Cyndi Lauper Cares, and Asks You To, Too!

Cyndi Lauper has been a staunch straight ally to the LGBT community for years and years, and she's shown great willingness to put her money where her mouth is. (And you know what her mouth's like - it goes all over the place, so that's a lot of money!)

Back in April, she launched a new campaign and website to bring attention to issues of discrimination against the LGBT community. She did it with a slight twist, though - her "Give A Damn" campaign actively works to get straight allies to come on board and work against homophobia. She's already gotten several big names celebrities (gay and straight) to participate, including:

• Whoopi Goldberg
• Jason Mraz
• Elton John
• Judith Light
• Cynthia Nixon
• Kim Kardashian
• Clay Aiken
• Sharon Osbourne
• Kelly Osbourne
• Anna Paquin

• 
  

"The Give a Damn Campaign is for everybody who cares about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.

But, it’s especially for all you straight people out there! Whether you’re already an active supporter, want to show your support for the first time, or hadn’t given equality a lot of thought before and now want to learn more, we are here to help you get informed about the issues and get involved, at a pace that works for you.

You’ll find a lot of useful information throughout this site—information that’ll engage you, surprise you and move you. You will also find a bunch of ways to get involved and show your support and encourage your straight peers to show theirs as well.

For all you gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender folks—we need and want you here, too! Because this site is also for you. Not only will you learn new things that might surprise and interest you, you’ll also find a lot of useful tools and resources that will help you encourage the straight people in your life to give a damn.

Like we said, the Give a Damn Campaign is for everyone. Because the only way we can truly achieve equality for all is if we all get informed and get involved. So join us today and let us know you give a damn!"

Another interesting aspect of her campaign is the issues that it covers. It includes some of the less common topic areas, like aging, faith, and immigration. Issues include:

• Workplace Discrimination
• Hate Crimes
• Military
• Marriage
• Youth | School
• Youth | Suicide
• Youth | Homelessness
• Older Adults
• Faith
• Parenting
• Health Care
• Immigration

Check it out. There are cool videos and personal stories and bloggy bits. And share it with your friends and family, especially your straight ones. Equality and fairness benefit everyone, not just the people that are actively discriminated against.

Until everyone is equal, no one is.

(And Cyndi Lauper's 2008 album, "Bring Ya To The Brink," is simply amazing. If you haven't checked it out yet, do! It's dance-y and fabulous! And supporting artists that support us also supports the community and efforts for equality.)

Torn Apart: Ed and Tim, Binational Gay Couple in Durham

(Thanks to ENC Communication Intern Matthew McGibney.)

I met Ed at the Equality NC Day of Action in May, while we were both waiting to speak with Representative EllieKinnaird. We got to talking (mostly of our love for Kinnaird) and I learned that Ed’s partner of 10 years, Tim, is a Canadian citizen. This usually wouldn’t be too terrible, but then I learned that Tim will have to leave the country in August for a year when his visa expires (which actually is terrible).

It’s made worse because Ed would be able to sponsor Tim’s permanent citizenship, but their decade-long relationship is not recognized by the Immigration Department (they’re gay, see).

The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) is a bill that would recognize their commitment and make it possible for Ed and Tim to stay together here in America, but it’s currently stalled in Congress.

Imagine all the problems you’d have if you had to pack up and leave the country for a year. Tim’s employer won’t be able to leave his job open for that time, and there are no guarantees at all that he’d be able to get it back when he returns. There will be inconveniences when it comes to housing and work. But these are just practical problems compared to the fact that Ed and Tim will be forced to live apart for a year.

Sometimes, when discussing national issues, it’s easier to treat them in the abstract. But here is a concrete example that these issues affect the lives of everyday Americans. A policy from Washington, D.C. will keep apart a couple in Durham, North Carolina.

There are 36,000 same-sex binational couples in America, according to the Census. That’s a huge number for me. I can’t conceptualize the shared problems of 72,000 people, but I can identify the plight of two, living right over in Durham.

It feels so unfair because straight couples can just get married and sponsor their partner for citizenship, but this isn’t an option for Ed and Tim. Their journey is going to include a year where they can’t be together in their country of choice, and plenty of hoops to jump through after that. They deserve all the rights and protection afforded to their straight neighbors, but their relationship is not considered by the immigration authorities.

You can find more information on the Facebook group dedicated to the couple, Keep Ed and Tim Together- Fight Immigration Injustice or at Immigration Equality.
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121, ask to speak with your Senators and Representative, and let them know you support Immigration Equality and the UAFA.

So Far So Good - A Step Towards Immigration Equality

[crossposted from Immigration Equality]

April 29, 2010

Senate Immigration Reform Principles Include Lesbian and Gay Binational Families

Proposal by Reid, Schumer & Menendez Calls for an End to Discrimination Faced by LGBT Families

A framework for immigration reform by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), includes a call for an end to discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) binational families.

The principles, which are meant to guide Congressional crafting of immigration reform legislation, specifically call for key provisions of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) to be part of a future reform bill.

Immigration Equality hailed the inclusion of the language, which would allow LGBT citizens and legal permanent residents to sponsor their foreign national partners for residency in the United States. Under current law, no such sponsorship is available.

An estimated 36,000 face imminent separation or exile because of discriminatory immigration policies. UAFA is sponsored in the Senate by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, and in the House by Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York.

“Today’s inclusive framework is an historic step forward for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender binational families,” said Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality. “Now, it is time to turn these principles into laws. We will fight to ensure that the Uniting American Families Act is an indelible part of the immigration reform bill.”

“The LGBT community is committed to comprehensive immigration reform that includes everyone,” Tiven added. “Our community understands, all too well, the pain of being punished and singled out for who we are. Our solidarity with the larger immigrant community is deep, and our resolve to fix our broken immigration system is real. We will work for a bill that provides a path to citizenship for the undocumented, including those who are LGBT. Time is of the essence for those facing separation or deportation, and Congress must act, urgently, to pass humane, comprehensive reform.”

Immigration Equality also applauded the inclusion of the DREAM Act — a path to citizenship for undocumented students — in the principles released today. Earlier this week, DREAM activists who have walked from Florida arrived in the nation's capital. Two of them, Juan Rodriguez and Felipe Matos, are also a couple, and have faced additional discrimination because of their sexual orientation. The outline also includes important provisions related to family unification, including ending the unconscionable backlogs that so many families face under the current system.

The group expressed dismay, however, over a proposal to implement a de-facto program for National ID Cards. Such a proposal, known as biometric identification, could be particularly troublesome for transgender immigrants, who struggle to get identity documents which match their correct name and gender.

“Immigration Equality,” Tiven concluded, “is working for a bill that protects LGBT immigrants who so desperately need reform. The path forward is about keeping families together and building a system that values our country’s unique and precious history as a nation of immigrants.”

Act Locally, Make Change Globally for Binational Partners

The recent news about hospital visitation - how the policy that we, Equality NC, pushed for and got passed here in North Carolina had been picked up and cited in a presidential memo directing that this policy be adopted at the federal level - shows exactly how changes made at the local level can ripple out and have a much broader, perhaps even national or global, effect.

(If you missed the hospital visitation news, find out more about it in the Washington Post, the New York Times, The News & Observer, or News Channel 14.)

In recent weeks, several local governments have endorsed a critical piece of legislation for immigrant families. City councils across the country have passed resolutions supporting the national Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would end discrimination against LGBT binational couples. A dozen cities have now endorsed UAFA and called on Congress to support it.

In some ways the move is mainly symbolic, but it also build supports for ending discriminatory immigration laws that keep LGBT couples apart.

Some examples include:

• Binghamton, NY
• Cambridge, MA
• Chicago, IL
• Ferndale, MI
• Los Angeles, CA
• Miami Beach, FL
• Minneapolis, MN
• New York City
• St. Louis, MO
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• West Hollywood, CA

These resolutions have occurred because of increased grassroots support of UAFA. Local groups have enlisted local voices to testify in support of the resolutions and tell their own stories of discrimination as part of a binational family.

These local events lay the groundwork for advancing the issue in Congress. Personal tales touch hearts and create change.

Here's a letter a friend of mine in Durham wrote to his local city council about his Canadian partner, who is being forced to leave the country for a year:

==========
Greetings [COUNCILPERSON'S NAME],

I've been impressed with the work you have done on the City Council, and I wanted to check with you to see if Durham could be among the progressive cities that are passing resolutions to support the Uniting American Families Act.

You see, I am the US citizen in a bi-national, same-sex couple. My partner and I have managed to legally remain together for over ten years. He's never been an illegal alien, always being here on an appropriate visa. Currently, he is on an H 1B visa and working as a math and science teacher at [SCHOOL].

Unfortunately, his current visa expires in August ... and in order to get another one, he must leave the US for one full year. [SCHOOL] loves him, but they can't afford to keep his position vacant for a year. At this point, we can only hope that they will have an opening for the 2011 school year and will be willing to sponsor him again for a visa.

If we were a heterosexual couple, we could have gotten married long ago. In fact, I could have sponsored him for a Green Card, and by now, he could have already become a US citizen himself. But we're not.

It's devastating to find that my spouse of ten years will have to leave the home we've created because our government doesn't value our relationship. I've been a good citizen all of my 49 years, paid my taxes, contributed to charities, been a part of my community, and yet, I feel that I'm only granted partial rights.

Of course, same-sex marriage would help provide equity, but let's face it, gay marriage is still a little far away. I believe it will happen, but not soon enough. In the meantime, the Uniting American Families Act is before the House and Senate. This bill would change US immigration rules to join the 19 or 20 other, more progressive, countries of the world who already allow their citizens to sponsor their unmarried, same-sex partners for immigration.

If Durham has not joined cities like Miami Beach, St. Louis, and Seattle in passing a resolution of support for this bill, would you be willing to introduce such a resolution?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

[WRITER'S NAME]
==========

This is a very real issue for them. These are their lives.

Have you contacted your local city council about this?

Never underestimate the effect a local, personal appeal may have on the larger issue. I know several LGBT couples who are binational. And every smaller step toward equality we take puts us closer to full equality.

For more information on immigration reform for LGBT folks, go to Immigration Equality and Out4Immigration.

Post-Valentine's: Whoopi for Marriage Equality, Just The Facts, Binational Couples

This year, Freedom to Marry Week wrapped up on Valentine's weekend.

Ironically, this weekend thousands of couples chose to tie the knot by entering into civil marriage, but of course, here in North Carolina, none of them were gay.

Many gay couples did indeed celebrate their love, but they weren't able to take part in any of the more than 1,000 rights given by civil marriage.

Still, the marriage equality movement is advancing. A couple of decades ago, it was unthinkable that gay couples would get married, and now we have five states (with D.C. pending) that treat LGBT couples like all other citizens.

Here are three things to note with regard to couple equality:

1)
The conversation around marriage equality is first and foremost about real families, real couples, and real children, who need and deserve the security, clarity, and respect that comes with marriage.

In honor of black history month, the Freedom To Marry Coalition has produced a high-profile list of 10 African-Americans Who Support the Freedom to Marry. You'll recognize the names, and you'll be impressed.

2)

Marriage Equality: Facts and Resources

(Crossposted from Gideon Alper's fantastic Gay Couples Law Blog on 1/18/10.)

Statistics and facts for same-sex marriage can be hard to find. Marriage equality is in the news a lot, but a lot of people just want unbiased information before deciding how they feel about it.

Here's what you need to know:

Support

Latest statistics:

• 41% support marriage equality for gay couples
  
• 49% oppose it
• 10% say it depends/are unsure

Historical trend of increasing support:

• Public support for marriage equality has increased about 1% annually over the last two decades.
• Statisticians predict a majority of Americans will support marriage equality by 2012.

Marriage Laws

Places Where Gay Couples Can Legally Get Married:

• Massachusetts (2004)
• Connecticut (2008)
• Iowa (2009)
• Vermont (2009)
• New Hampshire (2010)
• Washington, D.C. (Coming in March 2010)

Places Where Gay Couples Married In Other Places Are Recognized:

• New York
• California (but only if you got married before Proposition 8 passed)

Demographics

The most recent census did not count marriages gay couples directly, so the following are estimates based on how people reported their household. It counts households with 2 members of the same sex that are unrelated.

• Total Number of Gay Couples: 594,391
• Number of People in a Couple: 1.2 Million
• State With the Most Couples: California (92,138)
• State With the Least Couples: North Dakota (703)
• Highest Concentration of Gay Couple (% of all couples): Washington, D.C. (1.29%)
• Lowest Concentration of Gay Couples (% of all couples): North and South Dakota (.22%)

Gay people make up 1-4% of the population in most cities, but are more concentrated [PDF] in metropolitan areas.

Highest Number of Same-Sex Couples:

1. New York, NY: 47,000
2. Los Angeles, CA: 12,000
3. Chicago, IL: 10,000

Highest Concentration of Gay People:

1. San Francisco, CA: 15.4%
2. Seattle, WA: 12.9%
3. Atlanta, GA: 12.8%

Lowest Concentration of Gay People:

1. Detroit, MI: 1.5%
2. Richmond, VA: 3.4%
3. Cleveland, OH and Memphis, TN: 3.5%

Resources

State by State Map of Gay Marriage Laws. The Wall Street Journal compiled information from the Human Rights Campaign, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and other sources, to compile a user-friendly interactive map.

Text of State Constitutional Amendments Targeting Same-Sex Marriage. If you're one of those people who wants to read the laws themselves to see how exactly gay marriage is outlawed, check out this collection put together by Lambda Legal.

Year 2000 Census Information on Same Sex Households. Expect these numbers to increase in 2010 more than other types of families. The 2010 census will be the first to let gay couples report as married.

3)
Immigration Equality premiered a new video on Valentine's Day at the Huffington Post.

This video highlights the plight of binational same-sex couples who cannot get married. In a straight couple, the US partner can sponsor the other for residency. LGBT couples do not have that option, which means the non-US partner can be targeted for discrimination and kicked out of the country.

There are 36,000 lesbian and gay binational families in the United States, and half of those are also raising young children.

According to Rachel B. Tiven, Immigration Equality's executive director, "For every day that passes without action from Congress, another family faces separation and another child is put in jeopardy of losing a parent."

The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name, i.e., LGBT love, has come a long way, but there's still some distance to travel. Eventually it'll be The Love Where LGBT Couples Get The Same Rights As Straight Couples, then the Love Whose Children's Get The Same Legal Protections.

Finally, ultimately, it'll all just be Love. And that's what Valentine's Day - and Freedom To Marry Week - is all about.

An International Issue: LGBT Couples

Happy MLK Day, All!

Please take a moment today to reflect on the efforts of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., including not just his great work for racial justice but also what he did for social justice.

He said, "The revolution for human rights is opening up unhealthy areas in American life and permitting a new and wholesome healing to take place. Eventually the civil rights movement will have contributed infinitely more to the nation than the eradication of racial injustice. It will have enlarged the concept of brotherhood to a vision of total interrelatedness."

Also, let's not forget that one of his main advisors, Bayard Rustin, was gay. This refrain is a standard trope for the LGBT movement, but that's simply because it's true.

Finally, be sure to remember his wife, Coretta Scott King, who was a tireless advocate for fairness and justice for LGBT folks, including marriage equality.

On a different note, over the weekend, I found two of my bear friends are splitting up. They've been a couple for years and years.

No, they're not becoming single - they're still a couple. One of them is Canadian, and his visa is not being renewed. He has to move out of the country for a year.

Now, they're making plans to make this work. The one who's a US citizen is planning regular visits to Canada, and the one who's leaving is lucky that his job is willing to hold his position while he's gone.

Still, this situation is so unfair. Imagine having to unsettle your entire life for a year, moving away from your job and partner, your friends and home.

If they could get married, this wouldn't happen. Every day, more than 36,000 lesbian and gay families are impacted every day by discriminatory immigration policies.

A simpler, and much more likely to be timely solution, is simply immigration reform that includes LGBT families. For more information about this important issue and information on how to take action, go to Immigration Equality's page about the Uniting American Families Act.

It won't help them now, but it could be a big help for them - and thousands of others - in the future. You never know what's going to happen in life. Who knows, immigration reform may critically change your life, if not directly then through your friends and family.

Take Action Now for Immigration Equality!

Congress is currently working on a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that he will finish the bill by Labor Day, and it is critically important that lawmakers hear about the need to include LGBT families in the legislation.

More than 36,000 lesbian and gay families are impacted every day by discriminatory immigration policies. Many families are forced to leave the United States or be split apart because U.S. immigration law does not allow lesbian and gay Americans to sponsor their partners and children for residency. For each of those families, the clock is ticking.

Read more about those families in a recent feature article in The Advocate.

By speaking out now, you will help ensure a critical victory for LGBT loved ones, their families, and equality. By supporting truly comprehensive immigration reform, we can be part of a historic effort that creates justice and fairness for millions of families.

We urge you to take action now, and we encourage you to share this with your friends and family. Follow both of these two links - nothing succeeds like excess:

• Take action through Immigration Equality
• Take action through PFLAG

This is a quick, easy way you can make a difference for all families, including our families.

Support Binational Gay Couples TODAY!

Today in Congress there'll be debate on the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would allow American citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for residency in the United States.

Now, it's easy to think "That doesn't affect me," but the truth is that it does, even if you don't know it. You may have friends who are part of a binational couple, and you are basically guaranteed to have friends of friends in this situation.

I have a couple of friends who live in Durham, Tim and Ed, that are from different countries. Ed's from here, but Tim's from Canada. They've been together for almost 10 years, and they've had to - and still have to! - jump through hoops just for Tim to stay here and work so they can be together.

Straight couples can get married and sponsor their spouse for immigration, but gay couples are totally out of luck (still/again - same old story!). The unfairness and inconsistency of it is maddening!

(Now, part of me thinks, "Hey, they can go to Canada and get married in a civilized manner. And Canada has socialized medicine and hockey. And you get called a Canuck - how cool is that!" Of course, after a little thought I realize, "But Canada is really cold.")

The USA is their home. As a former trailblazer of freedom and equality, our country should have been taking the lead on this, not playing catch up. It's too late for that, which makes it all the more important to do something now so we don't fall further behind.

Every step we can take forward for someone else also takes us, as a community, forward. Even an issue like this, which doesn't affect most of us directly, will affect our friends and people we know, as well as help shape a culture of acceptance and fairness.

The trip to the top of the mountain is made of little steps, one after another, and this is an important one for take. It all adds up.

Check out Immigration Equality for more information on this issue and how you can help.

Seeking Equality for Binational Gay Couples

In this week of oddly varied commemorations (10th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, Earth Day, Holocaust Remembrance Day), here's a blog about a piece of federal legislation related to - but not 0f - marriage equality.

Earlier this year the Uniting American Families Act was reintroduced. The UAFA seeks to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by permitting permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain legal permanent resident status in the same manner as spouses of citizens and permanent residents.

The UAFA will provide gay people the same opportunity as straight married folks to sponsor their partner. This legislation would create requirements (just like those for opposite-sex couples) for providing proof of the relationship, like affidavits from friends and family or evidence of financial support. As with current immigration laws for married couples, UAFA would impose harsh penalties for fraud, including up to five years in prison and as much as $250,000 in fines.

The United States lags behind 20 countries that recognize same-sex couples for immigration purposes: Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It's sad to see our great country, which used to be on the forefront of equality and freedom, continue to lag behind.

For more information and to support this bill, go to the Immigration Equality site.