U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez's commitment to LGBT civil rights goes back to his 1980s campaign during the aldermanic special elections mandated by the courts. He was a supporter of Mayor Harold Washington, and ran successfully during the 1986 special election held in several key Chicago City Council districts.
I interviewed Gutierrez during that campaign, for Windy City Times, and he spoke of his commitment to gay rights. This was a heated time in Chicago's history, with Council Wars dividing the city by geography, race and more. But Gutierrez stood firm for gay rights and he did not waver from that commitment as an alderman.
Now Gutierrez is an important U.S. representative, and is sometimes asked to work on gay-related issues. Immigration is one of those issues that our community often forgets is very gayrelated— not just because there are many LGBT immigrants, some fleeing anti-gay countries.
It's also because of the discriminatory impact of U.S. marriage laws; the federal government does not recognize same-sex unions when it comes to binational LGBT couples. This leaves many LGBT couples and families divided by national borders.
The Uniting American Families Act ( UAFA ) , which is co-sponsored by Gutierrez and more than 100 others in the House ( including Illinois Reps. Davis, Hare, Jackson, Quigley, Rush and Schakowsky and Sens. Durbin and Burris ) , is a standalone bill to assist LGBT families. Immigration Equality, an LGBT group, is urging Gutierrez to include UAFA as part of his own immigration reform bill. Windy City Times also asks Gutierrez, our longtime Chicago LGBT supporter, to make an inclusive LGBT-friendly immigration bill a priority.
"Congressman Gutierrez's bill is especially important to LGBT families because, as a progressive piece of legislation that will certainly influence the crafting of comprehensive immigration reform measures later this year, it can send a strong message that lawmakers support ending discrimination against LGBT binational families," said Steve Ralls of Immigration Equality.
"Gutierrez is a staunch champion of both LGBT issues and immigrant families, and legislation under his stewardship that is LGBT-inclusive will be instrumental in ensuring that our families are not forgotten. In short, his bill can be instrumental in putting Congress on notice that lawmakers who care about LGBT immigrant families will not allow those families to remain vulnerable and excluded from immigration reform efforts. Families in his district, and around the country, are counting on his continued leadership to end the discriminatory immigration laws that force them apart."
Gutierrez said keeping families together is of primary importance, and that immigration reform must treat all families fairly and equally.
"It's important that 'all families' include LGBT families too," Ralls said.
Immigration Equality points out that nearly half of all binational couples are raising children, and those children face the very real prospect of losing one of their parents or of being forced to leave the U.S. in order to keep their family intact. "If Congress delays action on reform that is LGBT-inclusive, it will mean that, literally, thousands of families will be torn apart before Congress intervenes again. Immigration Equality is aware of several families who are already making plans to leave the U.S. if Congress doesn't take action on their behalf soon," Ralls said.
It is long past time for our immigration policies to be reformed across many levels, including for LGBT families. Rep. Gutierrez, you have stood with us before; please stand with us now. See www.immigrationequality.org .
Tracy Baim is publisher of Windy City Media Group.
