dojA003354.xml
Title
dojA003354.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
email
Date Entered
2001-12-19
September 11 Email: Body
Wednesday, December 19, 2001 1:57 PM
Equal Access to Crisis Relief
December 19, 2001
Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,
I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights
movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people
without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the
September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual
orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has
committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination.
Increasingly, government agencies and private companies and corporations
are recognizing the legitimacy of households comprised of cohabiting
partners, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. For some
years this has been the case with my own employer, a state institution of
higher education.
As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you
take these practises into consideration. I urge you to apply basic
international human rights standards, and the general principle of
equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who
lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without
regard to sexual orientation or marital status.
The State of New York has already adopted such 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." It seems only right and proper that the
Federal Government, represented by the Justice Department, uphold these
same standards.
Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks.
Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had
mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the
distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive
policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an
important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real
justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families -
impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with
dignity and equality.
Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you
about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11
attacks have equal access to the relief fund.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Albuquerque, NM
Equal Access to Crisis Relief
December 19, 2001
Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick,
I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights
movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people
without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the
September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual
orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has
committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination.
Increasingly, government agencies and private companies and corporations
are recognizing the legitimacy of households comprised of cohabiting
partners, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. For some
years this has been the case with my own employer, a state institution of
higher education.
As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you
take these practises into consideration. I urge you to apply basic
international human rights standards, and the general principle of
equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who
lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without
regard to sexual orientation or marital status.
The State of New York has already adopted such 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." It seems only right and proper that the
Federal Government, represented by the Justice Department, uphold these
same standards.
Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks.
Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had
mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the
distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive
policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an
important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real
justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families -
impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with
dignity and equality.
Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you
about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11
attacks have equal access to the relief fund.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Albuquerque, NM
September 11 Email: Date
2001-12-19
Collection
Citation
“dojA003354.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed November 20, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/31967.