http://lezgetreal.com/2012/07/ny-supreme-court-appellate-division-upholds-marriage-equality-act/ an LGBTA view from the Emerald Mountains Wed, 22 May 2013 07:47:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://lezgetreal.com/2012/07/ny-supreme-court-appellate-division-upholds-marriage-equality-act/comment-page-1/#comment-273032 Phoenixtrouble Tue, 10 Jul 2012 01:49:07 +0000 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=120975#comment-273032 There is a problem with the “states rights” point. There are a lot of federal laws that do not recognize same sex marriage for the purposes of benefits or other entitlements. Before you say anything, I’m not looking for any handouts. My main point of contention is that the man I am in love with and have been living together in a committed relationship is not a U.S. citizen. He is in the U.S. legally on a work visa (HB-1) but his visa and contract are due to expire in 5 months. If the laws are not recognized at the federal level, he will be forced to return to his home country. Heterosexual couples can marry a non-citizen and then the non-citizen can apply to become a naturalized citizen of the U.S. U.S. immigration policy states that this rule specifically does NOT apply to same-sex marriages, even those marriages that take place in states where they are legal. While I agree it is, and should be a states-rights issue, federal rules and laws MUST be equal across the board.

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