North Carolina students divided on same-sex marriage amendment

North Carolina residents will soon vote on whether the state should define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Same-sex marriage is already illegal in North Carolina, but the amendment would make the ban an official part of the state constitution. The amendment would also ban civil unions and domestic partnerships.

As written, the amendment will read as follows on the ballot: “Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.”

The amendment, which will be voted on on May 8, would affect North Carolina Constitution Article 14 and would be added as a sixth section to the article.

Opinions are divided among North Carolina college students, who make up a large portion of the vote.

Jeff DeLuca, a senior political science major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is one of the co-founders of the UNC Coalition against Amendment One and says that students should care about the vote because it could affect their futures.

“I got involved with the campaign because I want North Carolina to remain the only state in the South without an anti-family Constitutional Amendment,” DeLuca says.

“If we win here, I want it to send a message to students across the country that we can win anywhere, because the next generation can get beyond petty divisions and take control of our futures.”

Other students like Chase McDonough, a junior English and business double major at UNC-Chapel Hill, said that the proposed amendment will protect marriage and traditional families.

“Fundamentally, protecting children is why the state has a political interest in marriage, and laws supporting same-sex marriage undermine marriage’s ability to protect children by protecting the link between child birth and child rearing,” McDonough says.

“In the larger context, this battle for same-sex marriages and civil unions is going to be a prominent one going forward, and it is important that defenders of marriage take a stance that states like North Carolina still stand firm against falsely labeled advocates of ‘equality.’”

Advocates of the amendment include state Reps. Paul Stam, Larry Brown and Mitch Gillespie. Those against the proposed amendment include President Barack Obama, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue and Sen. Kay Hagan, as well as various other state representatives.

The debate over same-sex marriage isn’t just relevant to this amendment or to North Carolina residents -- state marriage legislation can affect where students choose to live after graduation and affects their personal lives and plans. No matter where in the nation you live, same-sex marriage is an issue about which all college students should be informed.

If you’re a North Carolina resident, be sure to vote in the primary on May 8. If you’re not a North Carolina resident, you should familiarize yourself with your state’s legislation and find out when the next time you can vote is. Whatever your stance on the issue, your voice needs to be heard -- it can shape the future of your state and of America.

“We can build the society we want right now with our own hearts and minds,” says DeLuca.

Meghan DeMaria is a Spring 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about her here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.