Gay SF couple take their case to the Capital

Australian Anthony John Makk (right) is legally married to - and primary caregiver for - U.S. citizen Bradford Wells (left).

Gay SF couple take their case to the Capital

Bradford Wells and Anthony John Makk lived most of the 19 years of their relationship in happy privacy in San Francisco's Castro district, having no inkling that they would become international poster boys of the fight for same-sex marriage and immigration rights for spouses who are citizens of other nations.

On Wednesday, the couple met privately in Washington for half an hour with their representative, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, visited congressional offices and headlined an evening reception by Immigration Equality, the group giving them legal aid in their fight.

"I'm as married as any other married man in this country," Wells said Wednesday at a briefing for congressional staff. "My marriage is legally recognized in the state I live in. But the government is forcing me to choose between losing my family or losing my country."

Makk, a citizen of Australia, and Wells, a U.S. citizen with severe medical complications from AIDS, were married seven years ago in Massachusetts. Makk faces potential deportation, having been denied spousal immigration rights under the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The law, commonly known as DOMA, denies same-sex couples all federal marital benefits, such as tax preferences, Social Security and spousal immigration rights.


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