MS Outlook Ad Features Lesbian Couple

http://youtu.be/yzj0PVMdT7Q

I saw this video on Joe My God this morning. Microsoft shows how to use outlook to keep up with your friends, including a lesbian wedding.

Eat that, haters!

Microsoft Executives Donate to Washington’s Fight for Equality

The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, and the CEO of the company each donated $100,000 to Washington United for Marriage, a group fighting to keep marriage equality in the state.

Washington’s Governor, Christine Gregoire, signed a marriage equality law previously this year.  Anti-gay groups, including the National Organization for Marriage have gathered enough signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn the law this November.

“It’s going to make a tremendous difference,” Zach Silk of Washington United for Marriage said . “It’s very important for us to have that broad support from business leaders and companies themselves.”

More and more businesses are seeing the benefits for supporting marriage equality.   I’m hopeful that this move will start to sway the independent voters who in recent years have been swayed by vicious attack ads and anti-gay lies from organizations like NOM.

Watch: Immigration Equality on the Edge

httpv://youtu.be/U3lFuwcxc-8

Watch this video from Immigration Equality… It had me in tears, but maybe that’s because I can relate.  I’m married to a Canadian, eh?

The Defense of  Marriage Act (DOMA) is a descriminatory law.  I denies all federal recognition of legally married, same sex couples.  Among those rights is petitioning for residency for a foreign born spouse.

DOMA has been found unconstitutional in a number of federal courts – it will probably be heard by the Supreme Court as soon as next year.  Let’s hope the conservative Justices  look past their party’s ideology and do away with this law.  As they say in the video, “DOMA sucks!”

Obama Halts Deportation of “Dreamers”

Yesterday, President Obama announced a change in immigration policythat affects approximately 800,000  undocumented young people.  The so called “Dreamers” are individuals who came to this country illegally as children, some as infants.  The new policy will stop deportation of people under 30 who have or are getting a high school diploma, a GED or serving in the military.  It also will allow these people to apply for work permits every two years.

This idea, in general, is a bipartisan one that has been floating around congress for years.  With the Tea parties violent anti immigration stance, the once popular idea has become a wedge issue.  Initially proposed under President George W. Bush, the Dream Act would allow a path to cilizenship for young illegals.  The new policy will not offer anmesty and is being called a “short term fix for a long term problem”.

This move is brilliant.  It enlivens an unenthusiastic portion of a much needed demographic… Latinos.  The Latino community has been vocally disappointed in the lack of movement on the admministration’s part for immigration reform.  In fact, President Obama has deported more undocumented workers than any previous president.   Now, hopefully, this move will get more Latinos, who generally support Obama, out to the polls next November.

The GOP is in a sticky position.  This is good policy that has huge support.  While they decry that the president is doing a run around congress, they know that too much negative attention will drive away the few Latino voters they so desparately need.

Now, if the President would just issue something similar for bi-national gay couples… that would be great, but I’m not holding my breath.

Uniting American Families Act Adds Two More Sponsors

The Uniting American Families Act has added two more sponsors.  Senator Senator Mark Begich of Alaska and Congressman Russ Carnahan (D-3rd MO) each signed on as co-sponsors.

The Uniting American Families Act would allow a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to sponsor their same-sex partner or spouse for immigration to the U.S.

Currently, because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), same sex couples, even those legally married, do not have any of the federal benefits of marriage.  One of the over 1, 500 rights denied them is the ability to sponsor a spouse for a permanent residency.  There are an estimated 35,000 bi-national same sex couples living in the United States.  My husband, Michael and I are one of those couples.

Uniting American Families Act will happen soon

Hats off to to all the co-sponsors so far.  I’m hoping as marriage equality becomes more accepted, UAFA will happen soon.  Who knows when DOMA will be either repealsed legislatively or overturned judicially.

 

 

Binational Lesbian Couple Given Deportation Reprieve

A legally married gay couple got a break from immigration services.

Japanese immigrant Takako Ueda and her American spouse, Frances Herbert, got word Tuesday that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services decided to defer action on deportation proceedings against Ueda, whose visa had expired.

I can’t help wondering if president Obama’s recent support of marriage equality helped the couple’s cause.

These cases are important. There are over 36,000 binational gay couples in this country, and my husband and I are among them. Michael is here on a student visa, and when he finishes his studies, our future is uncertain. Will DOMA be gone by then and I will be able to sponsor him for a green card, like heterosexual couples can? Will Michael get sponsored for a work visa? Will we be forced to leave our home and move to Canada?

There is a lot of unjust uncertainty for us… It’s time for our country treat all it’s citizens equally. The clock is ticking.

Read the entire article here.

Senators Urge Protections for Binational Same-Sex Couples Unfair Deportations

From Purple Unions.

“We write to you to reiterate our request that the Administration provide relief for lesbian and gay families in which one spouse is not a U.S. citizen during this time of legal uncertainty,” Kerry wrote along with Senators Patrick Leahy, Ron Wyden, Bernard Sanders, Jeff Merkley, Daniel Akaka, Al Franken, Charles Schumer, Frank Lautenberg, Barbara Mikulski, Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse, Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Chris Coons.

Read the article here.