The Uniting American Families Act will be introduced in the House of Representatives tomorrow, Thursday, February 12, 2009, by Rep. Jerrold Nadler [NY-8]. If passed, this Act would immediately remedy one of the 1,138 federal rights denied same-sex couples: the right to sponsor a same-sex partner for immigration.
A national coalition of LGBT-rights groups, including Immigration Equality, Marriage Equality USA, Out4Immigration, Join the Impact, API Equality, and Love Exiles, is asking everyone to take a moment to call your representative in Washington to ask that they join Rep. Nadler as a co-sponsor of this bill.
There are two things you can do:
1) Contact your U.S. Representative (instructions below)
2) Tell your friends and family about yourself and ask them to call their representative
Sample email to friends and family
As you know, my partner and I cannot move back to the USA because I cannot sponsor him/her for a Green Card (Permanent Resident status) to legally stay in the USA. We would like the same opportunity as other couples to settle in USA if we want to, especially considering that all of my family and many friends live there.
Our relationship/ marriage is not recognized by the U.S. Federal Government for several purposes including immigration due to the DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) signed by Bill Clinton. This means that my partner cannot obtain US residency as my spouse which she/he could do without question if we were an opposite-sex couple.
The "Uniting American Families Act of 2009" does not propose to recognize same-sex marriage, but it is the best prospect we have for change in the immigration laws that will allow me to sponsor my long-term partner for permanent residency. This act contains several different provisions including changes to all references in immigration law to "husband or wife" to "spouse or partner".
Please help get this act passed by following the instructions below. Thank you for your efforts and please pass along this information to your friends and families too.To Love in the USA
Happy Valentines Day,
Contacting your U.S. Rep
Find out who your representative is at http://www.congress merge.com/ onlinedb/ index.htm, then call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your U.S. Representative.
Tell your representative’s staff:
I am calling to ask Representative ____________ ____ to be an original cosponsor of the Uniting American Families Act of 2009. To co-sponsor, he/she must contact Rep. Jerrold Nadler who is the lead sponsor.
The U.S. government discriminates against gay and lesbian binational couples by not allowing us to sponsor our foreign-born life partners for immigration. Because of this, we face the terrible choice of long term separation from the person we love or leaving behind our country, families, jobs, communities, and friends.
As Americans, they should not have to choose between family and country.
Please ask Rep. ____________ _____ to co-sponsor the Uniting American Families Act of 2009 by reaching out to Rep. Nadler right away.
Immigration Equality: http://www.immigrat ionequality. org
Marriage Equality USA: http://www.marriage equality. org
Out4Immigration: http://www.out4immi gration.org
Love Exiles: http://www.loveexil es.org
Join the Impact: http://www.jointhei mpact.
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4 comments:
I had no idea that this was the case, it is shocking! I read in one of your links that the matter is going to congress tomorrow, I hope things move forward to change this. Is there anything I can do as a uk resident to help?
I hope that it gets through, it's so irrational that it isn't in place already, as if moving to another country isn't hard enough already!
I'm working hard to overturn prop 8 in california and to overturn doma and other discriminatory legislation across the us...i had to look twice to make sure that this was an art blog, in your post my worlds collide...let's hope for everybody's sake that things get better...i need more weddings to go to!
For those of us who cry every night because we can not be with the one we love I hope that the act passes so people like me can be reunited with the love of their life.
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