A Gay Chabadnik, Lbians Wearg Skullps and Hipsters Who Never Pray: Wele to LGBTQ Birthright - Jewish World

Contents:

• A GAY CHABADNIK, LBIANS WEARG SKULLPS AND HIPSTERS WHO NEVER PRAY: WELE TO LGBTQ BIRTHRIGHT
• DOUBLE MZVA? BIRTHRIGHT’S GAY PARTICIPANTS EMBRACE JEWISH, QUEER INTI
• GAYS, LBIANS TAKE PRI THEIR OWN ISRAELI BIRTHRIGHT
• GAY RIGHTS
• GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
• QUEERS THE HOLY LAND: CHOKG ON BLUE AND WHE GLTER ON GAY BIRTHRIGHT
• TMP ADMISTRATN TO LGBT COUPL: YOUR ‘OUT OF WEDLOCK’ KIDS AREN’T CIZENSBIRTHRIGHTCHILDREN OF U.S. CIZENS ARE FALLG VICTIM TO A POLICY THAT -REGNIZ THEIR PARENTS’ MARRIAGE—AND STRIPS THEM OF THEIR BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP.STT BIXBYUPDATED MAY 17, 2019 3:44PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2019 5:12AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY LYNE LUCIEN/THE DAILY BEAST/PHOTOS GETTYNO PARENT N EVER BE FULLY PREPARED FOR THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW BABY. BUT WHEN ROEE AND ADIEL KIVI BROUGHT HOME THEIR NEWBORN DGHTER KSEM TWO MONTHS AGO, THEY FIGURED THAT THEY WERE AS READY AS THEY ULD BE. AFTER ALL, THEY’D GONE THROUGH THE SAME PROCS TWO YEARS EARLIER WH THEIR SON LEV, WHO, LIKE KSEM, WAS BORN WH THE HELP OF AN EGG DONOR AND A GTATNAL SURROGATE CANADA.“IT WAS AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS ONE N IMAGE,” ROEE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, RELLG THE EASE OF BRGG LEV HOME LATE 2016, THE FANT’S NEWLY PRTED CANADIAN PASSPORT HAND, SOON TO BE SUPPLANTED BY AN AMERIN ONE. BUT THIS FEBARY, WHEN KSEM’S FATHERS NTACTED THE U.S. NSULATE CALGARY TO OBTA A CONSULAR REPORT OF BIRTH ABROAD FOR THEIR DGHTER—THE LEGAL EQUIVALENT OF A BIRTH CERTIFITE FOR AMERINS BORN OUTSI OF THE UNED STAT—SOMETHG WAS DIFFERENT THIS TIME.“THEY FIRST DITED THAT THEY NEED PROOF OF OUR MARRIAGE, WHICH I FOUND QUE ODD,” ROEE SAID. “THEY NEED THE ORIGAL MARRIAGE CERTIFITE, WHICH WE DIDN’T HAVE WH , BUT I DIDN’T ACTUALLY THK ANYTHG MORE ABOUT . I THOUGHT, ‘WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS, WE’LL JT AL WH THE U.S.’”ROEE AND ADIEL OBTAED KSEM’S CANADIAN PASSPORT—A STOPGAP, THEY FIGURED, UNTIL THEY ULD GET HER U.S. PASSPORT BACK HOME—AND TRAVELED BACK TO THEIR HOME THE UNED STAT. BUT KSEM WAS ABOUT TO BEE THE LATT VICTIM OF A ERNMENT POLICY THAT EFFECTIVELY -REGNIZ HER PARENTS’ MARRIAGE, GRANTG HER NO TOMATIC RIGHTS TO AMERIN BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP SPE THE FACT THAT BOTH HER FATHERS ARE U.S. CIZENS. THAT POLICY, KSEM’S FATHERS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, POS A UNIQUE THREAT TO LGBT FAI, AND ULD CHANGE THE S-OLD LEGAL UNRSTANDG OF WHAT THE WORD “FAY” EVEN MEANS.“THIS IS A VERY CLEAR ATTACK ON FAI, ON AMERIN FAI,” ROEE, WHO MARRIED ADIEL CALIFORNIA 2013, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “DENYG AMERIN MARRIED UPL THEIR RIGHTS TO PASS THEIR CIZENSHIP, THAT IS FLAT-OUT DISCRIMATN, AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE NCERNED ABOUT THIS.” FOR YEARS, PRINT DONALD TMP HAS LLED FOR THE ELIMATN OF BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP FOR THE CHILDREN OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE BORN ON AMERIN SOIL. THOSE CHILDREN, SLURRED AS “ANCHOR BABI,” ARE ACCED OF BEG BIRTHED WH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF TETHERG THEIR NON-CIZEN PARENTS TO THE UNED STAT.THE TMP ADMISTRATN’S PROMISED EXECUTIVE ORRS ENDG THIS “LOOPHOLE” HAVE NOT MATERIALIZED, BUT THE PRINT’S WAR ON BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP HAS MANY ONTS—AND ONE LTLE-NOTICED STATE DEPARTMENT POLICY, FIRST IMPLEMENTED 2014, HAS NOW RULTED A REVERSE VERSN OF TMP’S “ANCHOR BABY” SCENAR, WHERE THE CHILDREN OF U.S. CIZENS BORN ABROAD ARE EFFECTIVELY BEG STOPPED AT THE BORR.THAT POLICY UNILATERALLY CHANGED THE PARTMENT’S TERPRETATN OF THE IMMIGRATN AND NATNALY ACT (INA), A 1952 LAW THAT, ALONG WH THE 14TH AMENDMENT, DIFI ELIGIBILY FOR U.S. BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP.“THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE TERPRETS THE INA TO MEAN THAT A CHILD BORN ABROAD MT BE BLOGILLY RELATED TO A U.S. CIZEN PARENT,” THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S WEBSE SAYS. “EVEN IF LOL LAW REGNIZ A SURROGACY AGREEMENT AND FDS THAT U.S. PARENTS ARE THE LEGAL PARENTS OF A CHILD NCEIVED AND BORN ABROAD… IF THE CHILD DO NOT HAVE A BLOGIL NNECTN TO A U.S. CIZEN PARENT, THE CHILD WILL NOT BE A U.S. CIZEN AT BIRTH.”THE KIVIS ARE EACH BLOGILLY RELATED TO THEIR CHILDREN. UNR THE POLICY, HOWEVER, CHILDREN BORN VIA GTATNAL SURROGACY AND OTHER FORMS OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART) ARE NSIRED TO BE BORN “OUT OF WEDLOCK,” THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S WORDS—EVEN IF THEIR PARENTS, LIKE ROEE AND ADIEL, ARE LEGALLY MARRIED.“THEY BASILLY TAKE OUR MARRIAGE, AND THEY SAY ‘IT DON’T MEAN ANYTHG. YOUR CHILD WAS BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK,’” ADIEL SAID. “WE WERE THERE WHEN SHE WAS BORN, SHE TOOK HER FIRST BREATHS OUR ARMS. MAKE NO MISTAKE: WE ARE HER PARENTS—WE ARE HER ONLY PARENTS ON HER ONLY BIRTH CERTIFITE.”CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK FACE HIGHER LEGAL AND LOGISTIL HURDL TO OBTAG BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP: IN ADDN TO SUBMISSN OF DNA TTS PROVG GEIC LKS TO U.S. CIZEN PARENTS, THEIR PARENTS MT BE ABLE TO TTIFY THAT THEY N SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN FANCIALLY, AND MT PROVE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PRENT THE UNED STAT FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS PRR TO THE CHILD’S BIRTH. ADIEL, WHO WAS BORN ISRAEL, ONLY RECENTLY BEME A NATURALIZED U.S. CIZEN. HE HAD LIVED THE UNED STAT SCE MAY 2015, AND FOR ONE YEAR LAW SCHOOL, BUT STILL FELL SHORT OF FIVE YEARS.“WE ARE NOW A VERY, VERY STRANGE SCENAR,” ADIEL SAID. “WE ARE BOTH AMERIN CIZENS; WE LIVE THE U.S.; I HAVE A BS HERE, ROEE HAS HIS JOB HERE; WE FILE OUR TAX AS A MARRIED UPLE HERE... AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS SAYG THAT OUR DGHTER ISN’T ENTLED TO U.S. CIZENSHIP BEE SHE WAS BORN ‘OUT OF WEDLOCK.’”FOR PARENTS OF NON-TRADNAL FAI, THE POLICY CHANGE HAS BEEN A DISASTER, LEAVG THEM TO NAVIGATE THE LABYRTHE IMMIGRATN LEGAL SYSTEM WH LTLE GUIDANCE OM THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND, AT THE MOMENT, LTLE REURSE FOR APPEAL. CHILDREN OF U.S. CIZENS ARE PUT AT RISK OF PORTATN OR EVEN STATELSNS—SPE NO TEXTUAL LEGAL BASIS FOR THE POLICY. THE INA, SIGNED TO LAW WHEN GTATNAL SURROGACY WAS SCIENCE FICTN AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE WAS A FANTASY, MAK NO REFERENCE TO BLOGIL RELATNSHIPS TERMG THE CIZENSHIP OF THE CHILD OF A U.S. CIZEN BORN ABROAD TO MARRIED U.S. CIZENS.WHEN THE SUPREME COURT STCK DOWN THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT 2013, LIFTG A BAN ON FERAL REGNN OF SAME-SEX MARRIAG, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURY ISSUED A GUIDANCE CLARG THAT “JT AS [U.S. CIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATN SERVIC] APPLI ALL RELEVANT LAWS TO TERME THE VALIDY OF AN OPPOSE-SEX MARRIAGE, WE WILL APPLY ALL RELEVANT LAWS TO TERME THE VALIDY OF A SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.” ON S FACE, IMMIGRATN ATTORNEYS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, THAT WOULD CLU THE INA.THAT “ASSUMPTN OF PARENTAGE,” AS THE STATE DEPARTMENT LLS , NOW SEEMS TO LGBT PARENTS TO BE RERVED SOLELY FOR HETEROSEXUAL MARRIED UPL. ONLY SAME-SEX UPL, WHOSE NON-TRADNAL FAY STCTURE STICKS OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB, END UP FACG SCTY OVER HOW THEIR CHILDREN ME TO THE WORLD, PARENTS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST—AND AS A RULT, WHETHER THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP.“STATE SAYS CHILDREN BORN THROUGH ART REQUIRE EXTRA PAPERWORK FOR PROOF OF CIZENSHIP, BUT THERE ARE NO BOX ON ANY CIZENSHIP FORMS WHICH DITE ART IS ED,” ONE WOMAN, A FORMER U.S. ARY TELLIGENCE OFFICER WHO IS MARRIED TO A SENR U.S. ARY OFFICER, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. WHEN THEIR SON WAS BORN ON AN AMERIN ARY BASE ABROAD LAST FALL, TOOK MONTHS FOR THEIR APPLITN FOR HIS U.S. PASSPORT TO BE PROCSED—AND ONLY AFTER THEY SUBMTED REAMS OF PAPERWORK PROVG THAT ONE OF THE TWO WOMEN WAS THE GTATNAL MOTHER, NFIRMG WHETHER OR NOT THE FORMER OFFICER HAD A “GEIC RELATNSHIP” WH HER SON, AND “PHYSIL EVINCE” THAT THEY HAD ED AN ANONYMO SPERM DONOR.“IF WE DID [-VRO FERTILIZATN] AND WERE HETERO, WE ULD HAVE A DIFFERENT EGG AND SPERM THAT WERE NOT GEILLY RELATED TO , BUT DUE TO… THE ‘ASSUMPTN OF PARENTAGE’ WHICH EXISTS FOR MARRIED UPL, THEY WOULD NOT QUTN THE BIRTH,” SAID THE FORMER OFFICER, WHO ASKED TO REMA ANONYMO DUE TO THE SENSIVY OF HER WIFE’S POSN THE ARY.“IT WAS SO DUMB, REGARDLS—WE WERE BOTH AMERIN CIZENS, SO SHOULD HAVE BEEN A NON-ISSUE,” THE FORMER OFFICER ADD, NOTG THAT MANY LGBT SERVICE MEMBERS HAVG CHILDREN OVERSEAS ARE FACG SIAR PHBACK OM THE STATE DEPARTMENT, BUT THE RANDOM NATURE OF THE PROBLEMS, AND THEIR ROLUTN, MAK HER BELIEVE THAT “ ALL PENDS ON THE DIVIDUAL WHO IS HANDLG YOUR SE AND THEIR PERSONAL FEELGS.”“I WENT BACK AND FORTH WH STATE AND FALLY END UP RECEIVG A LL OM THE CHIEF OF THE OFFICE WHO HANDL THE CIZENSHIP PAPERWORK,” THE FORMER OFFICER SAID. “SHE END UP LANDG ON, ‘YOU N JT SEND ME AN ULTRASOUND WH YOUR WIFE’S NAME ON , THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH.’ SO, OBVLY, THIS IS NOT REAL POLICY IF THEY N PICK AND CHOOSE HOW TO HANDLE .”THAT SLAPDASH APPROACH TO THE PARTMENT’S POLICY, AND A REMARK MA BY PERSONNEL AT THE ARMY PASSPORT OFFICE NOTG THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST SE THEY’D HEARD OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT PHG BACK, “MAK ME NCERNED FOR THE TMPIZATN OF OUR ERNMENT OFFIC,” THE FORMER OFFICER SAID.IN RPONSE TO A TAILED LIST OF QUTNS REGARDG THE POLICY, S DISPROPORTNATE EFFECTS ON SAME-SEX UPL, AND WHETHER ALL PARENTS SEEKG A CRBA ARE ASKED IF THEIR CHILDREN WERE THE RULT OF SURROGACY, A STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKPERSON IALLY TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT “THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE DO NOT MENT ON PENDG LIGATN OR ARBRATN.”AFTER THIS STORY WAS PUBLISHED, A SPOKPERSON FOR THE PARTMENT’S BURE OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS CLARIFIED THAT THE SECTN OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MANUAL PERTAG TO THE POLICY WAS UPDATED SUMMER 2018, THE PARTMENT’S TERPRETATN OF THE INA IS A “LONGSTANDG GUIDANCE,” DATG BACK TO BEFORE THE TMP ADMISTRATN.ACRDG TO SOME PARENTS, HOWEVER, THE POLICY HAS BEEN UNEVENLY APPLIED OM UPLE TO UPLE, AND EVEN CHILD TO CHILD, WH SOME PARENTS OBTAG U.S. PASSPORTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN YEARS AFTER THE POLICY WAS FIRST ENACTED, ONLY TO HAVE ANOTHER CHILD’S PASSPORT REFED YEARS LATER. FOR OTHER PARENTS, HOPG TO SQUEEZE THROUGH THE CRACKS A BROKEN SYSTEM ISN’T AN OPTN—WHICH MEANS TAKG THE FERAL ERNMENT TO URT TO FEND THEIR FAY. WHEN ALLISON BLIXT MOVED TO LONDON APRIL 2008 TO BE WH HER GIRLIEND, STEFANIA ZACRI, HER FEELGS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE.“ON THE ONE HAND, I WAS SO EXCED, AND SO HAPPY, AND SO LUCKY THAT WE ULD BE TOGETHER, BUT I WAS ALSO SUPER-ANGRY THAT ORR FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, I HAD TO MOVE,” ALLISON SAID. “I HAD TO LEAVE EVERYONE THAT I KNEW AND LOVED, AND I HAD TO LEAVE A LIFE THAT I WANTED NEW YORK.”ALLISON, A LAWYER OM NORTH CAROLA, AND STEFANIA, A TOURIST VISG OM ITALY, HAD MET AT A BAR NEW YORK CY TWO YEARS EARLIER, A MOMENT THAT FORMED A RELATNSHIP THAT HAS LARGELY BEEN FED BY THEIR DISTANCE. FOR TWO YEARS, THEY TRAVELED BACK AND FORTH, TRYG AND FAILG TO FD A WAY THAT STEFANIA ULD E TO THE UNED STAT FOR LONGER THAN A 90-DAY STRETCH. THEY EVEN BROKE UP BRIEFLY, THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT STANDG AS A SEEMGLY SURMOUNTABLE OBSTACLE TO A BI-NATNAL LBIAN RELATNSHIP.“MOVG AWAY WAS THE ONLY WAY FOR TO BE TOGETHER,” ALLISON TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “AND WE BUILT A LIFE HERE.”THE PAIR KNEW THAT THEY WANTED CHILDREN, BUT, LIKE SO MUCH THEIR RELATNSHIP, MUCH OF ME DOWN TO TIMG. THEY CID THAT STEFANIA, THE OLR OF THE TWO, WOULD GO FIRST, AND THEIR FIRST SON, LUS ALEXANR ZACRI-BLIXT, WAS BORN JANUARY 2015, SLIGHTLY MORE THAN THREE WEEKS AFTER ALLISON AND STEFANIA NVERTED THEIR CIVIL PARTNERSHIP TO A VALID MARRIAGE.“I THOUGHT HE WOULD GET CIZENSHIP, BEE WE WERE MARRIED,” ALLISON SAID. “HE WOULD BE VIEWED AS MY CHILD, NO QUTN.” COURTY ALLISON BLIXT BUT WHEN SHE WENT TO THE U.S. EMBASSY LONDON TO OBTA LUS’ CRBA, THERE WERE A LOT OF QUTNS—MANY OF THEM EPLY TSIVE.“I WAS THKG, ‘THIS IS NOT GOG TO END WELL,’” ALLISON SAID.AFTER HOURS THE EMBASSY, LUS’ APPLITN FOR A U.S. PASSPORT WAS NIED ON THE GROUNDS THAT HE WAS NOT GEILLY RELATED TO ALLISON, SPE HER NAME ON HIS BIRTH CERTIFITE AND HER MARRIAGE TO HIS BIRTH MOTHER.“I REMEMBER STANDG THE EMBASSY SHOCK. ALL THAT EMOTN THAT I HAD WHEN WE FIRST MOVED HERE, BEG REJECTED, WAS NOW BEG RE-LIVED, BUT AT THE TIME, WASN’T ABOUT ME— WAS ABOUT MY SON,” ALLISON SAID. “I’M NOT A CRY--PUBLIC KD OF PERSON, SO I TRIED TO HOLD , BUT I WAS REALLY, REALLY UPSET.”WHEN ALLISON GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR SEND SON, MASSIIANO, FEBARY 2017, THE FAY WENT TO THE EMBASSY TO APPLY FOR HIS PASSPORT—AND TO REAPPLY FOR LUS’, HOPG THAT THE TERVENG YEARS WOULD MEAN A DIFFERENT RULT. MASSIIANO OBTAED HIS PASSPORT, BUT LUS’ WAS NIED AGA, THIS TIME ON THE SAME “OUT OF WEDLOCK” GROUNDS THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT ED TO NY KSEM’S PASSPORT.“THEY’RE BASILLY SAYG, ‘Y, MASSI IS YOUR SON, BUT LUS ISN’T.’ HOW DO WE EXPLA THAT TO OUR KIDS, THAT THEY’RE NOT THE SAME? THAT’S APPALLG,” ALLISON SAID. “HE’S BEG TREATED LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAS NO NNECTN TO THE U.S., MUCH AS A STEPCHILD WOULD. IT’S OFFENSIVE.”FOR PARENTS UGHT THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S POLICY, NAVIGATG TRAVEL AND LEGAL RINCY HAS BEE A EDY OF ERRORS. ACRDG TO ALLISON, ’S “ALMOST ENTERTAG” WHEN SHE RETURNS TO THE UNED STAT WH HER FAY, SLAPPG DOWN A STACK OF AMERIN, ITALIAN AND BRISH PASSPORTS.EVEN U.S. BORR AGENTS—A HORT NOT KNOWN FOR THEIR IENDLS—HAVE BEEN “QUE SURPRISED THAT LUS ISN’T AMERIN,” ALLISON SAID.BUT FOR LGBT FAI, WHO HAVE ONLY ENJOYED THE NATNWI RIGHT TO MARRIAGE FOR LS THAN FIVE YEARS, EVEN A CUR LOOK OM A BORR AGENT IS A HUIATG REMR OF THE PATCHWORK NATURE OF LEGAL PROTECTNS FOR NON-TRADNAL FAI.“WHERE IS MY CHILD SUPPOSED TO LIVE? IS SHE SUPPOSED TO GO BACK TO CANADA?” ASKED ADIEL RHETORILLY. “CAN I LIVE THERE? THE SCENAR IS JT RIDICULO. I NNOT BELIEVE THAT THE ARE THE VALU OF THE AMERIN ERNMENT.” MAGGIE KEEFE, BEBE NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY / CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA, FEBARY 2019 IMMIGRATN EQUALY, A NONPROF THAT ADVOT FOR LGBT PEOPLE THE IMMIGRATN SYSTEM, HAS TAKEN ALLISON AND STEFANIA’S SE TO FERAL URT, WHERE THEY HAVE ARGUED THAT THE POLICY “HURTS FAI AND UNRM THE FAIAL RELATNSHIPS OF SAME-SEX PARENTS.” THE GROUP HAS HAD EARLY SUCCS ARGUG THAT CHILDREN OF MARRIED SAME-SEX UPL BORN ABROAD ARE ENTLED TO BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP— A NCURRENT SE VOLVG ETHAN DVASH-BANKS, THE 2-YEAR-OLD SON OF A GAY UPLE, A FERAL JUDGE LED FEBARY THAT “THE BASIS FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S IMPOSN OF A BLOGIL REQUIREMENT IS S STRAED TERPRETATN” OF EXISTG IMMIGRATN LAW.THAT SUCCS WAS REPEATED ON WEDNDAY, WHEN A FERAL JUDGE NIED THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S MOTN TO DISMISS ALLISON AND STEFANIA’S LAWSU, AND LLED THE SUATN “OUTRAGEO.”“THE JUDGE’S CISN TO HEAR THIS SE IS AN IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD FOR THE ZACRI-BLIXT FAY AND ALL FAI WHO ARE CURRENTLY BEG NIED EQUAL TREATMENT UNR THE LAW,” SAID AARON C. MORRIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATN EQUALY AND THE UPLE’S ATTORNEY. “THE ERNMENT SHOULD CHANGE S POLICY, AND WE WILL KEEP FIGHTG UNTIL THEY DO.”BUT THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S CISN TO APPEAL THAT LG, ALLISON SAID, ULD MEAN THAT THE QUTN OF HER SON’S CIZENSHIP ULD DRAG ON FOR YEARS.“WHEN THE ERNMENT APPEALED LAST WEEK, I MEAN... I THOUGHT, I N’T BELIEVE ,” ALLISON SAID. “IF WE WANT TO ACTUALLY MOVE TO THE U.S., WE N’T JT WA UNTIL THE SE IS ROLVED. WE HAVE TO FD OTHER SOLUTNS.”FOR SOME PARENTS, SUCH SOLUTNS ARE WH REACH. WHEN ADIEL, BORN AN ISRAELI CIZEN, BEME NATURALIZED, HE WAS TOLD THAT ANY FUTURE CHILDREN WHO OBTAED A GREEN RD WERE IMMEDIATELY ENTLED TO NATURALIZATN AS WELL—MEANG THAT IF KSEM OBTAS A GREEN RD, SHE WILL FUNCTNALLY BE REGNIZED AS A NATURALIZED AMERIN CIZEN.BUT TO KSEM’S FATHERS, THAT BACKDOOR TO U.S. CIZENSHIP REPRENTS A PULATN—AN ADMISSN THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT WAS RIGHT TO WHHOLD HER BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP THE FIRST PLACE.“ON THE ONE HAND, WE WANT TO DO WHAT’S BT FOR OUR CHILD, AND AS PARENTS, WE’LL DO JT THAT.” ADIEL SAID. “I’M NOT GOG TO S BY AND WATCH HER GET PORTED.”BUT, ADIEL ADD, “THERE IS A MORAL REASON TO HAVE THIS FIGHT, AND NOT TO VE.”“YOU SEE A GAY MAN NNG FOR PRINT ON THE VER OF TIME MAGAZE WH HIS HBAND, AND THEN YOU GET A LL OM THE STATE DEPARTMENT SENTIALLY SAYG THAT YOUR ‘OUT-OF-WEDLOCK’ DGHTER IS NOT ENTLED TO A PASSPORT,” ROEE SAID. “YOU’RE THKG, WHAT IS THIS PARALLEL UNIVERSE THAT WE’RE LIVG ?”THE ABILY TO FIGHT THE ERNMENT’S POLICY IS, SELF, EVINCE THAT AMERIN CIZENSHIP HAS A SPECIAL MEANG, ALLISON SAID—AND THAT THE PRIVILEG AFFORD BY CIZENSHIP NEED TO BE EXERCISED ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO AREN’T SO LUCKY.“WE ARE VERY LUCKY—WE WERE ABLE TO LIVE ABROAD TO BE TOGETHER, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE TWO AMAZG CHILDREN, WE HAVE A GREAT LIFE HERE... AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE A LOT WORSE SUATNS THAN OURS,” ALLISON SAID. “AND BEE OF THAT, ALSO MEANS THAT WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE A POSN WHERE WE N FIGHT .” STT BIXBY

A GAY CHABADNIK, LBIANS WEARG SKULLPS AND HIPSTERS WHO NEVER PRAY: WELE TO LGBTQ BIRTHRIGHT

Others reacted differently, shoutg at him, and two cursed him, but he took stri after beg told that people still remembered that a Haredi man had stabbed and wound three participants the Jesalem Gay Pri Para 2005. Given the openns of the muni, synagogu and rabbis of many of the participants, one might almost thk there were two different religns: the flexible, pluralistic (even “ol, ” some would say) forms of non-Orthodox Judaism domant North Ameri, and the state-sanctned Israeli form of Orthodoxy, which monstrat s anachronism anew each latt stance was the refal of Bar-Ilan Universy to allow an event markg Gay Pri Week on the mp, wh the stutn’s spokman likeng the planned event to a gatherg of pedophil. )Durg the two days I spent wh the group, I uldn’t help wonrg about the fact that the same Israel that ref to regnize marriag among gays – sce marriag are the purview of the chief rabbate and there are no civil unns – and discrimat agast same-sex upl the allotn of social benefs, and where some MKs are openly homophobic, also v more than 40 gay men and lbians to partake of a ee 10-day Birthright Katzav, Birthright trip for LGBTQ Jews tour lear.

“I always make clear to the members of my groups on the first day that I don’t tend to say a word to them about immigratg to Israel, enlistg the army or donatg to the untry, ” says Shany Katzav the group’s energetic chief tour lear, who works wh gay and straight groups alike. In that se, we n probably le out the mographic threat – Israel’s fear of losg s Jewish majory – as the reason for havg gay groups for the enomic aspect, somethg that another tour lear, David, said while talkg about the social-prott movement of 2011 as the group’s b drove along Rothschild Boulevard, Tel Aviv, where all began, rais the spicn that LGBT buyg power is ed a motivatg factor brgg Jewish gays to are many small bs Israel, which are not part of big chas, he told the group, and if tour participants shop those small bs and general spend money here, they will be helpg the Israeli enomy.

DOUBLE MZVA? BIRTHRIGHT’S GAY PARTICIPANTS EMBRACE JEWISH, QUEER INTI

Acrdg to Birthright’s CEO, Gidi Mark, the tours of gays – to date there have been 18 such groups of 40 participants each, out of a total of 430, 000 people who have taken part the project sce s ceptn – are the rult of mand. There are groups of bloggers, physicians, journalists, fashn signers, people wh Asperger syndrome, participants nfed to wheelchairs and adds that Birthright is receptive to groundswell iativ: At some pot, someone asked Birthright to anize a group of gays, and that turned out to be a genue need.

GAYS, LBIANS TAKE PRI THEIR OWN ISRAELI BIRTHRIGHT

As far as he knows, he adds, Israel is an open society that accepts be, I put to Mark, that the goal of brgg gays on Birthright is to further hasbara (public diplomacy), so that participants will return home and tell others that Israel is gay-iendly? The bottom le, says Mark: Most of the Jews who are on the ont le agast anti-Israeli elements on mp are veterans of the Birthright prototypThe program of Birthright’s gay groups is very siar to that of the project’s other groups: some time the Galilee (Safed, Golan Heights), a b of Tel Aviv (Jaffa, Rothschild Boulevard, Rab Square), Jesalem (Wtern Wall, Yad Vashem, Mount Herzl), sert (Dead Sea, Masada, Kibbutz S Boker).

GAY RIGHTS

In the se of the LGBT groups, what’s add is participatn the Gay Pri Para (when their trips overlap wh that), along wh workshops and group discsns on Judaism and qutns of inty – sexual, Jewish and the like – inty issue turns out to be one of the most meangful aspects of the program, owg to the different backgrounds of the participants and their highly dividualistic nnectns to Judaism. “It’s an open synagogue, ” he relat, addg that there is a gay uple and a lbian uple who attend regularly, and he’s ved almost every weekend for a Sabbath meal by one of the all Birthright groups, this one also clud Israeli soldiers who are about to plete their ary service, what is nsired a tremendo perk. Seven soldiers – two women and five men, all of them gay – joed Shany’s group, but by orrs of the IDF Spokperson’s Office, uld not speak on the rerd wh a visn of Birthright’s CEO regard to the soldiers is that they will epen the participants’ experience of Israel, “bee they [the Israelis] raise tough, challengg issu.

One of the male soldiers, of Rsian orig, formed a strong bond wh a New York man whose parents are also of Rsian lunch at a falafel stand the Jaffa flea market, the Amerin asked what ’s like to be a gay soldier the IDF.

GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

He said that his un there are so many gays, and also the manr is so gay-iendly, that the latter once urt-martialed a soldier – who had jt arrived on the base and didn’t grasp the suatn – for makg homophobic remarks. There are strict l: No nsumptn of alhol durg schled, official activi – only your ee might have thought that the Gay Pri Para nstuted “ee time, ” durg which the group’s participants would be allowed to drk themselv to a stupor on the Tel Aviv promena together wh beard, mcular German gays. But even that nsisted of a mere three hours the Jaffa flea market, a nice place but void of gay clubs and far om the “real” scene the Rothschild-Allenby-Herzl streets area or the Florent group vented s tratn about alhol at the small, sleepy bar of the Caar Premier hotel, near the Central B Statn Jesalem.

The Birthright gay guys got to the swg of thgs quickly, the girls ls the ncln of the two hours that the group was given to spend on the beach, they gathered ont of a nearby fé and were asked by Shany to unt off, shoutg out their nam stead of numbers.

Dancg at gay clubs Tel Aviv and meetg wh gay Israeli soldiers are jt two ems on the erary of a new anized trip to Israel for young Jewish profsnals this summer aimed at troducg them to an Israel at the "foreont of gay rights.

QUEERS THE HOLY LAND: CHOKG ON BLUE AND WHE GLTER ON GAY BIRTHRIGHT

Organized by Young Jua Impact, the llege and young profsnals program of that youth movement, the 10-day luxury "Pri Israel" trip planned for September will foc on Israel's advancement of gay rights both legally and culturally, the group says. In 1993, the army rcd s few regulatns discrimatg agast gays and lbians, and 1994, the Supreme Court orred El Al Israel Airl to grant a ee plane ticket to the partner of a gay flight attendant, as the airle had long done for heterosexual spo of employe.

TMP ADMISTRATN TO LGBT COUPL: YOUR ‘OUT OF WEDLOCK’ KIDS AREN’T CIZENSBIRTHRIGHTCHILDREN OF U.S. CIZENS ARE FALLG VICTIM TO A POLICY THAT -REGNIZ THEIR PARENTS’ MARRIAGE—AND STRIPS THEM OF THEIR BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP.STT BIXBYUPDATED MAY 17, 2019 3:44PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2019 5:12AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY LYNE LUCIEN/THE DAILY BEAST/PHOTOS GETTYNO PARENT N EVER BE FULLY PREPARED FOR THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW BABY. BUT WHEN ROEE AND ADIEL KIVI BROUGHT HOME THEIR NEWBORN DGHTER KSEM TWO MONTHS AGO, THEY FIGURED THAT THEY WERE AS READY AS THEY ULD BE. AFTER ALL, THEY’D GONE THROUGH THE SAME PROCS TWO YEARS EARLIER WH THEIR SON LEV, WHO, LIKE KSEM, WAS BORN WH THE HELP OF AN EGG DONOR AND A GTATNAL SURROGATE CANADA.“IT WAS AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS ONE N IMAGE,” ROEE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, RELLG THE EASE OF BRGG LEV HOME LATE 2016, THE FANT’S NEWLY PRTED CANADIAN PASSPORT HAND, SOON TO BE SUPPLANTED BY AN AMERIN ONE. BUT THIS FEBARY, WHEN KSEM’S FATHERS NTACTED THE U.S. NSULATE CALGARY TO OBTA A CONSULAR REPORT OF BIRTH ABROAD FOR THEIR DGHTER—THE LEGAL EQUIVALENT OF A BIRTH CERTIFITE FOR AMERINS BORN OUTSI OF THE UNED STAT—SOMETHG WAS DIFFERENT THIS TIME.“THEY FIRST DITED THAT THEY NEED PROOF OF OUR MARRIAGE, WHICH I FOUND QUE ODD,” ROEE SAID. “THEY NEED THE ORIGAL MARRIAGE CERTIFITE, WHICH WE DIDN’T HAVE WH , BUT I DIDN’T ACTUALLY THK ANYTHG MORE ABOUT . I THOUGHT, ‘WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS, WE’LL JT AL WH THE U.S.’”ROEE AND ADIEL OBTAED KSEM’S CANADIAN PASSPORT—A STOPGAP, THEY FIGURED, UNTIL THEY ULD GET HER U.S. PASSPORT BACK HOME—AND TRAVELED BACK TO THEIR HOME THE UNED STAT. BUT KSEM WAS ABOUT TO BEE THE LATT VICTIM OF A ERNMENT POLICY THAT EFFECTIVELY -REGNIZ HER PARENTS’ MARRIAGE, GRANTG HER NO TOMATIC RIGHTS TO AMERIN BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP SPE THE FACT THAT BOTH HER FATHERS ARE U.S. CIZENS. THAT POLICY, KSEM’S FATHERS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, POS A UNIQUE THREAT TO LGBT FAI, AND ULD CHANGE THE S-OLD LEGAL UNRSTANDG OF WHAT THE WORD “FAY” EVEN MEANS.“THIS IS A VERY CLEAR ATTACK ON FAI, ON AMERIN FAI,” ROEE, WHO MARRIED ADIEL CALIFORNIA 2013, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “DENYG AMERIN MARRIED UPL THEIR RIGHTS TO PASS THEIR CIZENSHIP, THAT IS FLAT-OUT DISCRIMATN, AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE NCERNED ABOUT THIS.” FOR YEARS, PRINT DONALD TMP HAS LLED FOR THE ELIMATN OF BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP FOR THE CHILDREN OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE BORN ON AMERIN SOIL. THOSE CHILDREN, SLURRED AS “ANCHOR BABI,” ARE ACCED OF BEG BIRTHED WH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF TETHERG THEIR NON-CIZEN PARENTS TO THE UNED STAT.THE TMP ADMISTRATN’S PROMISED EXECUTIVE ORRS ENDG THIS “LOOPHOLE” HAVE NOT MATERIALIZED, BUT THE PRINT’S WAR ON BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP HAS MANY ONTS—AND ONE LTLE-NOTICED STATE DEPARTMENT POLICY, FIRST IMPLEMENTED 2014, HAS NOW RULTED A REVERSE VERSN OF TMP’S “ANCHOR BABY” SCENAR, WHERE THE CHILDREN OF U.S. CIZENS BORN ABROAD ARE EFFECTIVELY BEG STOPPED AT THE BORR.THAT POLICY UNILATERALLY CHANGED THE PARTMENT’S TERPRETATN OF THE IMMIGRATN AND NATNALY ACT (INA), A 1952 LAW THAT, ALONG WH THE 14TH AMENDMENT, DIFI ELIGIBILY FOR U.S. BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP.“THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE TERPRETS THE INA TO MEAN THAT A CHILD BORN ABROAD MT BE BLOGILLY RELATED TO A U.S. CIZEN PARENT,” THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S WEBSE SAYS. “EVEN IF LOL LAW REGNIZ A SURROGACY AGREEMENT AND FDS THAT U.S. PARENTS ARE THE LEGAL PARENTS OF A CHILD NCEIVED AND BORN ABROAD… IF THE CHILD DO NOT HAVE A BLOGIL NNECTN TO A U.S. CIZEN PARENT, THE CHILD WILL NOT BE A U.S. CIZEN AT BIRTH.”THE KIVIS ARE EACH BLOGILLY RELATED TO THEIR CHILDREN. UNR THE POLICY, HOWEVER, CHILDREN BORN VIA GTATNAL SURROGACY AND OTHER FORMS OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART) ARE NSIRED TO BE BORN “OUT OF WEDLOCK,” THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S WORDS—EVEN IF THEIR PARENTS, LIKE ROEE AND ADIEL, ARE LEGALLY MARRIED.“THEY BASILLY TAKE OUR MARRIAGE, AND THEY SAY ‘IT DON’T MEAN ANYTHG. YOUR CHILD WAS BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK,’” ADIEL SAID. “WE WERE THERE WHEN SHE WAS BORN, SHE TOOK HER FIRST BREATHS OUR ARMS. MAKE NO MISTAKE: WE ARE HER PARENTS—WE ARE HER ONLY PARENTS ON HER ONLY BIRTH CERTIFITE.”CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK FACE HIGHER LEGAL AND LOGISTIL HURDL TO OBTAG BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP: IN ADDN TO SUBMISSN OF DNA TTS PROVG GEIC LKS TO U.S. CIZEN PARENTS, THEIR PARENTS MT BE ABLE TO TTIFY THAT THEY N SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN FANCIALLY, AND MT PROVE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PRENT THE UNED STAT FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS PRR TO THE CHILD’S BIRTH. ADIEL, WHO WAS BORN ISRAEL, ONLY RECENTLY BEME A NATURALIZED U.S. CIZEN. HE HAD LIVED THE UNED STAT SCE MAY 2015, AND FOR ONE YEAR LAW SCHOOL, BUT STILL FELL SHORT OF FIVE YEARS.“WE ARE NOW A VERY, VERY STRANGE SCENAR,” ADIEL SAID. “WE ARE BOTH AMERIN CIZENS; WE LIVE THE U.S.; I HAVE A BS HERE, ROEE HAS HIS JOB HERE; WE FILE OUR TAX AS A MARRIED UPLE HERE... AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS SAYG THAT OUR DGHTER ISN’T ENTLED TO U.S. CIZENSHIP BEE SHE WAS BORN ‘OUT OF WEDLOCK.’”FOR PARENTS OF NON-TRADNAL FAI, THE POLICY CHANGE HAS BEEN A DISASTER, LEAVG THEM TO NAVIGATE THE LABYRTHE IMMIGRATN LEGAL SYSTEM WH LTLE GUIDANCE OM THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND, AT THE MOMENT, LTLE REURSE FOR APPEAL. CHILDREN OF U.S. CIZENS ARE PUT AT RISK OF PORTATN OR EVEN STATELSNS—SPE NO TEXTUAL LEGAL BASIS FOR THE POLICY. THE INA, SIGNED TO LAW WHEN GTATNAL SURROGACY WAS SCIENCE FICTN AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE WAS A FANTASY, MAK NO REFERENCE TO BLOGIL RELATNSHIPS TERMG THE CIZENSHIP OF THE CHILD OF A U.S. CIZEN BORN ABROAD TO MARRIED U.S. CIZENS.WHEN THE SUPREME COURT STCK DOWN THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT 2013, LIFTG A BAN ON FERAL REGNN OF SAME-SEX MARRIAG, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURY ISSUED A GUIDANCE CLARG THAT “JT AS [U.S. CIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATN SERVIC] APPLI ALL RELEVANT LAWS TO TERME THE VALIDY OF AN OPPOSE-SEX MARRIAGE, WE WILL APPLY ALL RELEVANT LAWS TO TERME THE VALIDY OF A SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.” ON S FACE, IMMIGRATN ATTORNEYS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, THAT WOULD CLU THE INA.THAT “ASSUMPTN OF PARENTAGE,” AS THE STATE DEPARTMENT LLS , NOW SEEMS TO LGBT PARENTS TO BE RERVED SOLELY FOR HETEROSEXUAL MARRIED UPL. ONLY SAME-SEX UPL, WHOSE NON-TRADNAL FAY STCTURE STICKS OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB, END UP FACG SCTY OVER HOW THEIR CHILDREN ME TO THE WORLD, PARENTS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST—AND AS A RULT, WHETHER THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP.“STATE SAYS CHILDREN BORN THROUGH ART REQUIRE EXTRA PAPERWORK FOR PROOF OF CIZENSHIP, BUT THERE ARE NO BOX ON ANY CIZENSHIP FORMS WHICH DITE ART IS ED,” ONE WOMAN, A FORMER U.S. ARY TELLIGENCE OFFICER WHO IS MARRIED TO A SENR U.S. ARY OFFICER, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. WHEN THEIR SON WAS BORN ON AN AMERIN ARY BASE ABROAD LAST FALL, TOOK MONTHS FOR THEIR APPLITN FOR HIS U.S. PASSPORT TO BE PROCSED—AND ONLY AFTER THEY SUBMTED REAMS OF PAPERWORK PROVG THAT ONE OF THE TWO WOMEN WAS THE GTATNAL MOTHER, NFIRMG WHETHER OR NOT THE FORMER OFFICER HAD A “GEIC RELATNSHIP” WH HER SON, AND “PHYSIL EVINCE” THAT THEY HAD ED AN ANONYMO SPERM DONOR.“IF WE DID [-VRO FERTILIZATN] AND WERE HETERO, WE ULD HAVE A DIFFERENT EGG AND SPERM THAT WERE NOT GEILLY RELATED TO , BUT DUE TO… THE ‘ASSUMPTN OF PARENTAGE’ WHICH EXISTS FOR MARRIED UPL, THEY WOULD NOT QUTN THE BIRTH,” SAID THE FORMER OFFICER, WHO ASKED TO REMA ANONYMO DUE TO THE SENSIVY OF HER WIFE’S POSN THE ARY.“IT WAS SO DUMB, REGARDLS—WE WERE BOTH AMERIN CIZENS, SO SHOULD HAVE BEEN A NON-ISSUE,” THE FORMER OFFICER ADD, NOTG THAT MANY LGBT SERVICE MEMBERS HAVG CHILDREN OVERSEAS ARE FACG SIAR PHBACK OM THE STATE DEPARTMENT, BUT THE RANDOM NATURE OF THE PROBLEMS, AND THEIR ROLUTN, MAK HER BELIEVE THAT “ ALL PENDS ON THE DIVIDUAL WHO IS HANDLG YOUR SE AND THEIR PERSONAL FEELGS.”“I WENT BACK AND FORTH WH STATE AND FALLY END UP RECEIVG A LL OM THE CHIEF OF THE OFFICE WHO HANDL THE CIZENSHIP PAPERWORK,” THE FORMER OFFICER SAID. “SHE END UP LANDG ON, ‘YOU N JT SEND ME AN ULTRASOUND WH YOUR WIFE’S NAME ON , THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH.’ SO, OBVLY, THIS IS NOT REAL POLICY IF THEY N PICK AND CHOOSE HOW TO HANDLE .”THAT SLAPDASH APPROACH TO THE PARTMENT’S POLICY, AND A REMARK MA BY PERSONNEL AT THE ARMY PASSPORT OFFICE NOTG THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST SE THEY’D HEARD OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT PHG BACK, “MAK ME NCERNED FOR THE TMPIZATN OF OUR ERNMENT OFFIC,” THE FORMER OFFICER SAID.IN RPONSE TO A TAILED LIST OF QUTNS REGARDG THE POLICY, S DISPROPORTNATE EFFECTS ON SAME-SEX UPL, AND WHETHER ALL PARENTS SEEKG A CRBA ARE ASKED IF THEIR CHILDREN WERE THE RULT OF SURROGACY, A STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKPERSON IALLY TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT “THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE DO NOT MENT ON PENDG LIGATN OR ARBRATN.”AFTER THIS STORY WAS PUBLISHED, A SPOKPERSON FOR THE PARTMENT’S BURE OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS CLARIFIED THAT THE SECTN OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MANUAL PERTAG TO THE POLICY WAS UPDATED SUMMER 2018, THE PARTMENT’S TERPRETATN OF THE INA IS A “LONGSTANDG GUIDANCE,” DATG BACK TO BEFORE THE TMP ADMISTRATN.ACRDG TO SOME PARENTS, HOWEVER, THE POLICY HAS BEEN UNEVENLY APPLIED OM UPLE TO UPLE, AND EVEN CHILD TO CHILD, WH SOME PARENTS OBTAG U.S. PASSPORTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN YEARS AFTER THE POLICY WAS FIRST ENACTED, ONLY TO HAVE ANOTHER CHILD’S PASSPORT REFED YEARS LATER. FOR OTHER PARENTS, HOPG TO SQUEEZE THROUGH THE CRACKS A BROKEN SYSTEM ISN’T AN OPTN—WHICH MEANS TAKG THE FERAL ERNMENT TO URT TO FEND THEIR FAY. WHEN ALLISON BLIXT MOVED TO LONDON APRIL 2008 TO BE WH HER GIRLIEND, STEFANIA ZACRI, HER FEELGS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE.“ON THE ONE HAND, I WAS SO EXCED, AND SO HAPPY, AND SO LUCKY THAT WE ULD BE TOGETHER, BUT I WAS ALSO SUPER-ANGRY THAT ORR FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, I HAD TO MOVE,” ALLISON SAID. “I HAD TO LEAVE EVERYONE THAT I KNEW AND LOVED, AND I HAD TO LEAVE A LIFE THAT I WANTED NEW YORK.”ALLISON, A LAWYER OM NORTH CAROLA, AND STEFANIA, A TOURIST VISG OM ITALY, HAD MET AT A BAR NEW YORK CY TWO YEARS EARLIER, A MOMENT THAT FORMED A RELATNSHIP THAT HAS LARGELY BEEN FED BY THEIR DISTANCE. FOR TWO YEARS, THEY TRAVELED BACK AND FORTH, TRYG AND FAILG TO FD A WAY THAT STEFANIA ULD E TO THE UNED STAT FOR LONGER THAN A 90-DAY STRETCH. THEY EVEN BROKE UP BRIEFLY, THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT STANDG AS A SEEMGLY SURMOUNTABLE OBSTACLE TO A BI-NATNAL LBIAN RELATNSHIP.“MOVG AWAY WAS THE ONLY WAY FOR TO BE TOGETHER,” ALLISON TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “AND WE BUILT A LIFE HERE.”THE PAIR KNEW THAT THEY WANTED CHILDREN, BUT, LIKE SO MUCH THEIR RELATNSHIP, MUCH OF ME DOWN TO TIMG. THEY CID THAT STEFANIA, THE OLR OF THE TWO, WOULD GO FIRST, AND THEIR FIRST SON, LUS ALEXANR ZACRI-BLIXT, WAS BORN JANUARY 2015, SLIGHTLY MORE THAN THREE WEEKS AFTER ALLISON AND STEFANIA NVERTED THEIR CIVIL PARTNERSHIP TO A VALID MARRIAGE.“I THOUGHT HE WOULD GET CIZENSHIP, BEE WE WERE MARRIED,” ALLISON SAID. “HE WOULD BE VIEWED AS MY CHILD, NO QUTN.” COURTY ALLISON BLIXT BUT WHEN SHE WENT TO THE U.S. EMBASSY LONDON TO OBTA LUS’ CRBA, THERE WERE A LOT OF QUTNS—MANY OF THEM EPLY TSIVE.“I WAS THKG, ‘THIS IS NOT GOG TO END WELL,’” ALLISON SAID.AFTER HOURS THE EMBASSY, LUS’ APPLITN FOR A U.S. PASSPORT WAS NIED ON THE GROUNDS THAT HE WAS NOT GEILLY RELATED TO ALLISON, SPE HER NAME ON HIS BIRTH CERTIFITE AND HER MARRIAGE TO HIS BIRTH MOTHER.“I REMEMBER STANDG THE EMBASSY SHOCK. ALL THAT EMOTN THAT I HAD WHEN WE FIRST MOVED HERE, BEG REJECTED, WAS NOW BEG RE-LIVED, BUT AT THE TIME, WASN’T ABOUT ME— WAS ABOUT MY SON,” ALLISON SAID. “I’M NOT A CRY--PUBLIC KD OF PERSON, SO I TRIED TO HOLD , BUT I WAS REALLY, REALLY UPSET.”WHEN ALLISON GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR SEND SON, MASSIIANO, FEBARY 2017, THE FAY WENT TO THE EMBASSY TO APPLY FOR HIS PASSPORT—AND TO REAPPLY FOR LUS’, HOPG THAT THE TERVENG YEARS WOULD MEAN A DIFFERENT RULT. MASSIIANO OBTAED HIS PASSPORT, BUT LUS’ WAS NIED AGA, THIS TIME ON THE SAME “OUT OF WEDLOCK” GROUNDS THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT ED TO NY KSEM’S PASSPORT.“THEY’RE BASILLY SAYG, ‘Y, MASSI IS YOUR SON, BUT LUS ISN’T.’ HOW DO WE EXPLA THAT TO OUR KIDS, THAT THEY’RE NOT THE SAME? THAT’S APPALLG,” ALLISON SAID. “HE’S BEG TREATED LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAS NO NNECTN TO THE U.S., MUCH AS A STEPCHILD WOULD. IT’S OFFENSIVE.”FOR PARENTS UGHT THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S POLICY, NAVIGATG TRAVEL AND LEGAL RINCY HAS BEE A EDY OF ERRORS. ACRDG TO ALLISON, ’S “ALMOST ENTERTAG” WHEN SHE RETURNS TO THE UNED STAT WH HER FAY, SLAPPG DOWN A STACK OF AMERIN, ITALIAN AND BRISH PASSPORTS.EVEN U.S. BORR AGENTS—A HORT NOT KNOWN FOR THEIR IENDLS—HAVE BEEN “QUE SURPRISED THAT LUS ISN’T AMERIN,” ALLISON SAID.BUT FOR LGBT FAI, WHO HAVE ONLY ENJOYED THE NATNWI RIGHT TO MARRIAGE FOR LS THAN FIVE YEARS, EVEN A CUR LOOK OM A BORR AGENT IS A HUIATG REMR OF THE PATCHWORK NATURE OF LEGAL PROTECTNS FOR NON-TRADNAL FAI.“WHERE IS MY CHILD SUPPOSED TO LIVE? IS SHE SUPPOSED TO GO BACK TO CANADA?” ASKED ADIEL RHETORILLY. “CAN I LIVE THERE? THE SCENAR IS JT RIDICULO. I NNOT BELIEVE THAT THE ARE THE VALU OF THE AMERIN ERNMENT.” MAGGIE KEEFE, BEBE NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY / CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA, FEBARY 2019 IMMIGRATN EQUALY, A NONPROF THAT ADVOT FOR LGBT PEOPLE THE IMMIGRATN SYSTEM, HAS TAKEN ALLISON AND STEFANIA’S SE TO FERAL URT, WHERE THEY HAVE ARGUED THAT THE POLICY “HURTS FAI AND UNRM THE FAIAL RELATNSHIPS OF SAME-SEX PARENTS.” THE GROUP HAS HAD EARLY SUCCS ARGUG THAT CHILDREN OF MARRIED SAME-SEX UPL BORN ABROAD ARE ENTLED TO BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP— A NCURRENT SE VOLVG ETHAN DVASH-BANKS, THE 2-YEAR-OLD SON OF A GAY UPLE, A FERAL JUDGE LED FEBARY THAT “THE BASIS FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S IMPOSN OF A BLOGIL REQUIREMENT IS S STRAED TERPRETATN” OF EXISTG IMMIGRATN LAW.THAT SUCCS WAS REPEATED ON WEDNDAY, WHEN A FERAL JUDGE NIED THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S MOTN TO DISMISS ALLISON AND STEFANIA’S LAWSU, AND LLED THE SUATN “OUTRAGEO.”“THE JUDGE’S CISN TO HEAR THIS SE IS AN IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD FOR THE ZACRI-BLIXT FAY AND ALL FAI WHO ARE CURRENTLY BEG NIED EQUAL TREATMENT UNR THE LAW,” SAID AARON C. MORRIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATN EQUALY AND THE UPLE’S ATTORNEY. “THE ERNMENT SHOULD CHANGE S POLICY, AND WE WILL KEEP FIGHTG UNTIL THEY DO.”BUT THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S CISN TO APPEAL THAT LG, ALLISON SAID, ULD MEAN THAT THE QUTN OF HER SON’S CIZENSHIP ULD DRAG ON FOR YEARS.“WHEN THE ERNMENT APPEALED LAST WEEK, I MEAN... I THOUGHT, I N’T BELIEVE ,” ALLISON SAID. “IF WE WANT TO ACTUALLY MOVE TO THE U.S., WE N’T JT WA UNTIL THE SE IS ROLVED. WE HAVE TO FD OTHER SOLUTNS.”FOR SOME PARENTS, SUCH SOLUTNS ARE WH REACH. WHEN ADIEL, BORN AN ISRAELI CIZEN, BEME NATURALIZED, HE WAS TOLD THAT ANY FUTURE CHILDREN WHO OBTAED A GREEN RD WERE IMMEDIATELY ENTLED TO NATURALIZATN AS WELL—MEANG THAT IF KSEM OBTAS A GREEN RD, SHE WILL FUNCTNALLY BE REGNIZED AS A NATURALIZED AMERIN CIZEN.BUT TO KSEM’S FATHERS, THAT BACKDOOR TO U.S. CIZENSHIP REPRENTS A PULATN—AN ADMISSN THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT WAS RIGHT TO WHHOLD HER BIRTHRIGHT CIZENSHIP THE FIRST PLACE.“ON THE ONE HAND, WE WANT TO DO WHAT’S BT FOR OUR CHILD, AND AS PARENTS, WE’LL DO JT THAT.” ADIEL SAID. “I’M NOT GOG TO S BY AND WATCH HER GET PORTED.”BUT, ADIEL ADD, “THERE IS A MORAL REASON TO HAVE THIS FIGHT, AND NOT TO VE.”“YOU SEE A GAY MAN NNG FOR PRINT ON THE VER OF TIME MAGAZE WH HIS HBAND, AND THEN YOU GET A LL OM THE STATE DEPARTMENT SENTIALLY SAYG THAT YOUR ‘OUT-OF-WEDLOCK’ DGHTER IS NOT ENTLED TO A PASSPORT,” ROEE SAID. “YOU’RE THKG, WHAT IS THIS PARALLEL UNIVERSE THAT WE’RE LIVG ?”THE ABILY TO FIGHT THE ERNMENT’S POLICY IS, SELF, EVINCE THAT AMERIN CIZENSHIP HAS A SPECIAL MEANG, ALLISON SAID—AND THAT THE PRIVILEG AFFORD BY CIZENSHIP NEED TO BE EXERCISED ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO AREN’T SO LUCKY.“WE ARE VERY LUCKY—WE WERE ABLE TO LIVE ABROAD TO BE TOGETHER, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE TWO AMAZG CHILDREN, WE HAVE A GREAT LIFE HERE... AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE A LOT WORSE SUATNS THAN OURS,” ALLISON SAID. “AND BEE OF THAT, ALSO MEANS THAT WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE A POSN WHERE WE N FIGHT .” STT BIXBY

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