---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Immigration Equality Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force/LA c/o L.A Gay and Lesbian Center/Legal Services Department 1625 North Schrader Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028-9998 (new vox) 213-526-2915 (fax) 213-993-7699 (email) LGIRTF@abacus.oxy.edu http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/world/immigration/lgirtfla.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 1997 NEXT MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP MEETING SET FOR TUESDAY JULY 22 at 7PM The next informational meeting of Immigration Equality (IE) will be on the third Tuesday of the month (July 22) at 7pm. Usually meetings are on the second Tuesday of the month at 7pm at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center (1625 North Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood, two blocks west of Cahuenga Boulevard and one-half block south of Holywood Boulevard.) We will be meeting in Room 204 (on the second floor) in the library of the legal services department. This month's meeting will be for Immigration Equality members in an informational, social meeting. IMMIGRATION EQUALITY JOINS EMERGENCY ASYLUM CAMPAIGN FEDERAL COURT TELLS INS TO RECONSIDER RUSSIAN LESBIAN ASYLUM CLAIM On June 24 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in PITCHERSKAIA v INS that the Board of Immigration Appeals had incorrectly denied Alla Pitcherskaia's claim of asylum based on sexual orientation due to persecution she received in Russia. YOU CAN HELP WITH RESEARCH ON LESBIAN AND GAY IMMIGRATION Lionel Cantu, longtime IE member, is a PhD student at UC Irvine, writing his thesis on gay and lesbian immigrants. In order to facilitate his research Lionel has designed an anonymous questionnaire which he would like IE members to complete and return to him. You can contact him at lcantu@orion.oac.uci.edu. IMMIGRATION LAW PROJECT BEGINS CITIZENSHIP WORKSHOPS MANY IMMIGRATION RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB The Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force, our parent organization, has a web site at http://www.lgirtf.org/ The International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission, which has an Asylum Project, is at http://www.iglhrc.org/ The American Immigration Lawyers Association has a very useful website at http://www.aila.org/ Also, the Immigration and Naturalization Service has a website at http://www.usdoj.gov/ins There is also a website devoted to Queer Immigration issues at http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/world/immigration/ The immigration and nationality law firm of SISKIND, SUSSER, HAAS & CHANG has begun offering free copies of INS forms at http://www.visalaw.com/forms The Canadian Law Firm of SMITH & HUGHES has launched an OUT/LAW Immigration site which contains an immigration section at http://www.smith-hughes.com/olimm.htm