Immigration Equality

Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force/L.A.

c/o L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center / Legal Services

1625 North Schrader Boulevard / Los Angeles, CA 90028-9998

voice: 323.526.2915 / fax: 323.993.7653 / e-mail: lgirtf@abacus.oxy.edu

web: http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/world/immigration/lgirtfla.html

NEWSLETTER: February 2000

IMMIGRATION EQUALITY MEETING SET FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 16 at 7pm

The first meeting of Immigration Equality of the year will be on the third Wednesday of this month--Wednesday February 16--at 7pm at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center (1625 North Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood, two blocks west of Cahuenga Boulevard and one-half block south of Hollywood Boulevard). The meeting will be on the first floor. Look for signs or ask at the front desk. This month's topic will be on "Activism options for same-sex binational couples."

TIM MILLER'S GLORY BOX HIGHLIGHTS SITUATION FOR BINATIONAL COUPLES

Performance artist and activist Tim Miller has a new work entitled "Glory Box" which is about being in a binational relationship. The show is being presented at Highways Performance Space (1651 18^th Street at Olympic Blvd) at 8:30pm on February 4&5 and February 11&12.

Tim is an Immigration Equality member has been getting press coverage on the show and the issue of gay and lesbian immigration discrimination in San Diego, Laguna Beach and many other cities.

WELCOME NEW IMMIGRATION EQUALITY COORDINATOR: YASEMIN

Give a great big HELLO to Yasemin, the new Co-ordinator for Immigration Equality.

She can be reached by email at angelctr@worldnet.att.net for any questions or comments.

VERMONT’S HIGHEST COURT RULES FOR PLAINTIFFS AGAINST THE STATE

On December 22, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the State could not continue to discriminate against same-sex couples in the provision of benefits which married couples are eligible for. It mandated that the state legislature remedy the situation and maintained jurisdiction of the case with an implied warning that it would act more forecfully if the discrimination against same-sex couples did not end. This was opposite from a decision issued a week earlier from the Hawaii Supreme Court which ruled that its same-sex marriage case was moot now that the voters had amended their constitution in the November 1998 election.

JOIN THE BATTLE AGAINST CALIFORNIA'S PROPOSITION 22: NO ON KNIGHT

On the March 7 primary ballot is the "Limit on Marriages" initiative which is officially called Proposition 22 and was sponsored by anti-gay, anti-immigrant Republican State Senator Pete Knight. It is divisive, unfair and intrusive. It states that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." To help defear this anti-gay initiative call 323.964.0076 or visit www.NoOnKnight.org

ARE YOU WIRED? JOIN THE IMMIGRATION EQUALITY MAILING LIST

There are already over 30 Los Angeles area email addresses on our list.

If you have an email address and you would like to have more regular communication with other gay and lesbian immigrants in Southern California, you should send your email address to LGIRTF-LA@abacus.oxy.edu

IMMIGRATION RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB

The Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force, our parent organization has a website at http://www.lgirtf.org/

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, which has an Asylum Project,

is at http://www.iglhrc.org/

The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the most prominent U.S. organization devoted to gay and lesbian legal issues has a section of its website devoted to immigration at

The Cato Institute and The National Immigration Forum have placed the text of their 1995

report on demographic and economic facts of Immigration in the U.S. on the web, at

The National Immigration Forum has a website at

The American Immigration Lawyers Association has a very useful website at http://www.aila.org/

The Stonewall Immigration Group, our sister organization in the United Kingdom has a website at

The Immigration and Naturalization Service has its official website at http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/

The law firm of Siskind et al has launched a website which has copies of actual INS forms at http://www.visalaw.com/

The Canadian law firm of SMITH & HUGHES has an OUT/LAW Immigration site at

http://www.smith-hughes.com/olimm.htm

The Queer Resources Directory, the oldest queer internet archive, has a section devoted to

immigration at http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/world/immigration

Queer Immigration mailing list

To subscribe, send the one-line email message (leave the Subject blank) to Majordomo@abacus.oxy.edu with the command subscribe qi.

M I S S I O N S T A T E M E N T

The LGIRTF addresses the widespread discriminatory impact of immigration laws on the lives of lesbians, gay men and people with HIV through education, outreach, advocacy and the maintenance of a nationwide resource and support network