LAKELAND, FL — Undocumented and LGBT youth disrupted Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan's victory speech at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport to denounce their hypocritical policy positions on immigration and LGBT issues. Shouting "We want the DREAM Act" and "We want full equality," these young people ensured that Romney and Ryan didn't simply fly out of Florida thinking that their ideas and policies had been well-received by everyone in the state.
For Mitt Romney, last night's acceptance speech brought him to uncomfortable topics: immigration and LGBT issues. Romney spoke about the optimism that America felt immediately after Obama's victory, and said that the optimism, positivity and confidence are uniquely American. Yet, undocumented and LGBT Americans do not feel optimistic about the country he wants to build.
"It is not enough for Romney to use a Latino to speak before him and talk about the struggle of being an immigrant. He must face the issue himself and commit to continue deferred action and support the DREAM Act," said Erika Andiola, an Arizona DREAMer. "The Latino community will not stand for discriminatory policies that break families apart — whether they are undocumented or not, straight or LGBT," said Andiola.
Romney claims that this is a country of immigrants but he wants undocumented immigrants to self-deport and would veto the DREAM Act. All of those fighting for a more equal America are facing obstruction from a similar cast of characters, led by Mitt Romney. It's clear that the same people who are perpetrating the war on LGBT Americans are also perpetrating the war on immigrants. He claims he wants to preserve the U.S. Constitution, but he and the Republican party are more concerned about the full legal equality of the unborn than of LGBT Americans. And the fact that the platform actually quotes the 14th Amendment as its basis for its policy positions is both outrageous and offensive.
"As an undocumented and LGBT American, Romney's speech was an insult toward our communities," said Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez, GetEQUAL's national field director. "His policy proposals deny LGBT Americans equal protection under the law and call for the self-deportation of our families, neighbors, co-workers, and loved ones. This is un-American at its core and we won't stand for it."
DRM Capitol Group ( www.drmcapitolgroup.com ) serves as a voice for undocumented youth and the lobbying arm of the dream movement. Our work ensures that undocumented youth are represented in the halls of power and are correctly and directly informed of the actions of Congress, Executive Agencies, and the Courts.
Founded in 2010, GetEQUAL ( www.getequal.org ) is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to empower the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community and our allies to take bold action to demand full legal and social equality, and to hold accountable those who stand in the way.