Mark and Jonty

28/06/08 00:48
photos_square36
"We Feel We Are Two of the Lucky Ones" Mark Lipman and Jonty Somers met on Queen's Surf Beach, Honolulu in August 1991. Mark was touring with a Broadway musical as a pianist and assistant conductor. Jonty was soaking up the warm Hawaiian summer sun before returning to face the winter in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he lived and worked as a lawyer. After several days spent talking by the sea, finding common interests and a mutual attraction (and one thing leading to another) the two men faced a tearful goodbye. "We knew that after barely a week, we had Read more LGIRTF Founders Find Happiness Together At Last In New Zealand (photo: LGIRTF; Immigration Equality archive)

Tags: , , ,

Our Stories
Photo Blog

It's our time...

One American.
One foreign-born partner.


Living in fear...
Living Separated...
Or living in exile.
All of us are living very UN-American lives.



Subscribe with Bloglines

Americans take it for granted that if they fall in love with a foreigner, they will be able to sponsor their partner for residency in the United States. But there is no such option for same-sex couples. It simply does not matter how long a couple has been together, how devoted they are to each other or even if they are legally married in Massachusetts, California (before Prop 8) or a country that allows it; if the partners are the same sex, their relationship is irrelevant in the American immigration system. A matter of fact, if our marriages become known to an immigration official, it would be evidence enough (to them) of a reason to want to stay permanently in the U.S. and would be an automatic ground to deny our spouses entry, or even a visa in the future.



Will YOU keep it going?


Our goal is to collect as many stories and "faces" as possible, but iIf you don't feel comfortable showing your face for various reason, trust us, we understand. Don't let that stop you from submitting your story. Photos are important in our effort to put a face to the hardship that America has forced upon us, but so is your story. It's a tragedy in and of itself that fellow Americans have to resort to extremes when protecting their families' identity, but if you feel the need to obscure your photo before you submit your story, try something like this.
Living In Exile
Living In Separation
Living In Fear
Living Separated
Partner Held In Custody
USA
Update
© 2009 ImeQ.us Email Us - Say Hello!