R001814
Monday, March 18, 2002 9:50 PM
exclusion of gays from 9/11 fund is wrong
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my disappointment and disbelief that gay and lesbian
partners of those killed in the 9/11 attacks will not be receiving the same
benefits as their heterosexual counterparts. It is an outrage that the
administrators of the 9/11 Fund have chosen to perpetrate such
discrimination. Discrimination against lesbians and gays is wrong under any
circumstances, but is made all the more aggregious by the hypocricy here: as
Americans put aside differences to unite around American ideals of freedom,
justice, democracy, and equality, government administrators deny benefits to
the grieving partners of some of the dead on the basis of those differences.
This is a wrong and unjust policy. The 9/11 terrorists did not discriminate
among the passengers and workers in the planes and buildings who were killed
in the attacks, nor should the 9/11 Fund discriminate in its distribution of
benefits to those whose loved ones were murdered.
I am aware that legalities are being consciously overlooked to provide
benefits to the families of illegal immigrants and even to fetuses (which to
my knowledge do not enjoy the rights of personhood under the law). The
decision to grant benefits to the families of illegal immigrants is just, as
all victims' families deserve compensation. While certain legal sticking
points are being cited to justify the denial of benefits to gay and lesbian
partners, the extension of benefits to the families of illegal workers
undercuts this argument.
Full benefits must be extended to the gay and lesbian partners of those
Americans killed in the terrorist events of September 11th. To deny these
Americans the same rights, privleges, and benefits extended to other
Americans (and in fact other non-citizens) undermines the most basic American
principles of equality under the law. Worse yet, to make these biased and
discriminatory distinctions among Americans now creates precisely the kind of
division which weakens our country against its fundamentalist attackers.
Divided from within, we will easily fall.
As fractious a nation as we are, we unite not around a motherland or a shared
lifestyle or a common racial identity or a single religion, but around the
ideals of freedom, justice, democracy, and equality under the law. These
ideals must be upheld now, or we ourselves continue the work of our
attackers. By perpetrating discrimination and economic violence against our
gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, we further undermine our strength, our
spirit, and our righteousness as a nation.
Yours for the cause of peace and brotherhood,
Individual Comment