US Bill to sponsor same sex partners!

[bill520]

Bill Allowing U.S. Citizens to Sponsor Same-Sex Partners Gets Senate Hearing
By Diego Graglia, FI2W web editor
In a development that some activists are calling historic, a bill that would allow U.S. citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners to immigrate legally into the country is getting its day in Congress, for the first time.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing on the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) for Wednesday, June 3. The news came Thursday in a press release by Immigration Equality, one of the organizations pushing for the bill to become law.

As Feet in 2 Worlds reported this week, UAFA would allow gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor their partners for U.S. residency in the same way heterosexuals are allowed to petition on behalf of their spouses.


€œAn estimated 36,000 binational couples are affected by U.S. laws prohibiting gay and lesbian Americans from sponsoring their partners for residency,€ Immigration Equality said

[rxpharm]

Hope this is approved and passed! I am surprised it is coming up so soon, and it speaks well that the Democrats are considering making changes so quickly after 8 years of Bush.

[Stogie]

Difficult to see how this won't be approved. Even Christians approve of equality so they haven't got much on an argument, although they will be chomping at the bit thinking of ways to restrict this bill.

[Torurot]

"christians" believe some are more equal than others! Don't hold your breath, didn't liberal California just deny Gay Marriage?

[Lefty]

(Torurot @ Jun. 06 2009,14:44) "christians" believe some are more equal than others! Don't hold your breath, didn't liberal California just deny Gay Marriage?

I agree with you. I will totally shocked if this bill passed. Christians may say sometimes they believe in equality, but they sure don't walk the walk.

[SamplerDoc]

No Way in Hell this Bill ever gets passed......
Its the US Government, come on

[bill520]

(Lefty @ Jun. 07 2009,06:04)

(Torurot @ Jun. 06 2009,14:44) "christians" believe some are more equal than others!  Don't hold your breath, didn't liberal California just deny Gay Marriage?

I agree with you. I will totally shocked if this bill passed. Christians may say sometimes they believe in equality, but they sure don't walk the walk.

The voters in California in a referendum over turned a law allowing gay marriage that was passed by the legislators of California. Right now we have a liberal President, a liberal senate, 56 democrats, 41 republicans, 2 independents who most of the time vote with the democrats, and 1 seat that is undecided which  will most likely go to the democrats.

In the house of representatives, Democrats control the house by a wide margin 256 to 177 republicans. The only problem I foresee is in the senate, if the republicans unite and mount a filibuster making it hard for democrats to get 60 votes to invoke cloture.

[Lefty]

All that Democrat, and supposedly liberal, advantage means little. They can't even push through universal health care, so how much unlikely will a bill to sponsor same sex partners be? All of them, Dems, Reps, Indys, their NUMBER ONE GOAL is to get reelected. Right now, certain Dems are holding up universal health care as much as any Reps. I do not expect all Dems will support any same sex sponsorship bill either.

[stonefre]

I agree with you Lefty. A politician's number one job is to get re-elected. Voting for something like this might jeapordize that.

[Guest]

I'd not be entirely surprised if it passed. I agree that the odds are possibly against it, but you have to take your cap off to Team Obama. At the time, in the depth of despair, I was slightly consolded by the notion that another term of Bush was at least going to make the Democrats look REALLY good next time around

So, with the shifting winds of the zeitgeist, and a possible trend to overcompensate for the Bush years, who knows?

Happy to say we have similar legislation running here in australia: http://www.thaimigrationaustralia.co...australia.html

The problem being that one has to define the relationship as a 'gay' relationship, and the requirements differ from a fiancee visa. If you're an Aussie looking for the ability to bring a long term Tgirl partner to live with you permanently in Australia, then you're applying for a Interdependency: Class 814 visa, not a 'prospective marriage' visa. Just FYI.

[alan1chef]

You cannot really judge the outcome of the same sex legislation on the basis of what is happening with universal health care, where the issue under debate is the cost incurred by the US gov't. Same sex legislation costs the taxpayers nothing however it is a moral issue sure to get the religious right going.