FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | September 13, 2011

NCLR Responds to North Carolina Constitutional Amendment Measure that Would Ban Marriage Equality

Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell

(San Francisco, CA, September 13, 2011)—Today, the North Carolina Senate voted 30-16 to put a sweeping constitutional amendment before voters that would not only bar same-sex couples from marriage, but also deprive them of any type of legal recognition. On Monday, the bill, SB 514, cleared the House Rules Committee before it immediately moved to the full House, where legislators voted 75-42 to move it forward. The measure will go before voters in May 2012.

Statement by National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director
Kate Kendell, Esq.:

“This is a sad and shameful day for North Carolina and its citizens. There were many voices in the North Carolina legislature who spoke eloquently for families, love and justice, but those intent on furthering their bigotry won the day. As with every other measure like it, this amendment will one day be relegated to the dustbin and seen as part of a regrettable history. In the meanwhile we stand with the many families and communities who are mobilizing in North Carolina to defeat this hateful measure."

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
www.nclrights.org.

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