Many of you who voted against Amendment One are rightfully upset of the outcome. As we all know, democracy has its winners and its losers; we can't all get what we want.

However, the beauty of living in a democracy is that nothing is ever set in stone. Citizens have an outstanding ability to make fundamental changes in policy. In other words, to all of you disappointed North Carolinians, you have an opportunity to organize, energize, and educate the public about the issue that you are so passionate about.

I'm not devoting this post to discuss Amendment One. What I am going to do is discuss how those disappointed in its outcome are disappointing me by not taking pride in being a Tar Heel.

When I flipped through my news feed on Facebook after the election results, I read countless status updates from North Carolinians that I found disgraceful. I want to just share a few of those:

"I have never been ashamed of the state I call home until today."

"NC is making my personal conflict about staying here or moving North after I have finished school much easier."

"I'm sad to say that I'm ashamed of where I'm from, where I am."

"Can't wait to move out of North Carolina. Such close minded rednecks"

"Well, at least I'm moving back to a free state next year. If I were a North Carolinian, I would be embarrassed."

I'm proud to be from North Carolina no matter what. I've never been to another state where I feel so much of an attachment to the people, places, and things like I do in North Carolina. Where else can you drive on a country road and the driver in the opposite lane waves even though you're a complete stranger? Where else can you enjoy the mountains, cities, and beaches? Where else can you eat barbeque (a noun, not a verb) and wash it down with sweet tea or, better yet, Cheerwine?

There's no question why so many people are moving to the Old North State and why so many people want to stay here.

But to those who posted statuses like the ones above, think about this before you make the misguided decision to leave or criticize your home state:

The term "Tar Heel state" is derived from the Civil War. North Carolina troops outnumbered those of other Confederate states in terms of enlistment and deaths. Although we reluctantly decided to fight for the Confederate cause, we did so at a high price.

The North Carolina troops were resilient in battle. Despite being outnumbered by Union forces, the North Carolina troops held their ground as if they had tar on their heels. In response, General Robert E. Lee proclaimed, "God bless the Tar Heel boys."

True Tar Heels never give up. They never stop fighting.

This is the message that the opposition to Amendment One need to utilize. Despite losing and despite being outnumbered, never quit and never run away from your beliefs.

If you love North Carolina, fight for it. Prove how much you love it.

I travel a lot across the state. The only counties that I noticed any significant opposition to Amendment One was in major counties (i.e. Wake, Durham, Orange, Forsyth, etc.). If the opposition wanted to win, believed strongly in the cause, they should have worked harder and reached out to other areas. They should have had a grassroots movement in all 100 counties educating the voters on the impact of Amendment One. They failed to do so.

In Stokes County, a very social conservative area, I saw one "Vote No" sign. Why? I guess it's because the opposition didn't take the time to campaign in Stokes County. They didn't feel it was worth their time or effort campaigning in a county they thought was a place for "close minded rednecks." You know what happens when you ass-u-me.

Every voter is important in an election.

The opposition relied too much on college students in the state when they should have expanded their reach. They should have reached out to voters in places like Stokes County.

Here's a couple more status posts I saw:

"If you voted for it (Amendment One), you should be ashamed of yourself"

"Death to my hometown."

Everyone has their opinions on same sex marriage. No one necessarily has a right or wrong answer. To some, preserving traditional marriage is important to them. They have strong convictions that span across religions. There's nothing wrong with that. On the other side, there are those that want equal rights and don't care if two males or two females marry as long as they're happy. There's nothing wrong with that.

What is wrong is for the two sides to openly criticize the character and morals of individuals of the opposing viewpoint. That's not what we do in America. We all have conflicting opinions; that's what makes America the great melting pot. But we don't openly criticize individuals based on their convictions just because we don't see eye to eye.  

I hope by reading these Facebook posts, you can understand my frustration. 

Some on my news feed did have respectful comments to make about Amendment One's ratification. Although they were disappointed in the outcome, they didn't go to the extremes like the above did. Some used rational reasoning and some began posting about repealing Amendment One. More power to them.  

In a democracy like ours, time causes opinions to change. Just look at the Edenton Tea Party in 1774. As one of the first organized women's political actions, fifty-one women stood in opposition to "taxation without representation" after decades supporting the British crown. Despite the social setback of being a minority in the 18th century, women organized and fought for a cause they felt was right; a cause bigger than self.

Tar Heels fight for the causes they believe in.

To the opposition of Amendment One, if you believe in your cause, you will fight for it. To the supporters of Amendment One, you will fight to preserve it. To both sides, be open-minded and listen to your neighbors' opinions.

I'm unequivocally proud to be a Tar Heel. You should be, too.

I thought I would share this blog written by my friend, Marc Seelinger. Amendment One is the major issue on campus right now. I agree with Marc that it is completely wrong to use state materials to publicly oppose Amendment One:
It’s a well-known fact that the university and university departments aren’t supposed to take public stances on candidates for office or ballot initiatives. Indeed, NC General Statue 126-13 expressly forbids a state employee from “us[ing] the authority of his position, or utiliz[ing] State funds, supplies or vehicles to secure support for or oppose any candidate, party, or issue in an election involving candidates for office or party nominations, or affect the results thereof.” UNC policy also prohibits employees from using the “authority and prestige of position” to affect the outcome of partisan elections.

All of this casts the use of the Campus Y Facebook account and their official university website (photos above) in an interesting light. TheCampus Y, you’ll recall, is “under the Carolina Union umbrella,” which is, in turn, a department under the Division of Student Affairs. So, this raises an interesting question: Is the Campus Y, an official department of the University, breaking the law by endorsing the opposition position on Amendment One? I think the answer is clearly “yes.” They are using the “authority and prestige” of their position to endorse a partisan issue. Additionally, the use of the official university website clearly violates the prohibition against using State funds and supplies in partisan elections.

Simply put, this action is in clear violation of the law. It is absolutely shameful that UNC feels that it can simply ignore the law in order to make a political point.Not only does this action reflect poorly on the University, it also reflects poorly on the anti-Amendment campaign, which apparently will resort to any means necessary to win.

-Marc Seelinger

 
When I was in Student Congress, one of the items I did not fund was t-shirts for organizations and events. Funding t-shirts seem to be one of the biggest pieces of waste in Student Government spending. If you look at the 93rd Session of Student Congress, we spent about $4,000 for "rape-free zone" t-shirts to hand out to students for "free." It was such a great message to convey to students: today, UNC is a rape-free zone; every other day, it's your problem. 

Here's why I hate t-shirts: there's one for everything. You ran a 5K. Congratulations! Have a t-shirt. You want to find out about why you should vote against Amendment One. Great! Have a t-shirt (even if you support the amendment). You've never raped anybody? Fantastic! Have a t-shirt. It's utterly ridiculous. 

Students don't do things for the common good anymore, they expect something for their efforts. I'm sure if you were to do a study of participation in student-sponsored charity events, no one would participate unless a t-shirt or something "free" was involved. Why should I waste my time for charity for no reward when I could be at Kildaire's enjoying $2 drafts?

Do you know which group of people in American society do so much work for the common good, yet receive little recognition for it? The brave men and women of the armed forces. They risk their lives to protect our freedoms. Without them, we wouldn't be able to debate whether or not to add a same-sex marriage amendment to the state constitution because we wouldn't have the freedom to vote and voice our opinions. And what do they ask for in return? Nothing.

The Amendment One protesters really have my blood pressure skyrocketing, too. I have not chosen a side in this fight yet. One way student canvassers can forget my vote is to see them getting free t-shirts, professional photo shoots, free food, and a spot to put on their resume saying they "contributed to society" (even though they're really preaching to the choir in Chapel Hill). At the same time, they're closing the dialogue, not opening it. 

Just today I read an editorial that urged students not to attend a Christian meeting on campus because the organizers are asking attendees to support the amendment. Who are the close minded ones now? I'm glad your parents are paying thousands of dollars to send you to school only to learn how to convey one viewpoint instead of reaching out and hearing both sides. 

In addition, the protesters on campus are painting those who do support Amendment One as "hatemongers," "bigots," "homophobic," and "backward" when really they're none of these. When protesters of the amendment came to Student Congress asking us to make a resolution on their behalf, they urged members to not "spread hate" and to consider how we wanted "history to view us." Who again are the hatemongers? Some do have conflicting viewpoints. Why must you argue that they are on the wrong side of history when it is their core conviction to support the amendment? 

Supporters of the amendment simply want to preserve the traditional family. Why can't we simply have an intelligent discussion so both sides can be heard? I know one thing; the supporters of Amendment One will never have the voice it needs in Chapel Hill. It's really a shame. The town that is supposed to be so inclusive excludes open, active dialogue.  

So let's stop demanding t-shirts and let's have real open dialogue on campus.