North Carolina Voters Enshrine Bigotry and Prejudice and Hatred in Their State Constitution

A Sorry Action for a State That Helped Lead the Fight Against Racial Injustice and Segregation

The civil rights movement of the 1960’s is largely known today for the courageous actions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his fellow compatriots and the people of Alabama, Mississippi and other deep south states where men and women took courageous, sometimes life threatening action to end racial prejudice.  But part of the fight took place in North Carolina, and the sit-ins in Greensboro in the early 1960’s set a pattern for non-violent protests.  North Carolina can be proud of its role in bring in an era of greater equality for the nation.

So it is particularly sad that the voters of the Tar Heel state approved an amendment to the state Constitution which takes the bigotry and hatred of people who regard men and women who lives their life in a way that they do not approve of and codifies it.  The amendment to the North Carolina state constitution doesn’t just ban same sex marriage, it says that the state will only recognize a relationship that is marriage between a man and a woman.  Any couple that lives together, regardless of gender is considered inferior in the state.

The basic concept of freedom is that anyone in America can live their life as they see fit, and believe whatever he or she wants to believe.  But Conservatives are not satisfied with this, they believe that government can be used to force their views on others.  And they frequently wrap this view in the concept of moral superiority, when in fact promoting intolerance is the exact opposite of moral superiority.

The situation in North Carolina will be reversed.  No, not next year, but eventually.  The nation is moving in the direction of greater, not less tolerance and at some time in the future the voters in North Carolina will amend their state constitution to allow anybody to lead their life the way they choose to, and not be forced to live a life that conforms to someone else's idea of what is morally right.