Greensboro, North Carolina's 9-member
City Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution opposing a
proposed constitutional amendment which would ban gay marriage in the
state, local Fox affiliate MyFox8.com
reported.
Voters will decide on the measure
during North Carolina's presidential primary in May.
If approved, the amendment would bar
North Carolina from recognizing the relationships of gay and lesbian
couples with marriage, civil unions and possibly domestic
partnerships.
Mayor Robbie Perkins, the council's 9th
member, called the amendment a “distraction.”
The mayor said he was concerned that
the amendment would prevent the city from extending benefits to the
partners of city workers who are gay. Greensboro currently offers
health insurance and other benefits to those partners.
“We need to focus on jobs and the
economy and our budgets,” said Councilman Zack Matheny, “and
amending the constitution on this regard quite frankly has been a
waste of time.”
Perkins added that he believes the
council will approve the resolution, which would make Greensboro the
third city behind Raleigh and Chapel Hill to approve such a measure.