South Carolina

STATUS: Anti-relationship recognition constitutional amendment

TAKE ACTION: State advocacy groups are working toward fairness for all of South Carolina's families by overturning a constitutional amendment that prohibits relationship recognition for same-sex couples in the state.

HISTORY: In 2006, anti-gay forces in South Carolina pushed through Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment that excludes same-sex couples from marriage and prohibits same-sex couples from attaining any form of legal family status.

GROUPS ACTIVELY WORKING ON MARRIAGE:

South Carolina Equality Coalition is a statewide coalition of fair-minded individuals, religious groups, and social justice organizations working to secure civil and human rights for all citizens of South Carolina, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Alliance for Full Acceptance is a social justice organization achieving equality and acceptance for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage for same-sex couples nationwide.
Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization.

POLLING DATA: A majority of residents in South Carolina (54%) support either marriage or civil union for same-sex couples. (Public Policy Polling, December 2012)

NUMBER OF SAME-SEX COUPLES: According to The Williams Institute's analysis of the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,214 same-sex couples are living in South Carolina, representing 4.0 same-sex couples per 1,000 households.

Blog Posts Related to South Carolina

Couples across the south stand up for marriage with the Campaign for Southern Equality

For the past week, the Campaign for Southern Equality has been touring across the South with its "We Do" campaign, where same-sex couples request marriage licenses and provoke denials in order to illustrate the discriminatory marriage laws in these states. Check out stories and video from the campaign!

‘We Do’ campaign will confront marriage discrimination across the south

For over a year, the Campaign for Southern Equality has been leading the We Do campaign, where same-sex couples request - and are denied - marriage licenses in their home communities. As they gear up for Stage 4 of their campaign, Freedom to Marry spoke with Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, the organization's Executive Director.

Wyoming and nine other states file anti-gay Amicus Brief in Prop 8 Appeal

Wyoming and nine other states have filed an anti-gay amicus brief in the Prop 8 appeal case saying the Constitution does not require marriage to include same-sex couples and that states, not federal courts, have final say in whether to honor the freedom to marry.

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