Why marriage matters

Shirley Tan testified today before a Senate committee that is considering the Uniting American Families Act. I've written about her case in my column and on this blog.

It's worth noting, as the New York Times did:

In a letter sent Tuesday, Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, the chairman of the Catholic bishops’ Committee on Migration, wrote that the Uniting American Families Act would “erode the institution of marriage and family,” by taking a position “that is contrary to the very nature of marriage which pre-dates the Church and the State.”

I dare Wester to watch this testimony and then to explain how ripping a family apart erodes families? About 5 minutes into the video, Tan breaks down and so does one of her sons, who is sitting behind her.



Hat tip to Towleroad.

New Column: The Cruelty of Expectation

I write about Shirley Tan and her family in my new Political IQ column and ponder the human cost of change that may come too late.

Shirley Tan and her family get a reprieve

Good news! Lesbian Shirley Tan can stay in the United States, at least for now. The help of Sen. Dianne Feinstein has kept the mother of two from being deported. But should it really take the intercession of a U.S. Senator to get basic justice for a lesbian family?

PHOTO: Left to right, Jay Mercado, Shirley Tan's partner; the couple's twin sons; Sen. Barbara Boxer; and Shirley Tan.