North Carolina voters came out and overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman.
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North Carolina already has a law banning gay marriage, but the amendment voters passed Tuesday night with 61 percent of voters ultimately seals the door on same-sex marriages.
John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest University who writes an annual review of state constitutional amendments said:
“Same-sex marriage was illegal today; it’s illegal tomorrow. There were no same-sex civil unions recognized in North Carolina today. Those will not be recognized tomorrow. The bottom line is there’s not a lot of change because of this amendment.”
According to the Associated Press, the amendment likely would affect issues other than gay marriage the most because the “marriage-plus” amendment approved in North Carolina prohibits not only same-sex marriage, but also same-sex civil unions. Nineteen states have such amendments, Dinan said.
Opponents said they feared the law could affect domestic violence protections, some of which refer to people who live together.
Some voters who opposed the amendment weren’t that concerned with the practical effects of the amendment, but more with how it makes North Carolina look.
The amendment was unnecessary, said Sam Stone, 70, of Raleigh, who voted against it, along with his wife, Virginia, 66.
“Doing this amendment makes it seem more mean-spirited,” he said Tuesday as he went to the polls.
Shane Colwell, who’s studying at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, said the amendment clarified the definition of marriage:
“I’m a born-again Christian, and I just believe the Bible is clear that marriage is for one man and one woman. It doesn’t mean that anybody’s less equal than anybody else. I just think that marriage is one man and one woman.”
In the final days before the vote, members of President Barack Obama’s cabinet expressed support for gay marriage and former President Bill Clinton recorded phone messages urging voters to oppose the amendment.
The Rev. Billy Graham, 93, was featured in full-page newspaper ads backing the amendment yesterday, urging voters to pass the bill.
President Obama was disappointed that the amendment passed, said Cameron French, spokesman for the Obama campaign in North Carolina:
“The President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples. He believes the North Carolina measure singles out and discriminates against committed gay and lesbian couples, which is why he did not support it.”
North Carolina is the 30th state to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Six states – all in the Northeast except Iowa – and the District of Columbia allow same sex marriages. In addition, two other states have laws that are not yet in effect and may be subject to referendums.
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