Gay couple denied entry
( 2003-09-22 10:23) (Agencies)
Canada's first legally
married couple were refused entry into the United States by a border official
who would not accept their family customs clearance form.
Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell of Toronto were traveling to Georgia to speak
at a conference sponsored by the Gill Foundation.
According to the couple, they abandoned their trip at Toronto¡¯s Pearson
International Airport when the customs official insisted they fill out separate
forms.
After complaining to a supervisor, the men were told that they would not be
allowed into the United States as a family because the country does not
recognize same-sex couples.
¡°We had to make a difficult decision,¡± Bourassa said. ¡°We could have filled
out separate forms. We felt that would have been an affront to our dignity, so
we went back home.¡±
David Thompson, a spokesman for Marriage Equality New York, was not surprised
by the incident. ¡°Unfortunately, what Kevin and Joe experienced is typical of
what American couples go through all the time,¡± he said. ¡°The law and the policy
of the country is that gay couples are legal strangers to one another. We aren¡¯t
even allowed to stand together going through immigration.¡±
Bourassa, an advocate for same-sex marriages, and Varnell, a banking manager,
were married in 2001.
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