dojA001570.xml

dojA001570.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-12

Wednesday, December 12, 2001 5:51 PM
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund

Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530

To Mr. Feinberg:

I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving
families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and
families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families.

Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond
trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands
of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one
of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond
the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that
a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities.
It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved
one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who
were already well off in the first place.

The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of
gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families
are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the
option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves
in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is
legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York
have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay
and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same.

Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how
you will act on these very important issues.

Sincerely,

Individual Comment

2001-12-12