dojA003861.xml

dojA003861.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-19

Wednesday, December 19, 2001 10:23 PM
Equal representation for the relief funds


December 19, 2001

Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,

I am writing as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide civil rights
movement. I ask you to consider my points regarding the september 11th
relief funds.
Atrocious amounts of people were killed on September 11th. Many of these
people had families for which they cared for and had families that could
not survive without them. The loss of a mother or father, husband or wife,
is emotionally crippling. Such a loss could cause a person to not be able
to go back to their job. Furthermore, the loss of that income is another
economic blow to a family. Families that have lost a parent, or worse both
parents, cannot go on without financial compensation. It is not only
married families that need help, however. There were many gay and lesbian
people killed in the attacks. The gay and lesbian people that have seeked
compensation have recieved mixed results in recieving them. The State of
New York has already adopted a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a
showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that
anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities
and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need."
These gay and lesbian people in most cases did not have a legal marriage,
for homosexual unions are not granted in most states. This does not mean,
however, that they were not economically and emotionally effected by the
attacks. They loved the people they lost just as much as a husband loves
his wife and a child loves his parents, if not more. These people should
not be overlooked due to the legality of their relationship, but their
relationship hould be observed and respected as equal to a heterosexual
union. The emotional and financial losses that they recieved were no less
than that of a married couple's, and this can not go ignored.
Thank you for reading this letter, and i hope that you will consider
these views. Bear in mind that love stops for no purpose, nor does pain,
nor does loss, so why should justice?


Sincerely,

Individual Comment
Pomfret, CT

2001-12-19