R002715
TO:
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
In recent interviews, the head of September 11 Victim
Compensation Fund (a fund created by Congress to help the
families of those who died on September 11) has made clear
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 horrible terror attacks.
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.
Even fetuses and illegal aliens will be receiving benefits
under this problem. 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 (there are many more) - we are told the law
is the law and no exceptions can be made.
If September 11 has taught us anything, it is 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,
Mon, Mar 18, 2002 1:32 PM
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 want 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.
This discrimination is un-American
I urge you to change your biased and prejudiced point of view and
create a policy that offers equanimity to all partners of all victims
affected by the horrible attack on New York City, Washington D.C., and
the aborted attack of the third airplane that took place on
September 11, 2001.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Seattle, Washington