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President-Elect Barack Obama Signals Hope for Same-Sex Binational Couples
President-Elect Barack Obama Signals Hope for Same-Sex Binational Couples Fighting Immigration Discrimination in the United States -- Out4Immigration Cites Obama Campaign Promises of Support for Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) and LGBT Equality; Appointment of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff
• Americans overwhelmingly elect Democrat Barack Obama as nation’s 44th president; Democrats also make gains in House and Senate seats for solid majority.
• Victories signal hope for same-sex binational couples seeking legislation for equal immigration rights in the US.
• Same-sex binational couples, in which one partner is American and the other is from another country, are denied equal immigration rights under current US immigration law because their relationships are not recognized at the federal level.
• Obama on record saying he worked to improve such legislation, the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), “so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.”
• Obama also on record saying, “Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”
• Obama appoints Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) as Chief of Staff; Emanuel is one of 118 House co-sponsors of the UAFA.
Synopsis
Tuesday’s historic election of Senator Barack Obama as President of the United States signals hope for gay and lesbian Americans that they will have a supporter in the White House. Pick ups of Senate and House seats also bode well for LGBT Americans that there will be a more sympathetic climate in Washington that can pass key legislation to knock down remaining barriers to full equality. One such barrier is the lack of equal immigration rights for same-sex binational couples. Under current US immigration law, a gay or lesbian American is prohibited from sponsoring a foreign partner for a green card. Opposite-sex couples face no such obstacles. The US government does not recognize gay and lesbian relationships at the federal level – which means even couples married in states or countries that do allow same-sex marriage remain unable to obtain full spousal rights. Each year, hundreds of gay and lesbian Americans are forced into exile because their relationship with a foreign partner prohibits them from remaining in the US with the person they love.
Quotes from Mickey Lim, Vice President, Out4Immigration
Mickey is an American citizen who lives in San Francisco with his partner who is from Singapore and their 10-month old daughter. After many years of struggle, Mickey’s partner obtained a green card through work. Had the green card not come through, the couple would have been forced to leave the country, instead, they co-founded Out4Immigration.
“Out4Immigration is hopeful that President-Elect Obama will remain true to his campaign pledge and provide same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.”
“We at Out4Immigration have seen too many families torn apart by the way the US treats gays and lesbians under current immigration law. Right now, gay and lesbian Americans in a same-sex binational relationship are often forced to choose between their partner and their country. The Uniting American Families Act – or similar legislation at the federal level – could stop anyone from having to make such a heart-wrenching decision.”
“Today’s appointment of Congressman Rahm Emanuel as Obama’s Chief of Staff signals to Out4Immigration that the new President will surround himself with people who are supportive of our cause. Congressman Emanuel is co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act. He is well-aware of the discrimination same-sex binational couples face and the need to fix this problem.”
Quotes from Martha McDevitt-Pugh, member, Out4Immigration and Co-Founder of Love Exiles Foundation
Martha is an American citizen who was forced into exile when her partner (an Australian) could not obtain legal residence in the US through either work or study. The couple relocated to Amsterdam, where they were married seven-and-half years ago. Although their marriage is recognized in The Netherlands, they remain “legal strangers” under US immigration law and Martha and her partner cannot live together in the United States.
“President-elect Obama understands that it's not right to exile US citizens just for loving a foreigner. It doesn't work for America to lose talented gays and lesbians to exile. We need everyone to build the country that we all want to live in.”
“I look forward to the day that I can choose to live in the US with my wife of 7-1/2 years. With Obama's election, we now have a chance. And there is a lot of work to do.”
Related News Links:
• Obama Pride: http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome
• Senator Obama’s Open Letter to LGBT Community Echoes Out4Immigration’s Call for Equal Immigration Rights for Same-Sex Binational Couples: http://qdr2.haxall.com/immigration/content_detail.asp?s=immeqla&id=1231&ctid=148
• 4 Major LGBT Bills Await New Congress: http://www.365gay.com/news/4-major-lgbt-bills-await-new-congress/ (note if the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA] is overturned, gay and lesbian relationships would be recognized at the federal level – this would include immigration rights)
• Obama Wins!: http://www.365gay.com/news/obama-wins/
• Obama Announces Emanuel as Chief of Staff: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081106/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama
About Out4Immigration:
Out4Immigration is a grassroots organization based in San Francisco that addresses the widespread discriminatory impact of US immigration laws on the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and HIV+ people and their families through education, outreach, advocacy and the maintenance of a resource and support network. For more information, visit http://www.out4immigration.org. To schedule interviews with same-sex binational couples who are available to speak with the media on this issue, including Spanish-speaking couples, please contact Amos Lim, amos [at] out4immigration.org, 415-375-3765 or Kathy Drasky at kathy [at] out4immigration.org, 415-606-2085.
For more information on legislation, reports, etc. related to same-sex binational couples:
The Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 2221): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR02221:
The Uniting American Families Act (S.1328): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN01328:
Human Rights Watch Report: Family Unvalued: Discrimination, Denial, and the Fate of Binational Same-Sex Couples under US Law: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/us0506/
Love Exiles Foundation: http://www.loveexiles.org/
### end ###
• Victories signal hope for same-sex binational couples seeking legislation for equal immigration rights in the US.
• Same-sex binational couples, in which one partner is American and the other is from another country, are denied equal immigration rights under current US immigration law because their relationships are not recognized at the federal level.
• Obama on record saying he worked to improve such legislation, the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), “so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.”
• Obama also on record saying, “Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”
• Obama appoints Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) as Chief of Staff; Emanuel is one of 118 House co-sponsors of the UAFA.
Synopsis
Tuesday’s historic election of Senator Barack Obama as President of the United States signals hope for gay and lesbian Americans that they will have a supporter in the White House. Pick ups of Senate and House seats also bode well for LGBT Americans that there will be a more sympathetic climate in Washington that can pass key legislation to knock down remaining barriers to full equality. One such barrier is the lack of equal immigration rights for same-sex binational couples. Under current US immigration law, a gay or lesbian American is prohibited from sponsoring a foreign partner for a green card. Opposite-sex couples face no such obstacles. The US government does not recognize gay and lesbian relationships at the federal level – which means even couples married in states or countries that do allow same-sex marriage remain unable to obtain full spousal rights. Each year, hundreds of gay and lesbian Americans are forced into exile because their relationship with a foreign partner prohibits them from remaining in the US with the person they love.
Quotes from Mickey Lim, Vice President, Out4Immigration
Mickey is an American citizen who lives in San Francisco with his partner who is from Singapore and their 10-month old daughter. After many years of struggle, Mickey’s partner obtained a green card through work. Had the green card not come through, the couple would have been forced to leave the country, instead, they co-founded Out4Immigration.
“Out4Immigration is hopeful that President-Elect Obama will remain true to his campaign pledge and provide same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.”
“We at Out4Immigration have seen too many families torn apart by the way the US treats gays and lesbians under current immigration law. Right now, gay and lesbian Americans in a same-sex binational relationship are often forced to choose between their partner and their country. The Uniting American Families Act – or similar legislation at the federal level – could stop anyone from having to make such a heart-wrenching decision.”
“Today’s appointment of Congressman Rahm Emanuel as Obama’s Chief of Staff signals to Out4Immigration that the new President will surround himself with people who are supportive of our cause. Congressman Emanuel is co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act. He is well-aware of the discrimination same-sex binational couples face and the need to fix this problem.”
Quotes from Martha McDevitt-Pugh, member, Out4Immigration and Co-Founder of Love Exiles Foundation
Martha is an American citizen who was forced into exile when her partner (an Australian) could not obtain legal residence in the US through either work or study. The couple relocated to Amsterdam, where they were married seven-and-half years ago. Although their marriage is recognized in The Netherlands, they remain “legal strangers” under US immigration law and Martha and her partner cannot live together in the United States.
“President-elect Obama understands that it's not right to exile US citizens just for loving a foreigner. It doesn't work for America to lose talented gays and lesbians to exile. We need everyone to build the country that we all want to live in.”
“I look forward to the day that I can choose to live in the US with my wife of 7-1/2 years. With Obama's election, we now have a chance. And there is a lot of work to do.”
Related News Links:
• Obama Pride: http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome
• Senator Obama’s Open Letter to LGBT Community Echoes Out4Immigration’s Call for Equal Immigration Rights for Same-Sex Binational Couples: http://qdr2.haxall.com/immigration/content_detail.asp?s=immeqla&id=1231&ctid=148
• 4 Major LGBT Bills Await New Congress: http://www.365gay.com/news/4-major-lgbt-bills-await-new-congress/ (note if the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA] is overturned, gay and lesbian relationships would be recognized at the federal level – this would include immigration rights)
• Obama Wins!: http://www.365gay.com/news/obama-wins/
• Obama Announces Emanuel as Chief of Staff: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081106/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama
About Out4Immigration:
Out4Immigration is a grassroots organization based in San Francisco that addresses the widespread discriminatory impact of US immigration laws on the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and HIV+ people and their families through education, outreach, advocacy and the maintenance of a resource and support network. For more information, visit http://www.out4immigration.org. To schedule interviews with same-sex binational couples who are available to speak with the media on this issue, including Spanish-speaking couples, please contact Amos Lim, amos [at] out4immigration.org, 415-375-3765 or Kathy Drasky at kathy [at] out4immigration.org, 415-606-2085.
For more information on legislation, reports, etc. related to same-sex binational couples:
The Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 2221): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR02221:
The Uniting American Families Act (S.1328): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN01328:
Human Rights Watch Report: Family Unvalued: Discrimination, Denial, and the Fate of Binational Same-Sex Couples under US Law: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/us0506/
Love Exiles Foundation: http://www.loveexiles.org/
### end ###
For more information:
http://www.out4immigration.org
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