The new sign in our yard:

We’re the second family to have put it up on our street and it makes me happy to know that there is a lot of awesome going on along Butler. In case you haven’t heard, the amendment it refers to is Amendment One which will be showing up on the ballots in May to write discrimination, hate and bigotry into our state’s constitution. It says that “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”  Many people automatically think of same-sex couples when they hear that definition and they’re definitely included. However, it’s already illegal in NC for same-sex couples to get married so why would they put this on the ballot? I’m glad you asked.

In addition to same-sex marriages, the Amendment would  prohibit civil unions, domestic partnership rights, and would strip domestic partner insurance benefits currently offered to employees by a number of local governments, meaning they could ban rights for unmarried couples—both same and opposite-gender. This would invalidate domestic violence protections for all unmarried partners; undercut existing child custody and visitation rights that are designed to protect the best interests of children; prevent the state from giving committed couples rights to allow them to order their relationships, including threatening their ability to determine the disposition of their deceased partner’s remains; to make medical decisions if their partner is incapacitated; and to allow second-parent adoptions in order to ensure that both partners have a legal tie to, and financial responsibilities for, the children they are raising; and invalidate trusts, wills, and end-of-life directives by one partner in favor of the other.

All of this and more is why we’re another family against the amendment!

For more information and to participate in a fun project, please visit http://voteagainst.org/