United by Love, United by Law

Not only are such couples denied the general range of federal rights and benefits associated with marriage, but they also deal with the additional stress and trauma of having to find ways to physically stay together in the same country.

Dan Brotman is a gay man from Massachusetts. So, legally, he can marry his fiancé, Keith. The only catch is that Keith is South African – so unlike heterosexual couples, Keith is not allowed to enter the U.S. as Dan’s legal spouse.

Meet Michelle Dicinoski, Australian author of "Ghost Wife" - a memoir about same-sex marriage, with a binational perspective. Michelle is married to an American woman. The couple lives in Australia because Australian law recognizes their relationship for immigration purposes, unlike the U.S.

A U.S. citizen cannot sponsor a same-sex partner for immigration. Striking down DOMA could change everything. The Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, bars gay and lesbian citizens from accessing over 1,100 federal rights entitled to legally married couples. One of those rights: immigration, or the right of the U.S. citizen to sponsor their foreign spouse for a green card.

The gay columnist who broke the story revealing NSA spying methods chooses not to live in the U.S. because his marriage isn’t recognized by the federal government.

The Supreme Court may soon decide if the federal government will recognize same-sex marriage, a decision with profound implications for unions between American citizens and their foreign-born spouses. Here is the story of another one of the more than 40,000 couples anxiously awaiting a solution from the Supreme Court, after having been left out of comprehensive immigration reform last month.

Another story about a same-sex binational couple and their Congressional representative who is trying to help them.

Please share. Help educate our LGBT community at-large and all Americans about the real damage DOMA does. And why it is so important the Supreme Court strikes it down this month.

Democrats not only missed an opportunity to help on immigration reform, they missed the point, argues Kerry Eleveld.

Before U.S. lawmakers decide whether they will address same-sex couples in a comprehensive immigration overhaul bill, the Supreme Court could make the decision for them. But what if DOMA is upheld?

I wish I understood why allowing married, bi-national same-sex couples to apply for a visa through the marriage-based green card application process is such an abomination to Marco Rubio. ...

"Fumiko and I met in New York City in the fall of 1986. I was 46 years old and working as a computer programmer. I had three children in their early twenties…."

Blogger and columnist Glenn Greenwald may have broken the biggest American story of the year, but the American can’t even live in America.

Greenwald, a gay man, moved to Brazil so he could be with his partner. Beacuse of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Greenwald was unable to sponsor his partner for residency. So, the couple moved to Brazil where they could live together.

As we wait for the DOMA and Prop 8 decisions from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), court watchers are predicting that SCOTUS will strike down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requiring the federal government to recognize out marriages. But marriage equality will be limited to the states currently performing them. Overturning Prop 8 would add California to the list of states (now 12, plus Washington DC).

"Astrid (right) and I met on August 31, 2007, via the UK-based Shutterchance photoblog when she first commented on my day’s image. I’m American. She’s Dutch. And we’re both photographers...."

German-born Jörn Weisbrodt and American singer song-writer, Rufus Wainwright, speak out for the right of all lesbian and gay binational couples to live…

Yes, it's true that of the 11 million who will move forward with immigration reform, there are an estimated 267,000 gay and lesbian immigrants. Some of those may even be in same-sex binational relationships. But the majoirty of those 267,000 will move forward -- while 40,000 same-sex binational couples are left out -- not because they are LGBT, but because they fit into another category. Make no mistake - there is nothing in this for same-sex binationals, or LGBT people as a community. It blatantly discriminates against us. It is not comprehensive, and we must make our voices heard that any legislation that goes forward that writes discrimination into it needs to be fixed, not given a pass by our community.

Eighty-one members of the Senate and House voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 and are still nin power today. They owe Brandon - and the rest of the American halves of same-sex binational couples - our lives back. Please read this very moving piece - and share it widely. 

David W. Ross' screenplay was inspired when his boyfriend was denied immigration status and, without the option of a nationally recognized marriage to keep him in the United States (DOMA denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples), had to move back to England. "'I Do' came out of heartbreak, really," Ross said with a rueful smile.

In the US, the push is on to recognize gay marriage across the country. It’s an especially crucial issue for gay US citizen spouses who cannot get a green card for their foreign-born partner.