R002464
Thursday, March 21, 2002 2:55 AM
Discrimination is Un-American
I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that the partners of gay and
lesbian heroes of September 11 will not necessarily receive the same benefits
as the spouses of heterosexual victims of the tragedy. Even fetuses and
illegal aliens are covered by the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.
How can this be justified, in light of the 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 (there are many more)? Their loved ones are simply told
that the law is the law and no exceptions can be made.
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. However, 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.
Please see that all Americans and their families are treated equally under
the law. Prove that you really are the Department of Justice, not the
Department of INJUSTICE.
Thank you.
Individual Comment
Long Beach, CA