NORTH CAROLINA: Magistrates Refusal Bill Passes House In 66-44 Vote

The Campaign For Southern Equality reacts:

"It is shameful that this bill has passed our legislature. It is nothing more than state sanctioned discrimination and a naked attempt to make a political statement without much care for how it hurts and demeans others. To be certain, if this bill becomes law, it will invite a new round of court challenges. Ultimately, like Amendment 1, this law will fail,” says Luke Largess of Charlotte-based Tin Fulton Walker & Owen and lead counsel in General Synod of the UCC v. Reisinger, the lawsuit that struck down Amendment One last October.

“This discriminatory bill treats gay and lesbian couples as second-class citizens and distorts the true meaning of religious freedom. We urge Governor McCrory to veto this discriminatory bill. We have the freedom to practice religion in our place of worship and to hold private beliefs. But as Americans, we’ve agreed that we will be governed by the principles of equality and fairness in our public and civic life. Senate Bill 2 is discriminatory and rooted in animus - it must not become law,” says Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality.

Equality North Carolina is urging citizens to contact Gov. McCrory.

From The North Carolina GOP

Matt Comer writes at Q Notes:

The North Carolina Republican Party has put their official stamp of approval on an anti-LGBT mailer sent to voters in and around Fayetteville, N.C., just days before the general election. The mailers decry the “Homosexual Agenda” and accuse LGBT groups of seeking “special rights for homosexuals.” The GOP’s mailer target Democratic state Senate candidate Billy Richardson, who is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Wesley Meredith (Cumberland). In the mailer, state Republicans say Richardson “doesn’t have a moral compass” and points out his support for LGBT marriage equality. They also single out Richardson’s endorsement from “activist pro-gay groups like Equality NC Action Fund that support special rights for homosexuals,” the mailer reads, complete with an image of a campaign button emblazoned with Equality NC’s logo.

Embiggen the above image for the message.