(RALEIGH) -- North Carolina voters will get to decide the fate of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and any legal recognition of civil unions.

The Senate approved the measure with a 30-16 vote, exactly the number of votes needed to pass it. The issue, which was approved by the House Monday, will now appear on the ballot for the May 2012 primary.

Lawmakers spent just over an hour debating the proposal. Supporters said voters should decide how to define marriage through amendment, so activist judges couldn’t potentially overturn existing state law preventing gay couples from getting married.

“Moms and dads are not interchangeable,” Forrester said. “Two men do not make a mom. Two moms do not make a dad. Children need both a father and a mother.”

Democrats countered that the amendment sends a message of intolerance that could potential deter companies from coming to North Carolina. Opponents also criticized Republicans for taking up the controversial issue during the special session instead of considering bills dealing with job creation and hurricane relief.

“This screams of a legislature with terribly misguided, upside-down priorities,” said Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake.

Gay rights supporters also rallied outside the General Assembly as lawmakers debated the marriage amendment. Rep. Marcus Brandon, the only openly gay member in the legislature, encouraged the crowd to defeat the issue at the polls.