The Journey Home
By Steve Ralls on 05/13/2010 @ 09:34 AM
Judy Rickard said the news made her cry.
The California resident, who had been traveling through Europe for six months after being forced to leave her home in the United States, was sitting in the terminal at JFK airport on April 29th. She had just made it through customs and spent a harrowing few hours waiting for her British partner – who was returning to the U.S. with her – to be granted entry as well. Judy, who cannot sponsor Karin for residency under current U.S. immigration law, was pacing and worrying that her partner was not emerging from the customs questioning area.
Then, Karin appeared and Judy breathed her first sigh of relief. The two would be able to remain together, on U.S. soil, for another six months, before leaving again.
A year earlier, Judy took early retirement from her job so she could leave her own country in order to keep her family intact. Because Judy and Karin are a lesbian couple, Judy has no ability to keep her partner in the country, as straight Americans are able to do. Instead, Karin stays in the United States for half of each year. Then, when her visa forces her to leave, Judy packs up and leaves with her. It has made building a home together, to say the least, a little difficult.
So the news on April 29th was a very big deal for both of them.
Safely settled in the JFK terminal, Judy went looking for an internet connection. When she logged on, the headline stood out on her laptop screen like a neon “welcome home” sign.
“Senate Immigration Reform Principles Include Lesbian and Gay Families.”
That’s when Judy emailed me to say she had started to cry.
Continue reading ‘The Journey Home’ at Ambiente Magazine . . .
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