I recently attended a panel on binational couples and LGBT asylum seekers put on by Immigration Equality and Interlaw Diversity Forum here in London. The panel consisted of Andrew Landau from Immigration Equality, Andrew Sullivan who is a well known blogger, columnist, and author who writes on a variety of political issues and is part of binational couple, Helena Wray from Middlesex university and expert on family migration law in the UK, and S. Chelvan who is a barrister who fights for LGBT asylum seekers.
I was interested to see who would attend and possibly meet other couples in similar circumstances. There were quite a few couples, some people on their own and possibly also part of a binational couple, and several lawyers. We didn't do any networking or meet anyone but that is at least partially my fault as I felt pretty sad by the end seeing so many couples effected by this and listening to the speakers.
I really enjoyed listening to Andrew Sullivan and have been reading his blog since the panel. He has an inspiring story of fighting for his rights and ultimately winning. He also taught me about the ban on people who are HIV+ or have AIDS immigrating to the USA which was in effect until 2010. I was shocked and disgusted to find this out. Andrew is an excellent speaker and a great advocate for LGBT rights and is active in social and political issues in general. Watch how Andrew felt about attending the Immigration Equality Panel.
I also learned a lot from S. Chelvan who spoke about LGBT asylum cases in the UK. He spoke about the process a bit and how the laws have changed over the past couple if decades in this area. He explained everything in terms that are understandable and really inspire me to learn more about this issue.
All in all, I took some negative and positive ideas from this panel. Negatively, I feel a bit more scared about crossing the US border control in the airport and my partner not meeting me on the other side because of a immigration controller's discretion, which was always there but will be more prevalent now. Also, rethinking about our rights as parents in regards to citizenship depending who is the birth mother. I will definitely be writing to immigration equality for some advice on that.
Positively, It has really re-sparked my interest and drive for activism. It is so easy to get so wrapped up in the day to day routine of life and lose sight of the big picture. This is especially true for me as I am living away from home. The speakers spoke about raising awareness in both the LGBT and straight communities around the lack of immigration rights for same sex couples. As I have written in previous posts, people assume because some states have taken steps towards marriage equality couples should have immigration rights in those states which is unfortunately not the case. I've decided that although my story may not be as gut-wrenching as so many other binational couples who have no options to be together... It is a story of seperation from family and friends and being forced to choose between my love and my country. I will share my experiences to put a face to this issue and hopefully create a greater awareness around binational LGBT couples.
I was interested to see who would attend and possibly meet other couples in similar circumstances. There were quite a few couples, some people on their own and possibly also part of a binational couple, and several lawyers. We didn't do any networking or meet anyone but that is at least partially my fault as I felt pretty sad by the end seeing so many couples effected by this and listening to the speakers.
I really enjoyed listening to Andrew Sullivan and have been reading his blog since the panel. He has an inspiring story of fighting for his rights and ultimately winning. He also taught me about the ban on people who are HIV+ or have AIDS immigrating to the USA which was in effect until 2010. I was shocked and disgusted to find this out. Andrew is an excellent speaker and a great advocate for LGBT rights and is active in social and political issues in general. Watch how Andrew felt about attending the Immigration Equality Panel.
I also learned a lot from S. Chelvan who spoke about LGBT asylum cases in the UK. He spoke about the process a bit and how the laws have changed over the past couple if decades in this area. He explained everything in terms that are understandable and really inspire me to learn more about this issue.
All in all, I took some negative and positive ideas from this panel. Negatively, I feel a bit more scared about crossing the US border control in the airport and my partner not meeting me on the other side because of a immigration controller's discretion, which was always there but will be more prevalent now. Also, rethinking about our rights as parents in regards to citizenship depending who is the birth mother. I will definitely be writing to immigration equality for some advice on that.
Positively, It has really re-sparked my interest and drive for activism. It is so easy to get so wrapped up in the day to day routine of life and lose sight of the big picture. This is especially true for me as I am living away from home. The speakers spoke about raising awareness in both the LGBT and straight communities around the lack of immigration rights for same sex couples. As I have written in previous posts, people assume because some states have taken steps towards marriage equality couples should have immigration rights in those states which is unfortunately not the case. I've decided that although my story may not be as gut-wrenching as so many other binational couples who have no options to be together... It is a story of seperation from family and friends and being forced to choose between my love and my country. I will share my experiences to put a face to this issue and hopefully create a greater awareness around binational LGBT couples.
No comments:
Post a Comment