Canadian Lesbian Couple Forced to Fill Out Separate Customs Forms

A married Vancouver couple say they're less likely to travel to the U.S. after being told to fill out separate customs forms.

Not only have Karen-Marie and Andrina Perry been married for three years, they also live together and have the same last name. Yet on a recent trip to the United States, the women were instructed to fill out separate customs forms because they are not recognized as a family in America.

On past visits Andrina has completed one form for the two of them, but as they approached U.S. Customs at Vancouver International Airport July 28, the travelers were told they needed separate forms and that they would not be permitted to go through U.S. Customs together.

Instructions on the form read, "Each arriving traveler or responsible family member must provide the following information (only one written declaration per family is required)." But a spokeswoman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act prohibits recognition of same-sex couples.

"I was very angry," Karen-Marie told Xtra! She added that she considered turning around and going home.

"It's one more thing on top of all of the additional security measures and screenings and things that just make you question if it's even worth it anymore," she said. "And we want to be somewhere where we feel safe and can be a family."

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