Tag: amendment one

A Pyrrhic victory for the pro-discrimination movement

May 9, 2012 at 9:13 amCategory:Uncategorized

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On one level, last night’s election results on Amendment One were obviously very disappointing. But as today’s Weekly Briefing argues, conservatives will likely come to regret their decision to create a real and vibrant pro-equality movement in this state.

The proponents of the Amendment may have won the battle last night, but it will ultimately prove to be a Pyrrhic victory. Amendment opponents would, obviously, never have chosen this path, but now that it’s been thrust upon them, there’s no denying the following: 1) the day on which North Carolinians will no longer tolerate marriage discrimination is coming sooner rather than later, and 2) the last eight months have only served to expedite the process.

Why one impressive young man opposes the amendment

May 8, 2012 at 2:35 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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Seth Keel is an impressive young man in Raleigh who’s become quite a successful advocate for progressive change at a tender age. You can vist his Facebook page here and read his tweets here.  

Yesterday, I received a copy of an opinion piece he recently authored on Amendment One.  I hope you will read it:

Why I oppose Amendment One
by Seth Byron Keel

This year is the first year of my life that I have not lived in any denial of my sexual orientation, nor have I attempted to hide it as a part of who I am. I was sitting in the General Assembly when this Amendment was debated and eventually passed to be put on the ballot before us on May 8. I remember feeling disrespected and degraded. My representatives stood on the floor of the House and argued that I am less than them because of my sexual orientation; they argued that I do not deserve the same rights that our government has granted them. Believe me, this was not a choice that I made – I would remember waking up one day Read More…

Debunking conservative myth-making about marriage

May 8, 2012 at 8:34 amCategory:Uncategorized

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Occasional Progressive Pulse contributor Greg Flynn posted a fun and informative essay over on Blue NC early this morning about early North Carolina history, it’s relationship to the debate over the marriage discrimination amendment and the attempts by the amendment’s chief legislative sponsor, state House Majority Leader Paul Stam, to misrepresent the story. It may not change many votes today, but at least readers will know the truth.

Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu urges NC to vote against Amendment One

May 4, 2012 at 1:54 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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The latest high-profile figure to join the fight against Amendment One is George Takei, the actor best known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in the television and film series Star Trek.

Takei urged his 350,000 followers on Twitter Friday to work to defeat the proposed amendment to the Constitution that would ban legal recognition for all unmarried couples:

Takei, a vocal proponent of gay rights, expands on his thoughts on his website:

“Unmarried couples could be prohibited from hospital visitations and refused authority on emergency medical and financial decisions if one partner is incapacitated. Health insurance benefits, currently offered to domestic partners, could be stripped away, denying coverage to children and dependents.

America is about inclusion, not exclusion. It is about recognition of our diversity, and the strength that comes of it. Our democratic process, while designed to fulfill the will of the majority, also protects electoral minorities by guaranteeing certain inalienable rights, such as equal protection under the law. Those are the rules of our civil society, and Amendment One seeks to transgress them.

I urge North Carolinians to send a resounding message to the cynical and divisive forces at work behind Amendment One by voting NO on May 8th.”

Early voting on Amendment One (and the other primary races) ends Saturday at 1:00pm.

(Hat tip to Ricky Leung for the story.)

 

Gay, Lesbian, or Whatever. Middle school students fight Amendment One. [VIDEO]

May 3, 2012 at 9:39 amCategory:Yield: Love conquers everything; let us too, yield to love

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This is the third piece in a series of videos by Mimi Schiffman on North Carolina’s Amendment One:

In a small school a little north and a little west of downtown Durham, N.C., a group of eleven-, twelve- and thirteen-year-olds has been busy organizing a field-trip.

Watch as a middle school’s gay-straight alliance, GLOW, for Gay Lesbian or Whatever, embarks on an adventure in civic engagement with real consequences for many of the club’s members.

“They don’t really see kids as having an idea of how they want their future to be like,” said Sarah, a GLOW member, “but when we actually voice our opinion it really does make a difference.”

Production: Mimi Schiffman
Music: Phil Cook & His Feat
Additional Camera: Patrick Mustain and Vanessa Patchett

Special thanks to:
Lisa Joyner
Carolina Friends School
Phil Cook

Mimi Schiffman is a photographer, videographer and multimedia producer pursuing a master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This work is a part of a documentary project she is producing on marriage equality for her thesis. The work is being released in the lead-up to the 2012 North Carolina primaries where voters are asked to decide on a constitutional amendment which could render many established same-gender couples and their families legal strangers in the eyes of the law.

Mimi’s work is being posted on Huffington Post.