North Carolina is now under the process of potentially rewriting the definition of marriage. Voting began today on Amendment One, which, if passed, would change to the state's constitution to ban marriage equality, making the only legally recognized partnership between a man and a woman.
That would impact many LGBT couples and families, like Pearl Berlin and Lennie Gerber, an elderly lesbian couple from High Point, North Carolina. They've been together for more than 45 years and while never done a formal wedding ceremony, they said they hope to have one legally and within the local community someday.
Know + Love, a project from the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation and Equality NC Foundation, posted video diaries of many same-sex couples to raise awareness and public support of LGBT rights.
Leave a Comment:
Look like lovely people to me, and I hope they do keep getting along fine with their lives together just as they always have, legal issues of marriage or no marriage besides.
Hope that this couple can one day soon realize their dream of a wedding ceremony in the great state of North Carolina. Why is North Carolina acting like the people before Christopher Columbus who thought the world was flat by putting forth such an archaic Amendment while most states are ushering in amendments to the opposite? Wake up North Carolina, the 2012 world is passing you by! QUICO!
Jose, check your facts. 32 out of 33 states have voted against Gay marriage. North Carolina just made the count 33 out of 34 against, by what appears to be a 58% to 42% decisive margin.
That doesn't make it right, of course.
Love is beautiful and it eminates from these 2 lovely women.
Shame on people who want to limit people.
Yea! shame on People that want to limit Polygamist and pedophiles, they just want to love.
You have it.. I look at Nancy and myself.. I hope we are to see 45 years.. and yes we met when we were in our 40's.. GOD BLESS THEM !!!
President Obama does not have to give a view on gay marriage at this time. He has supported more for gay rights then any other President in office. Try to remember that he is a BLACK MAN who many people want out of office for that very reason. The President has many issues to work on. He supports rights for gay Americans, so leave hime alone and let him get back in office. Any one with a brain should know he can't take a stand right NOW!
I am not surprised that the rights of all people including Gay and Lesbian are not accepted by lawmakers and the citizens of this country, it took 90 years to Pass and enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1875 by passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In America all good things take time, unfortunately we have the power and urgency to declare a War at a moments notice!
This is not just about LGBT rights. The people of North Karolina have taken a step closer towards implimenting the equivalent of Nuremburg Laws, moving our country ever closer towards a National Socialist agenda. Civil rights are human rights and unconditionaly apply to all; you cannot legislate against a particular group. If the law does not apply to all, do we then have to make a law for every right.
If the citizens of NC want to make SSM "legal" -fine who cares- if they don't then they don't- but where is it written that there is a "right" to this- marriage as I recall is a privilege not a right-
we do not have a legal system that permits rights by fiat or opinion polls- not all laws apply equally to all people nor should they- for example I assume you would agree that a six year old should not be allowed to marry or a 5 year oldshould be permitted to drive a car- even enumerated "rights" under the Constitution are not generally applied unconditionally
there is a "right" to bear arms- but that does mean and for good reason that citizens can own a tank-
you may adamently blieve that SSM is a good thing- and in a sense I do not disagree- but claims of rights in this area go in my view to far and will if extended logically lead to sever unintended consequences- leave this issue the states- not the courts
All well and good however the Constitution provides for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The issue here is not LGBT "rights" this is a complex issue this and other legislatures is pursuing an agenda of social engineering through a vulgar display of judicial bullying. The implication is that at one time this was a right and now it is not. LGBT issue is only one small, but highly vocal, part of this legislation; I see they were not concerned about inbreeding.
As far as I am concerned marriage IS a right not a privilege. If you are going to define marrage you are going to encounter religious and personal beliefs. Neither of which is suitable to prevail as a universal.
I care not a whit about LGBT issues per se, I am concerned about a drift towards the type of legislation that has the whiff of the Nuremburg laws Nazis passed when they assumed power in Germany; laws that erased centuries of legal protection, due process, and eventually led to the deaths of tens of millions.
If you make analogies they have to fit exactly. Whether a six year old should or should not be allowed to marry is a specious argument as is the driving ability of a five year old. We are talking about adults capable of making decisions. One of my principle objections is that it seems lawmakers are furthering the beliefs of a religious sect. If I need a reason to separate religion from the state all I do is look at the bloody history of the world. In addition, I do not believe it is in the responsibility of government to legislate morality, especially the moral imperatives of a specific religion. The responsibilities of legislators are clearly enumerated in the Constitution; I don't know about the NC version but it seems to me their legislators have a lot of free time. I think you'll see more unintended consequences from passing this amendment, than if legislators had left well enough alone and attended to real issues. I am a wary supporter of states rights, if issues are left to the states, we'll see fifty different outcomes.
Isn’t it fascinating watching a table full of cable news elitist, silver spoons voicing their opinions about EVERYTHING… with no solutions. “Ask them about gay marriage to make news…”, said one silver spoon peon on Morning Joe (5-7-12) and later Chris Mathews and peon breathlessly reporting on Joe Biden comments about gay marriage. OK, here’s the real news about gay issues… VOTE for Obama/Biden and be respected.. OR don’t vote or vote for a 3rd Party candidate in this tight election then Republicans win and the LGBT community will be sent off to re-education camps to have the gay beat out of them.
Do you people know the Obama/Biden Administration has more important issues to work on?
I was wondering, have any of the news punditry has experienced the pain and suffering of 48 MILLION Americans struggling below the poverty level? Did any of lose your job, home, investments or retirement because another bunch of silver spoon, trust fund babies needed MORE MONEY? I call MSNBC line-up elitists because you dismiss the true radical thinkers like we’re not worth listening to. CHANGE is more than a word to us.
I’m only wondering because almost NOTHING you people are saying makes any sense to me. Why is no one discussing the root of ALL our problems or planning strategy to SOLVE the grand failures/mistakes of the Bush/Cheney disaster. It’s that 18-32% of Conservative inbred, racist, dead-neck, holier-than-thou, ignorant degenerates who voted for Bush/Cheney that make race and gay rights an issue. If we could get rid of them the USA would be a f***’n Utopia, lol.
Of course who cares what I think, right. I’m only an ordinary serious political activist/community organizer who spent half my live volunteering precious time for the GOOD FIGHT!
Come on, any Progressive knows what he “good fight” is, right? You so-called news people do opinion segments after opinion segments, week after week exposing the news EVERY LEFT WINGER WITH A HALF A BRAIN ALREADY KNOWS!
I don’t need to read a book on the “Republican Brain”. I already know they’re f***ed up. How else does anyone explain the Bush/Cheney nightmare? Y’know… read it on the blog cyberbitchslap2.blogspot.com.
“As far as I’m concerned, after the Bush/Cheney disaster, the Republican Party is dead to me. The results of Bush/Cheney and the Republican controlled Congress (1994-2006) speak for themselves. Waste, fraud, abuse of power, scandal, corruption, media consolidation, sexual deviancy, welfare for the rich, soldiers getting electrocuted in showers, arms dealing, environmental deregulation, war profiteering, Constitutional violations and a corporate crime wave of epic proportions. The greatest looting of a nation’s wealth & resources in the history of mankind…”
And even with all that legitimate evidence not one of your expert punditry has the courage to talk about fighting back. Not only do Liberal spokespersons refuse to fight back but they make light or criticize those who DO! (NOTE: look at how the mainstream and liberal news media reported on the violence by Seattle anarchists)
Centristism or Pacifism is for diplomats and cowards. Look at that “No Labels” @$$hole, who used to work for Bush Jr. Here’s a smart Republican that knows his people f***ed up BIG-TIME… so he wants to deflect the righteous anger of the LEFT wing and sing cumbayha. He’s smart enough to know there’s 5 to 10 MILLION angry Progressives who want total destruction of the Republican Corporate Ho Party and Dick Cheney’s/Donald Rumsfeld’s heads on a stake.
For anyone in-the-know (experienced) IT’S SCARY AS **** OUT THERE! You ****’n elitist Liberals refuse to fight back in a way the matters. When are you pussies going to finally decide to fight… when the Control by Authority crowd is marching your families to the ovens? The Conservative wackos are well-armed and have friends in high military places. (search out the Aryan/Christian military web sties… scary)
I thought what the Powers that Be” did to me WAY BACK in 2000 at the Democratic National Convention in LA wasn’t possible in the USA, but it’s gotten much worse since 9/11. BE AFRAID mofo’s… Everyone who experienced these type Constitutional violations are in the fight.
chemdmd What the heck does that have to do with a couple that wishes to get married. Get your facts straight about pedophiles, most are White Straight men!