Married gay couple faces forced separation because of DOMA

By Michael Crawford
Aug 09, 2011 at 11:59 am

Here’s yet another reason why the so-called Defense of Marriage Act must be overturned.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Citing the Defense of Marriage Act, the Obama administration denied immigration benefits to a married gay couple from San Francisco and ordered the expulsion of a man who is the primary caregiver to his AIDS-afflicted spouse.

On July 26, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service denied the application for permanent residency of Anthony John Makk, a citizen of Australia, who is legally married to Bradford Wells, an American citizen. In its decision to deny the application, the bureau cited DOMA, which prohibits married same-sex couples from access to the 1,138 federal protections associated with marriage.

Makk is the primary care giver for Wells who has AIDS. The couple has been together for 19 years and was married 7 years ago in Massachusetts. If they were an opposite-sex couples, Wells would be able to sponsor Makk for citizenship.

There are an estimated 40,000 bi-national same-sex couples in the U.S. many of whom are facing forced separation or deportation by the federal government. Earlier this year, Freedom to Marry told the story of Cristina and Monica, a couple living in Queens, New York who are facing a similar issue.


Join us in calling on Congress to repeal DOMA by passing the Respect for Marriage Act. Contact your members of Congress.