dojA000265.xml

dojA000265.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-03

Monday, December 03, 2001 12:49 AM
Topic 235: Claimant eligibility

To the officials of the Dept. of Justice
I am writing to publicly comment on the issue of Topic 235: Claimant Eligibility for the September 11th Victim's Compensation Fund ("the Fund").
Specifically, I am asking that long-term partners (also called domestic partners or life partners) of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered persons who were victims of the September 11th attacks be made eligible for compensation. Many Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered ("GLBT") people died in those attacks. Some were flight crew, others were passengers, office workers, and government personnel. They died cruel deaths, and in many cases left behind long-term partners as survivors. I have known GLBT people who have been in relationships for 10, 15, 30 years. I have no doubt that some of
the victims were in such relationships. Along with the agony, grief, and emotional loss these partners face, they also face the loss of their homes, and have suffered emotional and financial cost of funeral expenses, and have suffered other losses.
President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft have both made statements saying the attacks were attacks on all Americans, and that we should celebrate and unite behind the fact that, despite our differences, we are all Americans.
I request those establishing the rules for Claimant Eligibility include surviving long-term partners as claimants. All of the victims killed by the terrorists were regarded as "Americans". No distinction was made as to the race, color, creed, sexual orientation, or gender of those the terrorists killed. We should do no less when establishing criteria for who is eligible to file a claim. I urge you not to stamp the surviving long-term partners of GLBT victims as somehow being "second-class citiznes" less worthy than other classes.


Individual Comment
Denver, CO

2001-12-03