RALEIGH, N.C. — A referendum committee formed by several anti-gay religious groups is among the latest official campaign organizations set up for an impending ballot initiative on an anti-LGBT state constitutional amendment banning marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples.
The committee, Vote for Marriage NC, was formed last week by a coalition of groups including the N.C. Baptist State Convention, Christian Action League, NC Values Coalition, a coalition of African American pastors and the National Organization for Marriage.
Organizers announced the committee’s formation Thursday.
“We very much look forward to a dialogue with North Carolina voters about the importance of preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of NC Values Coalition, said in a release. “The marriage amendment ensures that voters and not activist judges will decide the definition of marriage in our state. Marriage as the union of one man and one woman has served North Carolina well since before we were a state, and it’s time we respected the institution of marriage enough to protect it in our state constitution.”
Fitzgerald is a former lobbyist for the Christian Action League and N.C. Family Policy Council, groups affiliated with national organizations named as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Fitzgerald’s NC Values Coalition led the fight for legislative approval of the amendment, which came in September. The group has provided the new committee’s first $1,000 in funding.
Fitzgerald declined to name Vote for Marriage NC’s campaign manager when asked by Raleigh’s News & Observer, but did say the committee would focus on how marriage “generates the next generation of workers and the next generation of healthy children.”
“We are going to keep it on a positive note: keeping marriage as marriage and keeping it from being redefined,” she told the paper.
An anti-amendment campaign, the Coalition to Protect NC Families, was formed by a coalition of groups including Equality North Carolina last month. Its initial financial disclosure included just $150 in contributions. Additionally, the national Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in the country, this week formed its own committee, the Human Rights Campaign NC Families PAC. The national group has yet to report any contributions.
Referendum committees are allowed to accept unlimited contributions from individuals, organizations and businesses.
“In other words, folks in North Carolina are about to get a front row seat to what a emotionally charged campaign with virtually no spending limits looks like,” Greensboro News & Record Capitol Reporter Mark Binker noted Thursday.
The first pro-equality ads for the impending amendment campaigns were announced Thursday. The national Freedom to Marry and Equality North Carolina have partnered with In The Life Media to place online ads and web videos with The Charlotte Observer, among other outlets.
Stay tuned to qnotescarolinas.com for the latest news and updates on the anti-LGBT amendment. Plus, check back on Monday for a special in-depth analysis of the new Vote for Marriage NC committee’s coalition partners and their past anti-gay marriage activities.
” Marriage as the union of one man and one woman has served North Carolina well since before we were a state…”
Does this include North Carolina’s anti-miscegenation law that was originally passed in 1715 to make sure that whites could not marry blacks or indians?
Or that fact that regarding spousal rape, until 1993 North Carolina’s law stated that “a person may not be prosecuted under this article if the victim is the person’s legal spouse at the time of the commission of the alleged rape or sexual offense unless the parties are living separate and apart.”
Just checking.
This was taken from another poster that shows why we need to legalize gay marriage. If you don’t feel for this person after reading it, you simply aren’t human.
“I am not sure what our President thinks of this dicission but coming from a poor family and knowing what discrimination is all about I would assume he would not care if “Gays” have equal rights. The whole reason why they are asking for rights to be considered married is from the same reason why I would be for it. My own life partner commited suicide in our home with a gun to his heart. After a 28 year union I was deprived to even go his funeral. We had two plots next to each other. But because we did not have a marriage cirtificate “(Legal Document)” of our union his mother had him cremated and his ashes taken back to Missouri where we came from. That is only one example how painful it is. His suicide tramatized me so much and her disregard for my feelings only added to my heartach. That happened on March 21 of 2007 and I still cannot type this without crying for the trauma I have to endure each day. Oh did I mention I am in an electric wheelchair for life? Yes I am and it is very diffacult to find another mate when you are 58 and in a wheelchair. “
We need to get the word out to religious communities that anti-gay people are twisting God’s words to condone their hate.
Homosexuality is not a sin. The Bible is constantly being taken out of context to support anti-gay views. Scholars who have studied the Bible in context of the times and in relation to other passages have shown those passages (Leviticus, Corinthians, Romans, etc) have nothing to do with homosexuality. These passages often cherry-picked while ignoring the rest of the Bible. The sins theses passages are referring to are idolatry, Greek temple sex worship, prostitution, pederasty with teen boys, and rape, not homosexuality or two loving consenting adults.
http://www.soulfoodministry.org/docs/English/NotASin.htm
http://www.jesus21.com/content/sex/bible_homosexuality_print.html
http://www.christchapel.com/reclaiming.html
http://www.stjohnsmcc.org/new/BibleAbuse/BiblicalReferences.php
http://www.gaychristian101.com/
http://www.mccchurch.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Resources&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=2121
http://www.wouldjesusdiscriminate.org/biblical_evidence.html
http://www.soulforce.org/article/homosexuality-bible-gay-christian
http://www.goodhopemcc.org/spirituality/sexuality-and-bible/homosexuality-not-a-sin-not-a-sickness.html
This is the perfect example of how anti-gay people change the bible’s words for their anti-gay agenda.
Corinthians 6:9-11
Let us examine that very closely.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakoi], nor homosexual offenders [arsenokoites], nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
First of all, before we address this line, let us consider one thing. Supposedly taken from a 2000+ year old book, understand that the word “homosexual” was not coined until 1869 by Austrian-born novelist Karl-Maria Kertbeny. So how it happens to be included in a true reading of the particular biblical passage should make you ponder how accurate the interpretation actually is. So man changing the words of the Bible to conveniently spread hate?
Absolutely.
For those of you claiming homosexuality is a “lifestyle”, that is a false and ignorant statement. Homosexuality is not a choice. Just like you don’t choose the color of your skin, you cannot choose whom you are sexually attracted to. Virtually all major psychological and medical experts agree that sexual orientation is NOT a choice. Most gay people will tell you its not a choice. Common sense will tell you its not a choice. While science is relatively new to studying homosexuality, studies tend to indicate that its biological.
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/03/differential-brain-activation.pdf
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/dn14146-gay-brains-structured-like-those-of-the-opposite-sex.html
Gay, Straight Men’s Brain Responses Differ
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155990,00.html
http://www.livescience.com/health/060224_gay_genes.html
http://www.springerlink.com/content/w27453600k586276/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/06/16/172/
There is overwhelming scientific evidence that homosexuality is not a choice. Sexual orientation is generally a biological trait that is determined pre-natally, although there is no one certain thing that explains all of the cases. “Nurture” may have some effect, but for the most part it is biological.
And it should also be noted that:
“It is worth noting that many medical and scientific organizations do believe it is impossible to change a person’s sexual orientation and this is displayed in a statement by American Academy of Pediatrics, American Counseling Association, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American School Health Association, Interfaith Alliance Foundation, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers, and National Education Association.”
The National Library of Medicine pubs confirm that sexual orientation is natural, biologically induced in the first trimester of pregnancy, morally neutral, immutable, neither contagious nor learned, bearing no relation to an individuals ability to form deep and lasting relationships, to parent children, to work or to contribute to society.
From the American Psychological Association: homosexuality is normal; homosexual relationships are normal.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association have endorsed civil marriage for same-sex couples because marriage strengthens mental and physical health and longevity of couples, and provides greater legal and financial security for children, parents and seniors.
America’s premier child/mental health associations endorse marriage equality.
Yeah, Frank knows what’s up, right? There are no fundamental elements of marriage! We can just redefine it however we want! So can we have polyamory, too? Should that be allowed? If not, why not?
Homosexuality is a life style, you are not born Gay, if you were born Gay you would have both Genitals naturally, Nobody is born gay, Nobody is born Alcoholic, Nobody is Born Killer, or adulterer, and certainly nobody is born gay, you have to commit Gay act of having intercourse with same sex for you to be Gay, you can be man and be balerina for all I care that does not make you Gay, so Gay is an act and a life style, and it is a choice,
if everyone was Gay we would go extinct, no pro creation, no natural birth..what an evil satanic way to live is not only to be Gay, but to force gay agenda and thinking on others..especially kids in school, this is how you know that Nation is going down and there will be no exceptions, nations have been destroyed for Gay tolerance in past, same will be done to any nation NO EXCEPTIONS.
even animals do not practice such thing.
Do you people realize that it makes no sense to keep saying that people were meant to reproduce so that is why people are not meant to be gay. Do you understand that heterosexuals reproducing created the gay people. When heterosexuals have children, some of the children are straight and some of the children are gay. Maybe we should start saying that heterosexual people should abort their gay children before they are born.