Donna and Marie-Jo
Posted on March 29, 2010. Filed under: Stories - from other sites | Tags: Belgium, Donna, gay, immigration, lesbian, LGBT, Marie-Jo |
We met in 1994 while Marie-Jo was on assignment in Washington, DC. We married religiously with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) on May 4, 1996 in Arlington, VA where we lived at the time. When Marie-Jo had to return to Belgium at the end of 1998, fortunately she was legally able to sponsor me as her partner for immigration purposes and I obtained a Belgian residency permit.
We entered into a Registered Partnership as soon as that became legal in 2000. On February 14, 2004, the first day that marriage was legal for same-sex couples with one Belgian partner and one non-Belgian partner (no matter what the country of origin or that country’s laws on same-sex marriage) we were legally married at the City Hall here in Waterloo Belgium.
We hope that one day our marriage will be recognized by the federal and state governments in the U.S.A. I would like the same immigration rights as straight couples to be able to sponsor my spouse for residency in the U.S.A. We would like to move back to the U.S.A. where my entire family of 8 younger brothers and sisters, 11 nieces and nephews, and my 88-year old father all live.
– Donna
This story is located at: http://loveexiles.org/donna_story.htm
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )LGBT Immigration Stories
Posted on November 1, 2009. Filed under: Purpose | Tags: Angelica, Anke, Arsham Parsi, Belarus, Belgium, bi-national, Bill, bisexual, Bob, Cambodia, Canada, Collective Wisdom, Counseling, Donna, Eduardo, gay, Germany, Holland, immigration, Iran, Israeli, jAms, Javier, Jen, Kakooza, lesbian, Marie-Jo, Marriage, Metaphor, Metaphors, Mexico, Palestinian, Prossy, Puerto Rico, Rik, San Francisco, Shannon, Stephanie, Thailand, Tina, Tom, Uganda, UK, Victor |
Area of Interest:
Story telling as an educational tool is a wonderful thing. So what we are proposing is to putting out requests that give the identified population a chance to share their stories and putting them together to create a collective wisdom. Our reason for approaching the subject in this manner is to give a nurturing space for creating community and access to information that will support others during a time that could potentially by one of the most stressful and difficult transitions in their lives. If you or someone you know has an interest and are willing to share your/their story please post it here or email us. Also, feel free to share this information with other organizations or individuals that may be interested.
Would you like to share your story?
Do you have a story to tell about your experience as a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (LGBT) immigrant? Are you interested in sharing it with people learning about LGBT immigration? If so, this is your chance to participate in a collective wisdom study. I am a graduate student of Antioch University Seattle and am in the process of compiling stories of LGBT immigrants. I am seeking to provide a unique opportunity for LGBT immigrants a chance to share their stories and experiences that statistics do not provide. For instance, stories that describe the adjustments / challenges experienced as you leave or integrate into another culture. What changes did you expereince/make? How did you balance the needs of your family and culture of origin with the needs of the new culture? As you made the adjustments, what worked well for you and what would you do differently? Other story possibilities may include the relationship you have with you family/spouse/siblings/children/parents? It’s your story, tell it your way. This is an opportunity for you to share your experience with others, some of whom may be in their own journey.
Guidelines for Submission:
(Please note that these stories are not intended to provide an opportunity for individuals or groups to insult or offend others. We ask that authors respect the privacy of individuals who may be mentioned in the stories they submit by using fictional (fake) names. We also ask that authors be respectful of others in their expression of opinions. Submitted stories will be screened based on these and other criteria. Stories submitted that seem rude, offensive, or generally distasteful
will not be accepted.) The following is a suggestion but you may omit as much information as you like.
* The author or group of authors will have immigrated from one country to another or from one region to another.
* References to other resources should be included at the end of the story in a bibliography
* Person or persons submitting story must be the author
* More than one short story can be submitted
* It is preferred that stories be submitted in American English and am willing to accept submissions in any language
* Please verify that your contact information is accurate in your submission
* If desired I am willing to conduct or accept an audio or video interview instead of a written story.
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