N000704
Saturday, December 22, 2001 12:58 PM
Please help ensure equal access to benefits under the September
11 Victims Relief Fund, regardless of sexual orientation or m...
December 22, 2001
Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,
I am writing to show my strong support for equal access to benefits under
the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims of the attacks,
regardless of sexual orientation or marital status.
As a member of the global human rights group Amnesty International, I am
committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without
discrimination and feel the United States should honor its commitment to
uphold international human rights standards.
I hardly need remind you that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibit arbitrary
discrimination.
I would ask that you apply the same basic international human rights
standards and the general principle of equality as you consider rules for
administering the relief fund.
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, you will be adhering to the
principles of equality.
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 emotional bonds of family [deserving
of] help in this time of need."
For every lesbian and gay person taken from us in the September 11th
attacks, surviving partners of the deceased have had very 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.
I thank you for your time and eagerly look forward to hearing from you on
the steps you intend to take to ensure that all surviving victims of the
September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Somerville, MA