Yet another example of why DOMA is evil

The Obama administration is in the process of deporting the Australian husband of an American gay man with AIDS. And yeah, the couple is legally married. According to the San Francisco Chronicle,

Citing the Defense of Marriage Act, the Obama administration denied immigration benefits to a married gay couple from San Francisco and ordered the expulsion of a man who is the primary caregiver to his AIDS-afflicted spouse.

Bradford Wells, a U.S. citizen, and Anthony John Makk, a citizen of Australia, were married seven years ago in Massachusetts. They have lived together 19 years, mostly in an apartment in the Castro district. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied Makk’s application to be considered for permanent residency as a spouse of an American citizen, citing the 1996 law that denies all federal benefits to same-sex couples.

The decision was issued July 26. Immigration Equality, a gay-rights group that is working with the couple, received the notice Friday and made it public Monday. Makk was ordered to depart the United States by Aug. 25. Makk is the sole caregiver for Wells, who has severe health problems.

Thanks to the “Defense of Marriage Act” (puh-leeze), this legally married couple will be broken up.  In this case, the consequences of the federal government destroying their personal lives could be quite lethal. AIDS is a complex disease that needs aggressive management.  And the person best positioned to help is Wells’ partner, John Makk.

This is where the Obama administration consistently doesn’t “get it” when it comes to queer rights. By trying to have it “both ways” on this human rights issue (claiming that DOMA is un-constitutional but then it continues to enforce DOMA), they claim to be on the side of angels while being JUST AS OPPRESSIVE as the Bush administration. As I tell my friends, if a given politician claims to be a friend while still enforcing the most draconian of sanctions against you, they’re not your friend. Worse, they are lying to you. Better to have the hostility up front and in my face, than to be repeatedly thrown under the bus when the media won’t be looking.