It happened yesterday morning. It was a development that ultimately dismissed the possibility for coupled queer people to be treated with the same restrictions, or freedoms, as their straight counterparts in immigration concerns. The deal was an amendment to the immigration reform, which is currently in works. It was the portion that could have given queer couples– in which one partner is American and the other isn’t– the right to gain citizenship through their union. And, it went down the drain.
The outcome might have been no surprise to those who had been following the story. The bill practically had the support of, well, one person in Capitol Hill: Senator Patrick Leahry. He was urged not to bring the amendment to the table, but he sort of it; he brought it to the discussion. At the end of the day though, after seeing that no one was on his side, he withdrew it himself.
The main fear was that this one amendment would kill the entire reform. And, from a certain view point it might have even been the logical choice to take it out; it was sort of the greater good. But, the circumstances had well-known supporters of LGBT rights — democrats — putting down their foot to, well, LGBT rights. Even Obama was “OK with delaying gay immigration provision.”
The other democratic senators working on the reform alongside Leahry said it was an issue of timing and an issue of placement.
So, why didn’t Facebook turn red with equal signs like it did when the Supreme Court held hearings for the Prop 8 and DOMA cases? Why didn’t America care enough to rally outside the White House? Or, in a more modern manner, why was there no hashtag trending on Twitter yesterday and today– say, #LGBTimmigration?
Is it really not the time to address that there are at least 267,000– probably way more considering the number of queer people in the closet– LGBT adult undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. today?
I guess the issue was– like a little comment left behind one of the articles I came across today said– that “you people want everything now.” Well then, measured doses of equality over time it is.
