By now, you’ve probably heard the crappy news about North Carolina. The state voted 60 to 40 yesterday to approve a constitutional amendment which defines marriage between a man and a woman as the only legal union recognized within state borders.
While this is surely a setback for marriage equality, time will show that the majority of North Carolina voters are on the wrong side of history. There will come a day when people look back on days like May 8, 2012 and think to themselves, “What the hell were they thinking?”
All in all, we can’t let this get our hopes down! With votes coming up in Minnesota and Washington, we need to push forward and keep fighting against hateful legislation of this nature. We have to continue believing that, one day, we’ll look back on days like May 8, 2012 and smile to ourselves, knowing this is all over. ::sigh::
– Dewitt
“A true marriage is male and female and god” …. so every NC marriage has to be a 3some? Who knew they were that kinky.
If the people of North Carolina were serious about “preserving the sanctity of marriage,” they would pass a constitutional amendment banning divorce. When you vow to stay married “till death do us part” and then you get a divorce, you are not telling a little white lie, you are breaking a covenant with the Lord! Fucking Evangelicals are ruining this country.
not proud to be a North Carolinian today…
COMMENT OF THE WEEK.
Why is anyone surprised by this–North Carolina, the land of Jesse Helms? I hear they may get electricity in the coming century.
You can always marry in Argentina. It’s legal here even for people from foreign countries in some cities.
Which narrow-minded asshole decided that?
Anyone who doesn’t vote for President Obama is putting a nail in the coffin of gay marriage. I know he is “evolving’ What that means is this: ELECT ME TO A SECOND TERM AND WE CAN TAKE CARE OF THIS. He needs to evolve into a second term first. He can’t do it by January 2012. Log Cabin Republicans drive me nuts. They don’t want us–come to the dark side. : )
There will come a day when people look back on days like May 8, 2012 and think to themselves, ‘What the hell were they thinking?'”
Maybe so. The sad fact is that this what what nearly 2/3’s of the electorate there thinks _now_. It is a fact that is not easily discounted. People have very strong feelings on matters of faith. This isn’t like a matter of a property dispute to them. This is a matter of defending their world against perceived threats to their lifestyle. I’m not saying that the same isn’t also true for the LGBT community … but in ages past, these are the issues that people would go to war over. Fear is the most powerful and terrible motivator … and these conservatives are afraid.
Unfortunately, changing hearts and minds on gay marriage will not happen overnight. There will be much contention over this issue. It may be that the resolution will have to be forced upon them by the Court … and I think you can imagine how much hostility and outrage that could foster.
Like Virginia, North Carolina is the among the most progressive of the “Southern states.” If states like California can vote in similar legislation and states like North Carolina can actually amend their Constitutions … then I think you can see what an uphill battle is in store for marriage equality.
I fear that the only speedy remedy for the LGBT community will be to have the Supreme Court force recognition upon the whole country … but I can almost guarantee that that will go over much, much less well than Roe v. Wade (which people are still fighting over decades later).
And the bad news is that the deceptive fuckers that orchestrated these shenanigans are heading for us here in Washington to try the same stupid shit. Just know that gay people will be victorious. History is on our side. We shall overcome.
First thing everybody needs to do, is to communicate to our friends and loved ones, that this is a civil rights issue, NOT a religious issue. We do not debate our civil rights as U.S. citizens on the basis as to whether someones particular religious beliefs ALLOWS us to have our civil rights! The only way that African-Americans, and others got to change the laws, such as on interracial marriage, was the approach of civil rights, and the issue of EQUAL treatment as U.S. citizens under the constitution. Thats what brought about the supreme court decisions in 1964, and 1967, striking down the state laws, of banning interracial marrige, making them illegal, although some states such as California, as early as 1948, had already done so! And, please, have the courage to stand up, have some self-respect, and do not allow yourself, to be marginalized, as if being gay, makes you a second class citizen! Remember, even if you are not personally interested in being married, others are, and should have that choice!
I wish i really believed it was just a matter of another decade, but i thought that same thing in the 90’s and look where we are today.
@03ae3c23940187ca052caaa68142f8d7:disqus True… but in the 90’s no states allowed gay marriage, now six do. It wasn’t till 2004 that Mass allowed gay marriage. It’s slow, but still progress. The other thing to keep in mind is that various polls have showed that average age of people voting for this were (57,59,65 – the three I quickly grabbed from a Google News search). Just think… in a 15 – 30 years, they’ll all be dead and these amendments and laws can be repealed.
Oh yeah… because it only took three years into the current administration to overturn DADT (a policy enacted by the most popular Democratic president in 50 years BTW) and a vocal minority in the Democratic party really scares him. People, you’re just in a daydream if you think one man is going to do anything when this is a CONGRESSIONAL issue (and ultimately a JUDICIAL issue), not EXECUTIVE. Hell, not even all the Dems are on board with marriage equality in the Senate. Good luck getting anything passed through them!
me Either
and you think romeny will? he is our best bet. and..looking at the news…all the more reason to vote for him. Obama 2012! ?Ms. Clinton 2016!
Ok bare with me I’m British and don’t really know much about american law, but can’t obama just order everyone to recognize gay marriage as a legal marriage and basically just over rule the governors and state senators?
First of all, it’s North Carolina. Did anyone expect anything different?
Second of all, considering how gays treat each other when it comes to “equality” and “inclusiveness” (especially as exemplified on this blog because of what’s considered “hot” and what’s considered “not”), why should they expect anyone to treat them equally and inclusively when they still haven’t done it amongst themselves?
Glass houses and stones and all that, you know.
A facet of this argument that I’ve always found to be hilarious is the hypocritical manner in which people who are against gay marriage pick from the old testament. I’ve read the book of Leviticus, and it’s a laugh riot. I’ll include a line to the King James version of it. The book includes: Animal sacrifice/penalties for not sacrificing animals correctly, which animals you can/cannot eat, how to deal with infections, how to appropriately harvest your crops, circumcision. And other topics that were the concern of people who lived ca. 5000 years ago. Perhaps even funnier than reading this stuff is throwing it back into the faces of religious people who have an issue with gay marriage and quote the book. I carried a Bible with me for part of the time I was in high school, with chapter 1 dog-eared, and I’d start reading out loud it whenever anyone started in on me about being gay and used the Bible as a source of why it was so bad. They stopped using the Bible as a source quickly, and went after me because they were uncomfortable with my being gay, which in retrospect, is at least honest of them.
I understand that people are raised into a religious faith. Some choose to convert to another religion. I understand that religion can be a big part of these people’s lives. I have no problem with any of that. However, their religion should not be brought into legislation, as not everyone follows that faith. Having a religion I don’t believe in shoved down my throat, having it modify how I’m legally allowed to live my life is upsetting, to say the least. I was raised Catholic, and I seem to recall Jesus saying something to the effect of, “worry about your own sins, God will judge other people.” Turning the other cheek.
I’m fortunate enough to live in Massachusetts, so I’m geographically divorced from what happened yesterday. It still pains me to see this, although I’ve taken to a more pragmatic point of view on the topic. Not everyone is going to like this, and many people are going to vote against it. I can only hope, however naive of me it may be to do so, that these people will eventually grow beyond ancient discomforts and realize that a person is a person, that love is love, no matter what.
A facet of this argument that I’ve always found to be hilarious is the hypocritical manner in which people who are against gay marriage pick from the old testament. I’ve read the book of Leviticus, and it’s a laugh riot. I’ll include a line to the King James version of it. The book includes: Animal sacrifice/penalties for not sacrificing animals correctly, which animals you can/cannot eat, how to deal with infections, how to appropriately harvest your crops, circumcision. And other topics that were the concern of people who lived ca. 5000 years ago. Perhaps even funnier than reading this stuff is throwing it back into the faces of religious people who have an issue with gay marriage and quote the book. I carried a Bible with me for part of the time I was in high school, with chapter 1 dog-eared, and I’d start reading out loud it whenever anyone started in on me about being gay and used the Bible as a source of why it was so bad. They stopped using the Bible as a source quickly, and went after me because they were uncomfortable with my being gay, which in retrospect, is at least honest of them.I understand that people are raised into a religious faith. Some choose to convert to another religion. I understand that religion can be a big part of these people’s lives. I have no problem with any of that. However, their religion should not be brought into legislation, as not everyone follows that faith. Having a religion I don’t believe in shoved down my throat, having it modify how I’m legally allowed to live my life is upsetting, to say the least. I was raised Catholic, and I seem to recall Jesus saying something to the effect of, “worry about your own sins, God will judge other people.” Turning the other cheek.I’m fortunate enough to live in Massachusetts, so I’m geographically divorced from what happened yesterday. It still pains me to see this, although I’ve taken to a more pragmatic point of view on the topic. Not everyone is going to like this, and many people are going to vote against it. I can only hope, however naive of me it may be to do so, that these people will eventually grow beyond ancient discomforts and realize that a person is a person, that love is love, no matter what.Leviticus, from the King James version of the Bible:http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/KjvLevi.html
No because the State basically chooses. It’s a checks and balances thing we have in the government. Congress can overrule the President in matters like these which is why I think they left it to the states. (Might not be 100% accurate. I took Government Studies twice lol)
Wow dude… totally missed the point there, didn’t you? It amazes me how little people know how the U.S. government functions. It’s not a Romney or Obama or even Ralph Nader issue. It’ll never come up (let alone get passed) in a divided Congress any more than an abortion rights bill will. It’s a JUDICIAL issue. Say it with me, JU-DIC-IAL. And even then, odds are 50-50 whether they’ll hedge or strike down constitutional laws and amendments in nearly 2/3 of the country. Though our side has some HEAVY hitters on it, including G.W. Bush’s Solicitor General (yeah, a republican), Ted Olsen .
I’m in Charlotte & sadder than ever to be from this SOUTHERN HICK state. I’m feeling the need to move with my partner OF TWELVE YEARS to New York…
Funny thing is all the college towns in this state were overwhelmingly AGAINST the ammendment. At least the newer generations get it. Sadly I have a dad in the other camp though. Unfortunatley those that “get it” only stay in those college towns long enough to “git there leernin’ ” and then move away…where other rational open-minded people reside.
I proudly voted A MILLION PERCENT AGAINST this dumb ass ammendment, but had a feeling it would pass…we are in heart of the Bible Belt you know…and sadly it did.
We still hold out hope. I just hate that Pres Obama waited until the DAY AFTER this vote to voice his support. WHY THE WAIT??? Why wait until AFTER the states fucks its citizens over to say you support it?
PS – this not only affects gays, it affects ALL unmarried couples & removes ALL rights to healthcare, hospital visits & related madness, power-of-attny, etc. It also will remove domestic abuse rights from unmarried women.
WAY TA GO NC. I need to go call a moving company now…….
I am glad that as a gay man I don’t live in the North Carolina or anywhere else in the USA. Fortunately for us here in the UK (and most of Europe) we have moved with the times and confined the religious definition of marriage to the pages of history where it belongs.
In any case, the Bible (both Hebrew and Christian), Qur’an and most other religious texts were written by misogynistic men with the sole aim not just to keep other men under control but to keep women in a secondary position.
And, let’s not forget, there is more than one definition of ‘marriage’ in the English dictionary.