A001589
Thursday, December 13, 2001 3:41 PM
Victims' Compensation Fund
Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC
I write to ask you to assure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11 with particular attention being given to the families of low-wage workers and also gay and lesbian families.
If traditional rules based on lost wages are the criteria, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all of those killed. A high minimum compensation level is needed to lessen the disparities.
Gays and lesbians are highly vulnerable when one partner is killed, but the Red Cross and the State of New York have compassionately declared that they will not discriminate against families of gays and lesbians. The Department of Justice should do the same. My wife and I chose to affiliate with a church predominately made up of homosexuals when we moved recently to Houston. These new friends have helped us to understand the ugly treatment that they often receive. The overwhelming tragedy that gays and lesbians and everyone else experienced on September 11 and its continuing aftermath calls for understanding and kindness in the policies that will guide the distribution of the Victim Compensation Fund.
Thank you for considering my observations. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these critically important issues.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment