CHARLOTTE, NC — A step forward for gay marriage in North Carolina. A federal judge lifted stays in two cases challenging Amendment One Wednesday. Same-sex couples say it’s a sign the ban will soon be struck down.
WCCB Charlotte caught up with one couple who has already filled out the online marriage application. They say they’ve waited more than 10 years to legally tie the knot.
“My hope is to walk out tomorrow with a marriage license. We have everything that we need. We just waiting on the judge to make a ruling. And that’s not a ‘if’. It’s a ‘when’,” said NoDa resident Joey Hewell.
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has gone on record to say he will no longer defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
More than a dozen same-sex couples have applied for marriage licenses in Charleston and Columbia. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is trying to stop the weddings. There’s a 24-hour waiting period after receiving a license, so Wilson is asking the state Supreme Court to rule before then on his request to put the licenses on hold. He says the legality of same-sex marriage in South Carolina needs to be settled first.
