North Carolina Gets Ready For Its Close-Up
It’s going to be a big year for North Carolina. On May 8, voters will get to decide whether to support an amendment banning same-sex marriage in the state. Activists in the state have come up with “Vote Against,” a feel-good campaign that reminds us a lot of Adam Bouska’s No H8 crusade. If you stand in solidarity with the cause and come to one of their events, you can get your picture taken in a glamorous photo shoot with the “Vote Against” tee-shirt on, so as to post to all your social-media networks.
Making impassioned citizens feel like celebrities for supporting a grassroots cause? We’d say that’s pretty cool.
In September, the Democratic National Convention (and, we’re sure, a whole ton of gay activists) are coming to Charlotte, NC. By that time, the spotlight will shine on the state that bravely voted against a crazy amendment, or on an anti-gay state hosting a big gay convention. Let’s hope for the former.
Would this amendment only ban marriage, or also all other partnerships? I keep hearing it referred to as a marriage amendment without any reference to civil unions, yet I thought it would also ban those.
Bill – it would ban all recognition for domestic partnerships and civul unions, regardless of gender. The only legally recognized bond would be marriage between one man and one woman.
@Bill S.: @Bill S.: The amendment will outlaw any recognition of any kind of relationship other than a hetero marriage. It will even invalidate the existing benefits given to domestic partners by several municipalities in the state. And, as happened in Michigan, there will no longer be any such thing as domestic violence outside of a hetero marriage. A man will be able to beat the crap out of his live-in girlfriend with no consequence because they aren’t in a recognized domestic relationship. Some legal scholars say that even non-government employers may have to stop offering benefits to both same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners. There are many, many employers in the state that already offer such benefits.
While better than the lame anti-Prop 8 & esoteric “Maine Ways” ads, this one isn’t exactly riveting.
Do the ads in North Carolina reflect all of this? Or are they only running soft “We’re families too and we want to be married!” I mean this message is good, but if you want to win, show that this will affect straight people too.