R002305
Tuesday, March 19, 2002 12:20 PM
September 11 Fund
Dear Mr. President:
I write to express my anger and sadness at finding out that many of the
domestic partners of people lost in the World Trade Center tragedy will not
be eligible to receive benefits from the September 11 Fund. I've no doubt
that the many goodhearted Americans who have contributed to this fund have
done so to help all the victims' families, not only those with a marriage
license. I hope that you will urge Congress to develop its own, broader
guidelines -- not simply adhere to those of individual states -- in
deciding who is eligible for these benefits.
As an individual whose office is located just five blocks from the disaster
site, I shudder to think of what would have become of my partner of seven
years had I been one of the unfortunate souls lost on that day. Certainly
a charitable fund overseen by the Department of Justice should not exclude
unmarried life partners in making reparations to families. The only just
thing is to grant equivalent status to life partners based on cohabitation
and other factors routinely used to determine non-marriage partnerships.
This is not the time to score points with any particular political group by
following a certain set of guidelines with which that group is comfortable.
This is a time to make help available for ALL the families who need it.
Thank you for your attention.
Individual Comment