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Dispirited U.S. gays choosing Canada

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V

videogamer

Banned
Craig Lucas, who wrote the popular Hollywood movies Prelude to a Kiss and The Secret Lives of Dentists, contacted a Toronto immigration lawyer last week after the election victory of Republican President George W. Bush.

"Our rights are slowly being eroded," said the award-winning screenwriter, who plans to move to Vancouver with his partner, a set designer. "It happened in Nazi Germany, the incredible brain drain of artists, scientists and writers who fled to the U.S. Now it's happening here [in the United States]. The government wants gays to live outside the protection of the law."

Michael Battista, a Toronto immigration lawyer, said Mr. Lucas, like many of the gay Americans who have contacted him, has just the kind of skills Canada needs and will have no trouble qualifying to immigrate under the points system.

"I currently have more than 100 applications in the works on behalf of prospective gay American immigrants," he said. "These are highly skilled people with no dependents and substantial savings. Canada is benefiting enormously. They are not deterred by the fact that it can take as long as two years to process their applications."

While some gay Americans applied to immigrate before the Nov. 2 election, the results o*nly reinforced their determination to leave. Mr. Bush has again indicated he would support a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Eleven states, including Ohio, Michigan and Oregon, voted overwhelmingly to ban gay marriage, in balloting held at the same time as the election. Ohio also banned civil unions.

That means gay couples in those states may not be able to apply for health coverage under their partner's plan and will have difficulty transferring property in the event of death, delegating power of attorney, and arranging hospital visitation rights or other rights that heterosexual couples take for granted.

Under U.S. federal immigration laws, gay Americans who are living with foreigners are unable to sponsor their partners, which means they must leave the country if they want to stay together.

Americans who immigrate to Canada may sponsor their same-sex partners under the family-class category and be processed on the same application.
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http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php...e=article&sid=976&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
originally from globeandmail

I walked into my coworker’s cubicle to bitch about the U.S. immigration system. She was a foreign worker in the same situation. The difference was that she was straight. I told her, “I would have to kiss my boss’s ass for the next four to six years to keep my job during the green card process.”

She laughed and replied, “I decided to get married to my boyfriend and we’re going to apply for my green card.”

I felt happy for her that she was getting married and applying for a green card. At the same time, I felt sorry for myself since I was legally barred from getting married to my same-sex partner. I was unable to apply for a green card on the basis of my partnership unless I married a woman.

There wasn’t much chance of that happening.

I went back to my cubicle and sat there thinking about what to do next. Instead of storming to the local immigration office, I questioned myself. How badly do I want to stay in America when the country does not recognize my relationship and treats gays as second-class citizens? I knew the answer deep in my heart.

A few days later, a friend of mine from college told me that Canada recognized same-sex relationships for immigration. I decided to do more research, and my partner and I eventually applied to immigrate to Canada. Our application was approved in one year. I drove from San Francisco to Vancouver, arriving at the border in 20 hours.

I was very nervous when I drove up to the Canadian border. An immigration officer verified my information and asked me if I had any dependents. I told her quietly, “Well, my same-sex partner and I applied together and he’s arriving in a month.” I didn’t really know how they would react to my situation.

The officer looked calm and told me, “No problem. Welcome to Canada!” The difference between dealing with Canadian and U.S. immigration was like night and day. The officer made me feel that I was welcome in Canada.
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http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/927/927_kiomiya.asp




A Christian legal group said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against Arizona State University officials that it should be allowed to discriminate on the basis of religious and sexual orientation.

The university chapter of the Christian Legal Society said it wants to be recognized as an official campus organization but without having to comply with the university's ban on discrimination on the basis of religion or sexual orientation.
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http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1117az-campus-christian17-ON.html
 
A

AniHawk

Member
The only reason I can understand people actually banning gay marriage is that people would be getting married just for the benefits, which would offset other things I'm too tired to remember right now. The idiotic part about this argument is that if people were getting married for benefits, they'd just do it anyway- gay or straight.
 
F

fennec fox

ferrets ferrets ferrets ferrets FERRETS!!!
I'm sure there are people that aren't comfortable with the concept of gay marriage in Canada, too, not to mention the rest of the world.
 
M

ManDudeChild

Member
fennec fox said:
I'm sure there are people that aren't comfortable with the concept of gay marriage in Canada, too, not to mention the rest of the world.
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True. But we at least allow them to do their own thing, for the most part. I mean you won't find ANY style of life that's accepted completely by all people, that's just the way people are all over the world.
 
S

Socreges

Banned
fennec fox said:
I'm sure there are people that aren't comfortable with the concept of gay marriage in Canada, too, not to mention the rest of the world.
Click to expand...
No, I'm sorry. Every Canadian loves gays. We can't help it. Something about that hot sodomitical action that just drives us wild.

Honestly, that goes without saying, doesn't it? This is obviously a matter of degrees.

I suppose then you could just:

"Hey, well at least America is more tolerant than uh.. Syria! They'll kill you, but we just psychologically pick you apart!"
 
F

Fresh Prince

Banned
Blah Australia and many 'civiliased' countries aren't much better America just seems to be going public with the hate...but atleast you have Carson Daily(sp?)
 
M

ManDudeChild

Member
Socreges said:
No, I'm sorry. Every Canadian loves gays. We can't help it. Something about that hot sodomitical action that just drives us wild.

Honestly, that goes without saying, doesn't it? This is obviously a matter of degrees.

I suppose then you could just:

"Hey, well at least America is more tolerant than uh.. Syria! They'll kill you, but we just psychologically pick you apart!"
Click to expand...

Well of course we love the sodomitical action, how else are we supposed to keep warm in the Great White North? With all the fuss over the seals, we can't use their blubber for insulation anymore.
 
S

Spiritreaver

Member
Fresh Prince said:
The guy from Queer Eye for a Straight Guy: as in they're only okay as long as you think of them as characters and not real people.
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carson_bio_pic.jpg


I think you mean Carson Kressley, the ever so sassy fashion expert on Queer Eye, and not Carson Daly, the weirdo ex-MTV VJ, though I'm sure he's gay too, no matter who he dates. :lol
 
S

Seth C

Member
"Our rights are slowly being eroded."

Which ones, guy? You mean the right to marry, which you didn't have before anyway?
 
M

maharg

idspispopd
Seth C said:
"Our rights are slowly being eroded."

Which ones, guy? You mean the right to marry, which you didn't have before anyway?
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I suppose he might mean the right to simulate marriage, which many believe a lot of these new state amendments DO erode. Or the right to have their marriage from, say, Massachusetts be valid if they move to Texas, a right they had before (even if they didn't have the right to marry the people they would want to) but is quickly going away.

Nope, I'd say there's some backpeddling going on. And some of it tramples on non-gay people too.
 
S

SFA_AOK

Member
fennec fox said:
I'm sure there are people that aren't comfortable with the concept of gay marriage in Canada, too, not to mention the rest of the world.
Click to expand...

Two words for you: weaksauce. I'm disappointed in you fennec, I expect a better quality of argument from you :/
 
B

bishoptl

Banstick Emeritus
Can't wait to explain the basement full of gays and angry liberals to my parents next time they come to visit. :|
 
M

MrAngryFace

Banned
basically what it comes down to is the govt telling people how to live. Why is this a problem? Because how gays live is only a threat to people who are weak minded. This must mean our govt and a large portion of the US population = weak minded!

Awesome!
 
A

Azih

Member
I told her quietly, “Well, my same-sex partner and I applied together and he’s arriving in a month.” I didn’t really know how they would react to my situation.
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I'm getting this hillarious picture of the guy expecting the colour to drain from the immigration official's face as he/she screams "THE GAY", presses a huge red button and dives for the floor as red lights and sirens start wailing

FAG ALERT, HOMOSEXUAL IDENTIFIED,
FAG
FAG
FAG
FAG
FAG
FAG
FAG
 
X

xsarien

daedsiluap
fennec fox said:
I'm sure there are people that aren't comfortable with the concept of gay marriage in Canada, too, not to mention the rest of the world.
Click to expand...

The difference is, Canada's government doesn't care what they do in the privacy of their own homes and houses of worship.
 
A

Azih

Member
Yeah there are plenty of people who don't like gay marriage (Alberta and some religous groups being the primary opponents), they're just not the majority.
 
N

N Coward Parody

Member
Craig Lucas just edited an anthology of short plays in which one of my mine is published. :) The Back Stage Book of New American Short Plays 2005. Check it out.



*Noel Coward Parody
 
M

mrmyth

Member
bishoptl said:
Can't wait to explain the basement full of gays and angry liberals to my parents next time they come to visit. :|
Click to expand...



Oh sure, blame the latest election for that.





















Is it a finished basement?
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
bishoptl said:
Can't wait to explain the basement full of gays and angry liberals to my parents next time they come to visit. :|
Click to expand...

so now you're inviting the gays too? Damn its gonna get cramped down there. All i have to say is, if someone touches my cock, its on.
 
M

Manabanana

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
so now you're inviting the gays too? Damn its gonna get cramped down there. All i have to say is, if someone touches my cock, its on.
Click to expand...

You may want to think about rewording that.
 
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