Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Non-Heterosexual Bi-National Families: Resilient Victims Of Sexual Prejudice And Discriminatory Immigration Policies, Daniela Domínguez, Bernadette H. Solórzano, Ezequiel Peña

Psychology

An unprecedented number of American citizens are facing the challenge of being in a nonheterosexual bi-national relationship. Although immigration laws are based on the principle of family unification, under current federal law lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans cannot sponsor their same-sex foreign national partners for residency in the United States. Consequently, an estimated 36,000 couples face the threat of family separation because immigration’s narrow definition of “family” excludes same-sex bi-national couples and their children. Despite the fact that family research indicates that long periods of separation have harmful effects on the family, immigration law continues to deny bi-national families the …