N000882
Monday, December 24, 2001 9:28 PM
Re: Crisis Benefits
December 24, 2001
Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,
I write as a member of the independent human rights organization Amnesty
International and its members worldwide who are committed to ensuring
respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, 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 I am sure you are aware, our government in the United States has pledged
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 stipulations for distributing the relief fund, I ask that
you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general
equality principle, by including among relatives eligible for compensation
those who lost their life partners, as well as those who are in fact
parents or children, without using sexual orientation or marital status as
a benchmark. 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 died in the September 11th attacks. Since this
sad series of events, 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
all-embracing policy on the part of the federal government would help
establish an important principle for other such funds. In giving financial
aid to victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and
all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September
11 and the attrocity committed against our great country are treated with
dignity and equality.
Thank you for permitting me to share my concerns. I eargerly await 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
Fremont, NE