BREAKING: North Carolina House Votes To Override Governor's Veto On Magistrates Same-Sex Marriage Refusal Bill

The override passed by a mere three votes.

UPDATE: From the Campaign For Southern Equality.

"Senate Bill 2 is unconstitutional, and will undoubtedly be challenged in court. This bill, which will now become law, is discriminatory and treats gay and lesbian couples as second class citizens. We are more determined than ever to achieve full equality for LGBT people in North Carolina and to ensure that LGBT youth know that they are not alone,” says Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality. "This law is nothing more than state sanctioned discrimination. It is a terribly misguided attempt to rewrite what equal protection under the law means. Equality and fairness are not principles that are decided on a case-by-case basis, dependent upon who happens to be working the counter on a particular day. Neither the United States Constitution nor the North Carolina Constitution permit any such thing. It is terribly unfortunate that this many elected officials don’t understand that,” says Jake Sussman 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.

NORTH CAROLINA: Still No House Vote To Override Veto Of Marriage Refusal Bill

UPDATE: Just in from Brian Brown:

As you may have heard, last week the North Carolina Senate overrode Governor Pat McCrory's incredibly uninformed veto of critically important legislation to protect marriage and religious liberty. That was a great victory, but we are not done yet because now the House in North Carolina also needs to override McCrory's veto. Please click here to take action today to urge legislators to vote to override the veto of this legislation. Senate Bill 2 was originally passed with overwhelming support in both houses of the state legislature. It protects clerks, magistrates and registers of deeds who have deeply-held religious objections from personally having to participate in same-sex 'marriage' ceremonies. Without this legislation, government officials would be put in the terrible position of having to choose between keeping their job or being true to their religious convictions. Nobody should be forced to participate in a same-sex 'wedding' in violation of their deeply held beliefs. Please act immediately to defend marriage and uphold religious liberty by urging the North Carolina House to override Governor McCrory's veto of Senate Bill 2.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap: "An NBC station in Tennessee is refusing to broadcast footage of a gay soldier who wants to get married. The governor of North Carolina vetoed a bill that would let state officials turn gay couples away from marriage counters -- but the bill's not dead yet. And Alabama is actually going through with a threat to stop issuing marriage licenses state-wide -- but that might not have the effect they want."

BREAKING: NC Gov. Pat McCrory To Veto Magistrates Marriage Refusal Bill

"I recognize that for many North Carolinians, including myself, opinions on same-sex marriage come from sincerely held religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman. However, we are a nation and a state of laws. Whether it is the president, governor, mayor, a law enforcement officer, or magistrate, no public official who voluntarily swears to support and defend the Constitution and to discharge all duties of their office should be exempt from upholding that oath; therefore, I will veto Senate Bill 2." - North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, via press release. Now we wait for an override attempt.

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.

NORTH CAROLINA: GOP Governor Blasts Pending RFRA Bill, "Makes No Sense"

Via the Charlotte Observer:

Republican Gov. Pat McCrory on Monday called a GOP proposal to redistribute sales tax revenues “class warfare” that would raise taxes on “millions of people in North Carolina.” And the governor said another Republican bill designed to protect religious freedom “makes no sense.” “What is the problem they’re trying to solve?” McCrory said during a radio interview. “I haven’t seen it at this point in time.” McCrory’s comments on WFAE’s Mike Collins Show again put him at odds with General Assembly Republicans. McCrory compared the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” whose sponsors include two Charlotte lawmakers, to the effort to allow transgendered persons to use the bathroom of their choice. Both are not needed, he said. McCrory also said he opposes a Senate-passed bill to give magistrates the right not to perform same-sex marriages if they say that violates their religious beliefs. “I don’t think you should have an exemption when you took an oath to uphold the constitution of North Carolina,” he said.

McCrory doesn't want to be another Mike Pence.

UPDATE: Equality North Carolina reacts.

Chris Sgro, exec. dir. of Equality NC, responded to the governor's comments by calling on North Carolinians to hold their electeds accountable and encourage more state leaders to vote against any and all legislation that would codify discrimination.

"It is heartening to see that our state's leaders are finally listening to the deafening calls from LGBT advocates, business leaders, faith communities, and North Carolina constituents, from Murphy to Manteo, all in opposition to this type of dangerous and discriminatory legislation." Sgro added, "These religious refusal bills are in no way similar to Charlotte's or any other state or local non-discrimination ordinance. Rather, RFRA essentially allows individuals to use their religious beliefs to harm others, paving the way for challenges to virtually any law designed to protect all of us from various forms of discrimination, in Charlotte and beyond.Therefore, Equality NC and our allies will do everything we can to make sure they never become law, from the committee rooms of our state legislature all the way to the governor's desk at the state capitol."

Equality NC is asking all North Carolinians to encourage their legislators to vote against this latest discriminatory RFRA legislation, as well as contact the governor to encourage him to stand by his comments, and veto any RFRA legislation that passes his desk. "Right now, we must not only protect the LGBT community but also North Carolina’s reputation as a place welcoming to all," said Sgro.

NORTH CAROLINA: Federal Court Stays Marriage Until SCOTUS Rules On Virginia

Yesterday a federal court stayed any further action on North Carolina's same-sex marriage battle until SCOTUS rules on Virginia's Bostic case. According to the order, should SCOTUS decline to hear Virginia's case, the stay will be lifted. Also yesterday AFER followed Virginia AG Mark Herring and the Alliance Defending Freedom in asking SCOTUS to hear Bostic.

The North Carolina ruling is here.

RELATED: Yesterday activists delivered 12,000 petition signatures to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, asking him to stop defending his state's ban. McCrory is unswayed:

"We're going to let the process work. During that process we ought to have a stay to allow the current law to remain in place, but this is going to the Supreme Court for all the states," said McCrory. State Attorney General Roy Cooper said he'd no longer support the ban in court after the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Virginia's ban unconstitutional. Republican legislative leaders have indicated they may retain outside counsel to represent the state in the existing lawsuits. McCrory said if a court rules the ban unconstitutional, he wants a legal stay put in place pending a final decision. "We should have stay to allow us to implement our current laws up until the Supreme Court decides this."

From Today's Charlotte Observer

Back story.

UPDATE: As I reported last night, Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon has reached out to fired grocery worker Drew Swope with an offer to help him find a new job. The Winston-Salem Journal has more today.

“To lose a job is nothing that someone wants to do,” Cannon said. “I felt that I would do what I could to help him along the way, if I could make something happen. I have a few leads for him to help him continue being a contributing citizen of Charlotte.” Cannon said he didn’t want to jump in the middle of the controversy and said he hasn’t spoken to McCrory about the incident. He said he was only trying to help one of his constituents. The story has attracted interest from media such as the U.S. edition of the British newspaper the Guardian, as well as the left-leaning cable network MSNBC. Cannon said Tuesday, “We all should have an interest in creating jobs and not eliminating them.”

UPDATE II: Perhaps inevitably, Swope's comment to Gov. McCrory is now available on a t-shirt.

NORTH CAROLINA: Charlotte Mayor Asks Fired Grocery Worker For His Resume

Drew Swope, the North Carolina grocery store worker who was fired this weekend after GOP Gov. Pat McCrory tattled on him for making a rude comment, has been asked for his resume by Democratic Charlotte Mayor Pat Cannon. From Swope's Facebook page: "The mayor of Charlotte, Pat Cannon, just called me and asked me to send him my resume and he'll see if he can help me find a position. This man is my hero. Thanks Mr. Cannon!"

But there's much more to the story. Swope, it was learned today, is openly gay and he believes McCrory's anger at him was spurred, in part, by a "swishy move" that Swope made after telling McCrory, "Thanks for nothing." Via Talking Points Memo:

"When he started yelling at me, it was a sudden turn because I made sort of a swishy move," Swope said. "I’ve been discriminated against a lot, and I can see that moment when someone just suddenly goes ballistic because of this other thing, not what you said or did." He acknowledged that he "can’t get inside [McCrory's] mind," but is certain that homophobia was at work. "I don’t know what he was thinking, but I’ll tell you from man to man: He was hating on me for being a fag," Swope said. McCrory's office did not immediately respond to TPM's request for comment, but a spokesman told the Charlotte News & Observer that the governor never raised his voice. The spokesman also said that Swope flashed an obscene gesture, an accusation that Swope emphatically denied.

TPM notes that Swope has called McCrory a "fag" several times on his Facebook page since the firing. Swope also writes, "And please don't kick anyone in the nuts. Especially the governor who has none." That comment comes because when the press became critical of McCrory's tattling, his staff delved into Swope's social media history and uncovered a January post in which he suggested that somebody kick McCrory in the groin.

RELATED:  In 2012, McCrory supported North Carolina's Amendment One, which placed a ban on same-sex marriage into the state constitution. While Charlotte mayor, McCrory threatened to cut city funding for the arts over a staging of the Pulitzer Prize-winning AIDS-themed play, Angels In America. While governor, McCrory repealed North Carolina's Racial Justice Act, which permitted death row inmates to challenge their sentences on the basis of racial discrimination. He also signed bills that require photo IDs from voters and reduce the number of early voting days. Last year McCrory taunted abortion rights protesters by bringing them a plate of cookies after signing a bill which restricts abortion access.

NC Gov. Pat McCrory Tattles On Rude Store Employee, Has Him Fired

A North Carolina food store employee was fired on Sunday after GOP Gov. Pat McCrory tattled on him for making a rude comment.

On Sunday afternoon, McCrory was shopping at Reid’s Fine Foods when Drew Swope, a 45-year-old cook, said he asked if he could help McCrory. After realizing he was speaking with the governor, whom he disagrees with politically, Swope said he told McCrory, “Thanks for nothing,” and walked away. Swope said the governor was upset at his comment and began “yelling” at him. He said McCrory said he was a customer and shouldn’t be treated that way. He said the governor and his security team complained to the food store owner, who then fired him. Swope said he doesn’t blame Reid’s for letting him go, saying, “I did speak out of turn.” But he added he thought it was “shocking” that the governor “had me excluded from the workplace because I upset his feelings.”

McCrory's office initially refused to comment on the incident, but when the local press continued to inquire, aides to McCrory dug up a month-old Facebook comment from the fired man in which he suggested that somebody should kick McCrory in the groin. The store's owner says the firing had nothing to do with McCrory being governor. (Tipped by JMG reader Jimmy)