north carolina

Voters in North Carolina approved a far-reaching ban on same-sex marriage and other unions, Tuesday, reversing their state’s status as the sole Southern outpost without such a measure and dealing a temporary setback to growing marriage equality momentum.

As voters head to the polls in North Carolina today, turnout is expected to be high, which leaves opponents of Amendment 1, the constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage and other unions, hopeful for an upset victory despite polling that indicates easy passage of the measure.

The legislative session of 2015 is barely under way, but lawmakers in North Carolina are already looking for ways to sidestep marriage equality.

A lesbian minister in North Carolina has joined the ranks of those willing to officiate marriage ceremonies but not sign licenses until gay couples’ marriages have the same legal recognition as heterosexual ones. Nancy Petty (pictured), pastor of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, recently told her congregation she would prefer that straight couples have a magistrate at the local courthouse sign their license. She is waiting to hear if church deacons will endorse her position and if a vote of the congregation will be necessary.

Despite a 2012 amendment that prohibits marriage equality, the register of deeds in Buncombe County, North Carolina accepted marriage applications from ten same-sex couples on Tuesday.

In a new video from The DOMA Project, Becky, an American citizen, and Sanne, who was born in the Netherlands, say they want the protections of marriage to help support and protect their daughter, Willow.

As most anyone with a Facebook or Twitter account, computer, television, radio or newspaper has heard voters in North Carolina on Tuesday approved Amendment One, a far-reaching ban on same-sex marriage as well as other forms of relationship recognition for gay and lesbian couples.

A North Carolina lesbian couple were arrested Friday after twice being denied a marriage license and then refusing to leave the Buncombe County Register of Deeds office.

Same-sex couples in the state began marrying shortly after a federal judge struck down the state's ban about 5:30 p.m. today.

"I believe that everyone must stand up for what is right, whenever possible, wherever possible," Clinton wrote in an email urging against the antigay ballot intiative to be decided Tuesday. With just days to go before North Carolina voters decide whether the state will join the rest of the South in constitutionally prohibiting marriage equality, big name opponents of Amendment One are stepping forward.

For four years, Veda Renfrow helped broadcast meetings of the Wake County, N.C. commissioners. One day after the commission voted to support the antigay Amendment One, the Raleigh woman found herself out of a job.

An antigay commissioner in North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County called gay people “sexual predators” in an e-mail response to a letter from a fellow commissioner asking her colleagues to sign a thank-you note to the state’s officials who voted to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.” “Homosexuals are sexual predators,” James wrote in response to the e-mail from Roberts. “Allowing homosexuals to serve in the U.S. military with the endorsement of the Mecklenburg County Commission ignores a host of serious problems related to maintaining U.S. military readiness and effectiveness not the least of which is the current Democrat plan to allow homosexuals (male and female) to share showers with those they are attracted to.”