Sign Up for GLIFAA's First Ever Advocacy Day on June 17!

To celebrate Pride month, the GLIFAA board is planning to take Members to Capitol Hill on June 17 for our first-ever "GLIFAA Advocacy Day."  Whether you are gay or straight, we need your help!  Will you join us on June 17, or help us locate volunteers who will?

 
Many of our co-workers with foreign partners are stuck outside the United States, unable to sponsor their loved ones for immigration the way straight employees can.  Retirees with foreign partners are forced to search for a country that will accept both themselves and their partners.  There's a bill in Congress now that would right this wrong - and there's a very good chance it could be included in a Comprehensive Immigration Reform package. 

Our first-ever GLIFAA Advocacy Day will be in partnership with our friends at Immigration Equality, who will be helping us secure key meetings with influential Members of Congress.  Never participated before?  Fear not - we'll have a short training session before we begin.  All you need to do is tell your own story to your Member of Congress - who you are, and why you care about this issue.

We have already identified several GLIFAA members with foreign partners who will share their stories on June 17.  But Members of Congress may not meet our group unless we have at least one person from their district, and that's where we need help.  It doesn't matter if you are single or married, gay or straight - we need volunteers who vote in the below areas.  Please scan through the below list of key Members, and if you are from one of their districts, email us at glifaa@glifaa.org to sign up!  We need to hear from you ASAP in order to secure these meetings.

Even better - will you help us find even more volunteers by forwarding this email?  Remember: send it from your personal email to your friend's personal email (do not use .gov emails).
 
PLEASE NOTE: It is required that all participants use a day of leave for this event.  After you email us to sign up, we ask that you submit a leave form to your supervisor to secure your leave day.

HOUSE
Berman, Howard (CA-28)
Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-8)
Green, Gene (TX-29)
Klein, Ron (FL-22)
Faleomavaega, Eni F.H.AS (American Samoa)
Tanner, John (TN-8)
Crowley, Joseph (NY-7)
Costa, Jim (CA-20)
Smith, Chris (NJ-4)
Paul, Ron (TX-14)
Flake, Jeff (AZ-6)
Fortenberry, Jeff (NE-1)
Inglis, Bob (SC-4)

SENATE
Lugar, Richard (IN)
Kaufman, Edward E. (DE)
Corker, Bob (TN)
Dodd (CT)

We're also hoping to plan a subsequent advocacy day to push for the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO), a bill that would give our families access to Federal health insurance.  You may hear from us as we look for volunteers for that effort.  Stay tuned!