Love Sees No Borders - Press Release

Immigration Measure Seeks Relief for Binational Couples

UAFA Would Provide Same Rights to all Couples

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 21, 2005 - Love Sees No Borders, an educational organization focused on raising awareness of the plight of same-sex binational couples and their fight to remain together, today lauded the reintroduction in Congress of the Uniting American Families Act, previously known as the Permanent Partners Immigration Act. When enacted, UAFA would bring immigration relief to countless binational same-sex couples around the world. Senator Patrick Leahy and Congressman Jerrold Nadler are the lead sponsors of the legislation.

“Seeking both justice and equality is an imperative to our community,” said Leslie Bulbuk, Love Sees No Borders co-founder. “We can no longer live in ‘the land of the free” and not be free to live with the ones we love. It is time that the United States lives up to its promise of ‘liberty and justice for all.’ We applaud Sen. Leahy’s and Rep. Nadler’s resolve to stand by this promise.”

Unlike their heterosexual counterparts, Americans and legal permanent residents in same-sex relationships are unable to sponsor a foreign partner for immigration purposes. The UAFA would grant these couples the much-needed immigration benefit. The bill would add the words “permanent partner” after the word “spouse” each time it appears in the Immigration and Nationality Act. It would also define a permanent partner as:

(a) in a committed, intimate relationship with another adult 18 or older in which both parties intend a lifelong commitment;

(b) financially interdependent with that other person;

(d) unable to contract with that person a marriage cognizable under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and

(e) not a blood relative of the sponsoring partner.

Support for this legislation has grown over time. At the end of each session of Congress, UAFA, as PPIA, has shown significantly more support than the previous version. In 2004, the California Legislature approved a joint resolution in favor of the measure. Love Sees No Borders worked with Assemblywoman Sally J. Lieber (D-Mountain View) to introduce the resolution, which was sponsored by Equality California and supported by a broad variety of other organizations.

Currently, 16 countries have laws that allow citizens to sponsor a same-sex foreign partner for immigration. These are Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the United Kingdom. UAFA is sponsored by Immigration Equality in New York City.

“One of the top problems for same-sex couples, especially couples of color, is immigration,” said Marta Donayre, Love Sees No Borders co-founder. “As the nation and the LGBT community debate marriage equality, UAFA addresses an immediate need that cannot wait for this debate to be settled.”

About Love Sees No Borders
Love Sees No Borders is an organization dedicated to promoting awareness of the plight of same-sex binational couples in the United States. Our work includes media outreach, public speaking, coalition building, and other educational activities. For more information about the organization and how to support our efforts through a donation, please visit www.loveseesnoborders.org.

Note to Editors: Leslie Bulbuk is a woman