The constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage and civil unions in North Carolina passed yesterday. Defeating it was perhaps too much to expect in a state that in 1875 passed an amendment that prohibited inter-racial marriage that stayed on the books until 1971, and even has a pastor who advocates that parents beat any children who show any signs of not being heterosexual.
But the much larger than expected margin of defeat (61% to 39%) is undoubtedly a disappointment.
On the plus side, Gallup released their latest annual national survey on attitudes on same sex marriage and it shows that for the second consecutive year, more people approved it than opposed it. While there have been small ups and downs, over the long term there has been a steady growth in the number of people accepting it. It is quite remarkable that over just 16 years, the 41% margin of disapproval has been completely obliterated. I suspect that the tipping point will be around the time when the percentage who approve reaches around 60%.
NPR reported on the vote this morning and they stated that most of the people who voted in favor for the same sex marriage ban didn’t realize they were also voting against civil unions and would not have supported the measure if they’d been aware of that.
I’m not sure where this information came from (off to NPR to see if I can find the info.).
Naturally I couldn’t find the text on NPR but I did find this:
“In some sense North Carolinians are voting against their own beliefs. 53% of voters in the state support either gay marriage or civil unions, yet a majority also support the amendment that would ban both. The reason for that disconnect is even with just 24 hours until election day only 46% of voters realize the proposal bans both gay marriage and civil unions. Those informed voters oppose the amendment by a 61-37 margin but there may not be enough time left to get the rest of the electorate up to speed.”
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/petermontgomery/5964/did_north_carolinians_vote_against_their_own_beliefs/
Great. Just when I was already feeling depressed with Humanity and the depths to which we sink. 🙁
Not that its your fault, Mano Singham, but aaarrghh! Durrnnit.
North Carolina -- where you can legally marry your cousin, just not your gay cousin.
http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/human-services/state-laws-regarding-marriages-between-first-cousi.aspx