“Asheville has the highest rate [of same-sex couples] of any city in the state at 19 per 1,000, with 737 couples,” according to a new report from The Williams Institute, reports the Asheville Citizen-Times in this article about the local significance of new Census figures. The article also addresses the political implications of this data as the State Legislature considers an anti-gay amendment to the NC Constitution:
“Lawmakers need to understand these are real people on the other end of these laws, and this new census data really illustrates what a big part of North Carolina these couples are,” said Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality.
Brent Childers, executive director of Faith in America, which works to end religious bigotry toward lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people, said population trends fit with North Carolina’s long-standing history of being more progressive.He said lawmakers who support a same-sex marriage ban might find themselves on the wrong side of the arc of history when it comes to equality.
The article also features an interview with CSE volunteer Elizabeth Eve.
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