Showing posts with label March 21. Show all posts
Showing posts with label March 21. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
VIDEO: Sunday's March for America in Washington DC
Several Out4Immigration members made the trek to Washington, DC for Sunday's March for America, the immigration rights march for a comprehensive inclusive immigration reform bill in the US. We've got eyewitness accounts to post soon. In the meantime, big hat tip to DC Agenda for this video clip. You can read more about the rally at their website under "Immigration Rally Includes LGBT Voices".
Friday, March 19, 2010
Press Release: Out4Immigration Steps Up Activism for March 21 Immigrant Rights March in Washington, DC
Grassroots Group Organizes Local Actions and Resolutions in New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle for LGBT Immigrant Rights and the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — March 19, 2010 — A national immigrant rights march this Sunday, March 21 in Washington DC organized by Reform Immigration for America (RIFA) will have a large contingent of same-sex binational couples carrying signs calling for passage of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). They will also be demanding that Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) includes these couples – in which one partner is an American citizen and the other is from another country – and their families. According to a Human Rights Watch report, there are an estimated 36,000 same-sex binational couples currently affected.
Several members from Out4Immigration, an all-volunteer, grassroots group with members all over the world will have a presence at the Washington march, but many of the group’s members have faced insurmountable hurdles in getting to the nation’s capital. As a result, the group has turned to more local actions to continue raising awareness about the need to fix a broken immigration system that blatantly discriminates against American gays and lesbians with foreign partners.
“It’s not easy when you and your family are shut out of equal rights at the federal level to legally stay in this country,” said Mickey Lim, Vice President of Out4Immigration.
“Many of our members have been forced into the exile. The only way they could stay together was to move to another country that would recognize their relationship. When this happens usually both partners are forced to give up careers and start over. A lot of our other members are separated from their partners. All their income goes to the few times a year they can actually be together. And, the so-called lucky binational couples that have found a way to stay together in America – they have often spent thousands on legal fees for work and student visas.”
In New York City, Out4Immigration member Todd Fernandez, who is also a human rights attorney, has been urging LGBT immigrant rights supporters to get on a bus leaving from Queens to head to the DC march on Sunday morning. At press time there may still be a few seats left. Contact Todd at CequalsIIR@gmail.com for details.
In San Francisco, Out4Immigration member Erik Schnabel has organized for the group to join local immigrant rights activists just back from the DC march on Wednesday, March 24. Participants are encouraged to meet at 4 pm at Justin Herman Plaza by the BART station for a march to Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office at One Post Street for a rally scheduled to start at 5:00. Those interested in attending can contact Erik at erikschnabel@hotmail.com.
Another Out4Immigration member, Tom Tierney works with Fernandez and others on getting cities to pass resolutions calling for support of UAFA and LGBT immigrant rights. Within the past week, two more major US cities – St. Louis and Seattle – have joined San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and West Hollywood – in passing a resolution calling for civil rights for the LGBT community; particularly pertaining to immigration issues and reform.
“It’s about building a coalition from the ground up,” says Tierney, who also spearheads Out4Immigration’s weekly letter writing campaign to Congress at Change.org, which leads the national effort to gain more co-sponsors for the UAFA (H.R. 1024, S. 424). The legislation calls for the addition of three simple words to US immigration law “or permanent partner” wherever the word “spouse” appears. This would “fix” the part of the broken immigration system that affects same-sex binational couples.
The letter writing campaign has been especially effective – there are now 121 UAFA co-sponsors, more than any other immigration bill. Last week, Rep. Rick Larsen [D-WA-2], added his name to the growing list of representatives eager to end immigration discrimination.
“It’s easy to get involved in the letter writing campaign or to get your city or state to sponsor a resolution from wherever you are,” says Tierney. “Just visit the Out4Immigration website and get started.”
Media Contacts:
Amos Lim, Out4Immigration, 347-OUT-4IMM, Amos@out4immigration.org
Kathy Drasky, Out4Immigration, 415-606-2085, Kathy@out4immigration.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — March 19, 2010 — A national immigrant rights march this Sunday, March 21 in Washington DC organized by Reform Immigration for America (RIFA) will have a large contingent of same-sex binational couples carrying signs calling for passage of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). They will also be demanding that Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) includes these couples – in which one partner is an American citizen and the other is from another country – and their families. According to a Human Rights Watch report, there are an estimated 36,000 same-sex binational couples currently affected.
Several members from Out4Immigration, an all-volunteer, grassroots group with members all over the world will have a presence at the Washington march, but many of the group’s members have faced insurmountable hurdles in getting to the nation’s capital. As a result, the group has turned to more local actions to continue raising awareness about the need to fix a broken immigration system that blatantly discriminates against American gays and lesbians with foreign partners.
“It’s not easy when you and your family are shut out of equal rights at the federal level to legally stay in this country,” said Mickey Lim, Vice President of Out4Immigration.
“Many of our members have been forced into the exile. The only way they could stay together was to move to another country that would recognize their relationship. When this happens usually both partners are forced to give up careers and start over. A lot of our other members are separated from their partners. All their income goes to the few times a year they can actually be together. And, the so-called lucky binational couples that have found a way to stay together in America – they have often spent thousands on legal fees for work and student visas.”
In New York City, Out4Immigration member Todd Fernandez, who is also a human rights attorney, has been urging LGBT immigrant rights supporters to get on a bus leaving from Queens to head to the DC march on Sunday morning. At press time there may still be a few seats left. Contact Todd at CequalsIIR@gmail.com for details.
In San Francisco, Out4Immigration member Erik Schnabel has organized for the group to join local immigrant rights activists just back from the DC march on Wednesday, March 24. Participants are encouraged to meet at 4 pm at Justin Herman Plaza by the BART station for a march to Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office at One Post Street for a rally scheduled to start at 5:00. Those interested in attending can contact Erik at erikschnabel@hotmail.com.
Another Out4Immigration member, Tom Tierney works with Fernandez and others on getting cities to pass resolutions calling for support of UAFA and LGBT immigrant rights. Within the past week, two more major US cities – St. Louis and Seattle – have joined San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and West Hollywood – in passing a resolution calling for civil rights for the LGBT community; particularly pertaining to immigration issues and reform.
“It’s about building a coalition from the ground up,” says Tierney, who also spearheads Out4Immigration’s weekly letter writing campaign to Congress at Change.org, which leads the national effort to gain more co-sponsors for the UAFA (H.R. 1024, S. 424). The legislation calls for the addition of three simple words to US immigration law “or permanent partner” wherever the word “spouse” appears. This would “fix” the part of the broken immigration system that affects same-sex binational couples.
The letter writing campaign has been especially effective – there are now 121 UAFA co-sponsors, more than any other immigration bill. Last week, Rep. Rick Larsen [D-WA-2], added his name to the growing list of representatives eager to end immigration discrimination.
“It’s easy to get involved in the letter writing campaign or to get your city or state to sponsor a resolution from wherever you are,” says Tierney. “Just visit the Out4Immigration website and get started.”
Media Contacts:
Amos Lim, Out4Immigration, 347-OUT-4IMM, Amos@out4immigration.org
Kathy Drasky, Out4Immigration, 415-606-2085, Kathy@out4immigration.org
Sunday, February 28, 2010
More Info on the March 21 Call to Action for LGBT Immigration Reform -- in DC and around the World
Thanks to all of you who have expressed interest and those of you who have already committed to being in DC on March 21 -- or organizing your own action in tandem with the Reform Immigration for America (RIFA) movement.
We need each of you who have said you are interested in organizing a local action to:
1) Use the O4I Yahoo Groups forum as well as our O4I Facebook page to recruit other O4I members in your area. Coordinate and form a team!
2) Use grassroots activism tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogging and old-fashioned community bulletin boards to recruit others in your area -- your friends, your colleagues -- both individuals and those from other organizations. Think LGBT community center, PFLAG, religious groups and other immigrant rights groups. In particular, keep up with RIFA (the organizers of the DC event to see if they are planning any local actions you can join in. There is strength in numbers.
4) Choose a location for your rally.
For those of you going to DC -- please use the O4I Yahoo Groups list forum to connect with others and arrange meetups, transportation, lodging, etc. The events of March 21 are very large and widespread and we need everyone who is reading this post to stand up in some way -- large or small, national or local.
Out4Immigration will use its online forums and social networking capabilities to keep the word spreading and to hook up as many of you with one another as we can.
Closer to the date, when we have more firm commitments of who will be rallying and where, we will provide a list of targeted press instructions.
So, please -- work together folks and make your voices heard for March 21.
We need each of you who have said you are interested in organizing a local action to:
1) Use the O4I Yahoo Groups forum as well as our O4I Facebook page to recruit other O4I members in your area. Coordinate and form a team!
2) Use grassroots activism tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogging and old-fashioned community bulletin boards to recruit others in your area -- your friends, your colleagues -- both individuals and those from other organizations. Think LGBT community center, PFLAG, religious groups and other immigrant rights groups. In particular, keep up with RIFA (the organizers of the DC event to see if they are planning any local actions you can join in. There is strength in numbers.
4) Choose a location for your rally.
For those of you going to DC -- please use the O4I Yahoo Groups list forum to connect with others and arrange meetups, transportation, lodging, etc. The events of March 21 are very large and widespread and we need everyone who is reading this post to stand up in some way -- large or small, national or local.
Out4Immigration will use its online forums and social networking capabilities to keep the word spreading and to hook up as many of you with one another as we can.
Closer to the date, when we have more firm commitments of who will be rallying and where, we will provide a list of targeted press instructions.
So, please -- work together folks and make your voices heard for March 21.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Call to Action: March 21, Stand Up Around the World and Demand Immigration Reform for Same-Sex Binational Couples
A grassroots action is forming on the back of a major Reform Immigration in America (RIFA) taking place in Washington DC on March 21.
Many Out4Immigration members expressed interest in trying to get to DC for this march, but for many of us this is logistically and financially impossible.
That's why we are asking for volunteers around the world to stand up and form local coalitions of people who support equal immigration rights for same-sex binational couples, and on March 21, take your group to a local landmark, local LGBT center or local RIFA event -- and ask your local press to meet you there.
Wear your O4I t-shirt, make signs, bring friends, family and coworkers. Bring a camera and take a picture. (We know some of you cannot be open about your situations -- but that's no reason to sit this out. Disguises and masks or turning your back to the camera are okay -- in fact, this often underscores the need to fix our broken immigration system!)
We will post photos here and on our website, and we will also ask you to send copies to major mainstream and LGBT press around the country with a copy of a press release immediately following this action. We hope there will be dozens of simultaneous actions like this happening at 1 pm Eastern time on Sunday, March 21.
We will provide talking points so that you can tell those you meet how they can help reform immigration in America and garner support for the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA).
Please watch this space for more details as they form, or join our Yahoo Groups list serve via our website (scroll to the bottom of our homepage and click on the Yahoo icon). You can also email Kathy at kathy@out4immigration.org for more info or to propose your idea for organizing on March 21.
And -- if you can make it to DC on the 21st, Immigration Equality is organizing a contingent and we urge you to meet up with them. To find our more about IE's actions in DC on March 21, click here.
Many Out4Immigration members expressed interest in trying to get to DC for this march, but for many of us this is logistically and financially impossible.
That's why we are asking for volunteers around the world to stand up and form local coalitions of people who support equal immigration rights for same-sex binational couples, and on March 21, take your group to a local landmark, local LGBT center or local RIFA event -- and ask your local press to meet you there.
Wear your O4I t-shirt, make signs, bring friends, family and coworkers. Bring a camera and take a picture. (We know some of you cannot be open about your situations -- but that's no reason to sit this out. Disguises and masks or turning your back to the camera are okay -- in fact, this often underscores the need to fix our broken immigration system!)
We will post photos here and on our website, and we will also ask you to send copies to major mainstream and LGBT press around the country with a copy of a press release immediately following this action. We hope there will be dozens of simultaneous actions like this happening at 1 pm Eastern time on Sunday, March 21.
We will provide talking points so that you can tell those you meet how they can help reform immigration in America and garner support for the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA).
Please watch this space for more details as they form, or join our Yahoo Groups list serve via our website (scroll to the bottom of our homepage and click on the Yahoo icon). You can also email Kathy at kathy@out4immigration.org for more info or to propose your idea for organizing on March 21.
And -- if you can make it to DC on the 21st, Immigration Equality is organizing a contingent and we urge you to meet up with them. To find our more about IE's actions in DC on March 21, click here.
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