Love Sees No Borders invites Americans and their same-sex partners who currently live abroad to participate in its latest campaign "Shame on You!" The objective of this campaign is to expose unjust US immigration laws abroad.

Who should participate?
Anyone living abroad who would like to expose the United States' immigration inequality. People living in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the United Kingdom are especially encouraged to participate since these countries grant relationship recognition for immigration purposes.

What is the goal?
To obtain embarrassing coverage of this issue in mainstream press so it may reach US consular staff abroad.

How to do it?
This can be done in several ways. Below you will find a few guidelines that may help. Please feel free to utilize your own expertise if these guidelines don't apply to you.
- Read local papers and identify which journalists may be interested in writing a story embarrassing the US and contact reporter.
- If the journalist is not interested in your story:
o Contact your local gay paper and see if it is interested in the story. Sometimes mainstream papers are interested in things that have been covered by smaller publications first.
o Place an ad in the local gay publication calling on fellow Americans to contact you. Try to find at least 3-4 people who would talk.
o Contact the journalist again and let him or her that the story seems to be bigger than anticipated since you have been able to locate more people.
- Keep the angle local. Even though this is an American issue, it affects the countries where Americans relocate. For example, if a qualified workforce is needed in your area tell the reporter how the country is benefiting from this and how the US is allowing highly-qualified citizens to leave. If immigrants are unwelcome in the country, state that because the U.S. is unfair in its immigration laws, XYZ has to deal with even more immigrants. Another angle is to play on sentimentalism, for example exploit the angle that country XYZ may be better to its citizens than the U.S.

Basic things to remember when talking to journalists:
- Don't try to sound too professional. Be yourself. Allow yourself to get emotional. This is the only way they will be able to empathize with you.
- Make sure you keep in mind what you want to tell the reporter. Make a list of important points to cover if necessary.
- Do not assume that the reporter will reach an obvious conclusion. If you want him or her to know and write something, say it.
- Avoid getting too casual with the reporter and assuming that he or she will respect your privacy. If you don't want to see something about your life in print, don't say it.

If you choose to participate in this public relations campaign, please inform Love Sees No Borders by contacting marta@loveseenoborders.org or leslie@loveseesnoborders.org. We are also available to answer any questions you or the reporter may have.

Love Sees No Borders is an organization dedicated to promoting awareness of the plight of same-sex binational couples in the United States. Our work includes media outreach, and public speaking among other educational activities. For more information about the organization and how to support our efforts through a donation, please visit www.loveseesnoborders.org.