R000187
Monday, March 11, 2002 12:25 PM
Full Compensation for 9/11 Victim's Families
Dear Madam or Sir:
I was sent an e-mail this morning that stated, "In an appearance on the Sunday, March 10 broadcast of NBC's "Meet the Press," Kenneth Feinberg, the head of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (a fund created by Congress and run by the Department of Justice), said that gay partners of the heroes of September 11th will not necessarily be eligible for the same compensation as heterosexual family members who lost their loved ones."
Unfortunately, I did not see "Meet the Press" yesterday morning, Sunday, 10 March 2002. I normally do watch this show, but happened to miss it yesterday. After having read this reference I certainly wish I had watched the show. If this is, indeed, true then I think it is unbelievably cruel to exclude financial relief to the partners/families of any 9/11 victims on the basis that they are gay or lesbian.
The e-mail also states, "And as an indication of how generous the fund will be, even illegal aliens, who aren't American citizens and who are in the US in violation of federal law, will receive benefits. Feinberg even says that the Attorney General has promised that if undocumented aliens come forward, they won't be kicked out of the country, and their employers won't be penalized. "The attorney general, in consultation with Immigration, etc., undocumented aliens who come forward, the families will not suffer any consequences. They are covered by this program. They will get a check. The employer, where we need the economic information about the undocumented alien, will not be penalized," Feinberg told "Meet the Press. Gays and lesbians are] left out of my program to the extent that their own state doesn't include them. I cannot get into a position in this program, which has a one-and-a-half or two-year life start second-guessing what the state of New York or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the state of Virginia or New Jersey, how they treat same-sex partners, domestic live-ins, etc. I simply say this: What does your state law say about who is eligible? If your state law makes you eligible, I will honor state law. If it doesn't, I go with the state. Otherwise, Tim, I would find myself getting sued in every state by people claiming that I'm not following how the state distributes money. I can't get into that local battle. I've got to rely on state law." - Kenneth Feinberg on NBC's "Meet the Press," March 10, 2002.
"That's a long-winded way of saying that if state law discriminates against gay people, then so will Feinberg and the 911 Fund. The problem for gay Americans who lost loved ones on September 11 is that most states do not legally recognize gay relationships, and the very few that do tend to do so only for state employees, not for citizens at large. And while a handful of cities do in fact recognize such relationships, under Feinberg's formula, it's the state's law that counts, not the city's. So, in the end, pretty much everyone who died - including people who aren't even American citizens and were living in the US illegally - will be honored by the September 11th Fund as deserving of America's special recognition and thanks. The sole exception will be gay and lesbian Americans, because Feinberg and the 911 Fund wouldn't want to do anything contrary to US law. (Unless of course it involves an illegal alien who isn't even American - then apparently it's okay to bend the rules.)
I think it is incredibly kind and correct to recognize the 9/11 victims who are illegal aliens, their families and the people that employ them. I applaud the fact that these people, their families and their employers will not be penalized. This is kind, this is correct. This is precisely the view that should be adopted.
Please reconsider the matter of excluding the partners/families of the gay or lesbian 9/11 victims. Let us be equally kind and correct with them.
If anything good is to come from the 9/11 incident, let it be that we now recognize we must take responsibility for more than we have in the past. It is now a very different paradigm. I believe it is a much kinder, loving paradigm.
Please include all the partners and families of the victims of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. Please do not discriminate against anyone.
Thank you,
Individual Comment