Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Well, it passed (update on the effects)

North Carolina's vicious anti-gay amendment passed robustly, not only banning the already illegal marriage between gay people, but also civil unions.  How many gay couples will wake up to find they no longer have any health care for their partners or their children?  Indeed, at least one county commissioner is already moving to eliminate health benefits for gay couples.

The polls suggested that the majority of North Carolinians actually support civil unions.  I wonder how those people will feel this morning, when they realize what they actually have done?

And as Jeremy Hooper says, the naked vitriol of the proponents of this amendment was out there in full force.  They didn't even try to hide their disdain.
It's simply undeniable: a campaign driven by truly chilling ideas regarding both LGBT people and church/state separation beat us—and beat us by flat-out admitting those goals, views, and plans!

As this letter to North Carolina says, the damage they have done is not limited to gay people. It encompasses all our friends and family, and the friends of justice too.  North Carolina has rent the fabric of its own community.
Now, every interaction is tinged with doubt: did this person vote against me? Does this person hate my son?  
Workplaces will be on edge. Civic interactions will suffer. Churches will be split. There will be deep, deep hurt.
And speaking as a Californian, I will tell you, that damage doesn't heal easily.  It hasn't healed yet.

Meanwhile in Colorado, a bill on civil unions that was sure to pass was fillibustered and they cancelled the session (and all remaining bills) in order to prevent a vote on it.

When Prop8 came up in California, NOM and their friends assured us it was the word "marriage" that they objected to (and, the word was all they got--DP benefits remain robust in CA).  But these recent campaigns have thrown off that fig leaf.  It's not about marriage.  It never was.

It's about purposefully disadvantaging gay couples, driving us from the civil sphere, and deliberately hurting us, our families, and our children.   And if that's not hate....

Update: from  Dr Primrose in the comments (Primrose is a lawyer)
It's actually even more evil than you say. It not only bans same-sex marriage but also civil unions and domestic partnerships. It arguably makes it illegal to extend domestic benefits to non-married partners in the private sector and almost certainly does so in the public sector.

The only exclusion is for "contracts." Many of the methods that same-sex couples have used to protect themselves -- wills, trusts, deeds, and power of attorneys for medical care -- are not contracts. Does this now mean these legal documents are now invalid for same-sex couples?

Same-sex couples in North Carolina are now totally scewed. But this can have signficant effects on non-North Carolina same-sex couples, particularly in the health-care area. Any member of a same sex-couple should think very seriously about entering the state -- if you have designated your partner to take care of you if you become incapacitiated by any document other than a "contract," that designation very well may not be enforceable. If something happens to your partner while in the state, not only may you not be able to make health care decisions for him or her, you probably won't be allowed anywhere near your partner.


7 comments:

dr.primrose said...

It's actually even more evil than you say. It not only bans same-sex marriage but also civil unions and domestic partnerships. It arguably makes it illegal to extend domestic benefits to non-married partners in the private sector and almost certainly does so in the public sector.

The only exclusion is for "contracts." Many of the methods that same-sex couples have used to protect themselves -- wills, trusts, deeds, and power of attorneys for medical care -- are not contracts. Does this now mean these legal documents are now invalid for same-sex couples?

Same-sex couples in North Carolina are now totally scewed. But this can have signficant effects on non-North Carolina same-sex couples, particularly in the health-care area. Any member of a same sex-couple should think very seriously about entering the state -- if you have designated your partner to take care of you if you become incapacitiated by any document other than a "contract," that designation very well may not be enforceable. If something happens to your partner while in the state, not only may you not be able to make health care decisions for him or her, you probably won't be allowed anywhere near your partner.

JCF said...

EVOLUTION HAPPENED!!!

Obama supports same-sex marriage!


Thank you, Mr President!

JCF said...

Jakers who can: OPEN YOUR WALLETS for Obama. He will NEED it, versus the wingnuts and SuperPACS.

JCF said...

Jakers who can: OPEN YOUR WALLETS for Obama. He will NEED it, versus the wingnuts and SuperPACS.

JCF said...

Sorry for double post (I'm excited, can'tca tell? ;-p)

Counterlight said...

I expect that the large North Carolina diaspora here in New York will get larger.

Chelliah Laity said...

Is the Tea Party behind this?