As Marriage Equality spreads across the United States, gays and lesbians are celebrating quasi-equality in the United States. Of course Marriage Equality in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine, and soon New Hampshire is progress, but what many (including members in the LGBT community) have forgotten is that the states rights for marriage is not 100% Marriage Equality. There are approximately +1100 rights associated with marriage on the federal level.
One of the federal marriage rights denied to all gay and lesbian Americans, including those who reside in states that have passed same sex marriage (thanks to DOMA), is immigration rights. While heterosexuals can easily sponsor their partner for residency in the United States, gay and lesbian American citizens cannot.
via Immigration Equality:
Binational couples refers to couples in which the partners come from different countries. Although 19 nations around the world allow their citizens to sponsor their same sex partners for immigration benefits, unfortunately, the United States does not recognize our relationships for immigration purposes. Because of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, even same sex couples which have been legally married in Massachusetts, California, Canada, the Netherlands, or Belgium, will not be able to immigrate based on their marriage. Every day we hear from desperate couples, forced to choose between the partner they love and the country they love, which is why we are fighting to change the immigration law and end this discrimination.
The Uniting American Families Act, or UAFA, is legislation that is currently in Congress that would grant equal immigration rights to same sex bi-national couples. There are approximately 37 000 same sex bi-national couples that are waiting for equality.
For more information please visit Immigration Equality
Currently there are 98 co-sponsors in the House and 17 co-sponsors in the Senate for the UAFA. Please contact your US House representative and Senators today and ask them to support the Uniting American Families Act.
For more information on how to support the UAFA click here and here