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Lesbians under Surveillance: Same-Sex Immigration Reform, Gay Rights, and the Problem of Queer Liberalism

Although nineteen countries currently allow lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens to sponsor their partners for the purposes of immigration, the United States is not one of them. In this article, the author aim to build on feminist and queer analyses of citizenship and immigration in the US post-September 11 from the perspective of the issue of bi-national same-sex immigration. Campaigns for same-sex immigration reform raise important questions not just about the relationship between sexuality, immigration control, and gay rights advocacy, but about the broader practices of criminalization and surveillance in a post-September 11 world. In this article, the author focuses particular attention upon how the subject of same-sex immigration rights is treated within the context of film and visual media. Media advocacy on behalf of same-sex immigration reform in the United States can offer important insights into the possibilities and limits of adopting a human rights framework for the articulation of gay and lesbian oppression.

immigration, sexuality, surveillance, citizenship, human rights, New Media

Citation: Social Justice Vol. 37, No. 1 (2010-11): 90-106.