dojR000236.xml

dojR000236.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-03-11

Monday, March 11, 2002 4:21 PM
A letter to Kenneth Feinberg

11 March 2002

Dear Mr. Feinberg:

My sister was killed six months ago, a victim of the first plane to strike #1
World Trade Center. She left behind a loving husband, two young children,
and a large grieving family.

I am grateful to you and the Victims' Compensation Fund for the monies that
will be made available for my brother-in-law, my niece, and my nephew.

But, as a gay man, I am shocked and appalled to find that gay partners of
September 11 victims are to be treated as second-class citizens, at best.
Can you fathom the depth of my rage, when I watch you on television throwing
your hands up and saying, in effect, "I'll do what the states tell me to do,
but, other than that, sorry, they're simply out of luck because they're
homosexuals."

Can you fathom the insanity of, first of all, barring us from the right to be
married and then penalizing us for not being married? Why are the laws of
the United States being bent all out of shape to accomodate and excuse
illegal aliens - and the wealthy Wall Street companies that knowingly
employed such illegal labor - while you deal with the gay victims of this
atrocity with a callous shrug?

My sister's death was a horror. Your stance on this issue is no less a
horror.

Individual Comment

2002-03-11