R000415
Tuesday, March 12, 2002 3:08 PM
Gays and lesbians aren't heroes???
I am writing to register my dismay with the Victim's Compensation Fund.
After hearing statements by Kenneth Feinberg this weekend on Meet the Press,
I can't believe that gay and lesbian partners of victims will not be equally
compensated. Why is it that illegal aliens will be provided financial
compensation over US citizens who deserve this support just as much----even
if they are lesbian or gay? Feinberg uses the excuse that the DOJ does not
want to go against state laws. How can this be if the DOJ is turning a blind
eye to illegal aliens thus affected!
One of the heroes of this whole catastrophe was an openly gay man who
prevented one jet from crashing into federal buildings in Washington.
Instead it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, perhaps saving hundreds of
lives.
The decision to not treat lesbian and gay people equally in this compensation
plan is a mockery of the American people. The US has demonstrated how we can
come together. Now, the DOJ seems to believe that gay and lesbian victims
are second-class citizens even to illegal aliens who do not pay taxes or
support our infrastructure.
Do the right thing DOJ!!! Treat the gay and lesbian partners of victims
just the same as you are all partners and spouses.
Yesterday, 6 months after I witnessed the Towers burn and crash, I finally
went to Ground Zero with my visiting 17 year-old niece from Kansas. As a New
Yorker, I had no desire to go there. I had watched thousands of my neighbors
and city-dwellers stream past my home in Manhattan that day, crying,
bewildered, covered in dust or blood. I did not need the reminder of this
heinous act.
But now, after hearing Meet the Press and seeing Ground Zero, I feel
terrorized all over again. Now this terror comes from within my own beloved
country's government. The designated relief agency is choosing to treat gay
and lesbian people differently than other citizens or even illegal aliens who
have suffered in this tragedy. Once again, I feel the fear and the pain that
this government will choose not to protect equally a portion of our
society--gay and lesbian people. We wage a war on terror outside of this
country. Your agency perpetuates terror from within. Thousands and
thousands of gay and lesbian people have suffered violence, discrimination
and injustice. The actions of the DOJ perpetuate such injustice. SHAME
SHAME SHAME As leaders you should treat all the victims equally. Equality
is the premise on which our country is based.
How can I support a war action that mocks justice right here in my
homeland!!!
Individual Comment
New York, NY