Homophobia Begins at Home - Yesterday I spent the day with my extended family at a function in New Jersey. Everyone seems excited and supportive of my move and was very curious about and surprised at the complexity of the process I've had to go through to get this far in the immigration process.

One of the major questions that I was asked by various family members was would my partner and I be "protected" in Canada. Some of them were aware that same-sex marriage is legal in Canada. Others weren't sure but knew that same sex couples were recognized in some way (which by the way, can be through both marriage and domestic partnership). It was while chatting with them that it dawned on me that as a queer person, with the exception of voting in Canadian elections which I can't do unless I decide to become a citizen, I will have more rights and protections in Canada than I have in the U.S. I guess that's what they mean when they say "Homophobia begins at home."