I recently finished a fascinating book on the life of the late Sen. Jim Forrester, co-authored by his wife Mary Frances Forrester and Rebecca Anthony. Sen. Forrester was elected to the NC State Senate in 1990 and served there until his death in 2011. He is primarily known for Senate Bill 514 — the bill that put North Carolina's marriage amendment on the ballot in 2012. The book is more biographical than it is political, and it offers a compelling and informative look into the life of the man who worked so hard to get his marriage bills heard in the NC General Assembly.
According to the book, Sen. Forrester's stand for traditional marriage was based on his belief that it was "set in biblical stone," and he considered it a great travesty that the issue would even be considered controversial (p16). His efforts to protect the institution of marriage date back to at least the year 1996, when he sponsored Senate Bill 1487. Drafted out of concern for the increasing judicial overreach on the marriage issue across the country, the bill stated that "Marriages, whether created by common law, contracted, or performed outside of North Carolina, between individuals of the same gender, are not valid in North Carolina" (p16).
Surprisingly, the bill made it to the floor of the Democrat-controlled Senate, and Jim was just about to speak in support of his own bill when he was informed of a medical emergency involving another legislator over in the state House. Jim was a trained family physician, and not withstanding the bill's tremendous importance, he yielded his time and went to attend to the ailing colleague (p17). When he returned, he was surprised to learn that Senate Bill 1487 had passed the Senate in his absence. Several Democrats had voted in favor of the measure, including (ironically) 39-year-old Senator Roy Cooper, who has become well-known in recent years for his fierce opposition to socially-conservative pieces of legislation such as HB2. Forrester's bill was sent on to the House where it quickly passed, and as a result, Senate Bill 1487 became law in North Carolina (p22).
By 2004, in the face of several marriage-related lawsuits and a push by pro-homosexual groups to repeal the 1996 marriage statute, Sen. Forrester decided that simply having traditional/biblical marriage recognized in the state laws wasn't enough. There would need to be an amendment to the state constitution. But even getting such an amendment on the ballot wasn't going to be easy. A three-fifths majority vote is needed in both the House and Senate to present an amendment to the voters for their consideration, and this was going to be close to impossible as Republicans were not in control of either chamber. But that didn't stop Jim and fourteen of his colleagues from introducing a bill that would, if passed, put the marriage question on the ballot. Criticism and accusations were quick to follow, and the bill never made it out of committee. Forrester circulated a discharge petition to force the bill to the chamber floor, garnering the support of 23 Republicans and 5 Democrats, but still falling short of the 30-vote threshold needed to succeed (pp61-65).
Senator Jim Forrester from Gaston County was far from beaten. He filed a new marriage amendment bill each year for eight consecutive years, his bills always finding themselves lodged in legislative committees and never reaching the senate floor. But Jim was determined to go on. "I'll get my bill, and then I'll come home," he told his wife Mary Frances. Getting his bill would take almost a decade (p66), but he was not about to give up. "As long as they send me back," he said, "as long as I have supporters, I'm going to finish" (p184).
On February 22, 2011, Forrester introduced his final marriage amendment bill -- Senate Bill 106. Circumstances looked more promising as Republicans had recently gained control of both the House and Senate, but there were still many hurdles that would have to be overcome. In addition, the introduction of Jim's latest bill sparked a backlash from "gay-marriage" supporters more intense than in any of his previous attempts. He found himself the target of vitriol and invective on a daily basis, which consisted of everything from mild insults to downright threats (p266).
Finally, on September 12, 2011, the state House passed a marriage amendment bill with 75 votes in favor and sent the bill on to the Senate. Thirty votes were needed to pass the measure in the Senate, and Republicans only held 31 seats, which led to the tedious canvassing of legislators leading up to the final vote. Traditional marriage defenders needed to make sure they had enough votes, and it was going to be close. The bill came before the Senate on September 13, and after much debate, passed with exactly 30 votes. The amendment would be placed on the 2012 primary ballot, and the voters of North Carolina would finally get their chance to express their will on the marriage issue (pp284-293).
But Sen. Jim Forrester, the man who had fought so hard and so long for his marriage amendment, would not live to see it ratified. His health had already been in decline for some time, and he went to be with the Lord on October 31, 2011, just 48 days after his bill was adopted by the legislature (p299). The voters of North Carolina ratified the marriage amendment a little over six months later on May 8, 2012, with 61% voting in favor (p325). The voters were allowed to speak decisively on the issue, thanks in large part to years of work by one senator from Gaston County, Jim Forrester. That amendment is still in the state constitution today, and Lord willing, it will be there for many years to come, standing as a tribute to the man who sacrificed so much put it there.
Jim Forrester eventually got his bill, but legislators with that same Wilberforce-like character and persistence are more desperately needed today than they were a decade ago. The moral revolutionaries have not slackened their pace, and resistance to those who want to alter the foundations of society hasn’t gotten any easier for those who simply want to be faithful public servants. But it is often during the greatest times of need and controversy that God raises up the greatest leaders. And I trust, if the Lord is not done with our country, that we will eventually see more Jim Forresters enter the public scene — men who aren’t afraid of controversy, criticism or personal sacrifice; men who are motivated by a faith-driven desire to do what is right, no matter the cost; hard men made for hard times; true statesman and true leaders. May God grant us such men, and may God grant us the grace to recognize and support them.
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