Update: Tom and Emilo head north

As long as I'm doing some catch-up: Back on Nov. 20th the hubby and I (and our friends Pablo and Diana) made our way to the New Jersey wilderness to bid farewell to Tom and Emilio (check out the good-bye cards!). We ate, we drank, we kareoke'd and we played the maracas! And we were sad to say good-bye to the big guys even if we did promise to visit them in Toronto - their adopted home - next year (that's Tom, myself, the boo and Emilio in the pic above).

As I've written in the past, Tom and Emilio were forced to leave the United States because federal immigration policies discriminate against same-sex partners and do not recognize us as family even if New Jersey recently passed one of the most extensive same-sex civil union laws.

Among attendees was documentary producer Sebastian Cordoba (no, that's not his natural hair color) who has an OpEd piece in today's Gay City News on the issue of bi-national same-sex partners and immigration ("No Blue Skies for Bi-National Couples").

Sebastian is the director of "Through Thick and Thin," which highlights the plight of couples who face a similar quandary and features Tom and Emilio.

In the meantime, Tom and Emilio - who left the United States by car on Thursday, December 13th - have continued to share their experiences - including the uncertainties of arriving in a new city - through their individual blogs:

• Tom: Canadian Hope (English)
• Emilio: Esperanza en Canada (Spanish)

Most people don't realize the difficulty that these couples face as they seek to stay together. Some would go to the end of this earth to do so which certainly speaks to the bonds of love that others would seek to deny.

Here's hoping that Tom and Emilio find safe haven in Toronto and are finally able to love each other without the incredible stress and ups and downs of the past few years.