Republicans in the N.C. General Assembly have raised their anti-gay marriage agenda a few times over the years — and they're at it again. But gay-rights advocates aren't about to allow their rights or their loves to be trampled.

A group called Equality North Carolina has issued a 24-page response to the proposed anti-gay legislation called "The Truth About the Discriminatory, Job-Killing, Harmful, Family-Unfriendly, Divisive, Anti-LGBT Marriage Amendment." Check it out.

In it, the advocacy group claims the legislation is a distraction, a waste of time and resources, bad for business, out of touch with North Carolina voters' wishes, a threat to those who suffer domestic violence, "an extreme rewrite" of the state's constitution, and that it could negate benefits for some public workers.

Equality North Carolina has already delivered its book to every state legislator electronically, a move it plans to follow up on in person. Look for news about dueling press conferences today; apparently the state's Democratic leadership will be coming out against the legislation, while the state's Republican leadership plans to remind us of how much they hate the gays.

Advocates and politicians aren't the only ones in an uproar. Check out these recent op-eds:
Marriage is none of the government's business — Gaston Gazette
'Marriage amendment' is deceitful, devious and despicable — Winston-Salem Journal

Meanwhile, in Charlotte politics ...

QNotes, a Charlotte-based LGBT arts, entertainment and news publication has made its endorsements for Charlotte City Council, simultaneously releasing the questionnaires the candidates completed for the paper.

Find out who the paper is pulling for and what the candidates had to say at QNotes' Election Central 2011.

The site notes that "questionnaires were also sent to incumbent Democratic Mayor Anthony Foxx and his challenger, Republican Scott Stone." Their responses were not returned.