Week 16 -- Letter Writing Campaign

by Kathy Drasky

Published June 15, 2009 @ 07:14AM PT

It's working! Thanks to all of you who are taking part in the Out4Immigration Letter Writing Campaign to gain additional co-sponsors for the Uniting American Families Act. We have a LOT to accomplish this summer -- and so we kick off Week 16 of our campaign by upping the number of Representatives and Senators we target to 4 per week.

Remember to write your letters (draft copy below) and FAX and snail mail it to the Congressperson/Senator's office. Then email requests to their staffers. All the contact info you need is below.

This week we will be contacting:

Senator Herb Kohl (WI):
330 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5653
Fax: (202) 224-9787

Staff members for Senator Kohl:
molly_harris@kohl.senate.gov
chad_metzler@kohl.senate.gov
 
Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35):
2344 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2201
Fax: (202) 225-7854

Staff members for Rep Waters:

kathleen.sengstock@mail.house.gov
andrea.martin@mail.house.gov

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-16):
102 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3072

Staff members for Rep Lofgren:

ryan.clough@mail.house.gov
eleen.trang@mail.house.gov
 
Rep. Charles Gonzalez (TX-20):
303 Cannon House Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515-4320
Tel: (202) 225-3236
Fax: (202) 225-1915

Staff members for Rep Gonzalez:
angela.manso@mail.house.gov
julie.hart@mail.house.gov

[Today's Date]

Dear [Senator][Represent ative] [Staffer] ,

I am writing to you to ask for [your] [ Congesswoman/ man.....] support by becoming a co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA; S. 424/H.R. 1024) sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Patrick Leahy and in the House by Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

I am part of a group called Out4Immigration. [I am] [I know people who are] directly affected by the current unfair immigration policies in this country that deny gay and lesbian Americans in same-sex binational relationships the right to sponsor their permanent partner to live with them in the United States.

As you may be aware, these Americans in loving and committed relationships are often forced to make heartbreaking decisions to maintain their relationship. More often than not, these include having to leave the United States in order to be with the person they love. These American citizens are forced to give up careers, leave behind aging parents and young adult children who rely on them and leave a community which benefits from their ongoing and active participation.

The Uniting American Families Act simply seeks to provide gay and lesbian U.S. citizens and permanent residents the right to sponsor their partners for immigration. It includes the same process and penalties as applied in heterosexual sponsorship applications. By co-sponsoring the UAFA you are showing your dedication to equality and the belief that no American should be forced to choose between their country and the person they love.

Thank you for your time on this important matter. I hope that [your] [Congresswoman/ man ...] name will be added to the list co-sponsors on this bill and support the UAFA in any discussions concerning Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Respectfully,

[NAME]
[ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL]
Out4Immigration
www.out4immigration .org

3 More UAFA Co-Sponsors in the House

by Kathy Drasky

Published June 11, 2009 @ 08:51AM PT

Great news! Three more co-sponsors of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA, H.R. 1024) in the House. This brings our total to 108.

Rep Miller, Brad [NC-13] - 6/10/2009
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [PA-13] - 6/10/2009
Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1] - 6/10/2009

If you have a moment today, please send these supporters a note of thanks -- and ask them to ask their colleagues who have not yet signed on to join in on this important immigration and civil rights legislation.

Next week -- we'll be changing the Out4Immigration letter writing campaign to target 4 members of Congress. We want to make sure we get our message out to everyone we can over the summer, so that when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day, and takes up Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the UAFA has more co-sponsors than ever.

Keep up the good work everybody! We are making change!

Week 15 -- Letter Writing Campaign

by Kathy Drasky

Published June 08, 2009 @ 07:38AM PT

Every week, Out4Immigration targets two members of Congress who we think understand and support our issue, but haven't signed on to co-sponsor the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) yet. We are encouraged in knowing that several of the Congresspeople and Senators we have written to signed on as co-sponsors soon after we wrote to them!

This week we are contacting:

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

We are increasing our efforts by e-mailing and faxing letters to staffers of these two Senators. We have revised the letter below so that it can be universally emailed, faxed and snail-mailed to staffers as well as to the Senators. The addresses and a draft letter - which you can edit, if you like - are below.

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
United States Senate
154 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-1903
Phone: 202-224-5344
Fax: 202-224-1946

Staff members for Senator Olympia Snowe:

Ron LeFrancois, Legislative Director
ron_lefrancois@snowe.senate.gov

Amy Pellegrino, Legislative Aide
amy_pellegrino@snowe.senate.gov

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
United States Senate
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-1904
Phone: 202-224-2523
Fax: 202-224-2693

Staff members for Senator Susan Collins:

Shaw Sprague, Legislative Aide
shaw_sprague@collins.senate.gov

Priscilla Hanley, Legislative Aide
priscilla_hanley@collins.senate.gov

Please remember, after sending your fax AND your e-mails to the staffers, be sure to mail your handwritten letter to the Senators we are targeting. In the era of electronic communication and social media, handwritten letters are still a very effective means of reaching our members of Congress, and should be used as the final finishing touch of our weekly efforts.

[Today's Date]

Dear [Senator] [Staffer] ,

I am writing to you to ask for [your] [ Congesswoman/ man.....] support by becoming a co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA; S. 424/H.R. 1024) sponsored in
the Senate by Sen. Patrick Leahy and in the House by Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

I am part of a group called Out4Immigration. [I am] [I know people who are] directly affected by the current unfair immigration policies in this country that deny gay and lesbian Americans in same-sex binational relationships the right to sponsor their permanent partner to live with them in the United States.

As you may be aware, these Americans in loving and committed relationships are often forced to make heartbreaking decisions to maintain their relationship. More often than not, these include having to leave the United States in order to be with the person they love. These American citizens are forced to give up careers, leave behind
aging parents and young adult children who rely on them and leave a community which benefits from their ongoing and active participation.

The Uniting American Families Act simply seeks to provide gay and lesbian U.S. citizens and permanent residents the right to sponsor their partners for immigration. It includes the same process and penalties as applied in heterosexual sponsorship applications. By co-sponsoring the UAFA you are showing your dedication to equality and the belief that no American should be forced to choose between their country and the person they love.

Thank you for your time on this important matter. I hope that
[your] [Senator's _______] name will be added to the list co-sponsors on this bill and support the UAFA in any discussions concerning Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Respectfully,

[NAME]
[ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL]
Out4Immigration
www.out4immigration.org

3 More UAFA Co-Sponsors in the House

by Kathy Drasky

Published June 05, 2009 @ 03:07PM PT

Great news! This morning we got three new co-sponsors of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA, H.R. 1024) in the House. That brings our total there to 105.

The three new co-sponsors are:

Rep Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1]
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6]
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6]

Both Rep. Kennedy and Rep. Pallone were targets of the Out4Immigration Letter Writing Campaign, run by our volunteers Gina and Tom -- so please give them a round of applause and yourself a pat on the back for sending your letters, faxes and emails. They are working -- yes, they are really working.

To thank the Reps. for supporting us, click on the links above for their contact details. You can also ask them to ask their colleagues to join us in this historic cause for equal immigration rights and civil rights for all.

2 More Senate Co-Sponsors for UAFA, and Hearing News Updates

by Kathy Drasky

Published June 04, 2009 @ 07:34AM PT

Most of us are still reeling from the historic Senate hearing on the UAFA yesterday. Moved by the testimony of Shirley Tan (see videos posted to the left), the compassion of Senator Leahy, the support of Sen. Arlen Specter and heartfelt and honest pro-UAFA testimony from love exile Gordon Stewart, Julian Bond of the NAACP and Christopher Nugent of the American Bar Association. Still stunned by the cold-heartedness of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) -- he delivered everything we expected, I suppose -- and the unbalanced arguments of Roy Beck and Jessica Vaughn.

For eyewitness recaps and more about today's LGBT briefing on Capitol Hill, visit our colleague Melanie Nathan's blog. Mel was the attorney for Shirley Tan here in California and was instrumental in getting the assistance needed from Rep. Speier and Sen. Feinstein for the private bill that stayed Shirley's deportation (but only until the end of next year).

There is some good news we can savor for the moment. Two new co-sponsors in the Senate! Yes -- Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) bring our total to 19 supporters in the Senate. Thanks to all of you who wrote Sen. Durbin this week as part of the Out4Immigration Letter Writing Campaign. And, I know many people have been writing and calling Senator Cantwell. Make no mistake -- it is these seemingly small moves that are increasingly adding to the big picture.

How many of you saw the story about same-sex binational couples on CNN.com yesterday, "Same-Sex Couples Fight for Immigration Rights"? This story was put together by O4I's Amos Lim working with CNN reporter Mallory Smith -- and everyone mentioned in it as a member of Out4Immigration! Martha and Lin McDevitt-Pugh are also two of the leaders of Love Exiles and have come from the Netherlands to be in Washington, DC this week. Chris Waddling is the binational couple coordinator with Marriage Equality USA.

Please take the CNN.com poll on the topic here. The poll is in the right-hand column, about halfway down the page. And right now we are trailing -- 60% of voters do not think gay and lesbian Americans should be able to sponsor their foreign partner for immigration purposes. Granted, this poll is about as scientific as Roy Beck's claim that immigrants are destroying the environment, but as my gorgeous Aussie partner would say, "Let's give it a go, hey?" Vote your conscience!

There is lots more going on, especially re: the new bill coming up in Congress, The Reuniting Families Act. Right now the House will include the UAFA as part of this bill, the Senate won't. To get in on the discussion of why -- please become a member of Out4Immigration and join our YahooGroups list, where our members debate these issues and brainstorm plans of attack.

Live Blog of the UAFA Senate Hearing

by Kathy Drasky

Published June 03, 2009 @ 09:13AM PT

Read a blow-by-blow account of this morning's historic Senate hearing on the Uniting American Families Act (S.424) here: http://kazzadraskmedia.blogspot.com/

Out4Immigration also used Twitter to tell the story in 140 characters or less throughout the hearing. You can follow us on Twitter at @out4immigration

We'll be posting more analysis on today's hearing as we get input from our other members and supporters around the world, many of whom were in Washington DC today and present at the hearing.

Out4Immigration's Testimony for Historic UAFA Hearing

by Kathy Drasky

Published June 02, 2009 @ 01:13PM PT

Title: The Uniting American Families Act: Addressing Inequality in Federal Immigration Law  

Testimony Submitted to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Hearing: "The Uniting American Families Act: Addressing Inequality in Federal Immigration Law"

June 3, 2009

Statement of Out4Immigration, http://www.out4immigration.org

Out4Immigration is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization that addresses the widespread discriminatory impact of U.S. immigration laws on the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people and their families by raising awareness about this issue and advocating for change through passage of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA, S.424; H.R. 1024). Our group was started by a handful of individuals who have been directly affected by unfair U.S. immigration policies that ban same-sex binational couples from the same benefits afforded opposite-sex binational couples - the right of the American partner to sponsor their foreign partner to remain with them legally and safely in the United States.

We thank Senator Leahy for his long-time support of equal immigration rights for LGBT people, for holding this historic hearing on the UAFA and for advocating for inclusion of our families in comprehensive immigration reform this year. We have but one hope for the outcome of these events - that equal immigration rights are extended to all foreign partners of American citizens and permanent residents, regardless of sexual orientation.

Out4mmigration has reached out to thousands of same-sex binational couples since our inception in 2006 and has provided the basis to empower these individuals to stand up and speak out about the inequities in the U.S. immigration system - the very inequities that have forced many of these couples over the years to leave the country in order to stay with the person they love.

From near and far, Out4Immigration's members take advantage of every affordable outlet to raise awareness about the need for the UAFA. For many, it is their only chance of ever returning to the United States; for others it is their only hope of being able to stay.

Our passion for the United States and equality knows no bounds. Our members speak at community and university forums, attend town hall meetings, march in LGBT pride parades and attend immigrant rallies, distribute flyers, tirelessly write and call Congress, talk with local legislators and advocacy organizations to enlist their help and advice, pitch stories about our relationships to journalists and write and publish Op-Eds and letters to the editor about the dire need for the UAFA. Then we blog and use all forms of social media to spread the word further.

Collectively, we feel we have achieved our goal of raising awareness. We believe we have taken the unfair treatment of same-sex binational couples under U.S. immigration law and put it on the radar for the American public as a wrong to be righted. We have done this with a small army of people who have given their time, energy and limited resources while struggling to keep their families together in the United States, while being forced into exile to stay with the person they love, while being forced to live apart and suffer undue hardship in maintaining their relationships, and for the Americans in this equation, being asked to make the most difficult and unfair choice of all - choosing between the person they love and the country they love.

Senator Leahy, we respectfully urge you to do all you can to end the discriminatory impact of U.S. immigration laws on the lives of LGBT people and their families through passage of the UAFA, and/or inclusion of our families in comprehensive immigration reform.