Gay Married Couple Barred At US Border

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/091803borderBanned.htm

The first gay couple to be legally married in Canada has been refused entry into the United States.

Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell (pictured) were turned back this morning at Toronto's Pearson International Airport by US Customs and Immigration officers when they attempted to board a flight to Georgia.

US Customs and Immigration pre-check people traveling to the US at most major Canadian airports. They couple was rejected after filling out a form identifying themselves as a family.

[JackDragna]

1. Holy hell.

Good thing we have our priorities straight here. Want to enter the country? Be from Saudi Arabia and you're fine, even if you've got enough explosives on you to nuke Cleveland. Gay couples? Out! Sexual deviancy! Unclean! Unclean! *froths at the mouth*

[Aristus]

2. Vee muzt keep out ze Auslanders who pollute our pure Cherman blut.

Ve muzt have a pure Aryan raze for de fyoochure of de vurlt. For dis polizee, ve sank our belovet unt benevolent Fuhrer. Sieg Heil!

<sarcasm off>

God, here we go!

[saigon68]

4. I'm glad I spent years and blood defending our freedoms

Like the freedom of association.

Little Johnny AssCrack obviously has little more to do, than direct his homeland security thugs to harrass old ladies in wheelchairs and these two gentlemen.

There will be a job for every cretin under Johnny AssCrack

[xchrom]

3. ok -- where is it written

that these officers had the right to turn back this pair?
i don't think there are border rules covering this -- yet. i'm sure this repuke congress will make them. but i haven't heard of any so far.

[Trek234]

18. It is written everywhere

Customs officers have INCREDIBLE ability to refuse entry. They can refuse you entry because they believe - in a personal opinion - that you looked at them in an odd way.

[Muddleoftheroad]

5. Bureaucracy

Fill out the forms "incorrectly" and you don't get in. America does not recognize gay marriage, so if you identify yourself that way, the forms are incorrect.

There is a flip side to this. If they do let them in and acknowledge they are married, then the federal government is acknowledging gay marriage as legit.

[davidinalameda]

8. but in their home country of CANADA,

they are a legally recognized family

are we trying to impose our laws on other countries now

[Trek234]

19. Every country does this

The US is the first (and probably will be the only) western nation to do this.

Every country requires that you meet at least some national laws that you may not have in your own nation before you enter.

However, most of the time it is legit.

i.e. "Why do you want to enter France?" "I have come here to pick up a human slave I bought in X nation that allows slave ownership and has fled to France" Refused entry.

Is that France imposing it's anti-slave laws on a person? Yes, in a way.

Of course we can all agree this is a good and just thing in the above example. The US, of course, is as backwards as the nation the person coming to pick up a slave was from in some things such as this matter.

[Booberdawg]

6. What would happen if they were U.S. residents/citizens?

It looks like they were Canadian residents. Aren't American citizens going to Canada to marry and then returning? This is bad enough but I can see a bigger stink with U.S. citizens not being allowed back in the country.

[Trek234]

21. This is bad

One of my best friends is gay, and I was going to recommend (should she and her partner so decide) consider getting married in Canada since they couldn't do it here.

I would imagine this would qualify people as being stateless and/or allow people to seek asylum in various other nations on the grounds of persecution in the home nation due to sexual orientation.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

7. They're lucky they weren't Muslim...

God... A gay Muslim couple speaking French and trying to fly into America? I think Ashcroft would call for a lynching.

This is really getting embarassing.

[Cappurr]

9. we are going to have Tstand up tthis bulling

the fight is us customs hacks. They can't prevent citicens from oenterin this county on the basis that they are a non-traditiol family whatever that is
tsupposed ti nean anyway

[xchrom]

14. ah -- that's what i wanted to know

so this was on the whim of the guards on duty there?
then there are firings in ordering -- this crew needs their names added to unemployment figures.

[Trek234]

22. You don't understand customs

In most nations it is always on the "whim" of the officer rather or not to refuse entry. This is an accepted practice.

They have the RIGHT to refuse entry for ungodly simple things. However, personal bigotry should not be one of them and should be brought to the attention of a superior by the person refused.

The question is - were these customs officers following a directive given to them from the US federal executive? If so dems should find out and bring it to national attention.

[ninkasi]

10. So a Saudi prince

could travel to the U.S with several of his wives, even though we don't officially sanction polygamy, but this legally married couple can't come here?

It's always seemed a good idea to me, that a law should serve some useful purpose. What's the point of keeping this couple out? I find the actions of my own country incredibly churlish and immature. What do they think is going to happen if married gay couples visit?

We're becoming the laughingstock of the civilized world under the Whistle Ass misrule.

[Dhalgren]

11. O.k. that absolutely tears it!

This facist shit has gone just too fuckin' far. The revolution will be televized and the new fall season starts-right-now!

[Lisa]

12. dozens, probably hundreds, of same-sex Canadian couples WITH KIDS ...

It'll be interesting to see whether all of them will be turned back, as well. I know of one lesbian couple who are
planning to take their new baby on a visit to their American relatives.

Just wait until Customs starts getting irate calls from Grammy and Gramps, about why they can't see their grandchild.

[PartyPooper]

13. This is going to really *PI$$ OFF* a lot of gay folks around the world!

Can you say...B-O-Y-C-O-T-T?...I knew you could!

Gay men and women travel in large numbers regularly to the U.S...as singles or couples ('married'-or, not) on business and pleasure trips...sometimes spending lots of money.

I guarantee that many of these gays and lesbians (and, probably some straight folks, too...especially Canadians)...are simply going to stop coming to the U.S. anymore. Why should they come and spend their time and money...when they're not even welcome by this fascist, homophobic, and hypocritical American government?

Of course, Junior and his regime have already alienated most of 'Old Europe' and the rest of the world...and, many of those folks stopped coming last year. I wonder, who is next?

[David__77]

15. Obviously this is politically-motivated.

Any competent official would have clarified the situation and made sure that they gained passage.

[Trek234]

16. US Citizens....

It is very bad that they have been refused entry - BUT.

What will customs do when US couples get married? US citizens in such a situation may be considered "stateless" people, and if not that at the very least qualify in several nations for asylum. This could make getting citizenship in a number of nations INCREDIBLY easy compared to what a US citizen would have to do in a normal situation. (this of course assumes the US pulls this shit with US citizens)

I'm sure this is NOT expected, however, and I regret that.

But if it was me in this situation I would fu**ing overjoyed considering how difficult it is to get citizen ship in other western nations, and how I would like to do so.

[Fish Eye]

17. Under the current leadership..

The (un)United States of America SUCKS!!!!!

[tom_paine]

20. Bushevik Amerika is an ugly place and getting uglier

I'm afriad it may be pretty much all downhill from here.

[Laughing Mirror]

23. Gay couple barred at border to speak at Human Rights conference

tonight in Georgia

i'm happy they seized the opportunity to make this a political statement by refusing to be demeaned into coming into our country as single people

wonder what Coretta Scott King will say about this tonight in her speech at the conference

does anybody know if C-Span plans on airing it?