Raleigh, North Carolina's 8-member City
Council on Tuesday voted in favor of a resolution objecting to a
proposed constitutional amendment that would bar all legal
recognition of gay and lesbian couples, including marriage, civil
unions and possibly domestic partnerships.
The measure, which cleared the chamber
with a 6-2 vote, was recommended by the city's Human Relations
Commission.
“It shows that Raleigh is a
progressive city and that it wants to enhance its citizenry, protect
its citizenry and include everybody,” Chris Moutos, the chairman of
the Human Relations Commission, told ABC
News 11.
Charles Meeker, who stepped down as
mayor on Monday after 10 years on the job, had previously called on
the City Council to approve the measure.
“This kind of effort to divide our
community for political purposes is just wrong,” Meeker said of the
amendment during a Unity Day forum at the Raleigh Convention Center.
John Odom, the lone Republican on the
City Council, said he supported the amendment.
“I do want to defend my marriage of
40 years,” said Odom. “I think marriage is between a man and a
woman and I will stick with that. As we go along in life and start
changing the definition of words, we get in trouble.”
Voters will decide the issue during the
state's primaries in May.