dojA001590.xml

dojA001590.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-13

Thursday, December 13, 2001 3:43 PM
September 11 Victim Compensation Fund

Tulsa, Oklahoma
December 13, 2001

Kenneth L. Zwick, Director
Office of Management Programs, Civil Division
U.S. Department of Justice
e-mail: victimcomp.comments@usdoj.gov

In late September, President Bush and Congress did a wonderful thing and
authorized the creation of the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund" to
provide assistance to the surviving victims of the attacks and the
"relatives" of those who died.

I was recently made aware that the Department of Justice is in the process
of writing the regulations that will govern implementation of the Fund and
has invited public comments to guide this process.

Unfortunately, it seems, there are factions who are mounting a campaign to
request that the surviving partners and children of gay and lesbian victims
be excluded from the benefits of the Fund. I find these views to be
unpatriotic, cruel and reprehensible. How could anyone believe that the
emotional, financial and psychological pain of the September 11th attacks
and the loss of loved ones should be addressed based only on life style
choices? Clearly, such a determination would have to be considered a
blatant exercise in discrimination.

As The Justice Department considers the regulations governing the "September
11 Victim Compensation Fund," I urge you to ensure that compensation is
available to ALL surviving families of those killed, including the committed
partners and non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims.

Thank you for your consideration.

Individual Comment
Tulsa, OK

2001-12-13