated from our life-partners and those who adhered to “laws of higher truth” were forced to break “man’s” law. The mission of our current leaders in the US is to bring “laws of higher truth” in consonance with US laws. As US citizens we have a moral obligation to bring this to their doorstep in a UNITED front. Let the issues stop dividing us now that our leaders are coming into alignment with our causes. Thank you all for your enlightened and enlightening information, comments and opinions while we await a cohesive stance and guidance from IE and other organizers.
Comment by Joe — March 29, 2009 @ 6:05 am
OK. The Capital Pride Parade in DC is on June 13th, Sat. The street festival will take place on Sunday, June 14th.
I have seen Out4immigration marching in the parade before and there were very few people. I don’t think joining the main parade will be effective. We need to organize our own march.
How about a UAFA March on June 15, Monday, or June 12, Friday? Or, even on May 22, Harvey Milk’s birthday!
We can march to the White House and the Congress. Guys, can we all write to IE and ask them to organize this?
Comment by Shawn — March 29, 2009 @ 6:10 am
I think it is very clear that we need more guidance and that we all are desperate to get more media coverage and more visibility. We need the feeling that we CAN do something.
For many of us, it is very frustrating to find the rare article from time to time, without ever making headlines. I know that we are in the minority, but there are also many other minorities which get coverage and attention.
As someone has already mentioned, without the coverage, without a human face, there won’t be any pressure on Congress and no one will notice us. Even the majority in the LGBT community doesn’t know anything about UAFA. And as we have often stated, we also think that we should try not to mention illegality and asylum, even though it is affecting some of us.
Strategically, it is suicide to publicize these kinds of stories.If you read the commentaries on the articles, you will notice that even supposed liberals are making hateful comments about illegal immigrants.
We hope we don’t offend anyone, because we do sympathize with anyone in this situation.
But strategically, we should focus on how we can ’sell’ this issue to the public in a POSITIVE light, avoiding controversial issues like illegality, asylum, etc.
I also read in a commentary on IE recently that the best way to reach the heterosexual reader/viewer is to use ‘good selling’ gays and lesbians ( ‘ straight- looking’ ).
I know it might sound terrible, but we have to face reality and the prejudices of most people.
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 8:01 am
@Lee. I don’t know of any LGBT organizations that are anti immigrant. But there are lots of individual gays who are…..probably the % as in the general population. But still we need to educate our community members about our plight and needs.
Comment by Don George — March 29, 2009 @ 8:05 am
Regarding the march, Lee and I were thinking that those couples living abroad who will not be able to attend could be “replaced” by posters, pictures, etc. What we mean by this is that each couple unable to attend could be represented by a poster or placard, etc.
Comment by TheHeatIsOn — March 29, 2009 @ 8:09 am
@Don George: First, I didn’t write anything about the LGBT organizations.
Second,I’m not making this up. I and others have read these comments and I think everyone knows that the public is allergic to issues dealing with illegality/ asylum.
Even people in this blog have expressed their concerns. Don George, the reality is that people are prejudiced against:
1) LGBTs
2) illegal immigrants
Don’t tell us this isn’t true, even though we would like to believe it.
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 8:19 am
Hi everybody,
I just want to second Lee.
I think Don George was just not getting what Lee is saying.
She (and I)would love to believe in “shiny, happy people holding hands” and warm fuzzies. But it’s just not the reality.
Don’t forget Matthew Shepard. And don’t forget even our own family members and friends who won’t stand up for our rights because they are too afraid of what the neighbors think.
We have to show them that we are just like them (which is true). To do this, we must show them our family values and use their prejudices. I hate to say this, believe me. I also wished that the women on L-Word had looked more like me, but we have to face the facts. They don’t want to see fairies and bull-dykes. And they are afraid that we are going to convert their children (pure bullsh*t, of course).
Regarding illegal immigrants: The majority of people where I come from will become very vocal when CIR comes closer to passage. And, as Lee wrote and I have also written, even people on Change.org(and elsewhere) who consider themselves liberal have written pretty poisonous comments.
It’s easy to forget what “middle America” thinks when you live in a liberal, cosmopolitan city and surround yourself with like-minded individuals. We have to consider the rest of the country and their voting patterns.
Comment by TheHeatIsOn — March 29, 2009 @ 8:31 am
I think Don was replying to the wrong person. I think he meant to respond to one of my questions. My question, which was from one of his earlier posts, was whether there were any openly anti-immigrant LGBT organizations.
Comment by nola — March 29, 2009 @ 9:24 am
NewsFlash: Andrew Sullivan just said in “The Chris Matthews Show” aired about 2 hours ago that he predicts Iowa will soon approve gay marriages….stand by…stay tuned!! Now, whether this helps our goal for UAFA or not…debate on!!
Comment by Joe — March 29, 2009 @ 9:24 am
There is a documentary video on this very issue: “Through Thick and Thin”…does anyone know how or where to obtain a copy (either buy or rent).
Comment by Joe — March 29, 2009 @ 9:30 am
I live in a state where civil union is legal… it means nothing in terms of immigration. I feel left out by not only the government, but our own GLBT folks… most don’t know of our situation. I know HRC is supportive, but they almost never mention it. Both senators support UAFA, and I’m working on a republican representative that I don’t think will budge. What else can we do? How about picking a day and we all flood their fax machines with the same message?
Comment by bkbzipper — March 29, 2009 @ 9:34 am
@Joe: Regarding ‘ Through Thick and Thin’
You could try it here:
Fundraiser/Sales Inquiries, please contact:
Kim Fishman
kim@hearnoevilfilms.com
310-907-5852
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 9:55 am
@ Lee & HeatIsOn, that’s a very good idea with the posters for those LGBT couples who won’t be able to attend like Michael and myself. I’d be happy to pass something on to you or anyone else who wants to help out; I can send you something in May after the trip.
@Joe, I’m hopeful that Andrew Sullivan will also say something re UAFA. Please, folks, keep writing in if you haven’t already. Civil unions won’t mean anything for our cause: they’ll only become relevant if UAFA passes and you have to prove to the immigration officer that you are in a long-standing, committed relationship.
Comment by Tim — March 29, 2009 @ 9:59 am
Which LGBT organizations are really supporting the UAFA? We know that the NCLR ( National Center for Lesbian Rights) is supporting us…and HRC, even though they stated ( Bay Window Article) that it’s unlikely that UAFA will become part of CIR.
Where are all the LGBT organizations which are so actively fighting on the Prop 8/ marriage equality issue? Why can’t we get them to speak out for us as well?
And if this is already happening, why doesn’t IE let us know?
Btw…does anyone know if IE and Out4Immigration are cooperating?
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 10:05 am
Here is an article that summarizes rather fairly, the latest efforts:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gay-marriage-takes-center-stage-2009-03-24.html
Comment by Joe — March 29, 2009 @ 10:08 am
Just got this from Out4Immigration:
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12021911?nclick_check=1
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 11:18 am
@Tim I don’t have an exact date of when Al Franken will be declared the winner of the senate seat but i think they are just waiting for the court ruling. I’m guessing that it will be some time in April. Here’s a very detail and insightful op-ed about the senate race;
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/senate-guru/where-the-minnesota-senat_b_174911.html
@Lee&TheHeatIsOn It’s a very good idea if we could come up with all the possible contacts list so that everyone can refer to it and start contacting all the important law-makers. How about on the UAFA cause page on Facebook. I noticed that not a lot of us use that page. I know Tim is very active in posting on the page. Check it out guys.
@Caeton The main reason that UAFA failed in the past is not because we did not get the public’s attention (or sympathy), it is because the President of the US at that time was George W. Bush and a strong Republican majority in the Senate. Even if the bill passed both house and senate, Bush would veto it without a doubt.
@Don George I agree that there are no lgbt organizations that are anti-immigrant. But they certainly are anti-illegal immigrations. I do not suggest anyone to stay illegally in the US if you want any kind of future prospect to immigrate legally to the US. That’s why we have laws that we abide to and if we feel that the law is discriminative, then our job is to try to change it by our votes and participation in the law-making processes.
@Lee Some of the organizations who are supporting our cause ; Marriage Equality USA, Join The Impact, Love Exiles, API Equality, etc. We have a lot of support from different advocate groups and we will be able to get a lot more as we move along.
Comment by Simon M — March 29, 2009 @ 11:18 am
Actually, we already have some lists done by users on the
http://www.4uafa.com
forum.
What we actually meant is that IE would reach more people posting the lists and information in this blog, and they are experts.This is not to disparage the work of others, which we highly appreciate.
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 11:47 am
Folks, check out this excellent YouTube video from the Maine campaign for marriage equality: this could/should be our inspiration for UAFA related videos. Julie and everyone else from IE, perhaps that’s something that you guys could consider as well?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCzJn3PRhfk
Comment by Tim — March 29, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
Just occurred to me: re potential UAFA videos on YouTube; if most of us did one of those, would there be a way of grouping them all together so that it’s not scattered around? Could IE possibly do a YouTube page and enable couples to post videos there with, say, a headline UAFA – (insert couple’s names)? If that is not possible, then I think we should ensure each video posted has UAFA in the title so that other videos show up in the RELATED video tab. Thoughts anyone?
Comment by Tim — March 29, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
@Tim. Good point with the video titles. I think that’s how they are usually grouped together.
Comment by TheHeatIsOn — March 29, 2009 @ 1:21 pm
Check it out. This just came in on a Google Alert for immigration.
http://www.care2.com/causes/civil-rights/blog/supporting-the-uniting-american-families-act-protect-bi-national-gay-families/
Comment by nola — March 29, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
Thanks Nola for the link. I left Steve a comment to say thank you for posting this. I also signed the petition to repeal DOMA and passed this on to five friends.
Comment by Tim — March 29, 2009 @ 3:50 pm
I just want to say that I share the frustration that most of you are feeling right now. I have been following the bill since it was first introduced in 2000 as the Permanent Partners Immigration Act. I can’t believe that it has been almost a decade since the first attempt to right a horrendous wrong in the US immigration system. I know we feel that a lot of advocate groups such as HRC do not put this issue as one of their top priorities. The reason for this is that the group of people who are affected by this inequality is relatively small (yes, 37,000 US citizen is not a small number but in a country of 306 millions people, 37,000 is just a drop in the bucket) I think the main focus of the LGBT community at the moment is to get same-sex marriage across the country, which is a step towards equality. I am thankful that we have advocate groups like Immigration Equality representing us and fighting for us in Washington DC to get this bill to pass a.s.a.p. For all of you who think that marching and protesting is the way to get this bill to pass, I have to disagree with you. We have to look at the bigger picture and understand how things work in the legislative system. A very good example that we can learn from is the Proposition 8 ordeal in California. The LGBT organizations and advocate groups had organized marches and protests in different parts of the state after the proposition passed last November. Still, judging by the predictions of law experts, Proposition 8 will stand and same-sex marriages will once again be banned in the state. In fact, the marches and protests have wiled the strong oppositions by the religious groups and counter-protests. It brought them together and through their blatant, horrible lies, they have won. We DO NOT want to take that path. However, I am not saying that we should do nothing and let IE to fight for us. The most important thing for us to do is to do our part to contact our respective Representatives and Senators and let them know that this bill is very important to us and let them know our stories because at the end of the day, they are the ones who have the power to make UAFA a reality. No one else matters. We can also inform our friends and family members about the bill and perhaps ask them to call the Congress to show their support. That is the best thing that we can do right now.
What I am trying to say is for us to be realistic and analyze the situation as a whole. It’s useless to be loud because it doesn’t do us any good. It might be counter-productive and backfire. All I can say is to be patient, and I know that’s a lot to ask of families who are being torn apart by this. Just keep in mind that now we have majority Dems in the House – a very good sign. We have Nancy Pelosi as the speaker of the House and Senator Harry Reid as the Majority leader in the senate. Both of them have been in the Congress for a very long time and they know how to get a bill to pass regardless of the resistance from the republicans. We have President Obama, a very strong assurance. The only thing that we should all be concerned with is to get it through the senate. We have almost 60 Dems in the senate but as long as we don’t have the 60 votes, the bill will not pass, at least not as a stand alone bill. Like I have suggested earlier, there are ways to get a bill like the UAFA to pass and one of the best way is the rider option. It basically means attaching the bill to a bigger, more important bill that the Republicans won’t likely to vote against it. In my opinion, that’s the best way to get the bill to pass.
One more thing to keep in mind, Senator Patrick Leahy who introduced the bill in the senate is the 7th longest serving senator in the senate at the moment. He knows how to get a bill pass in the senate more than anyone else. If he doesn’t think that the bill will pass this time, he wouldn’t have had introduced it. And the same goes to Rep. Jerrold Nadler who introduced the same bill in the House. They definitely know what they are doing and no Reps. or Senators will introduce a bill if he thinks that the bill will fail.
I think I have shed some lights on the issue and perhaps changed the minds of some of you who want to participate in marches to get the message across. We have the right elements on our side and we can’t afford to jeopardize this chance by acting on our emotions. I hope to get some feedbacks on this.
ps- one more thing that we can do is to show support in the form of monetary to IE for all the great work that they are doing in Washington DC – even $5 or $10 will do (100% tax deductible)
Comment by Simon M — March 29, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
Thank you for your comment Simon. I agree with you.
Comment by Caeton — March 29, 2009 @ 5:17 pm
@Simon:
As much as I appreciate and agree with your intelligent comments, this time I have to totally disagree with you.
To remain in the closet is wrong. To not draw attention to our issue is wrong.
The more people who are against us, the more will stand up for us. They will be there.
We need the fire.
Prop 8 passed only with a slight majority. And even the Minister of Justice in California said that this was unconstitutional and that the Gays are the new Blacks.
People are more aware of injustice now.
I don’t want to only change a law, I want to change minds.
I don’t want this civil rights issue to be negotiated in a back room.
We have to raise our voices, this is the right time. Who knows when we will have a favorable make-up in Congress like this again. Change has come.
I understand your concerns. But this is not about marriage and therefore not a religious issue and should not rile up the religious groups.
I am emotional because this is an emotional issue. And people change their mind based on emotions.
Because, and that is the point, there isn’t any rational reason to oppose it, not even a religious one.
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
There may only be 35000 couples (70000 individuals) who are effected by this discrimination, but it is estimated that there are between 50K-100K people effected by the DREAM ACT. Why does the DREAM ACT get so much publicity while the UAFA gets close to no national attention. We definitely need a new PR strategy.
Comment by nola — March 29, 2009 @ 5:40 pm
Nola, I totally agree!
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
@Lee I think it is a little naive to think that the religious and right-wing groups will just sit quiet if this issue is brought to their attention. The fact of the matter is there is no reasons and whatsoever in what these religious groups will do to go against anything LGBT-related. Republicans and the so-called conservatives do not speak our language, and by that I meant, rationality. Have you seen the comment by the Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn about the UAFA? Please go to this link and read his take on the introduction of UAFA – http://www.queerty.com/the-fight-to-let-gay-foreigners-stay-in-the-us-with-their-spouses-20090312/ . He basically insinuated that allowing gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor their partners will eventually lead to gay marriages. I know how ridiculous this may sound but if people like Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh are representing the Republican party, it is honestly no surprise. They will use the slippery slope argument to try to kill this bill. “If you allow the gays to sponsor their lovers, then sooner or later, they will want to get married and adopt children. We cannot let that happen.” I can already hear and see them doing this.
I agree with you to some extent but what I am saying is for us to use our brains and not our fists, in a sense. We need to take one step at a time. I am not asking the LGBT community to remain in the closet but once we get this bill to pass, just imagine the increase of gays and lesbians in the US and by that, we can proceed to the next step which is full equality by the larger LGBT population which will translate into power. I honestly would want nothing less of the same thing as you do, but there are thousands of same-sex couples out there who are suffering and separated, including myself(sorry but I am not sure if you are among them) and all these can be eliminated by the passage of this bill. We need to get one foot in the door first. It is risky to depend on our straight (hetero) allies to support us. (As the case of Prop 8, when a person is in the voting booth, how are we supposed to know if they voted for or against Prop 8?) The people that we can depend on is the LGBT community. I know there are a lot of straight people out there who are supportive of us but I am not going to put my happiness and my life in their hands. I think it is very selfish if one insists of risking the lives and happiness of others just because one acts on feelings and emotions.
Now,if the Minister of Justice of California overturns Proposition 8 and allow same-sex couples to marry again despite the majority’s decision, I will agree and even support your idea that what we need now is fire. Because making statements mean almost nothing to me.
Comment by Simon M — March 29, 2009 @ 6:09 pm
@Simon:
If we are supposed to be quiet and not attract the attention of the Right, why then did Rachel B. Tiven from IE go on the O’Reilly Factor?
On FOX.
Are you saying that we shouldn’t make any noise and hope that the bill passes only with the poor support we have from some friends, families and few LGBT communities that are supporting us?
Actually, that is very smart and with that, you are on the safe side. But there is no guarantee that this strategy will lead to success.
Nor will mine.
If you depend on a few phone calls then you are putting your happiness and your life in the hands of others.
Comment by Lee — March 29, 2009 @ 6:50 pm
I am already Illegal in the United States and if nothing will be done in the end of this year going back to Brazil “3rd World ” where it has immigration laws for same-sex couples… how hilariuos is it!!!! WAKE USA …. Is taking too long for something so simple right to choose, love and live…
Comment by Julian Vieira — March 29, 2009 @ 7:28 pm
Hey guys, calm down. Even though we are working on different approach, our goal is the same…get UAFA passed. I just went to facebook of Oprah Winfrey, Ellen, Anderson Cooper, Larry King, The View, Nancy Pelosi, NY Times and post the artile related to “UAFA”. Keep doing on whatever we can to solicit support.
Comment by Kim — March 29, 2009 @ 7:40 pm
I am going state by state and finding the Representatives who haven’t signed on to co-sponsor UAFA yet. Surprisingly, there are a lot of Democratic Reps in NY that have not signed on yet – 13! Once I complete the list I will post an e-mail address where anyone can write to me and I’ll send it to you. I think we should try to coordinate days where everyone contacts the same Representatives via fax and phone (the web-forms for some Reps seem to prevent you from reaching them if you do not live in their Congressional district). That might make a bigger impact than individual letters to Reps sporadically sent by all of us. We need to hammer them with this.
Comment by Tom — March 29, 2009 @ 8:39 pm
Reading all the comments on our blog, I really understand people’s mixed emotions—frustrated, hopeful, skeptical. Whatever view you may have about UAFA, please remember that for the past 8 years since our bill was first introduced in 2000, republicans controlled the House, the Senate, and the White House. But now, with Obama in the office and a democratic majority Congress, we have a real shot for the first time, even though the road to victory is still long and hard. I truly believe that it’s a great idea to target subcommittee members—it’s the first hurdle we need overcome. It would be a tremendous progress to just get the bill out of the committee for a full vote on the floor. It’s time for action.
Comment by Rick — March 29, 2009 @ 10:00 pm
HOW MANY OF US HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE “MILK?”
I have been asking why there are not much changes throughout all the past 30 years. Reading the above debate between Simon & Lee, however, gave me the answer.
It is because we are not fighting for our rights like Harvey M. did. We became so timid, though not hiding in the closet per se, BUT we stop fighting.
Yes, we may loose the battle (UAFA), we may loose the war (marriage right, etc.) this year, next year, and the next year. But we will finally win if we keep fighting. Each defeat is a seed for the eventual triumph. The power/force against us perhaps knows this much better than us. They know that we don’t have it in us to sacrifice for the things in front of our eyes to fight for something that that we ourselves may not see it happen.
We simply collapse when facing uncertainty and anxiety. We stop fight for the cause… My whole future is very much affected by UAFA, but I rather keep fight in the sun. Although I am not Harvey, I do think we should look at the big picture, the generations ahead. Don’t fight the battle or the war in our own home, do it in front of the whole world!!
Comment by Shawn — March 29, 2009 @ 10:10 pm
I had the privelege of working with IE on this case and the help and support was extraordinary; thank you Victoria and Julie. As spokesperson for the family, and update -there is a decent chancce that a Private bill may pass in this case and althoughhighly unusual sneator Feinstein’s office is working on it as we speak. The Snetaors office has been extraordinarily helpful. It is therefore a good time for all of you California contituents to write her office and reference your support in this case for a special bill as well as a request for her to sign on as a cosponsor to UAFA. melanie Nathan http://www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com
Comment by melanie nathan — March 29, 2009 @ 11:24 pm
To set the record straight; Shirley Tan though she was legal. That was the problem in this case. Her first attorney, who already has a public discipline charge of profesisonal misconduct on the same issue for a different two parties, led her to believe that her case was still pending. When she was arrested by ICE she had no idea that a deportation order was pending. In fact she had even applied and was apporved for a visit to the White House – WHat illegal will do that? If you have access to the Boards and blogs that are misconstruing this aspect, please feel free to quote me as I am the official spokesperson for the family. melanie nathan
Comment by melanie nathan — March 29, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
Immigration equality in Japan:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/03/japan-recognizes-marriage-equality.html
Comment by nola — March 30, 2009 @ 9:48 am
So the news from Japan merits a blog entry on the Daily Dish but UAFA, much closer to home, doesn’t? hmrph
Comment by Tim — March 30, 2009 @ 11:22 am
I feel bad to see that many countries they accept the gay marriage or recognize the gay marriage from other countries, but we don’t know when will it happen in US. My only wish is US grant the immigration right to us ASAP.
Comment by Caeton — March 30, 2009 @ 11:26 am
We are all in the same boat.
If we don’t fight together out of fear of the Right, they will have won.
Whose friends and families were not surprised when they found out that a gay marriage or civil union would not give us any right to sponsor our foreign born partner?
The point is, that most people have no idea. They assume that gay marriage or civil unions will guarantee us this right.
There are those who would help us if they were informed, so we have to reach them.
Comment by Lee — March 30, 2009 @ 12:09 pm
Lee, I agreed, many people do not know there’s no immigration right for the bi-national same sex couples. We need to spread it out and let more people know the fact and support us.
Comment by Caeton — March 30, 2009 @ 12:31 pm
Australia announces changes to Immigration for same-sex couples:
http://www.migrationexpert.com/Australia/Visa/australian_immigration_news/2009/Mar/0/274/Changes_to_Immigration_Act_for_Same-Sex_Couples
http://www.immi.gov.au/legislation/key-changes/2009/migration-key-changes.htm
Comment by Tom — March 30, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
@Lee I am truly appreciative of your responses to my ideas and opinion about the best things that we can do for the bill at the moment. I think both of us want the best outcome in the end that will benefit the whole LGBT community. I think it is very healthy that we have disagreements on certain things because they can be very constructive towards uniting and working together as a community. As to your last comment about Rachel B. Tiven appearing on The O’Reilly Factor on Fox, I am astounded that anyone would appear on his show at all. This question is best answered by Ms. Tiven herself. In my opinion, I think Ms.Tiven believed, at that time, that by appearing on a right-wing agenda driven show like O’Reilly Factor that somehow we could manage to talk some sense and rationality into the right-wingers. It obviously failed in doing so because throughout the show, Bill O’Reilly framed the whole argument that allowing LGBT to sponsor their foreign partners would increase the number of marriage fraud cases. And as usual, he did not give Ms. Tiven the opportunity to defend and to counter that argument. For those who haven’t seen the interview, here’s the link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD4CaukaQus. In the end, I think that interview did not accomplish as mush as we had hoped for but instead made IE looked incompetent and unprepared to deal with the issue of immigration fraud which in reality, that is not true at all as there are measures in UAFA that directly address this issue. I also agree that the thing that we need the most is publicity and that’s why I also strongly encourage people to contact media figures to inform others about the existence of this bill but I hope that it would be in a less controversial way and not push away the supports that we have earned so far.
@Shawn I am glad that you are able to get the answer to your question and I appreciate your take on the current situation in the fight for full equality. I think the difference in my opinion and Lee’s opinion, and even yours, can be summed up to one thing, that is whether you can stay in the US or not. Perhaps you and Lee are speaking on behalf of all the LGBT Americans and I, on the other hand, am speaking on behalf of their foreign partners. I still remember the first couple of years when my spouse and I were together, the constant traveling back and forth, spending a few weeks together and separated for months at times. It was an excruciating period and there were times when we both wanted to give up but our love kept us going. We’ve been together for 5 years now and although the traveling is less frequent now that we are living together in Canada, the longing to be able to live in the US close to my spouse’s family is still as strong as ever. I often blame myself for separating my spouse from his children. I hope you understand where I am coming from and that it justifies my choice of action.
Comment by Simon M — March 30, 2009 @ 1:06 pm
@Simon:
I’m glad to see that we agree on the media publicity. So what is it exactly that you oppose? What do you mean by ‘controversial’ and ‘pushing away’ ?
I’m not sure what you mean by writing that the difference between our viewpoints is based on nationality or current situation, because we are all in the same boat, and by this I mean that none of us has the possibility to live together in the US based on our relationship.
I think all of us are convinced of the urgency, all of us want to pass it this time around.
Comment by Lee — March 30, 2009 @ 1:49 pm
http://www.365gay.com/news/gates-no-rush-to-end-dadt/
You know, when I see they’re perfectly willing to delay dealing with LGBT issues like DADT that have wider media coverage than ours, I dare not think about how far further down the chain we are going to be. If anything, this only reinforces that we have to keep pestering representatives and senators until we get tangible results. Anyone else disappointed at the silence from Andrew Sullivan? Someone mentioned Keith Obermann (spelling?). Might be worth a try. And is anyone giving serious consideration to doing a youtube video? I’m going to discuss it with my partner next month when I visit him.
Comment by Tim — March 30, 2009 @ 2:17 pm
PS.: @ Simon, I agree IE’s interview with O’Reilly was a mistake. they shouldn’t have bothered to begin with. the man is a douchebag and one of the worst interviewers I’ve ever had the misfortune of watching. he doesn’t listen to the answers and interrupts people in mid-flow. I hope IE have learnt their lesson from this and only engage with people who genuinely want to have a debate and want to listen to the other side’s arguments.
Comment by Tim — March 30, 2009 @ 2:19 pm
I’ve been trying for the last 2 minutes to post the link to IE’s youtube account but it keeps timing out. Anyway, my thought was that people could post their videos on IE’s account if Julie and co. agreed to this.
@ Julie and everyone at IE reading this talkback: I think it’d be a good idea to have another interview with Nadler and/or Leahy sometime this year to assess the situation and that people here get some feedback from the politicians so to speak. Actually, it might be an idea that if such an interview were to happen, to collate questions from us and put these to Nadler.
Comment by Tim — March 30, 2009 @ 2:56 pm
whats going on?
Comment by kev uk — March 30, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
@ Tim, Hi there Tim I have posted my youtube video of me and my family on previous posts on here as I think this is the way to go…we need to start to put a human face on things instead of just letters and faxes, maybe if they see the pain we’re all going through? I gon’t know but I’ll give anything a go to get the message across… I’ve tried to post my link to my youtube video but it wont let me?? Tim just look on previous posts and you’ll see my link!
Comment by kev uk — March 30, 2009 @ 3:32 pm
Hi everyone,
Let’s make sure that the HHS will carry out the bill that repeal the HIV Ban passed 8 months ago.
Let’s write to them, the senators, representatives, and the president. We must go after them. If they don’t keep their promises, how can we be sure that they will continue to fight for us.
I have just sent an email to Senator Kerry. Feel free to cut and paste.
Dear Senator Kerry:
Please allow me to salute to your great success on passing the bill that will end the statutory HIV travel and immigration ban that was attached to PEPFAR legislation last July. That’s a major testament of what this country is about and heading to.
However, after 8 months, the ban is still effective. We are eager to see such unjust and discriminative ban erased, but we learned that President Obama has withdrawn it from the OMB early this year.
I am very concern about this change of direction, and hope that you will carry on going after the administration to ensure that HHS will finally repeal the ban as soon as possible.
Thank you for your work and kind attention.
Yours sincerely,
Comment by Simon — March 30, 2009 @ 4:39 pm
Good dialogue here… I think we do need to get the word out to the general public about what goes on with immigration… most middle class US citizens have no idea that the only way to get a green card is to have family sponsorship… most people, even well educated, well informed people are very ignorant about immigration issues because it does not affect them or their neighborhoods. If they hear about immigration, all they hear about is people sneaking over the border… they have absolutely no idea! We need to educate them that there are real, honest, law abiding people who have truly good reasons for wanting to become a US citizen or resident and that same-sex couples are not only being excluded, but torn apart because of a discriminatory law. I’m not sure a march is what we need, but I do believe that good rational media coverage is essential … like this story in California to show people that the people affected by this could be their neighbor or family member.
On another note, I have contacted Senator Lieberman and the response was that he will consider the bill when and if it comes to the Senate floor. It took me a phone call and four emails to get any response from him. This is not a front burner issue for him, but I will keep trying. Same with my Representative — I’ve called and written and received NO response. We need to keep lobbying these guys. We also need to contact the Judiciary Committee members, which is where the bill is now. Shouldn’t we start a letter writing campaign to them?
Comment by Sandy — March 30, 2009 @ 6:21 pm
I just sent an email to Keith Olbermann here’s the address I found to contact his show: countdown@msnbc.com If everyone could write to him, I think he would cover this issue on his show, so lets let him know we care! Thanks for the great idea!
Comment by Sandy — March 30, 2009 @ 6:51 pm
Here’s a list of all last years co-sponsors that haven’t signed on yet this year….lets get busy writing and contacting them
Senators
Maria Cantwell WA
Robert Casy Pa
Edward Kennedy Ma
Congressional
Thomas Allen Me 1
Joe Baca Ca 43
Corrine Brown Fl 3
James Clyburn Sc 6
Joe Courtney Ct 6
Elijah Cummings Md 7
Diane Degette Co 1
Rosa Delaura Ct 3
Keith Ellison Mn 5
Al Green Tx 9
Kathy Caster Fl 11
Henry Johnson Ga 4
Jay Inlee Wa 1
Jesse Jackson Jr Il 2
Patrick Kennedy Ri 1
Tom lantos Ca 12
Martin Meehan Ma 5
Jim Mcdermott Wa 7
Michael McNulty Ny 21
Kendrick Meek Fl 17
Brad Miller Nc 13
Frank Pallone Nj 6
Laura Richardson Ca 37
Bobby Rush Il 1
Allyson Schwartz Pa 13
Chris Shays Ct 4
Adam Smith Wa 9
Hilda Solis Ca 32
Edolphus Towns Ny 10
Mark Udall Co 2
Diane Watson Ca 33
Comment by Jim — March 30, 2009 @ 9:13 pm
Senator Feinstein’s office is doing an extraordinary job of helping us in the Shirley tan case. Yet she too has not signed on to UAFA and was left off the above list for some reason. melanie
http://www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com update and pics of shirley tan.
Comment by melanie nathan — March 30, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
she wasleft off the list because she never was a cosponsor!!!
Comment by Jim — March 30, 2009 @ 10:41 pm
Congresswo/men are not signed up currently as co-sponsor for 2 possible reasons in my mind (pls correct me if I’m wrong: 1) They/their staff are not aware, and (2) Political strategy. At the very least, our job is to correct #1, isn’t it?
Comment by Joe — March 31, 2009 @ 5:31 am
Tom Lantos died last year. The Congresswoman who took his seat, Jackie Speier, has cosponsored the UAFA.
Comment by nola — March 31, 2009 @ 7:48 am
@Jim
Hilda Solis became the Secretary of Labor. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think the seat is still vacant at the moment.
Comment by Simon M — March 31, 2009 @ 9:15 am
@ folks who live in Massachusetts
Please contact Senator Ted Kennedy and ask him to cosponsor the bill. He supports a CIR. (I am not sure about his health condition or whether he is in office at the moment) Thanks.
Comment by Simon M — March 31, 2009 @ 9:19 am
Good idea to contact Senator Kennedy – And mentioning the shirley tTan story is appropriate albeit not his constituent. ANyone from MA should forward the information to his office. If you contact me I can give you the summary of the story,
melanie nathan@privatecourts.com
Comment by melanie nathan — March 31, 2009 @ 10:28 am
I not sure if anyone mentioned it yet but the Advocate has just written an article about Shirley deportation. I just wanted to share.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid76918.asp#Receipt
Comment by Concerned citizen — March 31, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
@ Kev, I would write to IE and ask them if they would post your video on their account. It would be much better if all our videos were grouped together so people can see the bigger picture, literally.
@ Sandy, I’ve written to Keith olbermann just now. hope he covers UAFA. I haven’t spoken to my friend in Lincoln yet; he had internet connection issues this weekend. If he has news, I’ll share this with everyone.
Comment by Tim — March 31, 2009 @ 1:19 pm
@ everyone: I’ve twice sent an email now to the contact for keith olbermann (countdown@msnbc.com) but it has bounced back. has anyone an alternative address to get in touch with Olbermann?
@Concerned Citizen, thanks for sharing that article. Glad to see we’re getting a bit more coverage.
Comment by Tim — March 31, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
Howard Dean joins Chuck Schumer in publicly supporting gay marriage:
http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/howard_dean_grant_marriage_rights_to_all
I don’t know if he has supported UAFA before but I think we should include him on the list of Reps/Senators to contact for sponsoring the bill.
Comment by Tim — March 31, 2009 @ 2:10 pm
Just e-mail senator Feinstein, thanking her for helping Shirley Tan to keep her family together and urging the senator to cosponsor UAFA.
Comment by Rick — March 31, 2009 @ 2:58 pm
@ Tim, here’s a site that’s collecting all UAFA stories and videos and posting them. I will ask IE if they would allow us to post our videos on here as well! A thought crossed my mind! if there’s supposed to be roughly 36′000 binational couples how come their not joining the fight along with us? can it be that they don’t know we exists? Here’s the site I mentioned imeq.us
Comment by kev uk — March 31, 2009 @ 4:23 pm
I just wrote an email to dateline and the today show to see if we can try to get a story going about Shirley Tan. Something got to give and we will lose another one of us.
Comment by Concerned citizen — March 31, 2009 @ 7:58 pm
Australia has become the latest country to offer same-sex couples immigration benefits: http://www.migrationexpert.com/Australia/Visa/australian_immigration_news/2009/Mar/0/274/Changes_to_Immigration_Act_for_Same-Sex_Couples
Comment by Rick — March 31, 2009 @ 8:51 pm
My partner and I are one of the bi-national gay couples, who has been waiting for many many years. I did my best to contact the representative and senator in my area to co-cosponsor UAFA, so glad to get the letter from Barbar Boxer who said she supports the bill, but hear nothing from Dianne Feinstein, and I know the congressman in my area – George Radanovich, he is a Republician, and he will never support that bill.
Comment by Caeton — March 31, 2009 @ 10:17 pm
Just had to share this from Crain’s blog:
“No government has the right to tell its citizens whom to love. The only queer people are those who don’t love anybody.” — Rita Mae Brown
To all the “fools” who’ve co-sponsored UAFA… Happy Fools Day!! Today’s “fools” are tomorrow’s visionaries, heroes and true leaders!
Comment by Joe — April 1, 2009 @ 1:39 am
I am surprised that so few people responded to the blog about pressing HHS to finally lift the HIV ban (the blog above), comparing to blogs like this one that has over a hundred comments.
If we don’t even care about this, why would others care. This is exactly the same way how we are ignored by the “non-bi-national gay couples”, the media, the others, …
Let’s act and fight for ALL THE RIGHTS that end all the DISCRIMINATION.
Comment by Mike — April 1, 2009 @ 5:46 am
This site is about rights for all not just the few! We need to show our support to all our members.
Comment by kev uk — April 1, 2009 @ 8:38 am
It would be great to get Shirley and Jay on CNN’s Larry King to tell their story. Here is the contact form for the show:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.lkl.comment.html?12
Comment by Tom — April 1, 2009 @ 5:51 pm
Thanks Tom (for the Larry King Link). I sent this comment/question:”Will you cover the tragedy of Jaylynn Mercado, a US citizen in the San Francisco Bay Area and her lifetime partner Shirley Tan who is at high risk of being deported back to the Philippines within days? Will you feature their 2 US born children who may be forced to separate from one of their parents or their country, simply because US laws have not been updated to honor the rights of gay and lesbian couples in the US. Do your viewers know that this inability of US citizens to claim their partners for immigration to the US has been happening and will happen over and over again to as much as 40,000 Americans in similar circumstances. And do your viewers know that there is a bill in Congress called the UAFA (Uniting American Families Act) designed to fix this, yet minimal numbers of lawmakers have endorsed it so far? Is this simple lack of awareness or a lingering bigotry? Are your viewers proud that the US is one of the few advanced western countries left that continue with immigration laws discriminating against its citizens in this respect? I don’t think so. I think they are simply unaware and would support a progressive move like the UAFA if only you would help to enlighten them on this sorry legal stagnation. All the best to Jaylynn, Shirley and Family”.
Comment by Joe — April 1, 2009 @ 7:26 pm
“Gay couples DON’T have equal rights.”
Here is a recently loaded YouTube video about Shirley Tan:
“Options dwindle for binational lesbian couple facing deportation on Friday”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFDS0wqhzhc
I’m trying to collect all relevant videos about UAFA on youtube.
Youtubers, feel free to join my channel at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/UnitedCouples
Let’s keep working for UAFA’s passage and put an end to this INJUSTICE.
Thanks.
Comment by osman — April 2, 2009 @ 11:24 am
just a thought here “out loud”…..how would we contact….
Kathy Griffen……she’s a HUGE gay supporter..
she would be great especially since she kind of comes from an “underdog” kinda place (”D-list” etc etc etc ).
she’d have no problem speaking out loud and clear!.
any way to contact her
Comment by derek — April 2, 2009 @ 7:13 pm
2 more cosponsors in the House as of today!
Rep. Jim McDermott from CA and Rep. George Miller from CA as well.
Great news on top of the Iowa Supreme Court ruling! Let’s keep writing because they are listening. Thanks everyone! And write to thank the Congressmen too.
Comment by Simon M — April 3, 2009 @ 1:33 pm
@ Simon M: Thanks for the update and info. Very heartening. BTW McDermott is from Washington State, right? His co-sponsorship must be so new it isn’t even reflected yet in the Thomas nor in wikipedia!!
Comment by Joe — April 4, 2009 @ 4:11 pm
@Joe Yeah, Rep McDermott is from WA not CA. He cosponsored it on April 2nd. This is such good news. I just hope we all keep writing because they are obviously listening. We should focus on contacting Senators too. I think we have a very good chance of getting the bill to pass in the House but it’s still very risky to chance it in the Senate if we were to introduce it as a stand-alone bill (very unlikely but you’ll never know) We just need 60 votes in the Senate and we are good to go. Keep writing/calling/emailing your respective Reps and Senators and tell them how important the UAFA bill is to you and that you hope that they will cosponsor it. Thanks guy!!
ps- I’ve noticed in the more recent comments that there is a lot of anger and frustration in the LGBT community (re Shirley Tan’s case, not getting a reply from the Reps/Senators/media figures, etc).
I hope that when you are contacting your Reps/Senators, whatever forms of communication you choose to use, that your anger and frustration are not reflected in your messages. We should be more political, polite and choose proper words to convey our messages. Instead of writing in a demanding tone like “I want you to support the UAFA because…..”, we should be courteous and subtle like “I hope that you are able to support the UAFA because….”. I think that comes across way better and I’m sure anyone would be more interested in spending some time to read and hear what we have to say. And also please don’t use rhetorical questions like “Do you think it’s fair for the immigration system to discriminate against LGBTs?”. It doesn’t help in whatever you wish to say. We have to understand that there are probably thousands of different bills in the Congress at the moment and each Rep/Senator has a lot to deal with at any given time. So my final advice, be courteous, ask and not demand, simple and straight to the point (most effective). And don’t forget to thank them for their time and consideration. And also if you have the time to spare, write to those Rep/Senator who have cosponsored the bill and thank them for their support. Nothing can beat the feeling of being appreciated. Thanks guys!!!! Keep writing!!!!
Comment by Simon M — April 5, 2009 @ 2:53 pm
Vermont overrides Douglass’s veto and now has same-sex marriage! Can’t even explain how happy I am right now. I know that it doesn’t change our situations but at least it’s foot in the door. @ all the folks who live in Vermont – Please write to the Reps and Senators who voted for marriage equality! Even a simple “thank you so much!” is good enough! Let’s do it guys!
Comment by Simon M — April 7, 2009 @ 9:40 am