Antigay Activists Push for N.C. Amendment

Anti-marriage equality activists rallied Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C. in support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state.

Though North Carolina state law forbids recognition of marriages or civil unions for same-sex couples, the state does not have a constitutional prohibition against marriage.

On Tuesday, about 3,500 anti-marriage equality protesters rallied in support of adding an amendment to the state constitution, the Raleigh News & Observerreports. A proposed amendment would need to pass the state House and Senate by a three-fifths majority in order to be placed on the 2012 ballot.

"We've been fighting for this for a long time," Rep. Mitch Gillespie, a Republican representing Burke and McDowell counties, told the News & Observer. "I fully expect it to pass this year and I expect a large bipartisan vote on it."

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