A002742
Wednesday, December 19, 2001 8:27 AM
In Support of Equal Access to Sept. 11 Relief Fund
December 19, 2001
Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,
I am contacting you to express my concerns about the possibility of human
rights violations that I feel very strongly could occur with upcoming
legislation. I a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights
movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people
without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the
September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual
orientation or marital status.
The United States has always upheld the commitment to international human
rights standards. This includes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which
prohibit arbitrary discrimination.
I respectfully request that upon consideration of the rules for
administering the relief fund, you apply basic international human rights
standards, as well as the general principle of equality. By this I refer to
the evident need to include among relatives eligible for compensation those
who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children,
without regard to sexual orientation or marital status.
The State of New York has already adopted such a policy. New York grants
compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the
victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living
expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves
help in this time of need."
It has come to my attention that many innocent people considered lesbian
& gay, due to their personal choice of lifestyle, were killed in the
September 11th attacks. It seems a terrible injustice to me that since the
attacks lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed
results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution
of relief funds by both private and state agencies. It is evident that an
inclusive policy on the part of our federal government would definitely
help establish a very important principle for other funds such as these.
In regard to the compensation of victims, I should think real justice will
only be served when ALL families, without discrimination as to "type" of
family, that were impacted by the deplorable human rights tragedy of
September 11th are rightfully treated with dignity and equality.
I would like to thank you for your time and attention given to my
concerns. I should think they reflect the concerns of all people interested
in the preservation of human rights to all. I shall eagerly look forward to
a responce from you regarding your efforts to ensure that all surviving
victims of the September 11th attacks have equal access to the relief fund.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
BILLINGS, MT