The Republican-led North Carolina legislature is convening this week to debate whether to put a constitutional ban on gay marriage on the 2012 ballot.
According to the Fayetteville Observer, the state Assembly is planning at least three sessions this week to debate the amendment, which would define marriage as between a man and a woman. It would need to pass by a three-fifths vote in both the House and the Senate — both controlled by Republicans — before going to a statewide referendum in 2012.
North Carolina already has a law banning gay marriage, though it’s the only state in the southeast without a ban written into the constitution, according to the AP.
North Carolina, which narrowly went for President Obama in 2008, could see an influx of national social conservative money in 2012 if the ballot measure makes it. “Once it gets on the ballot, it’s going to be a top priority for us,” Tom McClusky, a vice president at the Family Research Council, told the AP.
Social conservatives are already planning a rally outside the state legislature on Monday, and gay marriage supporters have announced a candlelight vigil and a rally on Tuesday in opposition to the amendment.
