Letters to the Editor
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Regardless of who they would marry, gay Americans are denied all immigration sponsorship privileges
Immigration is one area where Gay American Taxpayers face a particularly egregious violation of our constitutional equal protection guarantees. Consider this: I cannot sponsor a partner of the same sex, because it is not permitted under the current law. But neither can I sponsor a partner of the opposite sex (through marriage), because the policy requires that we prove we've consummated our marriage sexually, and any evidence of my homosexuality would be used as evidence against my claims in that regard. Simply put, a gay or lesbian American cannot, without committing fraud, avail themselves of the right to sponsor any foreigner -- of either sex -- for legal immigration into this country.
And it is outrageous that the specter of increased immigration fraud is being used to justify refusing changes to the laws in this area. What percentage of the already existing amount of immigration fraud is caused by gay and lesbian foreign nationals entering into "sham marriages" with willing (or paid) American beards merely as a way of getting around the injustices described above? If anything, legalizing the immigration of same-sex partners would cause an immediate decrease in the number of fraudulent applications for immigration through marriage.