The NC Gay Marriage Amendment

Johnson Law Office
Larry W. Johnson, Attorney
P.O. Box 2222
Hickory, NC 28603
Telephone (828) 304-0600
FAX (866) 609-5669
e-mail ljohnson@ljohnsonlawoffice.com

September 12, 2011

Dear Senators and Representatives:

I have practiced law and lived in Hickory since 1999. During that time, I’ve had the opportunity to see the significant changes happen in North Carolina, and especially in the Hickory Metropolitan Area, due to the decline in manufacturing and the decimation of our local economy.

I understand that representing the many and varied interests in our State is difficult, and a balance must be achieved between addressing those interests that have significant financial and economic impact and those that make a constituent base happy. There are times, though, that addressing the real issues that impact the most people has to take precedence over special interests.

The Amendment to the North Carolina Constitution to ban gay marriage is completely unnecessary, and serves only to create more divisiveness at a time when we should be banding together to try to rebuild our economy and our country. Rather than enhance the quality of life in North Carolina, it will serve only to confirm that in North Carolina a group of citizens qualify as “second class.”

I would much rather see my elected officials working to rebuild our economy and create jobs to put our citizens back to work than to waste the vast resources required to address a constitutional amendment into play merely to satisfy religious conservatives. We have statutes on the books that preclude marriage between other than one man and one woman. As an attorney practicing family law, I can assure you that nothing other than a traditional marriage is given any credibility. This is most obvious when one is trying to either dissolve a marriage or civil union from another state or, alternatively, to administer an estate of someone who was in a same-sex relationship. We don’t need a constitutional amendment, the statutes in place already deal with the situation.

This proposed legislation, in all of the iterations floating out there, does nothing to support traditional marriage and only creates confusion. There is significant concern that private companies who offer domestic partner benefits – regardless of the gender of those partners – will withdraw those benefits at a time when they are most needed.

One example is the fact that many, if not all, public hospitals offer domestic partner benefits. As quasi-state agencies, they may not be able to continue to offer these benefits. How many qualified doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers will decide not to come to North Carolina because there are other states without these restrictions? What about University Professors, Municipal administrators, or even those associated with governmentally funded research, such as at the Research Triangle Park.

Is that really what North Carolina needs right now? It would seem more that this is a self-inflicted wound that may fester and further weaken our state’s economy.

I understand that there is a significant conservative voter base that is being appeased by the promotion of this legislation. Please remember, however, that there are a significant number of us who do not align with the ultra-conservative movement and propose instead a middle road of negotiation and compromise. We will also be the ones who turn out to vote in future elections, and will be looking closely at the prior actions of our elected officials.

I urge you to vote against any Constitutional Amendment that would further define marriage in the State of North Carolina. It is unnecessary and does nothing to serve the citizens of this state while at the same time creating the possibility for significant potential harm.

Sincerely,
Larry W. Johnson