Tony Sullivan and Richard Adams went to Federal District Court in Los Angeles in 1979 to continue their fight for federal recognition of their marriage so that Tony could be granted a green card as Richard's spouse. The Immigration Service has never apologized for sending them a one-sentence denial letter in 1975 referring to them as "two faggots." The Obama administration should direct Jeh Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to repudiate the outrageous language used by the INS Director in Los Angeles in that letter. Richard died in 2012 without receiving a formal apology from his own government, and did not live to see DOMA's demise or resolution of Tony's immigration status. It is time to right this historic wrong and approve Tony's request for a green card under the provision in the law that applies to surviving spouses of American citizens.
The work of The DOMA Project continues to address the lasting effect of that law on LGBT families, including widows and widowers and children. Thank you to those who support our advocacy and education work and help us expose the enduring and harmful legacy of DOMA. Tony Sullivan has spent four decades as an activist and educator, protesting injustice where ever he saw it. Next week we will continue the fight for equality together, as Tony looks forward with optimism at the changing world and keeps demanding that it do better, become more decent, and respect and value love that is the basis of marriage. #keepupthefight
A federal judge in Ohio ordered state officials Monday to recognize the marriage of two men that was performed in Maryland on the death certificate of an Ohio resident in hospice care who the judge says “is certain to die soon.”
“The end result here and now is that the local Ohio Registrar of death certificates is hereby ORDERED not to accept for recording a death certificate for John Arthur that does not record Mr. Arthur’s status at death as ‘married’ and James Obergefell as his ‘surviving spouse,’”
Judge Timothy Black wrote in granting the couple a temporary restraining order Monday. The order is in effect until 5 p.m. Aug. 5, unless the court extends the order at a later date.
“By treating lawful same sex marriages differently than it treats lawful opposite sex marriages,” the judge concluded, Ohio’s 2004 constitutional amendment banning recognition of same-sex couples’ marriages and Ohio’s statute addressing the same issue “likely violate[] the United States Constitution.”
The couple’s attorney, Al Gerhardstein, said in a statement, “This order is a major step on the march toward marriage equality in Ohio.”If you haven't watched the video of these two men getting married, you should check it out. It'll make you feel good.
An American man in Florida and his husband, who is from Bulgaria, have become the first same-sex married couple to be approved for a permanent resident visa, an immigration milestone that comes after the Supreme Court struck down a federal law against same-sex marriage.Keep reading HERE!
Finally can reflect now since I feel simply overwhelmed today. Lots of tears for me, memories of friends no longer here and reflecting on all the pioneers of the movement that I knew over my 37 years of working in the LGBT Community. This one is for them. Just overwhelmed. Totally overwhelmed today.We thank you, David.
Click to revisit the heyday of Chelsea's 8th Avenue
My blog is featured in Susan Olsen's tell-all about the ill-fated "Brady Bunch Variety Hour"!
Growing up in Madison Heights, Mich.
The Web leads to an unexpected return to a house I grew up in.
Carlsbad, Calif. (2008)
Go Behind the Music of my high-school band, A La Plage
Little Larry left us too soon.
With Debbie Harry
With Robert Buckley
With Roger Federer
With Ed Burns
With Thomas Roberts
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My memoir is available at Three Lives & Co. in the West Village
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