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Watch: Binational Lesbian Moms in North Carolina Take on DOMA

Watch: Binational Lesbian Moms in North Carolina Take on DOMA

In a new video from The DOMA Project, Becky, an American citizen, and Sanne, who was born in the Netherlands, say they want the protections of marriage to help support and protect their daughter, Willow.

sunnivie

In 2008, American schoolteacher Becky was leading a group of young adults on an alternative education expedition in Northern India, when she met Sanne, a Dutch student in the country on an art internship. The two women fell hard and fast for one another, and by 2010 were married, while Becky was pregnant with the couple's daughter, Willow.

Now the couple has taken to the airwaves to share their story in the latest video from The DOMA Project, which fights to stop deportations, separations and exiles of gay and lesbian binational couples. 

Although Sanne's native Holland was the first country in the world to offer marriage equality to gay and lesbian families, the couple ultimately decided to return to Becky's home state of North Carolina to be closer to family and friends as they raised their daughter.

Why would a legally married lesbian couple leave a country where they enjoyed the same rights and benefits as straight couples for the U.S., where DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing their relationship? The DOMA Project explained in a blog post addressed to President Obama. 

"For them, it was a no-brainer. First, they simply wanted to raise their daughter near the friends, family, and mountains they love. Plus, there was no way they were ever going to live overseas and wait for change to happen before following their hearts home. Rather, they were determined to be in the thick of the fight for equality, advocating for the kind of world any parent, gay or straight, would want to raise their child in — one characterized by respect and equal opportunity."

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Sunnivie Brydum

<p>Sunnivie is an award-winning journalist and the managing editor at&nbsp;<em>The Advocate</em>. A proud spouse and puppy-parent, Sunnivie strives to queer up the world of reporting while covering the politics of equality daily.</p>

<p>Sunnivie is an award-winning journalist and the managing editor at&nbsp;<em>The Advocate</em>. A proud spouse and puppy-parent, Sunnivie strives to queer up the world of reporting while covering the politics of equality daily.</p>