- Playing
- Lesbian Couple Moving To Canada
- From
- Jim Williams
Canadian immigration websites continue to see higher numbers of visitors since the U.S. election in November. Some U.S. residents are weighing the option of leaving the country in the shadow of what they feel will be a difficult next four years. Lucie Lytle and Justina Hayden are a lesbian couple, now living in San Diego, soon to be living in Vancouver, British Columbia. They share their reasons for leaving the United States, including deep concerns about unaffordable health care and a disappearing political "middle" in the country, as well as the ongoing discrimination they face. Their story comes to us from independent producer Jim Williams in Santa Fe.
More from Jim Williams
Downing Street Minutes: Are Bush and Blair telling the truth?
(00:05:32)
From: Jim Williams
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George Bush deny what's in the Downing Street Minutes; AfterDowningStreet.org co-founder David Swanson says they're not ...
Downing Street Memo: Constitutional Laywer Says Grounds for Bush Impeachment
(00:04:42)
From: Jim Williams
Constitutional lawyer John Bonifaz says Downing Street Memo contains evidence indicating President Bush committed impeachable offenses in the months prior to the Iraq invasion.
Santa Fe Community Reacts to Beatings of Gay Men
(00:05:34)
From: Jim Williams
Two gay men were beaten early Sunday morning in Santa Fe, New Mexico; one remains in critical condition; the community is reacting.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Canadian immigration websites continue to see higher numbers of visitors since the U.S. election in November. Some U.S. residents are weighing the option of leaving the country in the shadow of what they feel will be a difficult next four years. Lucie Lytle and Justina Hayden are a lesbian couple, now living in San Diego, soon to be living in Vancouver, British Columbia. They share their reasons for leaving the United States, including deep concerns about unaffordable health care and a disappearing political "middle" in the country, as well as the ongoing discrimination they face. Their story comes to us from independent producer Jim Williams in Santa Fe.
2 Comments
|
Review of Lesbian Couple Moving To CanadaThis is produced in a conversational and reflective tone about Justina and Lucia, two women who have been together for 20 years, married then stripped of their marriage. They are treated with an amount of respect by the United States that is just shy of an actual "citizen." So they shop for a new country. It's a portrait of Justina and Lucie, with an excellent level and rhythm of music layed underneath their voices. It is honest and humble. The women are not looking for sympathy or for people to side with them. They simply want to be heard and recognized. Something that they are not and have not received from their own country. While the piece focuses on the reasons why they are moving to Canada, this is not another story where all you hear are the "surface facts and legalities" of why gay and lesbian couples can't get married. This isn't a statistic or a number or a moral belief. These are real people that are being affected by the complacent decisions of the United States. It breaks my heart to hear the line when one of the women says, "I just don't know if I have the strength to endure it." In Lucie and Justina's eyes, Canada is a place where "They say they're sorry. They recognize the past...They have a middle." This story is a great way to extends to stronger themes of how citizens of the United States can't be considered citizens because they are refused the entire package. They are handed an outline of the package, with large holes in it. US citizens venture to Canada to get their prescription filled, better healthcare, and now for a freedom to have "full" citizenship, which in that case means being acknowledged and granted the ability to live as the kind of person you wish to be. This haunts me as I listen to the story. This story would be in the right place on a national program, especially because is encompasses a couple strong themes besides gay marriage, and it is told through Justina and Lucie, and not a narrator. The story has more depth and personality, it flows with more reality that if I were being told by anyone one else but these two women. Jim Williams has done beautiful production work, as this was a painfully honest and beautiful story. |
Broadcast History
This piece originally aired on This Way Out, the international gay and lesbian radio magazine program, in late November. It also aired on KUNM Radio in Albuquerque around the same time. It is a timeless piece, however, and likely will continue to be for some time.
Transcript
Lesbian Couple Moving to Canada
Producer: Jim Williams
TRT 5:56 Stereo
Note: Music used is Clairvoyants’ “Camera on a Track” (MUST be credited by broadcasting station)
Suggested intro: Canadian immigration websites continue to see higher numbers of visitors since the U.S. election in November. Some U.S. residents are weighing the option of leaving the country in the shadow of what they feel will be a difficult next four years. Lucie Lytle and Justina Hayden are a lesbian couple, now living in San Diego, soon to be living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their story comes to us from KUNM’s Jim Williams in Santa Fe.
Lytle: I’m Lucie Lytle. I live in San Diego. And, um, I’m planning to emigrate to Canada.
Music Bridge
Lytle: It would be nice to just be a regular citizen. To not be constantly told that we’re not quite real…we’re not as legitimate as other people…that our v...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
Title: "Camera on a Track"
Artist: Clairvoyants
Album: Your New Boundaries
Label: Badman Recording
Year: 2002
Length of Excerpt: Several segments totaling approximately 150 seconds.
Of 4 purchasers of this piece...
- 3 also bought:
The Hula Lesson (00:57:26) - 3 also bought:
HEAT -- George Carlin (00:58:31) - 3 also bought:
- 3 also bought:
Snap Judgment #101: 5150 - Danger to Self (00:53:57) - 3 also bought:
Paul Sireci
Posted on July 07, 2005 at 05:05 PM | Permalink
Review of Lesbian Couple Moving To Canada
amazing! I used to live in Canada and I'm reconsidering it for the same reasons this lesbian couple is talking about. Their piece really resonated with me.