Attendees show support for Vandiver GS

Vandiver and Velandia described how they began a legal battle only weeks after they were married in Connecticut in August 2010. Velandia’s application for a work visa was declined, and he faced the threat of deportation in November of that year. The two decided to bring the case to court.

“It was a horrible feeling to think that, at any moment, you could be torn from the person you love,” Velandia said.

Inspired by other same-sex married couples that were fighting similar persecution, Vandiver and Velandia began work to advocate for marriage-based immigration benefits for same-sex couples.

“It was an intense year of education about the consequences of the Defense of Marriage Act for couples like us,” Vandiver said, noting that the support the couple received was “amazing.”

But while the case was officially closed, the activists’ work is far from over. Velandia explained that he is still unable to obtain a green card or leave the country under the Defense of Marriage Act and current immigration law.

“Now, I am in limbo, and while that is not ideal, it is certainly better than the alternative,” Velandia said.

Though Vandiver and Velandia’s case sparked further debate around the country about same-sex marriage, it did not set a nationwide standard in handling bi-national same-sex couples and their rights. Instead, the executive branch is allowed to exercise discretion in deciding whether or not to close a case for deportation — and there are still same-sex couples facing deportation. As such, Vandiver and Velandia said they hope to continue their activism through sharing their story.

“We are excited to invite them back and have them talk in a formal, wider setting about what they faced,” Dean of Whitman College Rebecca Graves-Bayazitoglu said.

Many students interested in same-sex marriage issues attended the event.

“I found the questions about the institutions of government and their role in the case interesting,” Elan Kugelmass ’14 said. “I also enjoyed hearing the perspectives of the other people in attendance who were not as involved in the case.”

Kugelmass explained that he has previously shown support for Vandiver’s petition for his spouse’s U.S. residency.

“Last year, when I heard about what Josh and Henry were facing, I was consumed by anger, so I sat down and wrote a letter basically explaining what was going on and why it is wrong and why I wanted to see it changed,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Vivienne Chen ’14 said she found it interesting to see “how much preparation and care was needed to push the case forward, between the media, judges and how difficult it must be for other LGBT couples who might not have as many resources available as Josh and Henry did.”

“It is extremely lucky that they had access to the right things at the right time,” she said. “But the big question now is how will other couples who do not have the same resources as them go through the system?”