Behind the Scenes of The Washington Post

By Steve Ralls on 09/14/2010 @ 10:58 AM

Yesterday’s Washington Post coverage of LGBT binational families has generated a lot of conversation, questions and buzz.

There’s no question that having our families – and their stories – on the front page of the paper of record in the nation’s capital is a very good thing. When lawmakers and their staff arrived at work yesterday, they saw the moving story of a couple united in love, but divided by law . . . learned that a prominent Washington Republican is also fighting to be with his immigrant partner, too . . . and were reminded that, at a time when “pro-family” issues are at the center of some political debates, there are real families – across party lines – who are counting on real leadership in Congress to make a difference for their families.

Like most media, however, not everything was perfect. There are some particular areas of concern that we and some of our supporters have noted, including:

Where were the supportive faith voices? It’s an excellent question and we absolutely would have loved for supportive clergy to be part of the story. Immigration Equality did, in fact, point The Post to faith leaders who have spoken out in favor of our families, and we believe the reporter did include some of those voices in an original draft, but that editors regrettably allowed some of those voices to fall on the cutting room floor.

We still want to ensure those voices are heard, however, and are working to rally our allies in the faith community to speak up about the omission of supportive voices in the article. Look for letters to the editor – and feedback on The Washington Post website – in the days ahead.

Why is it all about comprehensive reform? Some of you have asked: Why is Immigration Equality only pressing for passage of the Uniting American Families Act as part of comprehensive immigration reform? The simple answer is: We are not.

Our philosophy has always been the same. We will pursue every available option for ending discrimination against our families. When we opened our Washington, D.C., office last year, we were clear: When it comes to passing UAFA, we mean business. Since then, our policy team has been working around the clock on a strategy that builds support for UAFA either as a stand-alone bill, or as part of comprehensive immigration reform. If Congress tackles comprehensive legislation – and it offers the first opportunity to win – we want to be part of that bill. And if the political reality becomes one that presents an opportunity to pass UAFA on its own, we want to be prepared to seize that opportunity as well.

(Prior to my arrival at Immigration Equality, I worked for nearly ten years building media campaigns for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The flood of press attention that has now helped lead us to a scheduled Senate vote for repeal - next week - also began, in large part, with a strategy that started on the editorial and newspaper pages of The Washington Post.)

In the coming days you’ll see more evidence of our continued work on UAFA. We expect new co-sponsors to sign on – very soon – and new momentum for UAFA in conjunction with our upcoming Elizabeth Gilbert campaign on Capitol Hill.

Too many families face separation every day to force even one of them to wait one more day than they have to in order to reunite. That’s why we’ve never had an either/or strategy . . . but believe it is our duty to pursue every possible victory in every way.

And that is also why we will continue to put our stories on the front page and work to ensure that prominent media outlets shine a light on the struggles our families face. When we do so, we take real steps forward. Last week, after Immigration Equality showcased the story of a couple battling Stage III cancer while forcibly separated from each other, his Congressman finally took note, and stepped forward to offer help. When we enlisted Elizabeth Gilbert’s help to be a voice for our families, the public paid attention, and some key media on Capitol Hill reported on our issue for the first time.

In short, generating questions, conversation and buzz are all important tools for generating the momentum we need to win. When our issue arrives in prominent news outlets – like The Washington Post, The New York Times and more – it’s a sure sign that progress is afoot.