Immigration Reform Activist March in Denver Gay Pride Fest
-(400x344).jpg "Marching for reform")
Immigration reform activist marched this weekend in the Denver Gay Pride event along with long time gay groups like the Denver Bears and the Four Players.
The activists seek support from the gay, lesbian bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) community to end discrimination against gay immigrants and undocumented workers in general.
For years, homosexuality was a permanent bar to admission as a resident into the United States. That prejudice has been dropped. However, the LGBT community still suffers discriminatory practices in the immigration process.
For example, U.S. citizens who have been in a long term relationship, say 10 years, cannot bring their partner into the United States under the close family relative rule. A citizen who has a fiancé or has been recently married can bring their spouse into the country.
Straight AIDS victims have had a difficult time gaining entry into the U.S. which denied researchers access to new strains of the deadly virus. The victims have not been able to receive treatment.
Harper Lyles, an Anglo immigration rights activist said “Both groups (gays and immigrants) are disenfranchised right now and both are struggling for rights that are normally granted to society at large.”
Loretta D. said she was marching in the Parade because she felt double discrimination, first as a lesbian and second as Latina. She said she belongs to a Denver civil rights group called Rights for All People (RAP) and she supports the Reform Immigration For America (RIFA) organization. Also represented in the Parade was the Colorado Immigrant’s Rights Coalition (CIRC).
The gay civil rights movement began June 28th, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood in New York City. Until then sexual minorities faced prosecution for merely associating in the same establishment frequented by other gay men and women. The event is known as the Stonewall Riots. Soon after, gay pride parades were held throughout the country. The Denver Pride Fest celebrated 35 years this year.
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