REPORT: Many Same-Sex Couples Impacted By Immigration Laws

The Williams Institute at UCLA Law School has released a report entitled "Same-Sex Couples and Immigration in the United States" by Craig Konnoth and Gary Gates.

An excerpt from the Executive Summary of the report highlights the fascinating details about the diversity of same-sex couples impacted by unfair immigration laws (and the Defense of Marriage Act) in the United States.

As of 2010,  nearly  79,200 same-sex couples living in the United States include at least one partner who iscurrently not a U.S citizen or was naturalized as a citizen.  Of the nearly 650,000 same-sex couples in the US:
 4.4% or 28,574 are binational couples (one partner is a U.S. citizen and one is not)
 1.8% or 11,442 are dual non-citizen couples
 6.1% or 39,176 are dual citizen couples with at least one naturalized partner 

Under U.S. immigration policy, a citizen may obtain permanent residence for their non-citizen different-sex spouse, and expedited citizenship for a resident, different-sex spouse. Permanent residents may also petition for permanent resident status for their different-sex spouses.   However, these options are not extended to same-sex couples, even if they are married or are in civil unions or registered domestic partnerships.  Currently none of the estimated 40,000 binational and dual non-citizen same-sex couples in US are eligible to use  the immigration mechanisms available to different-sex spouses.


[...]


  Additional findings from the analyses include:

 California ranks first in the total number of binational same-sex couples.  A quarter of them (7,115) live in the state.  California is followed by New York (3,695), Florida (2,545), Texas (1,607), and Illinois (1,596).
 Mexico is the country of birth for a quarter of non-citizens in binational same-sex couples.  Canada, the second highest country of origin, is home to 8% of the non-citizen partners, followed by the United Kingdom at 6%.
 More than two-thirds of binational same-sex couples (69%) are male.
 A third of binational couples (33%) are inter-racial/ethnic.
 Forty-five percent of non-citizens in binational same-sex couples are Latino or Latina, while 14% are Asian/Pacific Islander.  Just over a third (36%) are White.  Among citizens in same-sex binational couples, a third (33%) are Latino or Latina while 54% are White and 7% are Asian/Pacific Islander.  AfricanAmericans comprise just 3% of both groups.
 A quarter of male binational couples and 39% of female binational couples are raising an estimated 17,000 children.  Rates of childrearing are even higher among non-citizen same-sex couples. More than half (52%) of male non-citizen couples and nearly two-thirds (64%) of non-citizen female couples are raising more than 7,700 children.
 Citizens in binational same-sex couples have higher median income levels than their non-citizen partners.  However, the non-citizen partners in binational couples have median incomes that are substantially higher than non-citizens with non-citizen partners.
 Almost two-thirds of binational same-sex couples own their home.  They are more than twice as likely to be home owners as dual non-citizen same-sex couples (30%).
 The vast majority of same-sex partners in binational couples speak English “well” or “very well”.   Among citizens in binational couples, 93% report a very good command of English compared to 81% of their non-citizen partners.
 More than 40% of citizens and non-citizens in same-sex binational couples have a college degree.
 Non-citizens in binational same-sex couples evidence low rates of unemployment at just 2%.  Nearly 8% of citizens in binational same-sex couples say they are unemployed.  

Immigration Equality is the premier national LGBT organization advocating for and assisting same-sex couples impacted by federal immigration policies. (MadProfessah has served on the board of the organization since November 2008).

Interestingly, the estimate of 28,574 is more precise but also smaller than the previous estimate of 36,000 binational couples in the United States but the 40,016 couples who are negatively impacted by current immigration law is slightly higher. MadProfessah is a naturalized citizen from the island-nation of Grenada, and Sentient Meat is a "natural born citizen" so we would be classified in the 6.1% of all U.S. same-sex couples who are both citizens where one partner is naturalized.

Djokovic Wins 9th Title; Serena Wins 2nd Consecutive

As I predicted yesterday, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams won their final matches to win their respective Canadian hardcourt titles this weekend. Djokovic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the final and Serena dispatched Victoria Azarenka.

Serena defeated Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-2 to win her 39th career title and her 2nd in 3 weeks following her 49-week absence from the sport following her 13th major title win at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. She was unseeded in Toronto because she was ranked #80 in the world, and is projected to be World #31 on Monday. The US Open, the last major of the year, begins in two weeks.

Djokovic is having a season for the ages. He won his 9th title by beating Mardy Fish 6-2 3-6 6-4 and has lost only once (to Roger Federer) in 54 matches, an incredible record of 53-1 for the year (and he should really get credit for a walk-over versus Fabio Fognini in Paris). Fish did well to win a set off of the Serbian, which just goes to show well the American is playing, having reached his 3rd consecutive final in the North American hardcourt summer season.

2 Great Semis: Serena v Azarenka, Djokovic v Tsonga

Getty

AP

The US Open Series continues in Canada this week with the men playing in Montreal and the women in Toronto (the two tournaments alternate between the two major cities every year). In Toronto, Serena Williams is the last big name standing (after Sharapova, Li Na, Clijsters and Bartoli all lost early); she survived a scare from go-for-broke Lucie Safarova to win 4-6 6-3 6-2 in 2 hours 4 minutes to book a place in the semifinals against Victoria Azarenka. The other semifinal will be Aggie Radwanska versus 2010 French Open finalist Sam Stosur.

On the men's side, World #1 Novak Djokovic continues to play at a different, superior level from the rest of the field, demolishing an in-form Gael Monfils 6-1 6-2 to set up a semifinal with one of the few players on the tour who own a head-to-head advantage over him, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Earlier in the week, Murray, Nadal, Federer and Del Potro all lost. Djokovic and Tsonga last met in the Wimbledon semifinals, where they played the most entertaining match of the tournament before Djokovic won in 4 sets. Curiously, both in that tournament and in this one, Tsonga had beaten Roger Federer in an earlier round. Tsonga leads the head-to-head 5-3 but lost their most important match-up, the 2008 Australian Open final.

They should both be two excellent matches, but I predict Serena and Djokovic will be left standing and will probably win their respective tournaments on the way to the 2011 US Open (which I just got tickets to for 3rd and 4th round action!)

UPSET #2! Tsonga Beats Federer 2nd Time In A Row!

The day after the tennis world was stunned by Rafael Nadal losing his first match played in nearly 5 weeks a second thunderbolt is reverberating from the news that Roger Federer lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the second consecutive time today. The score was 7-6(3) 4-6 6-1.

Novak Djokovic showed why he is the new World #1 by increasing to 50 wins and one loss for the season by defeating Marin Cilic 7-5 6-3.

This is just more evidence that the end of the tennis era dominated by Federer and Nadal is coming to an end, perhaps sooner than we think.

Eye Candy: "Frank from Canada"

Found these pictures of this smoking hot unknown guy at Gorgeous Sexy Guys but have been unable to find much information about him except what is at Sambag's Blog:

Canadian hunk, Frank, 25, has been told for a while that he's photogenic (well, they're right!) and so he decided to give modeling a shot. A natural jock, he enjoys going to the gym, playing football, hockey, basketball, any and every sport. He stands 5' 8" at 154 lbs.


Frank currently attends University of Toronto.

Anyone have any idea who this Canadian hunk is? Even without a full name, he is definitely eye candy material.

Eye Candy: Fraser Barke

It's actually pretty difficult to find 3-4 images of smoking hot models of color on the web for the weekly Eye Candy segment. So, I appreciate it when readers send me in leads to people they think will fit the bill. Fraser Barke is a Canadian model who one of my readers discovered at American Idle. The only info they have is that he is from Vancouver, British Columbia and is 187cm tall (6' 1 1/2") with no indication of his weight in either kilograms or pounds. But one can clearly see he doesn't have an extra ounce on his frame!

So, if any other readers have suggestions, please email me links to the Eye Candy candidates. They must have names, not be completely nude, be over 18 and be very very hot. Dark-skinned models and muscles are preferred. Enjoy!

MOVIE REVIEW: Incendies

For my birthday last year the Other Half and I saw the film that won the 2010 Best Foreign Film Oscar, El Secreto de Sus Ojos, a suspenseful, mysterious drama set in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in Spanish with English subtitles. This year, I decided I wanted to see Incendies, which many thought should have won the 2011 Best Foreign Film Oscar (Denmark won for In a Better World),especially after hearing this review from Bob Mondello of NPR:

I can't recall seeing a film in which I have so often wondered, "My God, how must that feel?" We in the audience are meant to be as unsettled as the characters. I've heard complaints about the ending being over-the-top, but my background is live theater, and you won't hear them from me. The storytelling in Incendies strikes me as primal the way Greek tragedy is primal. Shattering. Cathartic. It is a breathtaking film.

So clearly Incendies is a suspenseful, mysterious drama in French (and Arabic) with English subtitles. It was Canada's entry into the Foreign Language Oscar competition, but most of the scenes occur in an unspecified Middle Eastern country (presumed to be Lebanon).

The story begins with the reading of the will of a mother named Nawal Marwan to her surviving twin children, a boy Simon and a girl Jeanne, in a somewhat depressing Montreal notary's office on a cold, wintry day. The notary delivers two letters from Nawal to her twins, one is to be delivered to their older brother and one is to be delivered to their father. The twins are amazed: as far as they know, their father is dead, and they have never been told that they have a brother! Her mother wishes to be buried in an unmarked grave, face down until they have completed her requests of communicating these letters to her twins' brother and father. The male twin reacts with anger and storms out of the office while the female twin sobs quietly. Thus the movie begins as a mystery about family secrets.

The scene shifts to Nawal as a young woman, and we see that her "immigrant" (Palestinian?) boyfriend get attacked and killed by her brother. However we find out that Nawal is pregnant, and she eventually has a baby boy who is immediately taken away within minutes of birth. This solves the mystery of the existence a brother to the twins.

There are many more mysteries to come, however, because Nawal leaves home to go to University in the big city and finds herself in the middle of war zone. The Christians and the Muslims are fighting a civil war "in the South" and the hostilities have spread throughout the city as well. Nawal is Christian and when she finds out that that orphanages are being attacked she travels to the South to find out if she can find her son she gave up who would now be a toddler. The movie turns into a war story as Nawal witnesses horrific atrocities committed by both sides first hand and ends up in prison.

The movie then shifts again into a "fish out of water" story as we follow Jeanne, Nawal's daughter from Canada as she attempts to retrace her mother's steps a generation removed in time in order to solve the mysteries surrounding her father and her brother and comply with her mother's dying wishes. Eventually Jeanne's twin brother Simon joins her, along with the notary who had employed their mother for decades and is insistent that they do all they can to fulfill her dying wishes.

Incendies is an incredibly haunting film. You will either hate or love the final twist at the end but you will not quickly forget it. Incredibly, they were able to get the rights to one of Radiohead's most psychedelic songs, "You and Whose Army?" which is deployed to devastating effect in the film's opening scene. I would strongly urge you to see the film in the theaters, but if you miss it there add it to your Netflix queue as soon as it is released on home video. It really should not be missed.


Title: Incendies.

Running Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.

MPAA Rating: R for some strong violence and language.

Release Date: September 4, 2010.

Viewing Date: May 21, 2011.

Plot: A+.

Acting: A.

Visuals: A.

Impact: A+.

Overall Grade: A- (4.167/4.0).