During an abbreviated session that convened at noon on Monday and is expected to adjourn by noon on Wednesday, the North Carolina House and Senate had just enough time to pass the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment on the ballot in May. Despite compelling arguments that the NC General Assembly was using a rapid-fire approach to amending a basic founding document and that the Constitution should be used to protect rights not diminish them, the amendment passed. Representative Larry Womble (D - Forsyth) may have said it best when he called it a disgrace that the House was even debating who it would recognize. As he put it, "these are citizens. They are entitled to these rights and privileges." Representative Marcus Brandon, an openly gay legislator from Guilford, apologized to the LGBT community and told the community to remember, "that [American] flag has always stood for freedom." Unfortunately, none of that was enough and the House passed the amendment 75-42 on Third Reading.

Today, the Senate took up the amendment and passed it 30-16, despite equally impassioned speeches by opponents of the amendment. Senator Josh Stein (D - Wake) reminded his colleagues that in the past, when civil rights were put to the vote of the people, racism was repeatedly enshrined in the state constitution through poll taxes, school voucher systems, and marriage prohibitions. Senator Bob Atwater (D – Chatham) said that he worried what his children and grandchildren would think of him if he voted for this amendment. He then stated that he did not believe that the amendment was consonant with the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Senator Martin Nesbitt (D - Buncombe) stated that this type of amendment brings out the worst in people and was all about putting certain people “at the bottom of the barrel.” He added, “Surely, we’re better than this.” Sadly, none of these appeals could break the partisan nature of this vote and the final vote fell along party lines. The amendment will now be presented to North Carolina voters on the May primary ballot to determine whether this unfair amendment that will prohibit committed couples from taking care of one another will be enshrined in North Carolina’s Constitution.