Recognizing Gay Marriages

The effects of cases like Adams v. Howerton, 673 F.2d 1036 (9th Cir. 1981), where same-sex marriages are not recognized for immigration purposes are discussed in a recent article in the Arizona Republic.

A foreigner who marries an American can get nearly automatic residency in the United States. But same-sex couples, even ones who have been together for decades, get no advantages at all.

“Our lives were an everyday game of chess,” said Marta Donayre, a Brazilian whose relationship with an American woman was thrown into chaos after Donayre lost her Silicon Valley job in 2001. She eventually founded Love Knows No Borders, one of several groups that have sprung up in recent years to help gay migrants.

For years, the struggles of these migrants were lost among the broader debate about gay marriage. The issue of gay marriage has flared again in Arizona with Proposition 107, an item on the Nov. 7 ballot that would make the state ban on such marriages part of the Arizona Constitution.

But in recent months, the struggles of same-sex immigrants and their partners have been getting more attention as gay advocates have begun campaigning for change, encouraged by marches demanding U.S. immigration reform. Click here.

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