RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday defining marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman, becoming the latest state to effectively slam the door shut on same-sex marriages.
With most of the precincts reporting Tuesday, unofficial returns showed the amendment passing with about 61 percent of the vote to 39 percent against. North Carolina is the 30th state to adopt such a ban on gay marriage.
The amendment passed with an overwhelming majority in Robeson County — 86 percent for it, 13 percent against it. A total of 24,051 votes were cast countywide on the amendment.
Tami Fitzgerald, who heads the pro-amendment group Vote FOR Marriage NC, said she believes the initiative awoke a silent majority of more active voters in the future.
“I think it sends a message to the rest of the country that marriage is between one man and one woman,” Fitzgerald said at a celebration Tuesday night. “The whole point is simply that you don’t rewrite the nature of God’s design based on the demands of a group of adults.”
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.
Supporters of the amendment responded with marches, television ads and speeches. Church leaders urged Sunday congregations to vote for the amendment. The Rev. Billy Graham was featured in full-page newspaper ads backing the amendment.
North Carolina law already bans gay marriage, but an amendment effectively seals the door on same-sex marriages.
The amendment also goes beyond state law by voiding other types of domestic unions from carrying legal status, which opponents warn could disrupt protection orders for unmarried couples.
The campaign manager for the group that opposed the amendment said the nation watched North Carolina on Tuesday night, wondering how the anti-forces came through.
“I am happy to say that we are stronger for it; we are better for it; our voices are louder now,” said Jeremy Kennedy of Protect All NC Families. “We have courage like we never had before, and we have strength to continue on.”
Both sides spent a combined $3 million on their campaigns.
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
The North Carolina amendment was placed on the ballot after Republicans took over control of the state Legislature after the 2010 elections, a role the GOP hadn’t enjoyed for 140 years.
Joe Easterling, who described himself as a devout Christian, voted for the amendment at a polling place in Wake Forest.
“I know that some people may argue that the Bible may not necessarily be applicable, or it should not be applicable, on such policy matters. But even looking at nature itself, procreation is impossible without a man and a woman. And because of those things, I think it is important that the state of North Carolina’s laws are compatible with the laws of nature but, more importantly, with the laws of God.”
Linda Toanone, who voted against the amendment, said people are born gay and it is not their choice.
“We think everybody should have the same rights as everyone else. If you’re gay, lesbian, straight — whatever,” she said.
North Carolina is the latest presidential swing state to weigh in on gay marriage. Florida, Virginia and Ohio all have constitutional amendments against gay marriage, and Obama’s election-year vagueness on gay marriage has come under fresh scrutiny.
Obama, who supports most gay rights, has stopped short of backing gay marriage. Without clarification, he’s said for the past year and a half that his personal views on the matter are “evolving.”
We've done some dump things, like allow prayer to be taken out of school, for instance, but those scare tactics are just stupid.
All that was done by passing the amendment, is putting a law that we already have in place into our State Constitution. This prevents some crazy judge from allowing the law to be changed by a dumb ruling. Nothing else.
I have compassion for my friends who are homosexual, but honestly speaking, if a radical judge decided that a homosexual couple should be allowed to marry and challenge our law, then what? Would the homosexual community be ok with the next person who wanted to marry more than one person, or marry both(man and woman)? Marriage is now and should only be between a man and a woman....allowing anything else opens the door to allow EVERYTHING else.
Real Talk.
Theres just as many gays in North Carolina this morning as there were yesterday!!
Not a single one of them disappeared!!!! All the FOOLS that voted for this silly amendment did was give the government more power to control one more facet of YOUR lives. FOOLS. NOTHINGS changed. Not ONE damn thing.