Note to North Carolina elected officials and its tourism industry - this question is for you as well. Hit me up with your best case explaining why my birthday should be celebrated here on Facebook or pam at firedoglake dot com and I'll be happy to share your perspective with readers.

It's a relevant question that I'd like to hear your thoughts on because many thoughtful people here in North Carolina, who pay taxes to a state government that put the anti-gay measure on the ballot that passed this May, are wondering how they should spend their discretionary dollars and what they should tell equality-minded friends and relatives to do.

While there is an official campaign to defeat Amendment One out there, we have to recognize that there are many, many people working at the grassroots level, residents of North Carolina putting in countless hours to educate voters on their own time and dime because they feel passionately that this discriminatory amendment is wrong for the state that they call home. They find a niche to effectively counter the anti-gay, anti-logical arguments out there.

In this case, I wanted to spotlight a local effort -- responding to op-eds and letters to the editor (LTEs) in our local and regional papers that have been, as you might expect, populated with anti-gay, fear-driven, often religion-based arguments in favor of Amendment One. LTEs are powerful tools, and Durham resident Steve Bocckino helped build a roster of residents eager and willing -- sometimes for the first time -- to write what have become extremely effective pro-equality, anti-Amendment One arguments.  A self described "60-year-old white guy, straight, and married for 21 years," Steve wanted to make a difference. Here's my Q&A with him.

This occurred last week but we've got a new video of Mayor Bill Bell's statement about the Amendment. I'm so proud of my town.

On Thursday, March 8, in a 6-0 vote, the city of Durham’s councilmembers encouraged voters to cast their upcoming ballots against an amendment to the state constitution that would strip the local government of the ability to provide domestic partner benefits such as health care to its public employees and their children, among other harms.

This is written off-the-cuff, no one asked for me to write this. I just wanted to let you know - my social media friends - that I believe we can defeat Amendment One with your help.