Meanwhile in San Francisco, Filipino Shirley Tan and her partner Jay Mercado, who have been fighting for equal immigration rights for LGBT families, sat and waved with their twin 12-year-old boys atop a convertible, as they led a contingent during the city’s Gay Pride parade.
Earlier this year, Tan faced deportation. She would have been torn away from Mercado, a U.S. green card holder and their twin boys, both American citizens. But after intense lobbying from immigrant rights groups, a private bill was introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein to keep Tan in the country until the end of 2010.
“It has been a rough year for us, but I am so overwhelmed with the support of people to keep my family together,” said Tan.Tan and Mercado’s dilemma illustrates the inequity between same-sex civil unions and the right to marry, and they are not alone. There are about 36,000 same-sex, bi-national couples in the country who are in danger of being separated because of immigration problems. The passage of the United American Families Act would allow gay and lesbian Americans the same rights to sponsor a foreign partner for U.S. residency.
Marriage rights top agenda for Gay Pride celebrations
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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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