Gay immigration

Over the last several years, LGBTQ immigrant rights in the United States have changed significantly. A progressive cultural environment and several court cases have helped to equalize treatment of same-sex marriage in the U.S. immigration system and protect the basic rights that many heterosexual couples take for granted. While the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities continue. There are an estimated , LGBTQ immigrants in the United States, which means that more than one in ten LGBTQ adults are immigrants. Nearly one-third of LGBTQ immigrants are undocumented. These , LGBTQ undocumented immigrants face unique barriers when it comes to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.

Although this resolved the issue of immigration for heterosexual couples from states and countries where they could get married, same-sex couples remained barred from immigration based on marriage just as other same-sex couples. Although LGBTQ pride and its annual June celebration have become more visible in mainstream culture over the past ten years or so, the history of discrimination against LGBTQ people in the immigration context goes back more than a century. The law was used to prevent LGBTQ people from immigrating to the United States, even when they faced persecution in their home country. Those who were able to come to the U.

NIJC's LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Initiative provides legal services to low-income immigrants who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) and those who are living with HIV. Email lgbtimmigrants immigrantjustice. org for general information. Please be aware that the LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Initiative is not able to respond to most emails.

For over 25 years, we have worked to secure safe haven, the freedom to live openly, and equality for the LGBTQ community. This report provides estimates of the number of LGBT undocumented and documented immigrants in the U. The analysis also provides estimates of the number of foreign-born residents who are part of a same-sex couple and describes their demographic characteristics. In the United States, little information is available about the number or characteristics of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender LGBT immigrants.