Amendment One to the North Carolina Constitution has made the news in Chicago.
David DeGerolamo
North Carolina may hand setback to gay marriage push
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) – Efforts to legalize gay marriage have met success in several U.S. states this year but could experience a setback on Tuesday if North Carolina voters decide to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages and civil unions.
Same-sex marriage is illegal in North Carolina. But the state has stood out as the only one in the Southeast that has not passed a constitutional amendment solidifying such a ban.
Supporters of the proposed amendment say it would preserve the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman and make laws outlawing gay marriage harder to repeal. Opponents say a ban would jeopardize health insurance benefits for unmarried gay and heterosexual couples and signal that the state is unfriendly to a diverse workforce.
The primary ballot measure has attracted wide attention ahead of the Democratic National Convention planned for early September in Charlotte, North Carolina, a swing state in the November 6 presidential election.
