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II: Civic Participation and Equality <br />-S <br />~ Marriage and Family <br />The 2000 census identified more than 16,000 same-sex couples in NC, including at least one male and one <br />female couple in every county. These numbers are thought to be a substantial undercount, as many same-sex <br />couples do not wish to self-identify to a government that discriminates against them. These couples are denied <br />equal protection under the law under the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOHA). Because same-sex <br />couples are denied access to civil marriage in NC, they are unable to access hundreds of state rights and <br />benefits and more than 1100 federal rights and benefits. <br />These policies are especially hard on lesbian families, due to the income disparity between men and women. <br />When family emergencies arise, these families don't have the same rights and resources to help them cope as <br />heterosexual families. Although more than one third of lesbian couples are raising children, NC does not allow <br />the same-sex partner of a legal parent to adopt their partner's children as a second parent. Children of gay and <br />lesbian parents can be denied access to their second parent's health insurance and other benefits, potentially <br />burdening the state with additional uninsured minors. Laws governing adoption, artificial insemination, and <br />family planning should not discriminate against lesbian, bisexual, transgender women, same-sex couples, or <br />single heterosexual women to ensure that all children have the opportunity to grow up in a loving family. <br />Recently, conservative legislators have attempted to write discrimination into the state and federal <br />constitutions by amending them to deny same-sex couples access to marriage or any similar form of <br />relationship recognition. If legislators are allowed to use the constitutions to address hot-button social issues <br />such as same-sex marriage, surely amendments seeking to limit a woman's right to choose or to end <br />affirmative action cannot be far behind. The state and federal constitutions should be used to protect rights, not <br />diminish them. <br />RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION... <br />General Assembly should oppose any efforts to use the state or federal constitution to diminish the rights . <br />of any group of people, including denying recognition of marriage or similar relationships to same-sex <br />couples: <br />Local governments should adopt policies extending equal benefits to domestic partners of their employees. <br />~' <br />2006-2007 Women's D~~aftAgenda 11 <br />