Democrats in the United States have abandoned the clauses in the new legislation aimed at ensuring immigration reform in the country that would have enabled gay couples to sponsor US visas so that the legislation would be more acceptable to Republicans. Although the reforms continue to be supported by LGBT, many have expressed frustration over the fact that more people across a larger range of groups cannot be helped by the legislation changes.
Many more are especially disappointed and irritated by what is seen as a false tension between those who support equal rights for LGBT people and those who are campaigning for immigration reform, despite the fact that many immigration and gay rights groups have been working together in order to push for more comprehensive reform of the US visas system.
“The LGBT community did not put ourselves in this position,” says the president of GLAAD, Dave Montez. “We said that we were supportive, we continue to say we’re supportive. At some point there needs to be conversations about the conservative leaders that created this false dichotomy, that created this false choice between LGBT people and immigrants.”
If the Supreme Court repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, then there will no longer be any issues that stop gay couples from being able to sponsor their partners as the legal status of marriages between same-sex partners would then be recognized by the federal government. There are around 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and 40,000 bi-national same-sex couples.