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... that bans healthy gay and bisexual men from donating blood; and passage of the Uniting American Families Act, which would keep bi-national same-sex couples together by allowing one partner to sponsor the other for immigration. ...
Already in Congress is the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) and the Reuniting Families Act, which seek to put a stop to the discrimination and permit same-sex partners to obtain permanent resident status by amending the Immigration ...
It was just several months ago that White House officials were promising that President Obama would address immigration reform before the end of the year. It seems as if the LGBT immigration equality leadership has continued to hang its top hat on the passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, as being the only way the LGBT community can earn recognition in the immigration system, through the incorporation of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) in the larger reform legislation.
When UAFA was introduced again this year in January by New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler, it was hailed by the organizations and money was raised from our community in the name of this proposed stand-alone legislation. We were all excited and on board for the big push.
I think the broader LGBT community forgets about looking for commonalities sometimes. Think for a moment about immigration reform; there is a whole community of immigration advocates that the LGBT community could work with to help to make same-sex/same gender partner sponsorship possible. If members in the LGBT community care about the progressive immigration reform issues, and work with the organizations that promote immigration reform, we could use our commonalities to build a stronger, more powerful coalition. The LGBT community's partner sponsor issue could become part of a broader immigration reform bill; and in the process of LGBT people working for immigration reform, our broader LGBT community issues could become immigration advocates' issues.I'm happy to support the Uniting American Families act - the law that specifically relates to LGBT families. I won't go any past that unle
Sacramento – Today the State Assembly passed a resolution officially endorsing a federal law ending discriminatory immigration policies by permitting U.S. citizens and permanent residents to obtain lawful immigration status for a same-sex partner by a 41-28 vote. The resolution, AJR 15, introduced by Assembly Member Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and co-sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) and Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE), formally requests that the United States Congress pass and President Barack Obama sign the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA).

“Our current immigration laws keep thousands of families apart simply because they are headed by same-sex couples,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “We urge Congress and the President to stop penalizing these families and to pass the Uniting American Families Act so that all families enjoy equ
The Assembly Judiciary Committee passed three resolutions this week that gay rights group consider critical for federal laws affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The committee passed resolutions on the U.S. Blood Donor Nondiscrimination Resolution, which would lift the ban against gay men donating blood; urged the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which forbids federal recognition of same-sex couples; and supported of the Uniting American Families Act.
J. W. Lown was a popular, twice-reelected mayor with a bright political future—until he was forced to choose between his two passions: his city and his lover. WHEN SAN ANGELO MAYOR J. W. LOWN, age 32, abruptly left office in mid-May, no-showing the swearing-in ceremony for his fourth term and announcing a day later that he had left Texas to be with a lover in Mexico, the easy first comparison was to King Edward VIII. Of course, the Depression-era scandal involving the eventual Duke of Windsor—he gave up England’s throne after falling for a then-married, already once-divorced American socialite—has long seemed like a relic of its time. Lown’s situation offered a significant update: His paramour was a man. And the man happened to be a twenty-year-old college student from Mexico who was living in the U.S. illegally. News outlets around the world, most of which first learned there even was
Of the 1,138 federal rights and benefits that the LGBT community is denied, the worst (I am biased having suffered this particular form of discrimination) is the one that denies us two fundamental prerequisites to our basic freedoms and happiness:

1. The right to fall in love and live with whomever we choose from wherever we choose;
without impacting -
2. Our right to remain in our homes and Country.

On the lips of every Binational I know and I am sure on the lips of those I do not know, is “How can my Country, the United States of America, in all its glory, allow this to happen to its own citizens?” Our country is in effect causing its citizens to go into exile when “in pursuit of happiness” in flagrant disregard of our own constitution and while we are preaching human rights to the rest of the World we are so grossly at fault within.


Earlier this week, Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier (CA-12) , a co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) which would allow gays and lesbians to sponsor their foreign-born partners for citizenship, expressed her concerns about passing the bill as a part of larger immigration reform.
...
Speier’s view seems to have changed since a town hall earlier this year, where she indicated “the only way that bill is going to get passed is if its part of a larger immigration reform measure.” In addition to the standalone act, UAFA compatible language also exists in the omnibus immigration reform bill called Reuniting Families Act, sponsored by Congressman Mike Honda (CA-15).
In her short 16 months in Congress, Speier has proven herself to be a strong ally and advocate for the LGBT community, and was instrumental in staying the deportation of a lesbian mother this past sp
So what I am trying to say here is… UAFA is not going to be a bill tagged on to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill, like the repeal of the HIV Ban was tagged on to PEPFAR last year. If this is the case, they could easily remove the bill during conference once CIR is passed. UAFA is ALREADY included in RFA… so if they want to remove UAFA from CIR during conference or during floor vote/debate, they would have to remove RFA entirely.

Pushing for the passage of UAFA is ongoing and will never stop, but it is also important to note that immigration law is discriminatory on so many levels and we need to stand up and support CIR. The majority of the immigrant community has stood up in support of our issue and supports the inclusion of UAFA in CIR… Our representative, Rep. Honda, and many progressive organizations have the political will to stand out and advocate for our i
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is pleased to support Resolution AJR 15, which would put California on record in support of the federal Uniting American Families Act (UAFA).

UAFA is a proposed bill that would remove the legal barriers to immigration by permanent same-sex partners. It would provide same-sex couples with the same immigration benefits as opposite-sex couples.

Read NCLR’s letter of support...
Senator Schumer is writing the comprehensive immigration reform bill NOW.
It is critical that this legislation includes the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) and thus includes LGBT families. The suffering of our families must end! The UAFA will allow American Citizens and green card holders to sponsor their foreign born same-sex partner for permanent residency in the United States.

If you are in New York - be sure to include your address so they know a constituent is weighing in on this - AND send it to any family or friends in NY that would be willing to help.
In entering such an international relationship, Judy and Karin also joined the ranks of binational LGBT couples who have lived out the difficulties associated with an immigration system that treats gay and lesbian couples differently ...While Judy, Karin, Tom and Aidan have understandably been consumed with their own living situations and the difficult decisions they must make, they are also taking the time to get involved and educate Americans, gay and straight, about the plight of LGBT binational couples.

Earlier this year at a Human Rights Campaign dinner, U.S. Rep. Michael Honda, speaking with U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, both supporters of same sex binational couples legislation, named Judy Rickard and Karin Bogliolo as his educators on this issue. They urge members of the American LGBT community to contact their legislators and, most importantly, spread the word.

In light of all this, I believe that any American tourist to Mexico should support reforming immigration laws in the United States to create more pathways to legalization. I feel particularly strongly that the queer people and women who make up the primary audience of this blog, who have themselves experienced what it is like to feel invisible, to feel underrepresented in the country in which you live, need to add their voices to the growing chorus of those calling for more just immigration reform.

Although I believe that the United States needs broad immigration reform across immigrant populations, as half of a bi-national lesbian couple and as the teacher of many undocumented high school students, I can recommend two good places to start: the DREAM Act and the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA)....
On August 18th, 2009, I appeared before the California Assembly’s Judiciary Committee with Ms Gina Caprio, Melanie Nathan, Equality California (EQCA)& Asian American for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE) to present testimony in support of Assembly Joint Resolution 15 (AJR15). This resolution was introduced by Assemblyman De Leon in support of Uniting American Families Act which if passed in congress will allow an American citizen to sponsor his/her same sex partner for a green card by adding 3 more words, “or permanent partner” after spouse in immigration law.

The resolution passed the committee on a party line vote of 6 – 3 and it is now headed to the floor of California’s Assembly for a vote. If the resolution passed, it would put the state of California on record as supporting UAFA as well as its inclusion in the Reuniting Families Act (RFA) as introduced by Rep Mike Hon

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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.