Idea for Change in America: Equal Immigration Rights for Same-Sex Binational Couples

by Michael Jones · 2008-12-07 05:29:00 UTC
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PassportWe already know that "If it's Sunday, it must be Meet the Press."  Well, why don't we start a new motto over here at gayrights.change.org, and say that "If it's Sunday, it must be Meet the Ideas for Change in America."  Today, we'll highlight three of the best LGBT Rights "Ideas for Change in America" being voted on over at the change.org Ideas section.  If these ideas receive enough votes, they'll be presented to President Obama on Inauguration Day, and an organized lobbying effort will take shape once the 111th Congress starts to work on behalf of these issues in the U.S. House and Senate.  

Our first idea?  Equal Immigration Rights for Same-Sex Couples.  Right now, gay and lesbian Americans with foreign partners have no way of sponsoring their partner for a Green Card in order for them to stay together in the United States.  U.S. immigration law does not recognize same-sex relationships.

Amos Lin, who submitted the idea to change.org, said that there are at least 36,000 Americans who are affected by this.  Gay and Lesbian Americans are being forced to leave the country to migrate to one of the 16 countries that allows for same-sex immigration so that they can be with their partner.  The other option is to separate.

There is hope for overturning this discriminatory practice.   The first thing you can do is head on over to change.org's "Ideas for Change in America" page, and vote for Immigration Equality.  If this idea gets enough votes, we'll see some real action on it under the Obama administration.

The second thing is head on over to Immigration Equality, and read up on their proposed federal bill, the "Uniting American Families Act."  The UAFA is a bill that if passed, would provide a mechanism under the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents in binational same-sex relationships to sponsor their foreign born partner for immigration benefits to the U.S. 

In other words, the UAFA would end the discriminatory practice of treating LGBT couples differently than heterosexual couples when it comes to immigration rights.   Check out the video below, from Current TV, that talks about one couple's story under the current immigration policy that does not allow for same-sex partners to obtain Green Cards.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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