Large Republican gains on November 2
are prompting new calls to outlaw gay marriage in North Carolina, the
AP reported.
A Democrat-controlled Legislature has
previously blocked Republican-backed bills to place an amendment
defining marriage as a heterosexual union in the North Carolina
Constitution. But next year's Republican takeover of both chambers
has given ban backers new hope.
“We are definitely concerned that the
new leadership is far more likely to bring up a vote,” Ian
Palmquist, executive director of Equality North Carolina, the state's
largest gay rights advocate, said.
“People are definitely looking at
North Carolina because we have been so successful at blocking an
amendment in the past.”
The new GOP majority in the Senate will
be large enough to approve placing the question on the ballot, but
Republicans will likely need the help of four Democratic members in
the General Assembly.
Other states where Republican gains
threaten gay rights include New
Hampshire and Iowa,
where lawmakers would like to reverse gay marriage laws. In
Minnesota,
Indiana and Pennsylvania, talk is centered around banning gay
marriage.