Amendment One: A different kind of North Carolina blue
SEATTLE — I was born and raised in North Carolina — the same as my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. We can trace both sides of my family ancestry back to North Carolina in the 18th century.
I have now lived in Seattle for 11 years and during all this time, I have always been proud to say I was from North Carolina.
But not today.
Today, North Carolina voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment that says the following:
Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.
I am deeply disappointed in my home state and what a new constitutional amendment means for my family and friends who live in North Carolina, as well as what it means for my chosen home of Washington State.
North Carolina already has a law that was passed in 1996 that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. This amendment will now be written in to the state’s constitution and with that comes many legal nuances that will take years to define in the court system. This is primarily because North Carolina law does not provide a definition for a “domestic legal union.” With no firm definition, many rights of North Carolinians are up for debate including employment-related benefits for heterosexual and homosexual domestic partners, domestic violence laws, child custody and visitation rights, and end-of-life arrangements. Those rights will now be decided in the courts.
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/uwelectioneye/2012/05/08/north-carolina/
This was written by a family member of mine. It is very good and I hope you take the time to read it.