Citizenship Denied: DOMA, Immigration, and Gay Marriage

While President Obama theoretically endorsed same-sex marriage in mid-2012, the fact is that the Defense of Marriage Act still remains the law of the land. And when it comes to immigration policy, this law continues to put bi-national same-sex couples in a bind.

Reason TV profiled one such couple, Hope Hall, an American citizen and military veteran, and her Canadian partner and soon-to-be wife Nathalie Gaulthier, who runs an internationally renowned circus arts school and has spent 17 years living and working in the U.S. Though marriage is often the one reliable path to citizenship for many straight couples, the Defense of Marriage Act prohibits United States Immigration and Citizenship Services from granting the same legal rights to gay couples, even those married in a state where gay marriage is legal. 

"I could just lie to the government and marry a man," says Gaulthier. "But I don't want to lie. I want to be honest."

About 6:52.

Written and Edited by Zach Weissmueller. Interviews by Kennedy. Camera by Paul Detrick and Weissmueller. 

Scroll down for downloadable versions and visit youtube.com/reasontv to subscribe to our videos.