The Obama administration has denounced approval by the North Carolina legislature of a ballot initiative to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

"The President has long believed that gay and lesbian couples deserve the same rights and legal protections as straight couples," White House spokesman Shin Inouye said. "That's why he has called for repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and determined that his administration would no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts."

Constitutional changes

The text of the measure reads:

Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.

After the changes the measure will read:

Sec. 6. Marriage.

If approved, the proposed measure would amend Article 14 of the North Carolina Constitution by adding a new section:

Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.

North Carolina Marriage Amendment State Constitution

The vote on the proposed the North Carolina
same-sex marriage amendment to the state constitution is scheduled for May 8, 2012 primary ballot rather than the November 2012 general election ballot.

According to reports, the move to the primary ballot alleviated concerns by Democratic lawmakers who believed a November vote may be boosted by a higher
conservative turnout for the presidential election.

North Carolina Same Sex Marriage Constitutional Amendment

The pro-amendment forces are still finalizing their campaign and expect to launch by the end of the year, said Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the NC Values Coalition, a group that helped push the amendment through the Legislature in September.

But Fitzgerald said the message is clear: "The state has a keen interest in protecting marriage. It is a basic building block of our economy ... and provides children with a safe and loving home."

Even though gay marriage is illegal, Fitzgerald said, the constitutional amendment is needed to make it harder for judges and lawmakers to overturn the law. And she disputes the idea that the amendment would hurt opposite-sex couples, saying "most people see through that" argument.

The pro-amendment campaign will focus on the faith community, she added, noting that North Carolina Baptists, the state's largest denomination with 4,300 churches, recently endorsed the amendment and plans to advocate strongly on its behalf.

Amendment critics plan also to reach out to churches and have dedicated a staffer to the effort.

The North Carolina Same-Sex Marriage Amendment will appear on the May 8, 2012 ballot in the state of North Carolina as a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment.

The measure would define marriage in the state as between one man and one woman.

Same-sex marriage is already banned in the state of North Carolina. The proposed measure, however, would add the ban to the state constitution.

North Carolina Marriage Amendment