North Carolina’s Fight for Marriage Equality Continues

Last week, North Carolinians passed Amendment One, a constitutional amendment declaring that "marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State." Undeterred, the Campaign for Southern Equality the next day moved forward in their fight for same-sex marriage rights.

On May 9, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender couples began visiting eight counties across the state to request—and be denied—marriage licenses. The WE DO Campaign is calling for full equality under federal law and resisting unjust state laws that prohibit marriage for some citizens.

“LGBT people and families live all across North Carolina and the South, yet do so as second-class citizens," says Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality. "The people taking part in the WE DO Campaign are standing up to say, we are equal and discriminatory laws must change on the federal level."

Over the last week, couples have applied for marriage licenses courthouses in Wilson, Durham, Winston-Salem, Bakersville, Marshall, Asheville, Asheboro, and Charlotte. As their friends, relatives, and clergy watched, couple after couple was denied their requests for licenses.

For more information about the campaign, watch the video below:

 

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Sue Sturgis adapted this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that combines powerful ideas with practical actions. Sue is the editorial director and co-editor of Facing South, where this article first appeared.

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