Wed, April 6 2011
Media Contact
Cindi Creager, Director of Communications & Marketing
(212) 620-7310, ccreager@gaycenter.org
Immigration Discrimination Threatens to Tear Families Apart - NYC Event this Sunday to feature LGBT International Families
| WHO/WHAT | Immigration Discrimination Threatens to Tear Families Apart - NYC Event this Sunday to feature LGBT International Families |
| WHEN |
Sunday, April 10, 2011 1 PM - 3 PM |
| WHERE |
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, NYC |
| CONTACT |
CONTACT: Ron Poole-Dayan, Media coordinator for the event (917) 449-2155, ron@integrowmarketing.com |
We will have several experts as guest speakers (see below). Of particular interest, however, may be a French-American couple, Mark and Fred, who have been together for 21 years and have adopted four children. Despite pursuing every legal avenue to remain together in this country as a family they still face a tragic predicament: the French dad cannot remain in the US due to immigration laws that prevent Mark, a gay American citizen, from sponsoring his French husband. The family cannot move to France because the two dads' joint parenting is not recognized in France because of that country's discriminatory adoption laws. This case illustrates that immigration inequality can tear families apart, leaving them with no acceptable options.
EXPERT GUESTS:
• Lavi Soloway a gay rights advocate and immigration attorney with Masliah and Soloway, a founder of Immigration Equality and Stop The Deportations - The DOMA Project, who, for 18 years, has been providing legal representation for thousands of LGBT binational couples seeking temporary visas, green cards, citizenship, asylum, and representation of individuals in deportation proceedings.
• Yves Rivaud, Headmaster and Co-Founder of the Ecole Internationale de New York. EINY is a new school designed for parents who want their children to succeed in a bilingual educational system that gives each child the opportunity to learn different languages and be respectful of the differences and the cultures in the world.
• Kelli Carpenter, co-founder of R Family Vacations, offering this July an international family vacation experience at a FL Club Med, also hosting the first International Symposium for LGBT parenting (July 12).
About the Center
A beacon of hope for 29 years, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center builds and supports our community through arts and culture, wellness and recovery, family services and life-saving youth programs designed to foster healthy development in a safe, affirming environment. The Center envisions a world where LGBT people will no longer face discrimination or isolation because of who we are or who we love. We offer a welcoming home to 300,000 visitors each year and we are committed to serving all LGBT people through a variety of programs, services and activities that are designed to meet existing and emerging needs.The Center is many things to many people. We invite you to experience our home at 208 West 13th Street in person and online at gaycenter.org
