R001706
Monday, March 18, 2002 9:40 AM
Discrimination in the Sept. 11 Fund
Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director
Office of Management Programs
Civil Division
U.S. Department of Justice
Main Building, Room 3140
950 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Mr. Zwick,
I was shocked and angered by word of your decision not to provide compensation to the partners of gay and lesbian Americans killed in the September 11 attacks. In the months since the attack, your government has stressed the worth of all Americans and that the strength of this nation lies in its diversity and freedom. To deny equal compensation to the gay and lesbian partners of people killed in the attack is a second assault on those already grieving. It is caving into the theocratic rhetoric of those who committed the attack. And it is sewing the seeds of dissension among Americans at a time when we need to stand united.
Please reconsider your decision before you send a message to the world that the U.S. willingly and overtly discriminates against a loyal and taxpaying portion of its citizenry.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment