Amendment One is Passed in North Carolina

[AmishSamurai]

It's getting so that you can't tell the Carolinas apart anymore.

Very sad....

You say that, but I've met more tolerant people in Charleston than back in my hometown in Florida. Of course, Charleston is probably the most progressive city in SC, but still.

[Luke]

Oh, he'll SAY plenty, but his legislation support will tell a completely different story.

You could be correct, but I expect a lot of bullet dodging.

I could easily be an idiot, but to me this goes against civil rights. It doesn't even hurt the gay community, it affects the people that gay people want to take care of.


*it has a LOT more to do than just gay marriage.

[AmishSamurai]

What exactly was this amendment one?

It's an amendment to North Carolina's consitution to ban gay marriage.

Gay marriage is technically already illegal in NC. The wording of this bill says that the only type of union that will be recognized under NC law is the traditional marriage of one man/one woman. What this would do is allow NC to not have to honor marriage licenses of gay couples from other states that do legalize it such as New York. Because of this wording though, the law also is discriminatory against single parents, widow(er)s, and couples in civil unions and domestic partnerships rather than straight-up marriages.

[Luke]

Because of this wording though, the law also is discriminatory against single parents, widow(er)s, and couples in civil unions and domestic partnerships rather than straight-up marriages.

Exactly. This isn't only about gay marriage.

[StuntDouble]

I really wasn't surprised, shocked, or angry to hear the results, because I pretty much expected that's what was going to happen.

Why can't we all just define marriage as a legal union between two (and only two, barring any divorces or deaths) consenting adults? Would that just be too easy?

[AmishSamurai]

Looking forward to what our Commander in Chief has to say about this.

He says that same-sex couples should be allowed to get married

[BoringSupreez]

Will black voters punish Obama for his support of gay rights? Interesting article that poses the idea that since the majority of blacks are opposed to gay marriage, this may hurt Obama's vote count. Personally, I think blacks will still overwhelmingly support Obama.

[retrosportsgamer]

^ If the general election was tomorrow....maybe a little?

Considering the opponent and the fact that most will forget about this 5 months from now - I don't think it will hurt him there.

[Jrecee]

Not putting the people who said "Obama won't say anything meaningful" into a group, I figured the same thing, but now that he has said something, people will just say he said it to get votes. Sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Not saying it's not true though.

Honestly though, I think him blatantly coming out for it will do a lot for support of gay marriage, whether it ends up helping him or not. As polls have shown, a lot of the people against it are black, but pro-obama. I imagine a lot of those people will reconsider their position now that the person they admire has taken a stance.

[ElkinFencer10]

What exactly was this amendment one?

It's not just about gay marriage. Here's the text.

Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.

While yes, it constitutionally bans already illegal same sex marriages, it does more than that. No more common law marriage. Also, because a legal union is required, unmarried women won't get protections under domestic abuse laws. Yes, there are those who argue that they are still protected under assault laws, but those aren't as severe or far reaching. Those don't cover stalking and intimidation, for example. In addition to that, it's like the difference between murder and a hate crime murder; the victim's family will want that extra sentencing to feel that justice has been served.

Not only that, but it will also harm the children of unmarried couples. Health insurance, for example, is going to be a huge grey area for those children, and given this state's recent legislative and judicial trend, it's not going to end well for them.

This amendment was about so much more than gay marriage, but because most North Carolinians are traditional, conservative homophobes, that's what its supporters publicized because they knew that's what would get it passed.