A003769
Wednesday, December 19, 2001 7:58 PM
Crisis Relief Benefits
December 19, 2001
Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,
We know that you are a busy person with an extremely difficult job. We
wish you and your staff well.
We also expect that you will respect the love that binds people together -
with or without an "official" marriage certificate. The terror which took
so many lives on September 11 is one that makes no distinctions concerning
the gender of those who loved those who died.
As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human
rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit
arbitrary discrimination.
As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you
apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle
of equality, by including 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, granting 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."
Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks.
Since then, 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 private and state agencies. An inclusive
policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an
important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real
justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families -
impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with
dignity and equality.
Thank you for considering our concerns. We look forward to hearing from
you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the
September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Sneedville, TN