As a 45-year resident of the great Tarheel state, I have hung my head in shame over the embarrassing stories that continue to trickle out of North Carolina day after day after day, starting about 16 months ago with the passage of the egregious Amendment One, denying our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters the right to marry. Today, however, I am proud of my state for taking at least one small step away from the abyss of bigotry and discrimination that it has fallen into. The good news is below the fold.
The NC National Guard announced today that it would recognize same-sex marriages in North Carolina.
Spokesman Lt. Col. Maury A. Williams said the guard will abide by U.S. Department of Defense orders extending benefits to the same-sex spouses of uniformed service members. Williams said couples who wed in states where same-sex marriage is legal can begin applying for benefits immediately.
http://www.wral.com/...
What makes this recognition even sweeter is that I heard on NPR as I was driving around at lunchtime that the National Guards in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama have refused to extend this same recognition in those states. While I'm sorry for the backward views of those states' National Guards, I am so happy and grateful that North Carolina is finally distinguishing itself, in some small way, from the small-minded bigotry that has characterized our state in recent months.
Are we finally, finally coming back into the sunshine?