RALEIGH (AP) — The North Carolina House has agreed to let voters decide next May whether to add a provision to the state constitution to make clear marriage is between one man and one woman.
The House voted 75-42 on Monday in favor of a measure that would make marriage the only domestic legal union recognized in this state. An amendment needed to receive 72 votes. The proposal now goes to the Senate for consideration.
State law in North Carolina already defines marriage as between one man and one woman, but supporters argue the prohibition needs to be stronger to protect it against legal challenges from same-sex married couples licensed in a handful of states.
Opponents critical of the bill in the three-hour debate called the proposal discriminatory.