Evangelicals & Catholics Join Against Immigration Equality For Gay Couples

Although the nation's faith communities are largely in support of immigration reform, one group they'd like to disinclude is binational gay couples.

"It introduces a new controversial element to the issue which will divide the faith community and further jeopardize chances for a fair and bipartisan compromise," said Kevin Appleby of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which last year said the inclusion of gay couples in a House bill aimed at reuniting families made it "impossible" for the group to support the measure. "Immigration is hard enough without adding same-sex marriage to the mix."

The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, a 16-million-strong group of evangelical Latinos that could play a key political role in an immigration overhaul, is similarly opposed to including provisions for gay and lesbian families. The president of the organization, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, said that including such a measure would prove to be the "death knell" for comprehensive change.

Visit Immigration Equality to learn about how to help keep binational LGBT couples in the comprehensive immigration reform bill.