North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue
on Friday tweeted against a proposed amendment which would ban gay
marriage in the state.
“Amendment 1 is wrong: the
Constitution is for guaranteeing rights, not taking them away. We
must protect all NC families,” she messaged to her nearly 9,000
followers.
If approved on May 8, Amendment 1 would
bar the state from legalizing marriage, civil unions and possibly
domestic partnerships for gay and lesbian couples.
Perdue's tweet was prompted by news
that President Barack Obama had come out against the amendment.
“While the president does not weigh
in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear
that the president has long opposed divisive and discriminatory
efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples,” said
Cameron French, spokesman for Obama's North Carolina campaign.
“That's what the North Carolina
ballot initiative would do – it would single out and discriminate
against committed gay and lesbian couples – and that's why the
president does not support it.”
The 65-year-old Perdue added: “Kudos
to @barackobama for opposing Amendment 1 – it's poorly written &
will hurt children and families across NC.”
Earlier, Perdue, a Democrat, said she
supported the state's ban on gay marriage but added that she
would vote against the amendment “because I cannot in good
conscience look an unemployed man or woman in the eye and tell them
that this amendment is more important than finding them a job.”