It lies in the unwise and harshly discriminatory underlying law. which attempts to use private sex.l orientation as a criterion for Judging who does and who does not jualify for admission to the United States. either aq a visitor or as a resicdent alien. In 1979. I sponsored private legislation to permit a visa to be issued to a Filipino woman who had been denied an opportunity to Join her family here solely because she is a lesbian. Each succeeding Congress since. Ive sponsored legislation to repeal section 212(a)(4). In the 98th Congress. I introduced S. 2210. which was identical to the bill Im now introducing. This legislation will delete the objectionable language from section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and substitute new language excluding aliens afflicted with true mental disease or defect. This bill is intended to make clear that sexual orientation alone cannot be the ground for denying entry to aliens wishing to visit or seeking to immigrate to the United States. Adoption of this legislation will end a form of discrimination which has no valid scientific or medical basis and which violates traditional American respect for the privacy and dignity of an individual. I ask unanimous consent that the text of my bill be printed at the conclusion of my remarks:
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