North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. — Singer Clay Aiken, a North Carolina native, said he loves his home state but is deeply unhappy about proposed amendment to the state constitution that would ban same sex marriages. The former “American Idol” contestant spoke out about the amendment in a video posted to YouTube on Monday.

Marriage equality took center stage again on Monday, with progress on both coasts — in Washington out west, and in the east, New Jersey.

Raleigh N.C. “diaper pastor” Patrick Wooden is not only refusing to take back his comments that gay men have so much anal sex that they require surgery and diapers, and that they use gerbils, baseball bats, and cell phones as sexual instruments, but he seems to be reveling in his notoriety at the expense of looking like a damn fool.

Maine, Washington, and Maryland are all closer than ever to marriage equality, but the Governor of New Jersey thinks that civil rights should be put to a popular vote — whether it’s marriage today, or school desegregation in the 1950s. This week’s Marriage News Watch report is here…

RALEIGH, N.C. — A coalition consisting of state and national LGBTQ and human rights advocacy groups, faith organizations, communities of color, nonpartisan organizations, and business and community leaders is organizing an effort to defeat the proposed North Carolina constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages.

The White House, in response to a Washington Blade inquiry about the possible vote to repeal same-sex marriage rights in New Hampshire, said Thursday night that President Obama “believes strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away.”

Welcome to 2012! We got a lot of work to do this year, so let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. The new year marks new civil union laws in Delaware, Hawaii, and California. Psychologists in North Carolina lash out at anti-gay prejudice, LGBTs can marry in Cancun — probably — and something fishy’s going on with civil unions in the European Union.

One leading advocate called 2011 an “epic” year for marriage equality. Was it? While only one state — New York — enacted full marriage rights for same-sex couples, it was the most populous state to do so. Five other states also moved closer to marriage equality than ever before. Public opinion shifted dramatically towards supporting equality. And the Obama administration announced that it no longer considers a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act constitutional.

According to Tuesday’s issue of North Carolina’s Charlotte Observer, one of the proponents of the upcoming referendum to outlaw marriage equality in the state, Rev. Mark Harris, the head of the state’s Baptist Convention, wants a “civil debate” over the issue…

Among the groups affiliated with the new Vote for Marriage NC is the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). The group has been involved in several high-profile marriage initiatives, including California’s 2008 Proposition 8 and Maine’s 2009 Question 1. Additionally, NOM took a high-profile stance against New York’s legislative push to approve marriage equality there this year.