Video via Freedom To Marry
American-born Cristina Ojeda and Argentina-born Monica Alcota got legally married in Connecticut. But as it goes, Monica can’t get a green card because the so-called Defense of Marriage Act prevents the federal government from giving same-sex marriages immigration protections. So this loving committed couple could get torn apart just in time for the holidays. Since Santa isn’t real and Jesus doesn’t always pull through, what short of a Christmas miracle will keep these ladies together?
Of course Ojeda and Alcota are just one of numerous bi-national gay couples facing deportation. Immigration lawyer Lavi Soloway, one of the minds behind Stop the Deportations, has decided to show DOMA’s cruelest impact by focusing specifically on the marriages and families the torn apart by its unfairness.
Argentinian filmmaker Sebastian Cordoba directed a 2007 documentary about this very issue entitled Though Thick And Thin (trailer below). Four years later, LGBT couples still face the same discrimination under DOMA. But you can help by urging your congressman and senator to repeal DOMA. It only takes a minute and together each person can help create an unified wall of voices showing just how many Americans oppose this unjust law.
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Enrique
“And Jesus doesn’t always pull through”? Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t know Jesus had a seat in Congress!
The crustybastard
One of Barack Obama’s first acts as president was to stop deporting non-citizen surviving spouses of members of the armed forces while he leaned on Congress to fix the problem, which they promptly did. Neither Congress nor Mr. Fierce Advocate can be bothered to do the same for live gay Americans.
So just to be clear about where you stand with respect to your own government:
heterosexual US citizens > heterosexual non-citizens > gay US citizens
Tuck
This administration has been almost cruel to LGBT individuals of all stripes. It is the worst sort of ‘ally’: the president who claims he is a fierce advocate then ignores LGBT issues, immigration officials who toy around with providing just treatment to binational couples, and a Justice Department that took years to decide a law that specifically targets gay people is unjust.
That said, I am very happy that there are those in congress who are fighting for us on this issue. Please show them your support.