CHICAGO — The LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Coalition of Chicago applauds the Supreme Court decision finding Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional. The Court's ruling is consistent with the dignity and respect the LGBT community collectively deserves. Through this ruling, married gay and lesbian families will finally be placed on equal legal footing, allowing access to the more than 1,000 federal benefits that DOMA had previously denied same-sex families.
Wednesday's historic decision allows gay and lesbian bi-national couples the chance to stabilize their families in the United States through an immigration system that will cease to discriminate against someone because of sexual orientation. No longer will gay and lesbian U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents be barred from petitioning a noncitizen spouse. As a result, more than 35,000 gay and lesbian bi-national couples will have the opportunity to remain together and build a life and home of their choice in the United States.
The Coalition is heartened by President Obama's leadership in directing his Cabinet to implement the Court's decision "swiftly and smoothly." We are likewise grateful for the immediate assurance by the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, that the Department of Homeland Security will "implement today's decision so that all married couples will be treated equally and fairly in the administrative of our immigration laws."
"The Court's decision guarantees a better life for married gay and lesbian spouses," said Michael Jarecki of the LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Coalition of Chicago. "The affirmation of Constitutional protections for gays and lesbians and the end of inequality and second-tier marriages paves the way for stability for all families and their children," said Jarecki.
"While I celebrate the Court's decision, I cannot distance myself from the reality that Illinois itself and 36 other states lack legal access to same-sex marriage," said Julio Rodriguez of the Association of Latino Men for Action. "To benefit from the Court's decision, same-sex families in Illinois, who are currently disenfranchised, must travel to a marriage equality state to marry. This is wrong and the Illinois House must act to pass civil marriage to gay and lesbian families in our state," said Rodriguez.
The LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Coalition works with immigrant rights agencies, non-profit LGBTQ organizations, and legislative leaders at the city, county and state level to support key efforts aimed at addressing LGBT priorities within the immigrant rights reform movement.
