“I don’t want to be an activist,” Josh Vandiver, a 29-year-old gay man explained.A Harvard graduate completing his Ph.D. at Princeton, with a focus on comparative ancient Greek and Renaissance political theory, Vandiver said, “I want to finish up my dissertation and become a professor… I’m a reclusive scholar. I like to be in the library all day.”Cristina Ojeda, a 24-year-old lesbian who came to the US from Mexico when she was 11 and became a citizen at the same time her father did, has more experience with LGBT causes. As an undergraduate at the University of California at Santa Cruz, she found herself amidst a politically charged student body. “It was natural to be involved,” she said.Still, when Ojeda, who grew up in California, moved to Buffalo to get a master’s in social work at SUNY, she found an apartment off campus in a low-income neighborhood where she felt uneasy leading a vis
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Uniting American Love - Gay City News
Posted by
uluckidog 570 days ago
(http://news.google.com)
Immigration Equality announces action fund
Posted by
USAFrance 879 days ago
(http://sdgln.com)
Immigration Equality, a non-profit advocacy and legal aid organization serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and HIV-positive immigrants and their families, announced today that it has established a “501(c)4” entity, the Immigration Equality Action Fund, to significantly increase its federal advocacy and grassroots organizing work. The Action Fund’s launch also includes an expanded office in Washington, D.C., where a new policy staffer and an online grassroots organizer will soon join the organization.
“The launch of the Immigration Equality Action Fund comes at a critical moment in our work to advocate on behalf of LGBT immigrant families,” said Rachel B. Tiven, the organization’s executive director. “As Congress turns its attention to comprehensive immigration reform, and as a record number of lawmakers signal their support for the Uniting American Families A
“The launch of the Immigration Equality Action Fund comes at a critical moment in our work to advocate on behalf of LGBT immigrant families,” said Rachel B. Tiven, the organization’s executive director. “As Congress turns its attention to comprehensive immigration reform, and as a record number of lawmakers signal their support for the Uniting American Families A
They met nearly 20 years ago in the Netherlands.
From the start, Jenny Phipps, a Delaware native, and Ottie Pondman said they forged a bond they never shared with their husbands.
When Phipps divorced her husband of 17 years, she moved in with Pondman, a native of the Netherlands, who was already divorced. The two lived as a couple in Zoetermeer.
But when the 52-year-old Phipps decided she wanted to return to the United States following her brother's death, Pondman, 61, agreed and came over on a visa waiver program -- essentially a tourist permit -- to legally remain here.
In September, though, immigration officials gave Pondman 60 to 90 days to leave the country. Her only chance of staying was to get married.
From the start, Jenny Phipps, a Delaware native, and Ottie Pondman said they forged a bond they never shared with their husbands.
When Phipps divorced her husband of 17 years, she moved in with Pondman, a native of the Netherlands, who was already divorced. The two lived as a couple in Zoetermeer.
But when the 52-year-old Phipps decided she wanted to return to the United States following her brother's death, Pondman, 61, agreed and came over on a visa waiver program -- essentially a tourist permit -- to legally remain here.
In September, though, immigration officials gave Pondman 60 to 90 days to leave the country. Her only chance of staying was to get married.
UAFA Gains Influential New Cosponsor
Posted by
freedom2immigrate 900 days ago
(http://sdgln.com)
Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee (and formerly that committee’s Republican Chairman), has signed on as a cosponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA).
At last June’s Senate Judiciary Committee UAFA hearing, Specter expressed strong support for ending discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans and their families in immigration law. Immigration Equality applauds Senator Specter for his support for LGBT binational families.
Eight of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s twelve Democrats are now cosponsors of UAFA. A ninth, Senator Ted Kaufman of Delaware, recently publicly stated his support for equal immigration rights for LGBT families
At last June’s Senate Judiciary Committee UAFA hearing, Specter expressed strong support for ending discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans and their families in immigration law. Immigration Equality applauds Senator Specter for his support for LGBT binational families.
Eight of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s twelve Democrats are now cosponsors of UAFA. A ninth, Senator Ted Kaufman of Delaware, recently publicly stated his support for equal immigration rights for LGBT families
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.
For countless millions of people in America and around the globe, Lady Liberty and her torch light the way to freedom and equality. For gay and lesbian bi-national couples, the famed statue, with a cold and stern face, seems more like a heartless sentry guarding the nation’s borders and ripping lives apart.
Ryan Wilson, a Columbia resident and a sexual health coordinator at the University of South Carolina, first met his partner, Shehan Welihindha, at the 2008 National Lesbian and Gay Task Force Creating Change conference in Denver.
“We met in the very first session on the very first day,” Wilson told Q-Notes. “We ended up sitting at the same table because we were from the same region. Shehan was working at the University of Arkansas.”
They’ve been in a committed, mostly long-distance relationship ever since. Both Wilson, 25, and Welihindha, 27, ha
Ryan Wilson, a Columbia resident and a sexual health coordinator at the University of South Carolina, first met his partner, Shehan Welihindha, at the 2008 National Lesbian and Gay Task Force Creating Change conference in Denver.
“We met in the very first session on the very first day,” Wilson told Q-Notes. “We ended up sitting at the same table because we were from the same region. Shehan was working at the University of Arkansas.”
They’ve been in a committed, mostly long-distance relationship ever since. Both Wilson, 25, and Welihindha, 27, ha
Episcopal Church Adopts Immigration Equality Resolution
Posted by
DividedByLaw 1010 days ago
(http://www.episcopalchurch.org)
Assure fairness in immigration and specifically provide immigration equality for same-gender couples (D076). CONCURRED: The Resolution was adopted by both Houses and has become an Act of Convention.
//
The 76th General Convention, meeting in Anaheim, California, July 8-17, acted on or referred every one of the 419 resolutions it considered.
Below is an unofficial, unaudited, abbreviated summary of some of the resolutions passed by both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. ENS staff culled it from the General Convention Office's searchable legislative tracking website.
Meanwhile, the church's General Convention office has produced a 25-page summary of convention actions available here. It includes a list of resolutions sorted by their final status; a list of resolutions that deal with the church's constitution, canons and the convention's
//
The 76th General Convention, meeting in Anaheim, California, July 8-17, acted on or referred every one of the 419 resolutions it considered.
Below is an unofficial, unaudited, abbreviated summary of some of the resolutions passed by both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. ENS staff culled it from the General Convention Office's searchable legislative tracking website.
Meanwhile, the church's General Convention office has produced a 25-page summary of convention actions available here. It includes a list of resolutions sorted by their final status; a list of resolutions that deal with the church's constitution, canons and the convention's
Leftist Foundations Fund Open Borders Agenda (Right Side News)
Posted by
OneVoice 1036 days ago
(http://rightsidenews.com)
Foundations of Betrayal offers a fresh inside look at an overlooked enemy - hundreds of big tax-exempt, leftist foundations that despise free enterprise and, yes, even our Constitution and America's sovereignty. "Wealth controls culture" and Phil Kent names the control freaks - old-timers like the Ford and Rockefeller foundations as well as devious newcomers like George Soros. Issues ranging from radical environmentalism to open borders serve as their main battering rams to remold America. These unaccountable elites also pay church groups to join their leftward march. They even promote deviant sexual behavior... Ford's website highlights its support of many political advocacy groups such as the Migration Policy Institute, the Immigrant Workers Citizenship Project and the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force.
It is Time to March (Gay City News)
Posted by
MarcoMUC 1048 days ago
(http://us.rd.yahoo.com)
The March on Washington has reached critical mass and it will play to a national audience on October 11 — National Coming Out Day, the traditional day for gay Washington protests. On that day in 1987, as the AIDS epidemic was treated with a stony indifference by President Ronald Reagan, the LGBT community mobilized a major demonstration around the slogan “Silence = Death.”
By now, the march is a sure thing, and those of us who don’t participate run the risk of making it a failure. Those of us who do march are likely to have one of the happiest moments in our lives. It has been my pleasure to march on Washington nearly a dozen times. Had I not been overseas, I would have been in Washington in 1963 when Martin Luther King articulated his dream. Now is the time we carry equality one step further and demand the full inclusion of the LGBT community in the nation’s civil rights l
By now, the march is a sure thing, and those of us who don’t participate run the risk of making it a failure. Those of us who do march are likely to have one of the happiest moments in our lives. It has been my pleasure to march on Washington nearly a dozen times. Had I not been overseas, I would have been in Washington in 1963 when Martin Luther King articulated his dream. Now is the time we carry equality one step further and demand the full inclusion of the LGBT community in the nation’s civil rights l
Gay marriage legal from today in Hungary but gap in rights persists
Posted by
SFbeat 1051 days ago
(http://www.caboodle.hu)
Homosexual couples can forge life partnerships before public notaries from Wednesday.These life partnerships will be guaranteed the same tax, employment, social and immigration benefits as heterosexual marriages. Gay couples will be barred from adopting children and taking their spouse's name, however.
Constitutional Court spokesman András Sereg told Magyar Hírlap that the Act, which was passed in March, can only now be challenged at the Constitutional Court.
Constitutional Court spokesman András Sereg told Magyar Hírlap that the Act, which was passed in March, can only now be challenged at the Constitutional Court.
What next for India gaydom?
Posted by
USABound 1055 days ago
(http://www.dnaindia.com)
Immigration rights - For Indian gay and lesbian couples, immigration is a vital area in the push for gay rights. Presently, they face difficulties in making career moves because of limitations regarding the visas they can obtain for their partners. SALGA points out there is a disgraceful prejudice in denying people immigration equality on the basis of sexual orientation.
"We are hoping that legalising gay marriages will allow same-sex couples to file for visas like straight couples," said Sooklall. He added that SALGA receives pleas for help from its own members and from gays and lesbians living in South Asia. "I know two cases where people did get asylum," said Sooklall.
Britain, Canada, South Africa and most west European countries have immigration policies that recognise same sex couples, but there has been no change to American immigration laws for gay coup
"We are hoping that legalising gay marriages will allow same-sex couples to file for visas like straight couples," said Sooklall. He added that SALGA receives pleas for help from its own members and from gays and lesbians living in South Asia. "I know two cases where people did get asylum," said Sooklall.
Britain, Canada, South Africa and most west European countries have immigration policies that recognise same sex couples, but there has been no change to American immigration laws for gay coup
It’s not as if gaining marriage equality in California makes everything equal for same-sex couples. We’ve still got DOMA—the Defense of Marriage Act—to contend with, and that’s a big problem. Our agenda is to repeal DOMA. So basically, while Courage Campaign and Marriage Equality USA are focusing here in California on repealing [Proposition] 8, our agenda is about repealing DOMA at the federal level.
I think that most same-sex couples don’t recognize how serious the effects of DOMA are until they become married, and then all of a sudden, it’s real. What we’ve found, over the last seven months, is that ...
I think that most same-sex couples don’t recognize how serious the effects of DOMA are until they become married, and then all of a sudden, it’s real. What we’ve found, over the last seven months, is that ...
Stonewall legacy The riot that changed Americas sexual politics (BBC News)
Posted by
MarcoMUC 1060 days ago
(http://news.bbc.co.uk)
I am considering a career move to Masachusetts US, looking to move there with my partner of 13 years. Although Massachusetts permits gay marriage, federal immigration laws do not recognise same sex relationships of any type. This is the first time in my life that I have faced difficulties (prejudice quite frankly) as a result of my sexual orientation. Although the company that I work for is fully supportive in moving both me and my partner, there are limitations regarding the visa that my partner can obtain - essentially limited to a 6 month visitor visa.
I find it incredible in 2009 that we are denied immigration equality on the basis of sexual orientation - it is a disgraceful prejudice.
Agulhas, Quebec, Canada
I find it incredible in 2009 that we are denied immigration equality on the basis of sexual orientation - it is a disgraceful prejudice.
Agulhas, Quebec, Canada
Check Your Marriage at the Border
Posted by
OurHero-Tan 1063 days ago
(http://exiledefacto.blogspot.com)
Several years ago, after attending the wedding of a distant acquaintance and listening to the pastor's sermon about the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, Sarah and I made a decision that we wouldn't attend any weddings unless 1) it was the wedding of a very close relative, or 2) it was the wedding of a couple who saw our marriage with the same seriousness and as having the same weight as any official heterosexual marriage. The second scenario involved a lot of imagining how certain people would behave if they attended a same-sex wedding ceremony. It's not as simple as it sounds to determine whether or not someone actually would view such a non-traditional wedding as legitimate.
Sure, we know a fair amount of individuals who claim they would take a same-sex wedding seriously, but most of these people, in their desperation to show just how okay they are with tho
Sure, we know a fair amount of individuals who claim they would take a same-sex wedding seriously, but most of these people, in their desperation to show just how okay they are with tho
Immigration Reform Explained
Posted by
BinatUK 1082 days ago
(http://immigration.about.com)
Time and again, you've heard the phrase "immigration reform," but what exactly does it mean? When people talk about wanting immigration reform, they seek a change to the current immigration laws. Those immigration laws are set out in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). In very basic terms, when someone says they want immigration reform, they want to amend the INA.
The Sanctuary, a pro-migrant and civil liberties group, asked presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama to complete a questionnaire, which included a number of immigration-related questions. Senator Obama spoke in favor of raids conducted in a humane fashion, increased border security, increasing the number of immigrant workers who have the skills to help support the U.S. economy, and he also spoke in favor of the Uniting American Families Act.
The Sanctuary, a pro-migrant and civil liberties group, asked presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama to complete a questionnaire, which included a number of immigration-related questions. Senator Obama spoke in favor of raids conducted in a humane fashion, increased border security, increasing the number of immigrant workers who have the skills to help support the U.S. economy, and he also spoke in favor of the Uniting American Families Act.
“How may I assist with these stories, if at all?...”
“My question back to you is how do we get immigration reform defined as a...”
“Watch the actual video on ABC 7's website, and you'll see that he's really...”
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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.