Letter To America

Dear America,

I am writing you to let you know of my great disappointment in your laws which directly discriminate against American citizens who are in a same sex binational relationship. America boasts itself as being the land of the free but we all know how this falsehood is nothing more than a slogan.

I am an US citizen who is now leaving her country to be with the person she loves after having spent the past four years fighting for the right to sponsor my foreign born partner. Current US immigration laws grant heterosexuals this right but denies those of us in same sex relationships the same opportunity.

I’m ashamed at how you have turned your back on me. You have taken my tax money for the past 24 years but deny me freedoms that others enjoy. You told me as a child that America was the land of opportunity and that all men are created equal but as an adult I’m reminded daily of how any opportunity of my pursuit of happiness is currently out of reach and unavailable because of laws like DOMA.

I was brought up to believe in “We the People”. Am I not included in this grouping? Are the people referred to only heterosexual Americans? How many wars have brave American soldiers fought in to ensure that foreign countries gain their freedoms while here at home an ever growing number of LGBTQ Americans are denied over 1000 rights only because of who they love?

I would like to point out that I too have an American Dream but since America ceases to value me or respect my relationship it is with great sadness that I have to put my dream on hold but rest assured that I will continue to voice out my angst as I work even harder to be included in the enforcement of equal protection of the law.

I would like to bring up the fact that due to the unequal immigration laws that the United States enforces I have had to endure not only emotional stress but I have also been inflicted with an added financial burden. I have had to drain my back account in order to move to be with my partner and I am now in a financial hardship. Over the past four years we have had to spend thousands of dollars just to be able to see each other for a week at a time here and there. I have had to pay these large amounts of money only because America refuses to recognize my relationship which is clearly discrimination in its fullest.

It is bitter sweet for me to leave but I know that one day America will be better and equality with be a reality and once that occurs I will accept your apology for allowing bigotry and hate to run so freely in our laws while destroying same sex binational couples and their families. Maybe.

Signed

A US Citizen in a same sex binational relationship who so desperately wants to be proud of her country but currently is not.

This busy world we live in...but does anything ever get done?

So many causes..so many people in need..what do we focus on first..or at all. I dont see why we cant focus on multiple items all at once. Perhaps if we all just actually got up and put actions into causes things would get done. No more time for just talking about what we are going to do..now is the time to act. Set life in motion. Just image what could be accomplished if we all did our share.

But are people too lazy. Or are they consumed with their own lives to concern themselves with the needs of others.

I dont know how else to say it other than saying : The world is messed up and dysfunctional. Are we all walking around in a haze of unawareness or is it denial to the fact that we need to step up and make the world ..well...better.

What does it take to get everyone everywhere on the same page?

In a country as rich as the United States I ask..why is there poverty..or homelessness? Why do our children get neglected when it comes to having an education that should be the best in the world. Why are hard working people losing their jobs because greedy Corporate America want to make cut backs without cutting back on CEO's bonuses.

Why are there even laws being decided on about LGBT rights by those that these rights will never directly effect? In a time where the worlds economy is in one of the worst..if not the worst downfall in history, cant the we focus on fixing that rather than whether or not it should be legal for me to marry my partner?

This isnt an issue of politics. This isnt an issue of Republican or Democrat or Independent or what ever label you believe your agenda falls under. Its about right or wrong. Its wrong to turn a blind eye to those in need because you too may be in need one day and who will come to help you? Its wrong to think the next person will help. Its wrong not to care.

We are all in this world together. What you do is important. What you dont do speaks louder than you think.

A GAY RIGHTS ISSUE THAT’S NOT ABOUT MARRIAGE

Imagine what it feels like to have a bad day. We can all do that. With the way the world is right now, with the economy failing, home foreclosures at an all time peak and unemployment figures reaching numbers we haven’t seen since the great depression. Now think about what that day would be like if you were being forced to go home to an empty house because the United States Governments immigration laws forbid you to legally be with the one you love. Think about how the United States immigration laws make it easier for you to acquire a pet visa or a mail order bride visa than it is to acquire a visa for your partner who is a foreign national.

Today, gay and lesbian United States citizens cannot sponsor their foreign born partners for immigration, no matter how long they have been together or how committed their relationship. United States immigration law is based on the principle of 'family unification.' Accordingly, it allows U.S. citizens to reunite with their parents, children, siblings and spouses by sponsoring these family members for immigration. Gay and lesbian families are not afforded this basic dignity. According to the 2000 Census, over 36,000 couples are affected by this discrimination. Many are forced into exile and move to one of the 19 countries that offer immigration benefits to same sex couples, where others, like myself are forced to be separated from the one I love.
On February 12, 2009 Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) re-introduced The United American Families Act, a bill seeking to enable gay Americans to sponsor their foreign same-sex partners for legal residency in the United States.

ITS NOT ABOUT MARRIAGE!!
The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) seeks to provide U.S. citizens the right to sponsor their partners for immigration- it does not redefine marriage. It has nothing to do with marriage.

WHAT ABOUT FRAUD?
Applicants for permanent partnership benefits would face the same interview process that married couples face. Criminal penalties and deportation for fraud would provide an increased deterrent against sham marriages, and they should do the same to deter against fraudulent permanent partnerships.

Despite what you may believe about same sex relationships, its cant be denied that they exist. And these relationships are families. The Uniting American Families Act is designed to keep families together legally not tear them apart as current immigration laws are forcing many into.
I urge everyone who supports families to contact their congress members and let them know that American families will grow stronger with the passage of the Uniting American Families Act. You can email them directly or find your congress members phone number through Congress.org

For More Information go to: out4immigration.org