A California church plans to rent a
billboard in North Carolina apologizing to gay and lesbian couples
for passage of Amendment One.
By more than 20 percentage points (61%
to 39%), North Carolina voters on May 8 approved Amendment One, which
constitutionally bars the state from recognizing gay couples with
marriage, civil unions and possibly domestic partnerships.
The San Diego-based Missiongathering
Christian Church is paying for the public apology, which will be
visible on Billy Graham Parkway near interstate 85 in Charlotte.
Graham
supported passage of the amendment.
“Missiongathering Christian Church is
sorry for the narrow-minded, judgmental, deceptive, manipulative
actions of those who DENIED rights and equality TO so many in the
Name of God,” the billboard's message will read.
The church sponsored a similar
billboard in San Diego in 2008, after California voters approved
Proposition 8, the state's gay marriage ban.
“As we began receiving emails and
phone calls thanking us being encouraged by it from all across the
country, even Canada, then we thought what if we put up the billboard
again in response to Amendment One, not in San Diego, but there in
North Carolina,” Alex Roller, a church pastor, told WSOC-TV.
The church hopes donations will pay for
more billboards around Charlotte.