PHILADELPHIA – Anton Tanumihardja and his husband, Brian Andersen – a U.S. citizen – were legally married in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Recently, Anton, a gay man originally from Indonesia who has resided in Philadelphia for the past nine years, was denied a reprieve from deportation by Philadelphia’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) office. Anton may now be separated indefinitely from his husband, Brian, as early as Jan. 13, 2012. Anton’s physical safety would also be put at great risk should he be required to return to Indonesia, where openly gay people are persecuted for being who they are.
“There’s simply no reason that a person should be forced to choose between the person and the country they love,” said Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Acting President Mike Thompson. “The Obama administration has taken important steps to protect gay and lesbian binational families, but has ultimately failed to ensure that those steps are being followed by deportation officers.”
GLAAD has launched an online action for community members and allies to speak out and stop the deportation of Anton Tanumihardja. That action can be found at: glaad.org/saveanton.
