Tell Congress to Include LGBT Families in Immigration Reform

Members of Congress are writing a comprehensive immigration reform bill right now that will fix our country's broken immigration system. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that he will complete the bill by Labor Day, and it is critically important that he, and other lawmakers, hear from us about the need to include LGBT families in the legislation.

Every day, more than 36,000 lesbian and gay families are impacted by discriminatory immigration policies. Families, like those recently featured in The Advocate, 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.

Take action with PFLAG to contact your representatives.

Urge Your Member of Congress to Cosponsor the Reuniting Families Act!

Congressman Mike Honda’s Reuniting Families Act ends harmful practices -- such as long visa wait times and discrimination against LGBT families -- that prevent loving families from being together.

In an historic move, Congressman Honda has included lesbian and gay people as part of this remarkable legislation -- marking the first time in Congressional history that lesbian and gay couples have been included as part of a multi-issue immigration bill.

As our country begins a conversation about comprehensive immigration reform, this important first step helps to ensure that, moving forward, we’re included, too. The president supports us, and Congress is increasingly on our side. Now, our community can be part of fixing our nation’s broken immigration system by supporting their efforts.

Please stand with Congressman Honda and our families, and urge your elected representative to co-sponsor the Reuniting Families Act.

Take action:

Call NOW to urge your representative to cosponsor the Reuniting Families Act!

Contact the Capital Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be directly connected to your representative. (If you don’t know who your representative is you can find out at www.congressmerge.com.)

Also join the mailing list or make a donation to Immigration Equality.

Tell Congress to Support the Uniting American Families Act of 2009

The Uniting American Families Act of 2009 (UAFA) will be reintroduced this week in congress. Immigration Equality is asking us to contact our representative and urge them to support and be a co-sponsor of the upcoming bill.

1. Find out who your U.S. House Representative is. Go to http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/index.htm, enter your address, and you will be provided the name of your U.S. Representative.
2. Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask to be connected to your U.S. Representative.
3. Tell your representative’s staff:

I am calling to ask Representative ________________ to be an original cosponsor of the Uniting American Families Act of 2009. To cosponsor, he/she must contact Rep. Jerrold Nadler who is the lead sponsor.

The U.S. government discriminates against gay and lesbian binational couples by not allowing us to sponsor our foreign-born life partners for immigration. Because of this, we face the terrible choice of separating from the person we love or leaving our country. As Americans, we should not have to choose between family and country. Please ask Rep. _________________ to cosponsor the Uniting American Families Act of 2009 by reaching out to Rep. Nadler before February 12.

Tell Congress to pass The Uniting American Families Act!

The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA, H.R. 2221, S. 1328) is a U.S. bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by permitting permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the same manner as spouses of citizens and lawful permanent residents and to penalize immigration fraud in connection with permanent partnerships.



By writing your lawmakers today, you bring us one step closer to equal immigration rights, so citizens can sponsor their same-sex partners for immigration!

Please use this form at change.org to contact your representatives!

Act Now: Nigerian Bisexual Faces Imminent Deportation From Canada

"Jane Okojie, a woman of Nigerian nationality, arrived in Canada in 2003 after being beaten by her neighbours when her bisexuality was discovered.

The Nigerian refugee, who says she is bisexual, is facing deportation and currently awaits judgement from the federal courts.

Okojie said yesterday if she returns home, she will face persecution.

"I don't know if there's going to be life for me there. Sending me back to Nigeria is a suicide mission for me," said Okojie, 39.

The Toronto youth worker fled to Canada in July 2003 with her 12-year-old son, Samuel. She said neighbours in her homeland beat her after they discovered she was bisexual -- a crime in Nigeria which carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Canadian immigration and refugee officials have rejected her claim, saying Okojie failed to convince them that she's bisexual or lesbian.

NDP MP Olivia Chow, her party's immigration critic, said Canada's citizenship and immigration ministry should look at creating an appeal division for claimants" (Toronto Sun).

Demand that Jane Ojokie be granted asylum, letting the agency know that in Nigeria sexual minorities suffer heinous persecution.

Email the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada at info@irb-cisr.gc.ca

Contact Citizen and Immigration Canada.