Denver Pride is an important weekend in which gay, bi-sexual, lesbian and transgender (GBLT) people and friends celebrate their right to be who they are in a free country. The immigrant community was a big part of Pride Fest this year.
Gay immigrants suffer a variety of civil rights abuses. A U.S. citizen who is recently married can bring their spouse to the U.S. for example. A gay person who is in a relationship for 20 years cannot bring his or her other half to the U.S. The double standard is unfair. There are other gay immigration issues which bring the gay community and the immigrant community together.
This year a variety of Denver civil rights organizations were represented. These include the Colorado Immigrant’s Rights Coalition (CIRC) which is an association of many Colorado civil rights groups. Included within the CIRC veil is Rights for All People (RAP) and Reform Immigration For America (RIFA).
The year 2010 marks one of the ugliest years in modern history for the civil rights of U.S. immigrants. The state of Arizona passed S.B. 1070 which requires law enforcement to detain all persons suspected of being undocumented. Since most undocumented immigrants in Phoenix are “of color” the law imposes a burden on the minority community.
The ugly Arizona law is a kick in the teeth to the immigrant community. The RIFA movement is working hard to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Arizona went the opposite direction with SB 1070.
Immigration right’s activist have come to the conclusion it is important to ally themselves with other civil rights movements. As noted above, immigrants and homosexuals have causes in common. In addition, it is the support of many communities that wins the battle.
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