For the first time since 1898, Republicans have gained control of both Houses of the N.C. General Assembly. And while many who rode the GOP wave this election cycle pledged to focus on the economy and job creation, there is speculation that a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in North Carolina may be on the table.
As a public university with a significant gay population, it is necessary to remind representatives in the N.C. General Assembly that they should not waste their time staining our constitution with restrictions on civil liberties. They should remain steadfast in their commitment to education and to our state’s economic recovery.
North Carolina faces serious challenges that require serious solutions. Budget cuts and deficits have significantly hurt funding.
Republicans should not decide that among the most important legislation they can pass with their newfound power would be to prevent many of their constituents from realizing their civil rights.
Voters sent a message on election day this November. They said they wanted less government intervention, fewer taxes and less regulation in the private sector. Legislators would be ignoring the will of the people if they sought to regulate one of the most private aspects of an individual’s personal life by telling them who they can and cannot marry.
According to an Elon University poll last year, 43 percent of North Carolinians support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, while 50 percent opposed it. A social issue that is split so closely should not be decided by party-biased legislators.
Republican legislators should first focus on the pressing problems in our state, and leave our civil liberties alone.
