Religious groups mobilize against immigration reform for same-sex partners
activism, lgbt, politics, religion, video Add comments (4)Important Note: If you are visiting from www.usimmigrationwoes.com, they are mistaken. This is not a religious blog, and we are in full support of UAFA. Click on the UAFA link at the top of the page and will find numerous posts supportive of UAFA.
The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which provides a path to citizenship for same-sex couples where one of the partners is not a legal resident, is coming under fire from religious groups saying the act threatens overall immigration reform and undermines traditional marriage
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council is urging constituents to call their senators and vote against the bill:
Yesterday, while I was on the Hill meeting with a handful of senators, I learned that FRC’s noise on the immigration bill, S. 424 [UAFA], is having a considerable impact. After your calls and emails started pouring in, one leader told me the legislation, which would give a special resident status to same-sex partners, had become an embarrassing “spectacle.” Although the bill is still active, finding support for it will be even tougher now that FRC has shined the light on its real objective: undermining marriage. If you haven’t contacted your senators, please chime in this week and urge them to vote “no” on the “Uniting American Families Act.”
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, head of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is also opposed to the measure. From Politco.com:
..he [Rev. Rodriguez] called the efforts to slip gay rights into the immigration debate a “slap in the face to those of us who have fought for years for immigration reform.”
Rodriguez, who has worked with evangelical churches to build support for a broader immigration bill that would expand visa laws, said that if the same-sex language stays in, it will “divide the very broad and strong coalition that we have built on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has also indicated they will not support immigration reform if it contains language granting rights to same-sex couples, saying it “would erode the institution of marriage and family… a position that is contrary to the very nature of marriage which pre-dates the church and the state.”
As noted by Senator Jeff Sessions during the UAFA hearings earlier this week, Focus on the Family, the Eagle Forum and Concerned Women for America are also opposed to the legislation. Well post their official statements as they become available.
Lou Dobbs on CNN report on those opposed to UAFA last week. Watch:
Currently the House version of UAFA has 105 co-sponsors, while the Senate version of the bill only has 19 co-sponsors.
Please contact your local Represenative and have them co-sponsor UAFA.
Important Note: If you are visiting from www.usimmigrationwoes.com, they are mistaken. This is not a religious blog, and we are in full support of UAFA. Click on the UAFA link at the top of the page and will find numerous posts supportive of UAFA.
June 13th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Here we go again with the religious right sticking there nose’s where they don’t belong! If the religious right and bible thumpers would read the Declaration of Independence it says” We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, ( equal people )that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” Has the right wing forgotten about that? Or how about this one The phrase separation of church and state is generally traced to the letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists, in which he referred to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as creating a “wall of separation” between church and state
After your calls and emails started pouring in, one leader told me the legislation, which would give a special resident status to same-sex partners, had become an embarrassing “spectacle.” To who? I’ll tell you who the right wing bible thumping Republican Party not to the rest of the world. The rest of the free world supports gay marriage and being able to sponsor same sex partners.
Countries Where Gay Marriage is Legal
• Mexico (since 2006)
• Croatia (since 2003)
• Denmark (since 1989)
• Finland (since 2001)
• France (since 1999)
• Germany (since 2001/expanded rights 2004)
• Hungary (since 1996/expanded rights as of July 1, 2009)
• Iceland (since 1996)
• Sweden (as of May 1, 2009)
• Norway (since 2008)
• Netherlands/Holland (no amendments needed; language of existing laws inclusive)
• Belgium (since 2003)
• Spain (since 2005)
• South Africa (since 2006)
• Luxembourg (since 2004 with limitations)
• New Zealand (since 2004)
• Portugal (since 2001)
• Sweden (since 1995/expanded rights as of April 1, 2009)
• Switzerland (since 2005)
• United Kingdom (since 2005)
• Canada (since 2004/2005
“If you haven’t contacted your senators, please chime in this week and urge them to vote “no” on the “Uniting American Families Act.”
What a bigot thing to do, lets really show the rest of the world how we don’t support equal rights or human rights
http://www.nowpublic.com/health/where-gay-marriage-legal-list-states-and-countries
June 13th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
If you are visiting from http://www.usimmigrationwoes.com, which is the origin of the comment above, they are mistaken. This is not a religious blog, and we are in full support of UAFA. Click on the UAFA link at the top of the page and will find numerous posts supportive of UAFA.
June 13th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
I would urge everyone to take a look at this wonderful video. I think there is nothing else to add to it! We gotta learn the Lesson!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfnLbP9Iha8
June 14th, 2009 at 5:59 am
To the blog owner and the blog readers, I have to say that my anger was toward the Christian right wing, the Republican Party and to all the bigots out there. So I’m sorry if anyone thought I was mad at the blog, I was not! Just the blog thread.
I’m in bi-national relationship now (8 years) and ever since my husband had problems with his visa not being able to get anther one I have to travel 800 miles each way to see him. So when I see bigots talking there hate or the bible thumping mouths out there saying how bad this will be it just makes my blood boil.
So once again I’m sorry, the reply was not for this blog but the bible thumping right wing!
Roy