A new poll shows decreasing support for
a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in
North Carolina.
Voters in May will decided on a
far-reaching amendment that would make it unconstitutional for North
Carolina to recognize gay and lesbian couples with marriage, civil
unions and possibly even domestic partnerships.
While 59 percent of the 615 voters
contacted by Public
Policy Polling said they favor the amendment, that's a 4 point
drop from the group's previous poll conducted last month.
Thirty-five percent said they would vote against the measure.
However, the survey only asked about
marriage; when other forms of legal recognition are included,
support for the amendment collapses.
A majority (60%) of respondents support
either giving gay couples full marriage (26%) or civil unions (34%),
a 9 point increase from last month's survey. Thirty-eight percent
say there should be no legal recognition of gay couples' unions.
“What this data reveals is when the
issue is not obscured by legislative language, North Carolinians
overwhelmingly oppose this vague, untested and overly-broad ban on
basic relationship recognitions and protections,” said
Stuart Campbell, executive director of Equality North Carolina.
“As a result, it will be our tireless goal to educate the public
[on] these very real harms. … [A] coalition effort, reaching out to
diverse North Carolina communities, will be instrumental in kicking
off this crucial discussion and campaign.”