Aye, Jimmy! (Eh?)
It’s not all of us. The radicals just yell really, really loud.
I could’ve used that when I was getting the car imported…
And sorry, Paul in Qatar, but I didn’t just wake up and decide to relocate. The U.S. forced me to make a choice: either leave my partner or leave the U.S.* You are quite right that “airing dirty linen” is poor manners, but frankly, after what I’ve been through emotionally, logistically, and financially, I think a little impolite free speech is the least you can grant.** Sorry: I’m a little bitter, but truly happy here and trying to move on!
(And just for the record, my comments about bilingualism and multiculturalism were based on my experience in Southern California. I wasn’t speaking about individual abilities, but the lack of recognition of the importance of Spanish as a language of what is now the United States going back before Jamestown was even a gleam in Raleigh’s eye.)
- Or to live in violation of the law, but we didn’t consider that an option.
** I certainly don’t meant to minimize how much worse things are for gays in many countries, including Qatar.
Yes, that’s what Canada tells his new boyfriends, and he really does believe it too. But when you’ll know him a bit more you’ll see that he sometimes has conflicting ideas about these issues. Kind of like the US, really.
I saw ZipperJJ’s post and your response, but just so I’m clear, the issue was that the US doesn’t allow you to sponsor your partner for immigration, while Canada allows one of you to sponsor the other, right?
That’s right. We met when I was on a work visa in Britain; I returned to the U.S., and we went through an elaborate process to get him a visa, creating a company to employ him. This was a headache and a half and I don’t recommend anyone do this: over half the money he earned went to company overhead (payroll taxes, lawyers, accountants, etc.). Running a company together, especially if it’s out of necessity rather than a dream, puts a strain on a relationship. Anyway, that visa had an expiration date (the end of next month), and there was no path to permanent residency.
I happen to be a dual citizen with Canada through my mother, though I’ve never lived here and she’s been in the US for 50 years. I sponsored him for immigration to Canada. We also had the option of going to Britain, so we were really lucky to have multiple options. Most people in our situation don’t have any.
I take it you’re not in Alberta then?
Welcome to (the sane 9/10 of) the true north strong and free! I’ll be over at your place tomorrow with a nice tuna casserole, because everyone in Canada knows each other and we all do nice things for our neighbours, like spell “neighbours” properly …
Welcome to Canada, I hope you and your life partner (husband?) are happy here.
Trying to figure out whether you picked the West Coast or the Maritimes.
Not Alberta, though my fundamentalist grandfather lives there. I’m in Vancouver. And yeah, it’s really only bilingual at the federal level. Locally, I see and hear more Chinese. But at least nobody seems threatened by the concept. And anyway, this is my honeymoon phase with Canada. The Toronto summit went smoothly, it never rains in Vancouver, la la la la la.
I’ll give you the gay thing (and congratulate you - and Canada - on it, to boot!). I’ll give you the Cuba thing. But the language issue?! The country almost disintegrated over the language issue! Okay, that’s simplified, but there’s a bedrock of truth there. And that’s fought between the two founding languages of the country, no less - not a (largely) immigrant language. In my book, it’s at least a draw on the handling of language issues, if not an outright win for the US. Just sayin’.
Still and all, congratulations on finding a place that will accept you and your guy equally!
But it really is. In the 60s and 70s there were liberals out in the streets demanding civil rights, womens’ rights, gay rights, the end of the war, and other causes. These days the right is out there (in more than one way). There should have been a million people in Washington DC in support of single payer health care. That includes me. Not sure what it will take. I hope something other than an assassination will get us out in the streets.
All hell is going to break out when they try and change the name of Los Angeles, San Jose, Santa Cruz, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Colorado into Spanish.
Dr Drake congratulations. Did you register for gifts at Tim Horton’s?
And Florida, Nevada, Las Vegas… Elvis will be rollin’ in his grave! (Sequined suit and all)
Thanks! And no, we’re still Common-Law Spouses, so we haven’t registered anywhere, not even for donuts.
On the language issue, I’m willing to be wrong. It’s just an impression based on attitude, and I haven’t been here long. All my Canadian relatives are virulently monolingual anglophones, and that’s probably typical. Here’s my understanding of the history:
1763, Canada: An English-speaking government takes over a French-speaking colony. (Indigenous languages are vigorously suppressed.) A few centuries later, the federal government declares itself bilingual and pays a lot of lip service to the idea, even if the two camps are fairly well entrenched.
1819? (Florida), 1845 (Texas), 1848 (Southwest), 1898 (P.R. etc.), U.S.: An English-speaking government takes over a Spanish-speaking colony / region. (Indigenous languages are vigorously suppressed.) A couple of centuries later, the federal government issues a few publications in Spanish but gives no official recognition to the language.
Granted, the fact that Spanish-speakers are still coming in from Mexico and points south makes a difference: not an overwhelming number of French speakers coming in from neighbouring Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
I look at it this way: let’s say that tomorrow the US suddenly decided to become bilingual (English-Spanish would the logical choice). Do you think the US would take it like Canada did? Our last major flare-up over it was, I think, 15 years ago. Do you think that 15 years from now the US would be like Canada with its bilingualism?
It’s so quaint when US Americans think our cold winters weren’t done on purpose. 
Dear Foreign Country,
Sorry one of your people couldn’t make a living here. It’s entirely our fault for not making Spanish an official language and being totally tyrannical to gays. The fact that we’re in a recession and enjoy a 10% unemployment rate has absolutely nothing to do with it. Please recommend your fleeing natives not to go to our country, but to the warmer parts of Canada instead. They’re faster with the paperwork.
Sincerely, US
He’s not from Canada. He was born in the US. He came here from the US.
All my Canadian relatives are virulently monolingual anglophones as well. The difference is that they live, or lived, in Montreal. So they were in the very center of the language battles. Out in Vancouver you probably wouldn’t notice a thing.
To be fair, you Candians start are 6 months more mature than us when we are young, but we catch up by 5.