LEAVING PARADISE: GAY PARENTS STRUGGLE WITH IMMIGRATION INEQUALITY

Living and loving as a family, despite the threat of separation and danger.

Several states have passed marriage equality bills, but they don't do Cas, an American citizen, and Ricky, his Jamaican partner, any good. Cas can't sponsor Ricky because federal immigration law doesn't recognize gay couples. Should Ricky be sent back to Jamaica, Cas would lose his partner of six and a half years, and their adorable daughter would lose one of her dads.

Even more threatening? Jamaica's history of blatant discrimination and brutality towards gays and lesbians. The danger to Ricky is all too real. Meet this family of three, whose only wish is to be safe and stay together.

HISscene / scene&heard

2 COMMENTS

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ricmic8560: I feel sad after seeing this short video about this family. I hope things change quickly before Ricky has to be exported back to his country. We as a country have a lot of work to do to catch up with the rest of the world in this area of equal rights for couples of the same gender.

08/03/09

cwlangley: This hits home with me and made me cry. My lover had to return to his country after we'd been partners for 2 years for the same reason. He wasn't able to work, and couldn't get a visa to stay here. He had to return to his Muslim family, where they had a "nice girl" picked out for him to marry, in his 3rd world country that's not part of the EU, where unemployment is over 30%. After getting a taste of life in America, he hated going back and having to leave me. Love is love.

OurScene TV – life/style tv for the LGBTQ community

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