Gay couple denied U.S. entry as a family

Canada.com ^ | September 18, 2003

[RansomOttawa]

TORONTO -- A gay married couple said they were refused entry into the United States after a U.S. customs official at the Toronto airport wouldn't accept their customs clearance form as a family.

Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell said they abandoned their trip to Georgia because the customs official insisted that they fill out individual forms as single people.

After complaining to a customs supervisor, Bourassa said, the couple were told that they wouldn't be allowed into the United States as a family because the country doesn't recognize same-sex marriages.

[RansomOttawa]

Looks like "married" gays in Canada are getting a reality check: other countries are not required to acknowledge boneheaded Canadian laws.

Gee, I hope this isn't "hate speech."

[CindyDawg]

They know that. Sounds like the two of them were just trying to stir things up here.

[GrandEagle]

Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell said they abandoned their trip to Georgia
wouldn't be allowed into the United States as a family
And the problem is???
(Trying really hard to aviod "hate" speech)

[EggsAckley]

from the article:
how much of your dignity do you want to have chip away? We feel we had an affront to our dignity, so we decided to go back home.''

They were headed to some political leftie pro-gay marriage soiree, but took their "dignity" back home. LOL!

[WorkingClassFilth]

Perhaps if they wrapped a small turd up in a blanket and stuck a pacifier into it, their claims of family status might be strengthened.

I dunno. Just tryin' to be helpful.

[N3WBI3]

"but how much of your dignity do you want to have chip away?"

Oh get over it you nancy boy, if I was going to Korea with my wife and they told me to fill out an extra form because they dont recognize white who marry Koreans I would fill out the darn form and take my vacation.

I would not feel cheap because I dont need others to validate my love and relationship with my wife, I know its right in Gods eyes..

[RansomOttawa]

They know that. Sounds like the two of them were just trying to stir things up here.

Could be. The article isn't clear on whether they tried to enter the States in this manner to test the waters, as it were, or if it actually didn't occur to them that the U.S. is under no obligation to recognize their union as a "marriage."

It looked to me like the latter, so they did their drama queen thing.

[N3WBI3]

Oh YOu said Drama Queen... sorry I thought for a second they were in Drag..

[Tired of Taxes]

"We could have filled out separate forms, but how much of your dignity do you want to have chip away?

I'm a woman married to a man, and if an official told us we had to fill out separate forms to enter the U.S., I would just fill out the separate forms. These guys are complaining about paperwork...

[Prodigal Son]

TORONTO -- A gay married couple said they were refused entry into the United States after a U.S. customs official at the Toronto airport wouldn't accept their customs clearance form as a family.

Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell said they abandoned their trip to Georgia because the customs official insisted that they fill out individual forms as single people.

After complaining to a customs supervisor, Bourassa said, the couple were told that they wouldn't be allowed into the United States as a family because the country doesn't recognize same-sex marriages.

"Then we realized we weren't going to be allowed into the country, we had to make a real hard decision,'' Bourassa, claiming a violation of human rights, said in an interview from their Toronto home. "We could have filled out separate forms, but how much of your dignity do you want to have chip away? We feel we had an affront to our dignity, so we decided to go back home.''

Bourassa said he and Varnell were heading to Braselton, Ga., to speak at a human rights conference featuring Coretta Scott King, the widow of human rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

Bourassa, who works full time as an advocate for same-sex marriages, and Varnell, a banking manager, were married in 2001 before the Ontario Court of Appeal recognized last June the right for gays to legally marry.

Their 2001 ceremony was then recognized as a legal union in the province in light of the court decision.

The couple's lawyer, Doug Elliott, said he spoke to Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham early Thursday and Graham advised him to deal with Deputy Prime Minister John Manley because he would have more authority over border issues.

Elliott said that although the U.S. customs official was enforcing American law by not allowing Bourassa and Varnell into the United States, "he was doing it on Canadian soil.''

"We can't force the U.S. to change its laws on same-sex marriage, but we can insist that Canadian citizens be treated with respect, that the Canadian law regarding family recognition gets respected when it comes to how Canadians treat their families.''

Elliott said he's also investigating whether any legal action can be undertaken on his clients' behalf against the governments.

[almcbean]

One more example of the horrendous persecution exhibited against gays-two forms instead of one. Oh! the inhumanity!

[Ronin]

We feel we had an affront to our dignity, so we decided to go back home.

GOOD!!! Please stay there.

[joesnuffy]

There aint no such thing as a married to each other sodomites....
In America...most of us regard that sort thing as the moral equivalence of being married to a goat or a sheep

[Temple Drake]

why don't they really push the envelope and try to get into Saudi as a "family"?

[mountaineer]

Bourassa, who works full time as an advocate for same-sex marriages, and Varnell, a banking manager

Please list occupation:

Bourassa: housewife
Varnetll: bank mgr

[Roughneck]

Elliott said he's also investigating whether any legal action can be undertaken on his clients' behalf against the governments.


Follow the MONEY . . .

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Sounds like another opportunity for the ACLU.

[Roughneck]

We feel we had an affront to our dignity, so we decided to go back home.


You people, are an affront to OUR dignity. Stay home ya bunch of (place politically incorrect sayings and gestures here)!

PS Canadians who feel their "human rights" were violated need to go live under someone like sadamm hussein, find out what that REALLY is!

[jimt]

Bourassa: housewife fudgepacker

Let's not insult housewives everywhere.

[biblewonk]

Excellent.