Good morning.  My name is Robert Uebel, and I am the chair of Equality North Dakota, the statewide advocacy organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender North Dakotans.  I also represent the Vote No on Measure #1 committee.

First off, I would like to thank everyone for coming today.  I’d like to extend our thanks to the members of the media and to all those who have come today to show their opposition to Measure #1.  I would particularly like to thank the organizations that have sent representatives, the candidates for public office, and current officeholders.  On this occasion I’d like to publicly acknowledge the hard work of the members of the Vote No on Measure #1 committee and all those individuals working around North Dakota to defeat Measure #1.  We also thank all the supporters who have donated so generously and enabled us to launch a statewide advertising campaign.  On a personal note, I would like to thank my partner of sixteen years, Tedd Broff.  His patience, understanding and support have allowed me to devote the necessary time and energy to this fight, and I couldn’t have made it through everything without him. 

We’ve all come together today to urge our fellow North Dakotans to vote no on Measure #1 on Tuesday, November 2^nd, and we do this for many different reasons.  For many it is the strong belief that no constitution, whether it’s state or federal, should ever be used to deny rights to any group of our citizens.  Many reject Measure #1 because they recognize it to be a massive intrusion by the government into our private lives.  For others it’s the fact that the proposed amendment goes far beyond the stated goal of its proponents to simply define marriage as between one man and one woman, which, as we all know, is the existing definition of marriage under North Dakota law.  Many believe it is the purpose of this amendment to deny civil protections and benefits to same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples.  Others oppose Measure #1 because they fear it will be bad for business in North Dakota and make it harder to attract and retain the creative individuals our economy needs to prosper in the 21^st century. To illustrate this point, let me quote Mike Unhjem, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield North Dakota, who said, “We have just recently instituted domestic partner benefits. This amendment takes away the freedom of companies to design benefit packages for employees and can also impact recruitment.”  Finally, many of us are strongly concerned that this amendment, if passed, will only serve to further encourage the outmigration of young people from our state.

All of us stand here today, united in our opposition to Measure #1.  At the same time, Equality North Dakota acknowledges and respects the variety of opinion among our supporters on the broader issue of marriage equality for same-sex couples, but we view that diversity of opinion not as the final word on the subject, but rather as a starting point for future discussions.

The proponents of Measure #1 have claimed throughout this campaign that existing state law on marriage is in imminent danger of being overturned by so-called activist judges here in North Dakota.  This is why, we are told, that a constitutional amendment is necessary, but recent editorials in The Forum, the Grand Forks Herald, and the Bismarck Tribune have all rejected that argument.  Without this central argument the proponents of Measure #1 simply have no case.  I challenge the North Dakota Family Alliance to answer this question – just who and where are these “activist” North Dakota judges that you’re so afraid of?

Our opponents have also claimed over and over that they only want to “protect” marriage and family.  Against I must ask – how can you protect marriage by prohibiting something that is already not legal in our state?  If our opponents were serious about protecting marriage and family, they would be standing front and center on the many genuine issues confronting marriage and the family today, such as divorce, domestic violence, poverty, and the need for affordable, quality child care and affordable health insurance.  These are just some of the real issues facing real families, and all our families need and deserve our support, not just a chosen few.

I’m sure you all have noticed the giant ballot behind me and that I have already symbolically cast my no vote on Measure #1.  At this time I’d like to call on our invited guests to come forward and cast their vote against Measure #1.  Some of our guests will also share their thoughts about Measure #1 with us before they cast their vote.