[neutralgamer02]

http://www.salisburypost.com/News/09...-to-ballot-qcd

RALEIGH — North Carolina voters will get to decide next May on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage after the Legislature gave final approval to the question today, despite protests that the question promoted intolerance and discrimination. The state Senate voted 30-16 in favor of putting the question on the statewide primary ballot — the minimum number of yes votes needed to meet the three-fifths majority for such amendments. The House approved the measure Monday with a few votes to spare. Rowan County’s delegation — Sen. Andrew Brock and Reps. Harry Warren and Fred Steen — all co-sponsored versions of the marriage amendment, but the one passed by the House and Senate was a third, separate bill. Warren said he’s glad it passed and that state residents will get the chance to vote on the amendment. “We were not voting on new law, and we were not voting to mandate what constitutes marriage,” he said. “This bill was about whether the General Assembly will give the people of North Carolina the opportunity to vote on what they want to constitute marriage.” The amendment will be placed on the ballot for the May primary rather than the November general election, a change Warren said was part of a “process of compromise” in the effort to pass the measure. Warren said he didn’t think the measure would ban civil unions, because of language added that allows “a private party to enter into a contract with another private party.” But the bill says marriage between a man and a woman would be the only “domestic legal union” recognized in the state. North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast without a gay marriage prohibition in its constitution. State law already defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Still, amendment supporters argue that traditional marriage would be better protected against potential legal challenges by same-sex couples in six other states and the District of Columbia. Thirty states have a gay marriage ban in their constitutions. Sen. Jim Forrester, R-Gaston, who had filed amendment bills for several years without success, finally won Tuesday after an hour of intense debate on the Senate floor. The amendment, which had been blocked for years by Democrats, won a hearing after Republicans took control of the General Assembly for the first time since 1870. Republicans voted heavily for the measure. “If people reject it and say, ‘no, we don’t want this in the constitution,’ then I’ll live with it,” Forrester said, adding he would campaign at the state’s churches for its passage. He said the bill wasn’t designed to single out gays and lesbians. “This wasn’t a slap in the face at them,” he added. “It was just something I thought we needed to do to continue to have a strong family structure here in North Carolina.” • • • Opponents said the question will hurt the state’s business climate because of the perception that gays and lesbians aren’t welcome. They likened the amendment to previous constitutional provisions in North Carolina that banned interracial marriage and sought to discourage the desegregation of the public schools. “How will the votes we cast today be seen through the lens of time? How will history remember this day?” said Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake. Unlike the House, where 10 Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the amendment, the Senate vote was utterly along party lines. Four senators — Republican Fletcher Hartsell of Cabarrus County and Democrats Eric Mansfield of Cumberland County, Michael Walters of Robeson County and Stan White of Dare County — had excused absences and didn’t vote. Constitutional proposals aren’t signed into law or vetoed by a governor, but that didn’t stop Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue from criticizing the amendment as a “partisan exercise” that neither solves problems nor creates jobs. “Same-sex marriage is already illegal in North Carolina, and this constitutional amendment would not create a single job,” Perdue said in a statement. Debate in the Senate began while several hundred opponents rallied behind the Legislative Building under tight security. One of the protesters, Coleman Billingsley, 65, of Raleigh, said the proposal tries to hold back a changing world that is becoming more accepting as more gays and lesbians live openly. “It’s not an issue, this is our lives. To the people who want to pass this law, they want to take away our rights to be. They want to take away our insurance coverage, they want to take away our children, they want to take away our couples,” said Maddy Goss, 35, of Raleigh, who is transgendered. “It’s just wrong.” • • • Earlier Tuesday, several business executives and a nonprofit leader warned passage would move jobs to other states and discourage companies that offer benefits to partners of same-sex couples from expanding here. They said several large North Carolina-based companies, including Bank of America, Duke Energy and BB&T, have policies that support same-sex couples. Amendment opponents couldn’t persuade enough lawmakers to stop the question despite a flurry of activity and publications in recent days — statements signed by 250 clergy and faith leaders and at least 75 business leaders and nearly 50,000 signed postcards from people who didn’t want the amendment. “I’m disappointed in all the legislators who turned a deaf ear” to them, said Alex Miller, interim executive director of Equality North Carolina. The impending eight-month campaign on the up-or-down vote next May 8 will harm young people who are questioning their sexuality and must see advertisements opposed to gay relationships, said Mitchell Gold, co-founder of an Alexander County furniture manufacturer and who is gay. He’s also a leader in the gay rights group Faith in America. “This is a state of progress, but this amendment is really a black eye,” Gold said at a news conference. “It is sickening that they would put kids’ lives on the line for their political ambitions (and) their deeply held religious beliefs that are misguided, ill-informed and outdated.” Bill Brooks with the North Carolina Family Policy Council said he hoped the upcoming statewide debate would be cordial and questioned accusations that young people would be harmed because they don’t plan to talk much about homosexuality. “We’re going to talk about (traditional) marriage and the positive things that it does,” Brooks said. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said he looked forward to eight months of healthy debate on the issue. “There is no doubt that this is a contentious issue,”, but “it’s time for us to let the people of this state what they want in this constitution as far as marriage is concerned.” The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Not gay, but surprised at the amount of states with gay marriage bans. Is it even possible to overturn them?

[Clevinger]

what year is this again?

[neutralgamer02]

what year is this again?

2011. They vote in 2012, but they just voted in the legislature this week to put it on the ballot in 2012. So, it is kind of relevant now.

[-PXG-]

*Cancels Gears 3 pre-order*

Epic, why must you be located in such an ass backwards state?

[Smellycat]

2011. They vote in 2012, but they just voted in the legislature this week to put it on the ballot in 2012. So, it is kind of relevant now.

I think he is basically saying "I can't believe this is happening in this day and age"

[Menelaus]

States' rights. Just another excuse to never live in NC. I went there for 2 weeks and hated it...dirty, rude hillbillies as far as the eye could see.

[neutralgamer02]

I think he is basically saying "I can't believe this is happening in this day and age"

Oh, well I guess that makes more sense.

[Korey]

what year is this again?

The south is stuck in an early to mid 1900s time warp field. They should add the warp field's borders in Google Maps so you know what's happening as you approach the zone

[The Big Rig]

Well, now I have to vote. Too many republicans in this state.

[cartoon_soldier]

In same state, but can't vote :(

[Clevinger]

“If people reject it and say, ‘no, we don’t want this in the constitution,’ then I’ll live with it,” Forrester said, adding he would campaign at the state’s churches for its passage. He said the bill wasn’t designed to single out gays and lesbians.

smh

[badcrumble]

Is it even possible to overturn them?

Yes. Through the Supreme Court.

If the Defense of Marriage act gets repealed, that'll make it *extremely* easy to overturn all of these amendments, but the odds are better that we'll see one SCOTUS ruling that simultaneously overturns DoMA *and* all of these shitty little state Constitution amendments.

[giga]

Thirty states have a gay marriage ban in their constitutions.

Help us SCOTUS, you're our only hope.

[Grover Cleveland]

This will be the first major thing I ever get to vote on. (Turn 18 next month)

Hopefully they're enough correct-minded people in this state that this constitutional amendment will never sniff a passing majority.

Saying that knowing full well it ain't true

[Hootie]

*Cancels Gears 3 pre-order*

wat

[B!TCH]

Help us SCOTUS, you're our only hope.

Not if Obama doesn't get re-elected.

[Roy G. Biv]

I live in NC, will be voting and campaigning against this amendment.

[Chichikov]

Help us SCOTUS, you're our only hope.

You're a funny guy, I like you. That's why I'm going to kill you last.

[Orayn]

Yes. Through the Supreme Court. If the Defense of Marriage act gets repealed, that'll make it *extremely* easy to overturn all of these amendments, but the odds are better that we'll see one SCOTUS ruling that simultaneously overturns DoMA *and* all of these shitty little state Constitution amendments.

This needs to happen. This bigoted bullshit has gone on for far too long.

[truly101]

Some of the city areas like Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham/Chapel Hill, Asheville and Wilmington tend to be a little more liberal in their politics but its unlikely they will be able to overturn the ignorant majority. This is just another in a long line of useless distractions that crop up in upcoming election years, so people won't pay attention to shit the government really needs to fix, and to get overly emotional about an issue that should be viewed with logic.

[TacticalFox88]

Bigotry, how does it work?

[truly101]

States' rights. Just another excuse to never live in NC. I went there for 2 weeks and hated it...dirty, rude hillbillies as far as the eye could see.

You must have been in Fayetteville, Jacksonville or Lumberton.

[Grover Cleveland]

I live in NC, will be voting and campaigning against this amendment.

[Zeke]

He said the bill wasn’t designed to single out gays and lesbians. “This wasn’t a slap in the face at them,” he added.

this is exactly what you're fucking doing you god damn piece of shit

[Jason's Ultimatum]

*Cancels Gears 3 pre-order* Epic, why must you be located in such an ass backwards state?

Eh, NC is still a great state. I can't wait to move back their in the coming months.

You must have been in Fayetteville, Jacksonville or Lumberton.

I've lived in Fayettenam, but only for like two years as a kid. It was pretty bad.

[Nairume]

I loved living in NC, but I hated the politics. It's nice to see that the state is still being run by idiots. No, wait. It's the opposite of nice.

You must have been in Fayetteville, Jacksonville or Lumberton.

Yeah, like, the Research Triangle, Boone, Wilmington, Ashville, Charlotte, and pretty much a bunch of the towns/cities in NC rock.

[Grover Cleveland]

You must have been in Fayetteville, Jacksonville or Lumberton.

Hey I was born in Lumberton!

Then promptly got the hell out of there. That place is the scum of the Earth

[DR2K]

Why not just vote to execute gays on site? That's obviously what these bigots want. You can create some jobs that way too.

[mre]

Just moved back to NC, so they'll have my "no" vote in May!

[Topher]

I'll be voting, also. What the fuck decade am I in?

[Tawpgun]

>gay marriage
>constitutional amendment.

We're done here.

[LordCanti]

If an anti-gay-marriage law can pass in California, it shouldn't have any trouble passing in North Carolina :/ Shameful really, and SCOTUS needs to smack it down as soon as humanly possible.

[krypt0nian]

Well, an unconstitutional amenendment, anyway.

Put us in cages, you fucking mouth breathing skydaddy fearing republicans. At least that would be honest.


Apologies those those that live there and aren't mouth breathers. You have my sympathies.

[Clevinger]

>gay marriage >constitutional amendment. We're done here.

I'm not sure what you mean here. It's the state constitution, which isn't that hard to amend. This is most likely going to go through.

[DominoKid]

oh this shit is so gonna pass here.

[Snaku]

I take solace in knowing that in the grand scheme of things, this bigotry will be short lived.

[Bay Maximus]

Wow.

Doesn't matter though, shit like this just helps Obama get reelected when people see what 'the other side's priorities are. Will be interesting to see how the voting turns out. Hopefully NC-Gaf uses their voice

[krypt0nian]

I'm going to choose to believe that there are enough decent people in North Carolina to defeat this.

[alstein]

What makes it shitty is that it's the primary election where the ballot is being held.

It should be in the general election. Having it in the primary means a bias towards conservatives.

A general election ballot would fail (and give Obama a nice bump) , so the teabaggers put it during the primaries

[duderon]

I've really enjoyed living in NC, coming up on two years. Such a beautiful state, but the politics are still stuck in the Bible Belt mentality. I will vote against this.

[GillianSeed79]

I thought South Carolina was the crazy Carolina? Let me guess. S.C. already has a ban.

[WickedAngel]

Since when is a civil rights issue a matter of popular vote?

[Alucrid]

They're stuck in an infinite loop of sticking their heads up their asses.

[Clevinger]

I thought South Carolina was the crazy Carolina? Let me guess. S.C. already has a ban.

Yup.

[Measley]

The founding fathers are rolling in their grave....

laughing their asses off at how utterly stupid their descendants are.

[littleworm]

States' rights. Just another excuse to never live in NC. I went there for 2 weeks and hated it...dirty, rude hillbillies as far as the eye could see.

Obviously you didn't look very hard, but I'm going to ignore you ignorant post. With that said this will be the first vote I'll be eligible to vote in and I will be voting against this.

[Balphon]

Just a little something for NC to quietly and shamefully file away next to its anti-miscegenation laws in a few decades.

[Phobophile]

I've really enjoyed living in NC, coming up on two years. Such a beautiful state, but the politics are still stuck in the Bible Belt mentality. I will vote against this.

I thought rural NC was inundated with porcine excrement.

[Chiave]

Grew up in NC, fucking hate it.

States' rights. Just another excuse to never live in NC. I went there for 2 weeks and hated it...dirty, rude hillbillies as far as the eye could see.

And this is pretty much why. Hard as fuck to find decent people (though you'll be pleasantly surprised when you do find them).

[milkyjay20]

I'm going to choose to believe that there are enough decent people in North Carolina to defeat this.

i'm sure there is. i live in asheville, and it's very young and progressive. it's just the governments, state *and* local, that are completely assbackwards. not only that, they rob you blind with all their financial laws.