Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

LOVE OR COUNTRY
Binational couples forced to choose
by Tracy Baim
2001-10-24

This article shared 1249 times since Wed Oct 24, 2001
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


What would you do? You have been with your partner for 10 years, but all of her options to stay in the U.S. have run out. No more travel or student visas, no more money for lawyers. She is from one of 24 countries around the world which in some form or another recognize your relationship. Your own country wants to tear your family apart, so you choose to leave friends and relatives behind, and travel for your love, your life.

( Continued below )

The emotionally and financially draining attempt to keep binational same-sex partners together in the U.S. was the focus of a forum Oct. 18, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and other gay-rights groups. Seven people, some risking their immigration status, told their own immigration nightmares.

The "Up Against a Wall" town hall meeting, held at Ann Sather's on Belmont, was primarily focused on changing the U.S laws that keep same-sex partners apart. Earlier this year, a bill was introduced in Congress, the Permanent Partners Immigration Act, which would modify the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide same-sex partners of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the same immigration rights legal spouses of U.S. residents enjoy.

About 75 people attended the forum, many of them fearful of losing their own immigration status.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a long-time supporter of gay rights since his days as a city alderman, listened patiently as three gay and lesbian couples, and a former Chicago resident now living with her partner in Germany, told their very personal and emotional stories about dealing with anti-gay laws and bureaucratic nightmares.

Gutierrez is one of several members of the Illinois congressional delegation who are co-sponsors of the Permanent Partners bill. However, while most of those who do not support the measure are the usual anti-gay suspects ( Lipinski, Hyde, Crane, Biggert, Weller, Kirk, Hastert, Johnson, Manzullo, LaHood, Phelps and Shimkus ) , one surprise is U.S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich, a North Side Chicago Democrat with a large gay constituency and a 90% pro-gay voting rating from HRC. Blagojevich is also running for governor of Illinois. His office confirmed with HRC last week that he has still not signed on as a co-sponsor, but HRC believes he will eventually back the bill.

HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg told Windy City Times that representatives of HRC and members of Blagojevich's district recently met with him about a variety of issues, including the Partners bill. "Our understanding is he will be" co-sponsoring, she said. U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Gutierrez and Danny Davis all signed onto the bill as co-sponsors the day it was introduced several months ago.

"This is a long-term project. We have 84 current cosponsors. That is a significant demonstration of support, but we have a lot further we all need to go to educate Congress, this nation, about what can be horrific stories about people in love being pulled apart," Stachelberg said.

"In addition to HRC lobbyists, as important if not more are people from the various districts reaching out to their representatives...that's the best way to encourage and to secure support," she added.

Post-Sept. 11, panelists expressed concern that immigration will now be even more difficult to obtain.

The evening began with the story of [ Name Deleted ] and his partner of four years, [ Name Deleted ] . They met at a gay bar in Brazil while [ Name Deleted ] was teaching, and [ Name Deleted ] was working in a bookstore. They lived in Brazil at first, and coped with the death of [ Name Deleted ] mother. Then [ Name Deleted ] own mother was near her death and asked her son and son-in-law to come back to the states to live. [ Name Deleted ] left his family behind and has not been able to visit them because he worries he would not be allowed back in the U.S.

[ Name Deleted ] and [ Name Deleted ] , and all of the panelists, gave detailed histories of just how difficult it is to deal with immigration bureaucracy and double standards in the U.S. law. People from other countries are forced to jump through expensive and convoluted hoops to stay with their partners, using a series of options including tourist, student and work visas.

Jakki Shaw of the United Kingdom and Erin Burrell of Indiana related their own financial nightmare after meeting and falling in love in England five years ago. The couple have alternated back and forth supporting one another financially, with some help from family members. Shaw has experienced interrogations each time she's entered the U.S., and her current work visa expires in 2002. She and Burrell, who live in Chicago, will be forced to move back to England; because the law there is more liberal, Burrell should be able to obtain a work visa.

Venezuela native Alberto Senior and his partner of two years Rev. Stan Sloan ( who is president of Chicago House ) , said they don't want to be forced to go to Venezuela to be together. "This is my home," Senior said. He is a volunteer for numerous AIDS, gay and mainstream charities, and he has a master's in fine arts. "It's very unfair and it feels horrible. I've brought here nothing but good," Senior said.

"This makes me more and more angry," said HRC's Tom Chaderjian, after hearing the testimonies. He said the right wing says its promotes family values, but they oppose helping to keep same-sex families together.

Playwright Lydia Stryk, a former Illinois resident who is in town to see rehearsals for her play The Glamour House at Victory Gardens, also spoke about her own 10-year relationship with a foreigner. Her partner lives in Germany, so that is also where Stryk makes her home. They were among people lobbying for change in that country...and that change did come this summer. Germany now allows same-sex partners of its citizens to have legal rights. While not the same as full marriage, it is far ahead of Stryk's options in her own country.

Other speakers included representatives from the Heartland Alliance's Midwest Human Rights Partnership for Sexual Orientation ( 312-660-1370 ) , People for the American Way ( which just opened an Illinois office ) , HRC, and the ACLU Gay and Lesbian Rights Project.

For details, call ( 312 ) 409-9129, or see www.hrc.org/issues/immigration.


This article shared 1249 times since Wed Oct 24, 2001
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

An interstate trans healthcare crisis: Illinois prepares for influx of people seeking gender-affirming care 2024-03-26
- With hard-won rights, such as access to hormone replacement therapy or permission to use one's chosen pronouns in school, breaking down in states across the country, trans residents of all ages are left with a choice: ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies 2024-03-15
- Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community 2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians 2024-03-12
- Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

Federal investigation initiated in Nex Benedict case 2024-03-02
- The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has started an investigation into the Oklahoma school district where Nex Benedict, a transgender 16-year-old sophomore, went to school and was bullied before his death, The Advocate ...


Gay News

Ghana parliament passes harsh anti-LGBTQ+ bill 2024-02-29
- On Feb. 28, Ghana's parliament unanimously passed a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill that has been condemned globally. The so-called Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act, which was introduced in the parliament in 2021, not only criminalizes ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Kelly Cassidy discusses reproductive health, LGBTQ+ rights ahead of March primary 2024-02-26
- By Kayleigh Padar State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, running unopposed in the March 19 primary election so as to continue representing the 14th District, was first elected in 2011. During her tenure in Springfield, she has ...


Gay News

Human Rights Campaign report releases new data on experiences of Black queer youth 2024-02-14
--From a press release - WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in ...


Gay News

Equality Illinois makes 77 pro-equality, pro-family endorsements for 2024 primary election 2024-02-13
--From a press release - CHICAGO - Equality Illinois, the state's civil rights organization for LGBTQ+ Illinoisans, on Tuesday announced state legislative and county-level endorsements for the primary election on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. "Equality ...


Gay News

TAWANI Foundation commits $25K to StartOut, supporting LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship 2024-02-08
--From a press release - CHICAGO — February 8, 2024 — The TAWANI Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that provides support in the areas of arts and culture, historical preservation, health and wellness, LGBTQ+ and human rights ...


Gay News

HRC honors Domingo, Lysette, Macy's CEO at New York dinner 2024-02-04
- On Feb. 3, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) brought together more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ advocates and supporters from across the country for its annual Greater New York Dinner. This year's event honored members of the LGBTQ+ ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+, reproductive rights organizers plan march on Democratic National Convention, appeal permit rejection 2024-01-31
- Organizers planning a protest march outside the Democratic National Convention in August are appealing the city's denial of their permits. The group of organizers under the banner of Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws had been planning ...


Gay News

HRC State Equality Index: Anti-LGBTQ+ 2023 state legislative season "most destructive" 2024-01-30
--From a press release - WASHINGTON—Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the education arm of the nation's largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, in partnership with the Equality Federatio ...


Gay News

National Center for Transgender Equality and Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund to merge 2024-01-24
--From a press release - WASHINGTON - Today, the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF), two leading national trans civil rights organizations, officially announced their intent ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.