A001421
Message:
Please give a copy of this letter to Mr. Kenneth Feinberg and Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick.
Thank you.
To: Kenneth Feinberg
Date: 12/06/2001
December 6, 2001
Please deliver or forward to Mr. Kenneth Feinberg.
Re: Victim Compensation Fund
Dear Mr. Feinberg,
I watched with great interest, your interview with Gwen Ifill on The News Hour last night. The
key word that kept coming up during the course of your discussion was "discretion."
For the reasons enumerated below, I want to urge you to be inclusive of life partners, be they
homosexual, heterosexual, or transgender, as well as de facto children, as you develop
disbursement guidelines for the victim's compensation fund.
1. When you mentioned that there were decisions that would be left to your discretion, I began
to ponder how many discretionary decisions are made that affect the daily lives of Gay and
Lesbian* Americans. Because we do not have equal rights afforded to us by the federal
government and most state and local, any rights to speak of often hinge on the discretion of
what we hope will be fair-minded people in the judicial and legislative systems. We
frequently wait with baited breath for decisions to be handed down by the courts on whether
we can adopt, if we can receive a deceased partners benefits, or on the very status of our
relationship. It is always our burden to prove our commitment to each other, whereas most
heterosexual people can easily marry or elect to become de facto husband and wife
through co-domicile, often recognized as a marriage in many states. Of course, the legislative
side of winning approval of our relationship and attendant rights is one wrought with risks
due to supportive legislative fear of losing the next election for their stance on Gay rights. I
won't even visit the citizen referendums that went around the country in the 90's, which
attempted to retract local and state laws that recognized Gay relationships. Until just
recently, the military routinely undertook witch-hunts at their discretion, in an effort to boot
homosexuals from the armed services even with the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in effect.
Conveniently, some of that has been relaxed because more bodies are needed for the war
effort. It is fortunate for all Gays and Lesbians who choose to serve their country with
honor and dignity, do so regardless of the fact that their country abandons their rights
and personal dignities.
Unfortunately for Gay and Lesbian Americans, it is not left to our discretion as to whether we
pay our taxes. We work and fit seamlessly into society, yet we do not receive many of the
benefits due to our status, or lack thereof, as Gay and Lesbians. We are diminished both in
personal relationships and financially. In the workplace, we frequently cannot obtain health
benefits for our partners, and if we can it is a taxable benefit to the employee. Yet there are
people who say they shouldn't have to pay for Gays' benefits, yet we pay for theirs in
innumerable ways.
2. I know that this administration has not been an endorser of Gay relationships, but if we
remove the context of "Gay" and put surviving partner of a relationship as a party who
had financial interdependence to the deceased, then I strongly argue that the government
should include that partner (and children if this applies) in the victim compensation fund. This
is purely from a fair and equitable standpoint. Since September 11th, President Bush has
delivered the message numerous times that we treat each other with dignity and respect in
America, regardless of our perceived differences. This is his administration's stance, and
thus your opportunity to set an example for that message.
3. It is easy to review through the eyes of history, how the rights of disenfranchised groups have
been left to the discretion of a few individuals, sometimes with horrific consequences. This is
a brilliant opportunity for you to use your discretion to help not just some of the people with
personal relationships to the victims, but all of those who lost someone that they deeply loved
in these national tragedies.
* For brevity, this includes Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Bisexual people.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Denver, CO
Cc: Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick