It has been nearly a year since North Carolinians passed Amendment One, illegalizing not only same-sex marriage, but also prohibiting same-sex domestic partnerships and civil unions.
But the amendment did not pass due to a lack of effort.
“The GLBT-Community Alliance as a student organization hosted numerous events on their own and in collaboration with other groups to educate individuals and to help register people to vote” Justine Hollingshead, director of the N.C. State GLBT Center, said.
A Pack Poll released in July found 68 percent of students who planned on voting were opposed to Amendment One. Unfortunately, Wake County was one of only eight counties to vote against the amendment, thus it passed with 61 percent of the vote.
While our gay marriage legislation is not receiving the national attention that the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 are, we recognize Amendment One as just as much of a constitutional issue.
In fact, our Amendment One bears extraordinary resemblance to California’s Proposition 8. Both define marriage as a union solely between a man and a woman in their respective states. California’s legislation overturned a previous law that said same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
Our legislation, on the other hand, only reinforced anti-gay marriage sentiments, as marriage in North Carolina was already defined as between a man and a woman. Because of this, Amendment One was a slap in the face to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered North Carolinians and their supporters.
The amendment not only violates our civil rights, but it promotes discrimination. There is no statewide law protecting GLBT North Carolinians from being evicted from their homes or fired from their jobs. Additionally, prohibiting same-sex marriage also prohibits same-sex couples from filing their taxes jointly.
Though Amendment One is no longer up for debate, it is important that we continue discuss it rather than simply accept it.
One way marriage equality advocates continually raise awareness is through periodical events. The GLBT Center of Raleigh hosts forums, luncheons, book clubs and support groups for the various members of the GLBT community. These events are held mostly in private, but every year the center hosts Out! Raleigh, a free, public festival on Fayetteville Street. This year’s festival takes place May 4 and will include live music and speakers who share their stories and advocate for change.
While the GLBT Center shows support with its traditional festival, several North Carolina churches have shown their support by breaking tradition. Pullen Memorial Baptist Church on Hillsborough Street and Green Street United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem are advocating for gay marriage by refusing to wed heterosexual couples. By making these surprising decisions, these forward-thinking churches are paving the way for others.
While increasing citizen support is important in the movement toward marriage equality, government backing is also essential. Rep. Deborah Ross (D-Wake), who worked against Amendment One, said, “I hope that it will be repealed, but given the makeup of the General Assembly, I am not optimistic.”
Other members of the General Assembly are more hopeful, including Rep. Darren Jackson (D-Wake).
“I do believe it will one day be repealed, but it will take a big change of representation in Raleigh to start the process to repeal,” said Jackson, who also spoke and voted against Amendment One.
Technician appreciates the efforts made by everyone, from citizens to government officials, in support of gay marriage. In concurrence with Jackson’s comments, we hope we will be there when Amendment One is finally repealed.
