Despite the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made gay marriage legal across the country, some North Carolina lawmakers want to reinstate the ban.
House Speaker Tim Moore said the bill to again make gay marriage illegal will not be heard, pointing to strong constitutional concerns with the proposed legislation.
The bill was sponsored by Republican representatives Larry Pittman of Concord, Michael Speciale of New Bern, and Carl Ford of China Grove.
Even though it won't advance, North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Mike Meno said the proposal has consequences for the state.
"It sends the message that anti-LGBT lawmakers are trying to turn back the page on civil rights and are still committed to discriminating against LGBT people in a lot of ways," he said.
The legislators supporting the bill argued that the U.S. Supreme Court overstepped its constitutional bounds when it struck down all state laws banning gay marriage.
North Carolina had passed a constitutional amendment via referendum in 2012 outlawing gay marriage.
