Congratulations to the people of North Carolina! The North Carolina Senate did the right thing, voting this afternoon to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2012, and trusting the people of North Carolina with the future of marriage.

Over the past two days, both the House and the Senate have approved the measure with the constitutionally required three-fifths majority, referring the marriage amendment to the people of North Carolina next year. And of course, NOM will be there to help every step of the way.

The big lie in politics is that the marriage fight is over. But this vote proves once again the pundits are wrong, the people want the right to decide the future of marriage. NOM reached out to more than 100,000 North Carolinians in the last few days, making sure they told their representatives they want the right to vote for marriage.

Congratulations to each and every North Carolinian voter for this big win, and thanks in particular to Family Research Council, North Carolina Family Policy Council and the North Carolina Values Coalition for all their hard work in making this vote happen.

Tonight, I'll be in Brooklyn, where we hope to celebrate another big win for marriage in New York's Ninth Congressional District.

We'll keep you posted!