A Brazilian man was reunited with his American husband this week after a U.S. senator pressed federal officials to temporarily allow the gay man back into the country on humanitarian grounds.
Nearly three years ago, the couple split when Oliveira was forced to return to Brazil after being denied permanent residency in the U.S. because the federal government does not recognize same-sex marriages.
The pair maintained contact through online video chats and sporadic visits during holidays.
The case gained international attention from gay rights and immigrant advocates who criticized U.S. officials for separating the couple even though they were legally married.
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US senator help Brazilian man reunite with his American husband
Posted by
USABound 704 days ago
(http://www.canadaeast.com)
Love across oceans US government is still a sinking ship
Posted by
USABound 704 days ago
(http://www.feministing.com)
When I wrote a review of Elizabeth Gilbert's new book, Committed, last week, I failed to mention one of my favorite parts of the book. She wholeheartedly challenges the American government's continued discrimination against same-sex couples in immigration situations.
There was nothing ambiguous, however, about the situation that a dear friend of mine recently faced when she and her non-American partner had to figure out how the hell to be together despite a federal government that refuses to recognize their love and commitment. After many costly and painful twists and turns, they're now relying on an education visa. Incidentally, many international couples (heterosexual included) must rely on these visas in order to be together, as they can be far less costly than hiring a lawyer and going through marriage proceedings.
In any case, I wanted to shine a spotlight
There was nothing ambiguous, however, about the situation that a dear friend of mine recently faced when she and her non-American partner had to figure out how the hell to be together despite a federal government that refuses to recognize their love and commitment. After many costly and painful twists and turns, they're now relying on an education visa. Incidentally, many international couples (heterosexual included) must rely on these visas in order to be together, as they can be far less costly than hiring a lawyer and going through marriage proceedings.
In any case, I wanted to shine a spotlight
Jen (US) and Loz (UK) LGBT IMMIGRATION STORIES
Posted by
igualdad 704 days ago
(http://lgbtculture.wordpress.com)
“Let me die, die trying; if I fall, at least my heart will have been true. Let me die, die trying; I can cry tomorrow if I do.”
Kristen Hall intertwines the necessary optimism and ever-lingering pessimism same-sex bi-national couples suffer in these two lines from one of my favourites of her insightfully written songs. When I listen to her velvety voice wrapping itself around these words, I feel the bristle of pain and anger that springs from a relationship started with pure joy and naïveté. Like many who are partnered with a same-sex foreigner, I often find myself teetering between tossing in the towel and jumping full force into the uncertainty of starting over, propelled equally by love and desperation.
I’m not over-dramatising—I’m a girl in love with a girl who just happens to come from another country, my country’s greatest ally—the United Kingdom. The mor
Kristen Hall intertwines the necessary optimism and ever-lingering pessimism same-sex bi-national couples suffer in these two lines from one of my favourites of her insightfully written songs. When I listen to her velvety voice wrapping itself around these words, I feel the bristle of pain and anger that springs from a relationship started with pure joy and naïveté. Like many who are partnered with a same-sex foreigner, I often find myself teetering between tossing in the towel and jumping full force into the uncertainty of starting over, propelled equally by love and desperation.
I’m not over-dramatising—I’m a girl in love with a girl who just happens to come from another country, my country’s greatest ally—the United Kingdom. The mor
Welcome sign from US ending misguided HIV policy
Posted by
USABound 930 days ago
(http://www.chron.com)
The United States has long been a resolute, generous leader in the international struggle to eliminate AIDS, but for the past 22 years it has also been one of a handful of countries to refuse entry to HIV-positive visitors, both tourists and those seeking to become legal residents.
But last week, as he prepared to sign a bill reauthorizing funds for HIV/AIDS programs, President Barack Obama announced an end to the ban, calling it a policy “rooted in fear rather than fact.”
It was a sound and welcome decision, eliminating a discriminatory roadblock that has been in place far too long without any scientific justification.
In 1987, in an atmosphere of fear and confusion over its nature and transmission, the Department of Health and Human Services added HIV/AIDS to the list of communicable diseases that could deny people entry.
But last week, as he prepared to sign a bill reauthorizing funds for HIV/AIDS programs, President Barack Obama announced an end to the ban, calling it a policy “rooted in fear rather than fact.”
It was a sound and welcome decision, eliminating a discriminatory roadblock that has been in place far too long without any scientific justification.
In 1987, in an atmosphere of fear and confusion over its nature and transmission, the Department of Health and Human Services added HIV/AIDS to the list of communicable diseases that could deny people entry.
US Immigration Law Tearing Apart Life Love and Home #NEM
Posted by
ATLdave 956 days ago
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com)
full equality for the LGBT community. The event, named the National Equality March, comes on the heels of growing calls for the federal government to pick up the pace on civil rights legislation, such as recognition for LGBT couples, repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and finally passing an inclusive employment non-discrimination act. Organizers say they are expecting tens of thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of participants for the event.
Steve and Joe, however, will be notably absent.
The couple, who recently married in Connecticut and bought a home in Washington, D.C., will not be in the capital on Sunday. Instead, they will be packing Joe’s belongings. Under federal law, Steve and Joe are no longer allowed to live together in the country they call home.
Steve and Joe, however, will be notably absent.
The couple, who recently married in Connecticut and bought a home in Washington, D.C., will not be in the capital on Sunday. Instead, they will be packing Joe’s belongings. Under federal law, Steve and Joe are no longer allowed to live together in the country they call home.
Gay couples seek changes in immigration law in US
Posted by
USABound 1003 days ago
(http://www.twincities.com)
Traveling from a homeland that bans sex except for reproduction, Ray Sin expected fewer restrictions in the United States.But after the student from Singapore fell in love in Minneapolis, his impression that the United States was progressive was punctured. He learned that his partner, Phillip Knoll, could not sponsor him to live in the United States, as can a heterosexual wishing to sponsor a spouse from abroad.
"That's when I realized, 'Oh, no, we have so many obstacles,' " said Sin, 29. Now U.S. lawmakers are drafting immigration-reform bills that would include proposals to let gay people bring their partners to the United States permanently.
Sen. Al Franken is expected to co-sponsor such a proposal, his spokeswoman said. If adopted, the legislation would affect about 40,000 couples in the U.S., including 500 in Minnesota. Gay-rights advocates are courting Mi
"That's when I realized, 'Oh, no, we have so many obstacles,' " said Sin, 29. Now U.S. lawmakers are drafting immigration-reform bills that would include proposals to let gay people bring their partners to the United States permanently.
Sen. Al Franken is expected to co-sponsor such a proposal, his spokeswoman said. If adopted, the legislation would affect about 40,000 couples in the U.S., including 500 in Minnesota. Gay-rights advocates are courting Mi
When the couple flew back to the United States, Campos-Maidhof learned a painful lesson — one that millions of other binational spouses have encountered because they didn't do enough research on immigration laws, assumed that certain requirements didn't apply to them or tried their best to follow the rules but received bad advice.
“This has been the most traumatic situation I've experienced in my life,” Campos-Maidhof, 31, said by phone from Costa Rica.
The road to married bliss for binational couples can be paved with legal land mines. People frequently — and wrongly — presume that when one person is a U.S. citizen, it's easy for the foreign-born bride or groom to obtain permanent legal status.
“This has been the most traumatic situation I've experienced in my life,” Campos-Maidhof, 31, said by phone from Costa Rica.
The road to married bliss for binational couples can be paved with legal land mines. People frequently — and wrongly — presume that when one person is a U.S. citizen, it's easy for the foreign-born bride or groom to obtain permanent legal status.
Amsterdam Gay Weddings Protest US Immigration Law
Posted by
freedom2immigrate 1030 days ago
(http://www.ontopmag.com)
Five gay couples will marry in Amsterdam to protest U.S. immigration law and urge Congress to pass gay-inclusive immigration reform.
The five US-Dutch couples will be married on the “I Do Boat” next weekend by Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen.
The boat is being sponsored by the Amsterdam City Council and the Love Exiles Foundation, a group working for marriage equality in the U.S. for bi-national couples.
The five US-Dutch couples will be married on the “I Do Boat” next weekend by Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen.
The boat is being sponsored by the Amsterdam City Council and the Love Exiles Foundation, a group working for marriage equality in the U.S. for bi-national couples.
US May Lift Entry Ban on HIV Patients
Posted by
USABound 1035 days ago
(http://www.thenewamerican.com)
Victoria Neilson, legal director for the homosexual and transgender immigration lobbying organization Immigration Equality, noted that “ending the HIV ...Among the critics of allowing the HIV-positive into America is John Vinson, the president of the American Immigration Control Foundation. “It seems rather odd to let people in with a health problem like that,” he said, noting that people have desires and may spread the disease in America. “Why bring on a problem on yourself when you don’t have to?”...
Gratuitous cruelty by the US towards American Gay Couples
Posted by
Fight4theRight 1038 days ago
(http://citizenchris.typepad.com)
"This is simply gratuitous cruelty. It serves no interest of the United States to be cruel to these people."
That's how Congressman Jerrold Nadler describes the situation for the latest bi-national couple to undergo forced separation by the United States due to its arcane immigration laws.
You can read the full story in today's Metro Weekly.
In summary, Steve and Joe have been together for 9 years. They are legally partnered in DC and legally married in Connecticut. Steve is a US citizen and Joe was born in Indonesia but was educated in the US and has been here on a student visa and then a work visa, always legally. He was days away from gaining his permanent residency (green card), but was just laid off, which stops everything and gives him 30 days to leave the country. If Joe were a woman, the marriage would be recognized and he/she would have gotten a
That's how Congressman Jerrold Nadler describes the situation for the latest bi-national couple to undergo forced separation by the United States due to its arcane immigration laws.
You can read the full story in today's Metro Weekly.
In summary, Steve and Joe have been together for 9 years. They are legally partnered in DC and legally married in Connecticut. Steve is a US citizen and Joe was born in Indonesia but was educated in the US and has been here on a student visa and then a work visa, always legally. He was days away from gaining his permanent residency (green card), but was just laid off, which stops everything and gives him 30 days to leave the country. If Joe were a woman, the marriage would be recognized and he/she would have gotten a
Citizen Crain: New straight hero on DADT
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1048 days ago
(http://citizenchris.typepad.com)
This may be our turning point, as straight politicians Congressman Jerry Nadler and Senator Patrick Leahy (two others we should consider heros) have become fierce advocates for the Uniting American Families Act, the bill that would ...
Love Exiles want a choice to live in the US
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1048 days ago
(http://www.immigrantconnect.org)
Which was precisely the point of passing the Uniting American Families Act, Kat said. “It's not just for us. It's for everybody. Maybe at that point in our lives we won't want to move back to America but in 10 years I know there are ...
Love knows no boundaries but US immigration laws
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1048 days ago
(http://www.immigrantconnect.org)
A slight feeling of dread would creep into Jim Danaher’s heart every time his boyfriend, Christof Spiesschaert, left the country. While Christof, a Belgian citizen, had a valid tourist visa, the document did not guarantee he would be let back into the U.S. once he left its borders. Entering the U.S. is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol,a separate department from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services which grants visas.
Early last April when Jim found himself waiting for Christof to come striding into the arrival waiting area long after Christof’s plane from Mexico had landed at Chicago O’Hare, Jim knew something was wrong.
The couple had been in a relationship for about a year and a half after meeting in Florida in late 2004 while they were both on vacation. After the two exchanged a few short visits, including a Valentine’s D
Early last April when Jim found himself waiting for Christof to come striding into the arrival waiting area long after Christof’s plane from Mexico had landed at Chicago O’Hare, Jim knew something was wrong.
The couple had been in a relationship for about a year and a half after meeting in Florida in late 2004 while they were both on vacation. After the two exchanged a few short visits, including a Valentine’s D
Once passed, the UAFA would stipulate a new immigration category allowing “permanent partners” of United States Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents to acquire immigration benefits. The provisions of the act are shrewd insofar as they avoid direct conflict with the definition of marriage as set forth in DOMA. Even if US law did not acknowledge the multi-national couple’s relationship status, it would probably bestow substantially similar immigration rights as those accorded to married people of the opposite sex. As time goes on and more local jurisdictions begin recognizing same sex marriage, the Defense of Marriage Act will become somewhat innocuous and irrelevant because many of the several states will recognize the union and Federal benefits will be granted based upon the usage of different terminology to define the relationship.
An interesting aspect of the UAFA from
An interesting aspect of the UAFA from
US Visas for Same Sex Couples The Uniting American Families Act
Posted by
Fight4theRight 1064 days ago
(http://www.dwteck.com)
Once passed, the UAFA would stipulate a new immigration category allowing “permanent partners” of United States Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents to acquire immigration benefits. The act itself is somewhat ingenious in that it creates a new category and therefore sidesteps a direct confrontation with the definition of marriage as stipulated in the Defense of Marriage Act. Even if US law did not acknowledge the multi-national couple’s relationship status, it would probably bestow substantially similar immigration rights as those accorded to married people of the opposite sex. As time goes on and more local jurisdictions begin recognizing same sex marriage, the Defense of Marriage Act will become somewhat innocuous and irrelevant because many of the several states will recognize the union and Federal benefits will be granted based upon the usage of different terminology to define ..
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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.