May 29. 1984. the Supreme Court chose not to review a lower court decision that denied Mr. Longstaff citizenship based on his homosexuality. It is true that the Immigration and Naturalization Service can deny persons admission into this country as well as citizenship on the grounds of sexual deviation. despite the fact that the medical community has not considered homosexuality a mental disorder for over a decade. This practice of denying immigration and citizenship on the basis of an applicants sexual orientation is blatently discriminatory. Last year my colleague from California. the Honorable JULIAN DIXON. introduced H.R. 2815. a bill to amend the Immigration and Naturalization Act to repeal the provisions excluding aliens from admission into this country solely on the ground of sexual preference. A similar measure is pending in the Senate. The issue at hand is not the morality of homosexuality. Rather. the issue is one of the civil libertiesan individuals right to privacy. Why does our great Nation deem it necessary to inquire of a potential immigrant his or her sexual habits. and then use the reply as a ground for exclusion? Clearly. something is wrong. Passage of antidiscrimination measures in the Immigration and Naturalization Act is important. However. in the meantime. it is vital that we not allow the case of Mr. Longstaff to deteriorate.
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Naturalization Immigration immigration immigrant