Support the Uniting American Families Act for Gay and Lesbian Couples
The first ever Senate hearing will be held next Wednesday, June 3 on the Uniting American Families Act, a bill which would allow American citizens and LPRs to sponsor their long-term same sex partner. For more information about providing written testimony for the hearing, contact: Victoria Neilson, Legal Director, Immigration Equality: vneilson@immigrationequality.org
• Gay and lesbian Americans who fall in love across borders face an impossible choice between being with the person they love and staying in their country. Americans should not have to choose between family and country.
• Gay and lesbian Americans in binational couples are forced to make terrible choices: interrupting careers, uprooting children, and leaving aging parents behind in order to be with the person they love.
• According to the U.S. Census, 37,000 gay and lesbian Americans are in binational couples. Their median age is 38, and 44% of them are raising children. These are mature, committed relationships. They should not have to choose between family and country.
• It’s unfair to force hard-working citizens to choose between their country and the person they love, just because they’re gay or lesbian.
• The U.S. government discriminates against gays and lesbians by forbidding them from sponsoring their life partners for residency in the United States.
• Gay and lesbian couples simply want the same opportunity to prove that their families deserve to stay together.
• Nineteen countries provide equal immigration benefits to gay and lesbian couples. The U.S. should join these countries who do not discrimination against gay and lesbian couples.
• Splitting families doesn’t just hurt gay and lesbian Americans – it hurts their parents, their extended families, their employers, and their communities.
• America is losing talented, tax-paying citizens, and American companies are losing talented employees because they are forced to move abroad to keep their family together.
• We’re talking about families who are playing by the rules – they work hard, they pay their taxes.
• The Uniting American Families Act requires gay and lesbian couples to meet the same standard of proof as straight couples to qualify for immigration benefits. They have to go through the same interview process, they have to prove that their relationship is serious and committed, and the American has to sign a legally binding promise of financial support, even if the couple splits up.
• The Uniting American Families Act includes harsh penalties for fraud, including fines of up to $250,000 and up to five years in jail.
• Congress has a responsibility to move this bill forward and fix this huge inequity.
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