dojR002404.xml

dojR002404.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-03-20

Wednesday, March 20, 2002 4:53 PM
dismay at discrimination against gay Americans

Kenneth L. Zwick, Director
Office of Management Programs
Civil Division
U.S. Department of Justice
Main Building, Room 3140
950 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Mr. Zwick:

I am writing to express my concern and disappointment that gay Americans have
been excluded from the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.

Considering that at least two of the heroic victims of the terrorist attacks,


and

, were gay, this exclusion seems
particularly unfair. Discrimination is un-American. In a time when the country
should be coming together, it is terrible to stigmatize and ignore a large
segment of America.

Considering that 49 Members of the House of Representatives, Governor Pataki
of New York, former Mayor Giuliani of New York, Attorney General Elliot
Spitzer of New York, and many others urged the Justice Department to treat all
survivors equally, I cannot comprehend how gay partners could be so
egregiously overlooked.

People who have lost loved ones should not have their tragedy compounded by
being insensitively ignored or treated as less worthy than others in the same
situation. In such a time of grief, the government should not be treating gay
Americans as second-class citizens.

I sincerely hope you will work to rectify this terrible, callous error.

Sincerely,

Individual Comment
Collingswood, NJ

2002-03-20