A North Carolina Republican packed the state's General Assembly with supporters yesterday as he proposed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage:

"At issue is whether a current statute that says marriage is between a
man and a woman is enough – or if a constitutional amendment on the
matter is needed. 'Moms and dads are not interchangeable,' says state Sen. Jim Forrester, R-Gaston County. Forrester
is the lead sponsor of a proposal that would put this issue on the
ballot for North Carolina voters. Advocates from many associations
support this idea, including the North Carolina Catholic Diocese. 'Throughout
the entirety of sacred scripture, marriage is always and only
recognized as a union between a man and woman,' Bishop Peter Jugis, of
the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, said. Some say this amendment is not protection, but discrimination and that lawmakers should pass over this proposal once again. 'You know that saying what would Jesus do? I think he would be crying right now. I honestly do,' Ana McKee, of Durham, said. McKee's son is gay, and she says she doesn't want his rights limited in North Carolina. Other
opponents of the proposal advise lawmakers not to be fooled by
Tuesday's turnout – they believe the people of North Carolina don't
want this bill."