North Carolina to vote on writing gay marriage ban into state constitution



Lawmakers in North Carolina are preparing to vote on whether or not to allow a referendum on writing a ban gay marriage into the state constitution.



With Republicans in charge of the Legislature for the first time in 140 years, conservatives are making their move.



Lawmakers return Monday to Raleigh to debate proposed amendments, including one to let voters next year decide if a state law already on the books defining marriage as between one man and one woman should be imprinted into the state constitution as well.

Decisive: With Republicans in charge of the Legislature for the first time in 140 years, conservatives are making their move

North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast without a gay marriage ban in its constitution.



The idea has gone nowhere in the last decade because Democratic leaders quashed Republican efforts to debate amendment referenda.

'It's time that we settled this issue,' said GOP state Representative Dale Folwell of Winston-Salem, the No. 2 leader in the House and a key amendment proponent.

Gay rights supporters and gay-friendly companies in the state have been attacking the proposal, saying a 2012 statewide ballot is unnecessary and would humiliate the state in a nation that's become more accepting of same-sex relationships.

They say it would discourage business from coming to North Carolina, where unemployment has crept back above 10 percent.

The marriage debate rises against a backdrop of looming, critical elections.



A divisive ballot measure in November 2012 could help bring conservatives to the polls in a state where Barack Obama won in 2008 by only 13,000 votes and which is hosting the Democratic National Convention.

Democratic Governor Beverly Perdue also faces a tough re-election fight next year.

Political and social activists nationwide are keeping a close eye on the debate in Raleigh, which could be decided by a few votes.

Groups are investing money and time in what could turn into a yearlong fight with deep political overtones.



It could become a bellwether on gay marriage as a political issue.





