The Bilerico Project

Growing Calls for Immigration Reform That Leaves No Family Behind

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:30:00 -0500

Congress has promised to begin the process of reforming America's broken immigration system later this year. There is widespread consensus that reform is urgently needed, and a growing insistence among lawmakers that any reform effort must adhere to our nation's long-standing commitment to family unification. Under current immigration law, millions of families remain separated because of inexcusable visa backlogs, unnecessary bureaucratic paper trails and discriminatory policies that do not recognize lesbian and gay families for the purposes of equal immigration rights.

For all of those families, time is of the essence. Every day, loved ones are forcibly separated from each other. For too many, the American dream is one that cannot yet be shared with their spouse, sibling or significant other.

This Friday, Congress will hold two briefings which signal the beginning of immigration reform efforts. Those two events - one focused on family immigration policies and one on the much-needed DREAM Act - will also be a starting point to ensure that critically important components of reform, like young people and families, aren't left on the Congressional cutting room floor.

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Matthew's Story

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0500

For "Matthew," next year can't come soon enough.

The American citizen, who is featured in the September issue of The Advocate, chose the pseudonym to honor the memory of Matthew Shepard. He cannot use his real name because doing so will almost certainly mean that he and his partner will face unspeakable violence. This "Matthew" lives in fear that he may face the same fate as his more famous namesake.

The "Matthew" of September's Advocate, you see, lives abroad, in a Muslim country in the Middle East, because he cannot live at home, in the United States, with his partner. Under current U.S. immigration law, Matthew cannot sponsor his partner, who is Middle Eastern, for residency. As a result, they now make their home in one of the most hostile countries on earth for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Their story, movingly recounted by reporter Andrew Harmon, is a stark reminder of just how heinous U.S. immigration law can be.

So for Matthew, President Obama's pledge yesterday to pass comprehensive immigration reform in 2010 was welcome news. But he knows that Obama's pledge is the easy part. Fixing the immigration system for his family will take the support of the entire LGBT community.

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A "Penultimate Step" in the Fight to End the HIV Travel Ban

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:30:00 -0500

In a move that closes the gap between two White House administrations, numerous government agencies and a year-old act of Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued regulations that would end the United States' decades-old HIV travel and immigration ban. Originally authorized as part of President Bush's PEPFAR legislation - thanks, in large part, to the heroic efforts of Senator John Kerry, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former Senator Gordon Smith - repeal of the ban took a giant leap forward this week with publication of the HHS regulations and a promise from President Obama that his administration is committed to seeing the ban rescinded soon.

Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, which played a leading role in the repeal effort called the proposed regulations "the penultimate step" toward ending the ban, noting in Newsday that, "These regulations are a long time coming. There hasn't been a major HIV scientific conference in the U.S. in decades because of this ban."

Blogger Andrew Sullivan, who has been a long-time advocate on the issue, also noted on The Daily Dish that the regulations represent "a milestone," adding that repeal of the ban, ". . . will remove a measure that discourages honesty about HIV, and promotes a stigma around the disease that makes effective prevention and treatment much harder. It will save lives. It will save relationships and marriages. It will place America where it belongs - at the forefront of global AIDS and HIV leadership."

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Democracy Now: Former Army Secretary Calls for End to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0500

For Love AND Country: Immigration & The LGBT Community

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

In 1999, when I first began working for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the question I heard most often - from friends, colleagues and the media - was "why?" Why did I, having never served in uniform, care about the right of LGBT people to serve openly in the U.S. military? And why, of all the pressing issues facing our community, did I think repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was so essential to the movement for full equality?

The answer - which was not so widely acknowledged a decade ago - was actually quite simple: When the federal government can officially discriminate against us, it is implicitly giving permission for the larger community to do the same. Toppling the military's gay ban would also topple any misconception that LGBT people were somehow unable, or unwilling, to protect and defend our country. And when that misconception is finally off the books, it will have a broad ripple effect that benefits us all.

Now, a decade after joining the fight against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," I'm proud to be part of another movement that leaves some in our community scratching their heads and wondering "why." It is the movement to end anti-LGBT discrimination in the U.S. immigration system. And, like the campaign to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it is an issue whose time has come and the consequences of which are broad, and powerful, for all LGBT people.

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An Unlikely Heroine, Making History in the Senate

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:30:00 -0500

Later this morning, the United States Senate will make history as it convenes the first-ever hearings on lesbian and gay binational couples. At 10am today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will meet to discuss The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), a critically important bill that would modify U.S. immigration policy to treat LGBT families equally under the law. (The hearing will be streamed live online at The Senate Judiciary Committee website.)

Even as the Committee begins to consider the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court - an event that usually halts all other business in official Washington - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has asked Committee members to come together to hear about the plight of couples, and families, who are officially discriminated against under current immigration law. Leahy, who is also the lead Senate sponsor of UAFA, is sending an unmistakable message that, as the country begins to consider comprehensive immigration reform, our families must be part of that coming effort in Congress.

Indeed, no reform can be truly comprehensive unless it includes LGBT families, too. And among those testifying in the Senate this morning will be an unlikely heroine whose story may be the tipping point in the national debate about the rights of same-gender binational couples and their families.

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Tearing Families Apart, When We Should Be Uniting Them

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:00:00 -0500

Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado are, by all accounts, a picture-perfect family. The two have been together - happily - for more than two decades. They have adorable 12-year-old twins. They married in 2004. And they are hard-working, productive members of their community in Pacifica, California, where they have built a loving home that also includes Jay's mother, Renee.

So why is the United States government spending so much time - and so much taxpayer money - tearing this family apart?

Simply put, because Shirley and Jay are a lesbian couple.

As a result, on April 22nd, Shirley is scheduled to be deported - and torn away from her partner, children and mother-in-law - unless Congress takes action to keep their family together. And if you think that's outrageous, consider this: Shirley and Jay's story isn't exactly unique. According to Immigration Equality, an organization that does heroic work on behalf of same-sex, bi-national couples, an estimated 36,000 such couples face similar situations simply because, to date, the United States has refused to level the playing field for lesbian and gay Americans who have long-term partners from abroad.

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A Mother, Her Son and a Test of America's New Foreign Policy

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:30:00 -0500

In recent months, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans have begun cautiously expressing hope that, in addition to recent, hard won victories here at home, we may be on the verge of a little bit of progress abroad, too.

Our community rightly cheered when the Obama administration recently reversed a Bush administration policy and endorsed a United Nations declaration on protecting the world's LGBT people. And we looked on with admiration and pride again as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently said that she and President Obama intend to stand against anti-gay animus on the world stage, too. Speaking in March to a group of enthusiastic supporters in Brussels, Clinton told the crowd that "Human rights is and always will be one of the pillars of our foreign policy. In particular, persecution and discrimination against gays and lesbians is something we take very seriously."

The remark, press outlets reported, brought about wild applause and, for perhaps the first time, sent a clear message to foreign leaders that the United States intends to speak out against anti-gay atrocities abroad. It was, to paraphrase Secretary Clinton's famous words as America's First Lady, intended to put the world on notice that we believe "human rights are gays rights, and gay rights are human rights, too."

But, as noble as the sentiment of both actions were, they gave little comfort to Kathy Gilleran, a mother from upstate New York whose son, Aeryn, has been missing in Austria for more than a year and a half. Because, while Kathy would love to believe that a new day has dawned in diplomatic affairs, she continues to struggle in her heroic efforts to learn the truth about her gay son and continues to meet roadblock after roadblock in her quest to uncover the facts about what happened in Vienna.

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Disrespecting the Troops, One Thousand Officers at a Time

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:00:00 -0500

Throughout their history, right-wing activists, when left with no facts to defend their case, have often turned to scare tactics to keep their crusades going. Whether it is "code red" terror alerts a few days before an election, or dire warnings about hurricanes seeking revenge for our pro-choice ways, the far right has long been fond of playing Jungian psychology to prey on ancient fears.

That is certainly the case with one of the right-wing's darlings of the moment, Elaine Donnelly, who heads up the misleadingly named Center for Military Readiness. Donnelly, who rose to fame by maligning brave, patriotic women who sign up for service in the armed forces, has recently set her sights on another set of troops, and set out to malign gays. From warning - before a Congressional committee, no less - of the "inappropriate passive/aggressive actions common in the homosexual community" to repeatedly calling an Army command in Texas in an attempt to get a gay soldier fired, Donnelly has crossed lines of decency and respect again and again.

In fact, Donnelly's attacks on women (she recently said - you just can't make this up - that "to treat [women] equally would be unfair") and gays has become the subject of constant ridicule. Everyone from Jon Stewart to The Washington Post have lambasted her 18th century sensibilities.

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Lisa Larges & The Reprecussions of Rejection

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Lisa Larges recently found herself the latest person caught in the untenable Catch-22 of too many churches: How can openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people demonstrate their commitment to their chosen path - and be a positive example to parishioners who need them - when their own denomination labels them as unqualified to be leaders in their communities of faith?

Larges, who was poised to become the Presbyterian Church's first openly lesbian minister, had her hopes dashed when, last week, the church blocked her path to ordination. And while church leaders did not specifically cite her sexual orientation as the reason for its decision - instead issuing a very technical ruling that the process used to advance her ordination was flawed - the fact remains that the Presbyterian Church, like too many others, continues to deny its congregants the opportunity to be led by clergy who reflect, from the pulpit, the diversity already evident in their pews.

Indeed, LGBT people are part of every tradition of faith, but continue to be unfairly excluded from the leadership of their houses of worship. In most cases, an openly lesbian or gay person who adheres to every tenet of their religion is, nonetheless, blocked from ascending to the title of clergy. The result, unfortunately, is an unacceptable message that lesbian and gay people are somehow "less than" in the eyes of God . . . and that, in turn, has real consequences for families, and especially young people, who worship in houses that still refuse to put out a welcome mat for all spiritual seekers.

The truth is that members of the clergy continue to play a monumental role in many people's lives. For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, that role can either be life-saving or heart-wrenchingly painful. And in both cases, the effects can be long-term.

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Change, Coming from the Heartland

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:00:00 -0500

During his campaign for the White House, President Obama was often fond of reminding Americans that "change doesn't come from Washington; it comes to Washington." Significant change, he told the country, doesn't usually originate in the halls of Congress, but rises up from the heartland of America, when voters demand their elected leaders do something drastic and change the course of our country and our collective history.

That fundamental lesson, about the power of an effective "community organizer" to usher in change on a national level, may also be a key component of an effective campaign to "turn the corner" on our national debate about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By understanding that change won't necessarily come from the corridors of power in D.C., but may begin with a shift in the thinking of both blue and red state America, we may be able to build the foundations today that will spell victory for our families tomorrow, when we once again face ballot box battles like Proposition 8 in California or a vote on federal hate crimes legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Indeed, making in-roads in places like North Carolina (where lawmakers are moving forward on an anti-marriage amendment), Illinois (where advocates have been putting in long hours and a lot of energy to establish recognition for same-sex couples) and Indiana (where the legislature has blocked an anti-marriage bill, but where allies fear their one-vote victory could someday disappear) can pay significant dividends for families across the country. And even in California, where some smaller communities almost unanimously supported Proposition 8, there is much community organizing left to be done.

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Elaine Donnelly & A Sister's Hidden "Doubt"

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Elaine Donnelly is beginning to sound more and more like Sister Aloysius.

The lead character in John Patrick Shanley's play, and film, Doubt, Aloysius spends much of her time whipping up the winds of controversy and declaring, as if preaching an undeniable gospel, the evils of those who champion change and put faith in the evolution of humanity's common sense. What initially appears to be a dementia fueled by a God complex, however, is later revealed to be the manifestation of an internalized fear of progress and a deep-seated belief that nothing different can ever be good.

Yet all the while, beneath the sheen of her self-assuredness, the wronged Sister has buried suspicions that, in fact, she may not even be right.

Similarly, one look at Donnelly's recent comments on Congressional efforts to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" leads one to the inevitable question of whether Elaine can even possibly believe her own distorted delusions.

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A Study in Contrasts on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:00:00 -0500

It may be the latest sign of the growing divide between North and South, so to speak. Or, to find a more optimistic silver lining, a hopeful sign of things to come here at home.

Earlier this morning, the government of Argentina, an increasingly welcoming South American country when it comes to lesbians and gays, officially ended its prohibition on open service in the armed forces. Under the leadership of President Cristina Kirchner, the country rolled out a welcome mat for gay troops with an official policy of open service. "[W]ith this new system, gay men or lesbian women who wish to train in the forces should encounter no impediment, nor any military retaliation areas," AG Magazine reported today.

The move puts Argentina in good company. Few nations continue to exclude qualified lesbian and gay troops from their armed forces, and most of the world's most effective militaries - including Great Britain, Canada and others - long ago ended their military bans. Membership in the European Union, in fact, requires lifting any remaining laws or policies that bar gay citizens from service. And from the most progressive (Sweden) to the most religious (Israel) nations on the globe, there is a recognition that qualification - and not discrimination - should determine who is eligible to serve.

Yet, even while Argentina takes a giant step forward on the issue, the United States, at the very same moment, continues to offer a study in contrasts.

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A College Frat Boy & The Kiss of Dismissal

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:30:00 -0500

How officially homophobic is the U.S. military?

Apparently, even more so than a frat party, as we learned from a story on the campus of GW in recent weeks.

"GW," for those not living inside the beltway, is short for George Washington University, a respected, presumably progressive campus in the nation's capital. GW boasts a significant gay community among its student population and often hosts panels, seminars and workshops on LGBT equality. The school, in fact, has a decent reputation as being a forward-thinking, fair-minded college community. But it's fair-mindedness proved no match for federal bigotry.

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"A Good Parent Is A Good Parent"

steve@bilerico.com (Steve Ralls) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Here's news that should surprise absolutely no one: Children raised by loving lesbian and gay parents fare just as well as children brought up by heterosexual couples.

In a widely circulated article from Tuesday's Chicago Tribune, reporter Bonnie Miller Rubin talks to sociologists, researchers, statisticians and others who have reached the unmistakable conclusion that, despite the controversy that still surrounds same-sex families in some parts of America, what's in the best interest of the child is a loving household... regardless of the gender of the parents involved.

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