Greenville comes out against amendment one!

I'm just back from a Greenville City Council meeting where the council took up the issue of amendment one, and where many students, members of the general public, and myself spoke out against the amendment. The council voted by a strong majority to oppose the hateful, discriminatory, and overreaching amendment one.

Reasons varied from supporting equality, opposing discrimination, keeping government overreach out of our lives, and protecting domestic violence victims. During the budget discussion leading up to the amendment resolution vote, Greenville was referred to as North Carolina's jewel of the east. Tonight they lived up to that reputation.

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I'd also point out that the only dissenting vote was for reasons along the lines of this is a state issue not a local issue. Although other council members did well to point out the harmful impacts the amendment could have on local residents and businesses.

It was a 5-1 vote with the mayor abstaining since there was no need for a tie-breaker. Blackburn (who brought forth the resolution), Mercer (who seconded it), Mitchel, Smith, and Glover all voted for the Greenville City Council to oppose the amendment. Check out my live-tweets on behalf of Democracy North Carolina covering and speaking out against the amendment.

And here's this week's Marriage News Watch. It discusses the upcoming vote in North Carolina, some marriage battles around the country, and some particularly disturbing separate but equal cemeteries for LGBT veterans that are a byproduct of DOMA.