RALEIGH -- Dueling groups of protesters on each side of the same-sex marriage debate gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday to give speeches, chant slogans and raise signs.
The National Organization for Marriage, a nonprofit group based in New Jersey that opposes same-sex unions, triggered the protests after acquiring a permit to gather on the south side of the Capitol. The group is near the end of a six-week bus tour of the East Coast and Midwest, leading to a national rally this weekend in Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, North Carolina supporters of same-sex marriage used Facebook and e-mail lists to encourage counteprotesters to meet in Raleigh across the street from the protest. More than 150 did, more than doubling the number of people who gathered at the Capitol.
The protest and counterprotest came as the contentious issue turned even more so in the wake of a judicial ruling in California last week that tossed aside that state's ban on same-sex marriage.
Laura Buckley, a lesbian who lives in Boone and attends Appalachian State University, traveled to Raleigh to show her support for same-sex marriage.
"I need to have the same rights as anyone else," said Buckley, who is 21 and carried a "Learn from history - separate is not equal" sign. "I'm not a second-class citizen. I don't deserve to be treated like one."
While she spoke, Buckley had her arm around another young woman, who did not want to give her name because she is not completely out of the closet. That woman wore a T-shirt that said, "I'm not gay, but my girlfriend is."
On the Capitol grounds, some wore T-shirts that read "Don't mess with marriage." One man held a sign that said "Straight rights." The president of the National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, encouraged listeners to speak with their state legislators about supporting a state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as the union of opposite-sex couples. North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast that has not passed such an amendment.
Because the legislature has not put an amendment on the ballot, Brown said, "you've been denied the ability to vote."
Ian Palmquist, with Equality NC, a gay-rights organization, said he and others wanted to show the group that there is organized opposition to its policies.
"We're here to say that North Carolinians don't support discrimination in our state constitution," he said.
As speakers took the lectern at the Capitol, protesters across the street chanted slogans, including "Get your hate out of our state." They encouraged drivers to honk their horns. At one point, at the encouragement of a minister at the microphone, those who oppose same-sex marriage turned to face their opponents and prayed for them with arms raised.
Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, told the audience that traditional marriage is deeply rooted in American society.
"Two fathers can't show a daughter how to be a good mother," he said. "The rite of natural marriage is the foundation of home life and social order and must so remain until the end of time."
The National Organization for Marriage is scheduled to rally today in Charleston, W.Va.
