FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 29, 2004 - 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 hailed the decision of the Colombian Constitutional Court granting residency to the same-sex foreign partner of a citizen.

"This court decision is historic in Colombia, even though it just applies to this particular couple for now," said Andres Duque, a Colombian activist in New York City, and director of the Latino LGBT group Mano a Mano. "We are hopeful that immigration authorities realize the grave need that exists for partner sponsorship and that this ruling is turned into national law."

According to the Caracol News Network, the unprecedented decision involves a couple from the island of San Andres. The couple asked the local government for special residency permission for the foreign partner. This was denied under the argument that this kind of benefit only applies to unions formed by one man and one woman. On a higher-court appeal filed by renowned Colombian attorney German Humberto Rincon Perfetti, the Constitutional Court reaffirmed Colombian couple's right to due process and free development of their personality. According to the Court the local "administrative decision created an obstacle to the decision of maintaining a stable relationship as a homosexual couple," and this is why residency was granted.

"We are hopeful that Colombia extends this vital benefit to all its citizens," said Leslie Bulbuk, co-founder of Love Sees no Borders. "It is also worth mentioning that now three countries in the Americas have recognized the need to grant recognition to same-sex couples for immigration purposes. Sadly the United States is not one of them."

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. The Permanent Partners Immigration Act (PPIA, HR 832, S.1510) would allow Americans and legal permanent residents to sponsor a same-sex foreign partner for immigration.

About Mano a Mano
Mano a Mano is a network of Latino lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations and activists based in New York formed in 1997 to increase the well-being, visibility and political power of the Latino LGBT communities as a means to defeat the inequalities that we face.

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, issue-related 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

Note to Editors: Leslie Bulbuk is a woman.
Copyright ©2002 Love Sees No Borderspyright ©2003 Love Sees No Borders