DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on Passage of Amendment One in North Carolina

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement today on the passage of Amendment One in North Carolina:

    “The passage of Amendment One in North Carolina is very disappointing. It unfairly singles out gay and lesbian Americans and is discriminatory. I’m proud that President Obama opposed Amendment One, as he has long believed that gay and lesbian couples deserve the same rights and legal protections that straight couples already enjoy.

    “While the passage of tonight’s amendment is disappointing, it does not erase the incredible progress that gay and lesbian couples have made under the President’s leadership. From putting an end to the legal defense of the Defense of Marriage Act in the courts and endorsing legislation to repeal it, to making sure that same-sex couples have equal hospital visitation and medical decision-making rights and extending key benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees, we have taken great strides forward.

    "The choice is clear. The President has fought on behalf of LGBT Americans while Mitt Romney has supported inequality and discrimination. Romney has said we should write discrimination and inequality into the Constitution, and he has funded efforts in states that have adopted marriage equality to roll back these rights. On this and so many other issues, Romney, like Amendment One, would take us in the wrong direction.”