A004343
Thursday, December 20, 2001 12:35 PM
Equal Access for Crisis Relief Benefits
December 20, 2001
Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,
I write as 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.
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, as exemplified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which
prohibit arbitrary discrimination and which the United States is committed
to uphold, 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.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these important concerns. I
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
Portland, OR