U.S. Congress moves to ban 'binational marriages' between Americans and foreign nationals

By Madison Reed

What would you do if you, an American, and your Sweetheart, from Ireland, wanted to get married, but when you applied for a marriage license you were told that binational marriages were illegal in the United States?  Then, you discovered that it was impossible to bring your Irish Sweetheart to the U.S., because the federal immigration law required you to have a marriage contract to prove that you had a family relationship?

Your only choices - if your relationship were to survive - would be to leave the United States and live together in another country that will accept both of you with your different nationalities (sometimes very difficult to do), or to resign yourselves to live apart in two different countries, forever!

Fortunately, U.S. Congress is not rushing to ban binational marriages in the United States.  But can you imagine the outrage and mass protests if the states were to outlaw them, and the federal government stood idly by and allowed binational families to be split apart - denying foreign partners entry into the United States?

But hold on and please read to the very end.  This is EXACTLY what's happening to me and my Belarusian partner Dzmitry, as well as an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 Americans who have foreign partners or spouses.

The reason this is happening to us, and why it's not causing an outcry and mass protests, is because many Americans believe it pleases God to do everything within their power to destroy the lives and families of a certain targeted group of Americans; and still other Americans don't care about us; and others ignore our suffering because it's politically expedient.  It brings them a lot of money and greater political power to keep quiet about it.  But the vast majority of Americans simply have no idea that this is happening to American Citizens like me.  So, who are we and why is this happening?  We are Americans who are NOT HETEROSEXUAL.  Our foreign-born partners and spouses are of the same-sex.

Dzmitry and I, and countless thousands of others, need the support of other Americans to stop states and the federal government from discriminating against us.  We want to marry our partners, to enjoy our lives like other families do, and to receive the social status and bundle of rights that come with the recognition of legal marriage, but most states and the federal government are singling us out, and denying us those freedoms and rights.  We would love to live happily with our foreign partners and add our combined strengths and talents to the fabric of American society, but it is illegal for us to do this.

Will you please read some of our stories and think of ways to help us?

We also have a petition at Change.org, that's asking President Obama and Congress to pass a bill called the Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 1024, S. 424), which will allow us to bring our partners to the United States.  Please click on the button below.  You'll be taken to more information about the UAFA (Uniting American Families Act) and be able to sign it.  Your letter will be sent to the President and to your members in Congress automatically.

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Related articles:
Gay U.S. Citizens Seek to Claim Residency for Foreign Spouses (miamiherald.com)
Immigration Officials Allow Gay Couple to Reunite  (advocate.com)