Immigration and LGBT rights seem like two political third rails that wouldn’t cross in Washington. But a Senate hearing today discussed legislation that would elegantly fuse the two, by equalizing immigration law for same-sex partners.
The Uniting American Families Act would remove major legal barriers currently facing binational same-sex couples with citizen or permanent-resident partners, allowing individuals to sponsor immigrant partners for legal status. This bill promises plenty of cannon fodder for the anti-immigrant, anti-gay right. Yet it could be a platform for further bridging the marriage-equality movement with civil rights and immigrant rights struggles.
(One way to deal with the legality problem, of course, would be uniform, federally based recognition of same-sex marriage or domestic partnership. But if the goal is excluding more immigrants, why change irrational policies that serve as a convenient pretext for rejection?)
Immigration equality for same-sex couples wouldn't stem structural discrimination in U.S. society or abroad, much less fix the overall dysfunctionality of the immigration system. But in the policy world, it would help demonstrate that an inclusive society embraces a global concept of family: one that stretches across national borders, and thrives in a full diversity of forms.
Family unity redefined today by Uniting American Families Act
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DividedByLaw 1079 days ago
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Promoting public awareness of the need for fairness in immigration policy particularly as it relates to the rights of same-sex bi-national couples in the United States who seek equal immigration rights; Providing information regarding political issues relating to gay immigration equality issues, rights and policy.
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