President Bill Clinton has joined the campaign against North Carolina’s Amendment 1, a measure which would prohibit same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in the state constitution. In a recorded robo call released on Saturday, Clinton says:
Hello, this is President Bill Clinton. I’m calling to urge you to vote against Amendment One on Tuesday May 8. If it passes, it won’t change North Carolina’s law on marriage. What it will change is North Carolina’s ability to keep good businesses, attract new jobs, and attract and keep talented entrepreneurs. If it passes, your ability to keep those businesses, get those jobs, and get those talented entrepreneurs will be weakened. And losing even one job to Amendment One is too big of a risk. Its passage will also take away health insurance from children and could even take away domestic violence protections from women. So the real effect of the law is not to keep the traditional definition of marriage, you’ve already done that. The real effect of the law will be to hurt families and drive away jobs. North Carolina can do better. Again, this is Bill Clinton asking you to please vote against Amendment One. Thanks.
Listen:
Clinton first came out in favor of marriage equality during a Campus Progress Conference in July of 2009, saying that he thought it is “wrong for someone to stop someone else” from marrying. “I personally support people doing what they want to do,” he explained, adding that “all these states that do it should do it.” In May of 2011, Clinton endorsed marriage equality in New York.
Clinton’s daughter Chelsea is also taking part in the North Carolina campaign.
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