When two Portland women renewed their vows in Oregon, living as a mixed-status couple, the moment was impactful for more than one reason.  The couple renewed their vows to illustrate interconnectivity of the immigrant and LGBT rights movement. Deepak Bhargava, Executive director of the Center for Community Change, has been speaking about the similarities between these two movements for years. From discrimination to the limiting of rights, these groups have similar fights and motives for pushing their issues into the national debate.

Deepak recently spoke at the Lesbian and Gay Task Force conference where he revealed the fact that many of these groups have begun to work together. Taking a page from the civil rights movement of the 1960s these groups have successfully created a grassroots movement that has taken Washington by storm.

The Center for Community Change knows the power of movement building. It isn’t enough to have a few advocates pushing politicians. The community itself must stand up and organize. LGBT and immigration rights groups have been innovative in their tactics and tools; and their agility has produced results. The grassroots alliance between immigrant and LGBT groups will continue to grow and solidify as comprehensive immigration reform and LGBT issues come before politicians in 2013.

Photo Credit: Image from Flickr