R000967
Saturday, March 16, 2002 2:20 PM
Equality
I write to you as a demand for equality.
The partners of gay and lesbian heroes of September 11
will not receive the same benefits as the spouses
of heterosexual victims of the horrible terror attacks.
THIS IS A GROSS MISCARRIAGE.
Even fetuses and illegal aliens will be receiving benefits
Despite the fact that federal law calls for arrest and deportation of
illegal aliens, and punishment of American companies that
hired illegals in violation of federal labor laws.
But when it comes to gay and lesbian heroes of the day - who helped bring down the flight in Pennsylvania, who died in the line of duty when the first tower fell, and who was of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon (there are many more) - we are told the law is the law and no
exceptions can be made.
[Read this article for complete details about how the Fund is
discriminating against gays:
http://uspolitics.about.com/library/weekly/aa031102a.htm ]
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
If September 11 has taught us anything, it's that our
patriotism and love of country transcend our differences and
unite us all. We were told that September 11 was the day
that "hyphenated-Americans" were no more, and rather than
being Italian-Americans, African-Americans or gay-Americans,
we were now simply Americans, all of us together as one
American family. Apparently, that family just got a divorce.
The hyphens seem not to matter when our government wants to
use our heroism to inspire others, but when it comes time to
actually aid the families of those heroes, the hyphens come
back with a vengeance, and it seems that some American heroes
are now more equal than others.
I am outraged that gay and lesbian partners of those
who died on September 11 are not automatically going to
receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses.
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