N000683
Friday, December 21, 2001 10:38 PM
All families deserve a fair share.
December 21, 2001
Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,
I write as a concerned citizin committed to ensuring respect for the basic
human rights of people without discrimination and in support of equal
access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all
victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know,
the United States has committed to uphold international human rights
standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit
arbitrary discrimination.
As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you
apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle
of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those
who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children,
without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New
York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on
a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that
anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities
and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need."
Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks.
However, they were not targeted as such. Instead, they were targeted as
Americans, and thus we whould treat and compensate them in the same ways
other American victims and their families are. However, since the attacks,
lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results
in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of
relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part
of the federal government would help establish an important principle for
other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served
only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human
rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality.
Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you
about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11
attacks have equal access to the relief fund.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Clearwater, FL