Indiana gay marriage amendment clears hurdle

Indiana gay marriage amendment clears hurdle

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Republican lawmakers in Indiana are determined not to fail this time around in pushing for a state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage and civil unions.

On Monday, a Republican-controlled House committee approved the amendment requirement by a 8-4 vote along party lines. It now moves to the full Indiana House and then the Senate, both of which are controlled by Republicans.

But Republicans were not the amendment’s only supporters.

Democratic backers include state Rep. David Cheatham, who hails from the 69th district in southeast Indiana. He co-sponsored the measure.

“Since we have a state law already, why do we need to have this part of the constitution?” Cheatham, of North Vernon, asked. “My view on that is this: We have laws that deal with situations. We have a constitution that deals with foundation issues; fundamental issues. This is a foundation, fundamental issue. Marriage between one man and one woman.”

The House committee also heard from critics who provided emotional testimony. They included Jessica Wilch, president of Indiana Equality of Indianapolis.

“There’s a force in this state that is determined to undermine the rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Those rights affect domestic-partner benefits to hospital visitation,” Wilch said. “And now there seems to be a significant effort to change the constitution of this state to question whether the LGBT community should even reside here.”

This is the second time Republicans have taken on such an amendment.

In 2005, as now, the Indiana House and Senate were controlled by Republicans. The party got a similar amendment through both chambers, but under Indiana law, amendments must pass through the legislature twice. By 2006, Democrats took control of the legislature, and the amendment stalled once Republicans were out of power.

If the GOP prevails in back-to-back legislative cycles this time around, the measure would still face hurdles. For one, it would have to win support in a state-wide referendum. Most constitutional amendments in Indiana take years to pass.