For us personally to be in an environment that feels more progressive is inspiring. To have a country do the right thing about civil rights, to make a commitment that all people are equal, is amazing. It’s a blanket policy – all people have equal rights; it’s not selective. This picking and choosing in the United States leaves a bad taste in your mouth… You can’t get around the [U.S.] immigration system. We try to let people know that we didn’t mess this up; we’re not lazy or stupid; we tried to find an avenue to pursue, but there just isn’t one. This experience rocked my identity as a U.S. citizen to the core. Sometime I feel like a child saying it’s not fair. I feel frustrated and very ashamed that the biggest country in the western world lags so far behind on human rights on its own soil… People ask me why I’m here, and I say, because I can’t live there. For the country that professes to be a peacekeeper for the world, the guardian of human rights, and the bastion of democracy, they’re failing a significant percentage of their citizenship. Read More Anji and Hills story - Human Rights Watch - Family Unvalued. (photo: Human Rights Campaign)

Tags: Human Rights Watch, Family Unvalued, gay immigration, equality