Dear Friend and Reader,
Today is a big day for civil rights: not only is it Abe Lincoln’s 200th birthday and the NAACP’s centennial anniversary, but it’s also LGBT strategy week:В the chess board is out and our pawns are advancing.
This week, leading up to Valentine’s Day, is the 12th annual Freedom to Marry Week, where supporters of marriage equality can participate in nation-wide events. This morning,В same-sex couples went to city councils to apply for marriage licenses in states that don’t permit same-sex marriage. Tensions were particularly high in California because of Prop 8, but also in New York State, where Gov. Paterson has issued a directive to recognize same-sex marriages from other states, without making any moves towards actually legalizing it in New York.
On Feb. 6, VermontВ Representatives Mark Larson and David Zuckerman introduced a bill for same-sex marriage to the state legislature. While lawmakers are expecting “tripartisan support” of the bill, the House Speaker, Shap Smith, questions whether the bill will pass this year.
In national news, the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) was introduced to the House of Representatives today by Congressman Jarrold Nadler and 52 co-sponsors. UAFA would change American immigration law to include “permanent partners” in addition to heterosexual spouses. Currently, there are over 40,000 binational same-sex couples in the US who are struggling to remain in the country through student visas and a dwindling number of work permits (and employment opportunities) available.