Indiana Leads States in Supporting Ban on Gay Marriage

THE COURIER JOURNAL
By Maureen Groppe

WASHINGTON — The two gay marriage cases that hit the Supreme Court next week have divided states, and Indiana is leading the side defending the right to ban same-sex unions. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is the primary author of briefs submitted by states in support of California’s gay marriage ban and of a federal law defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Such briefs are filed by those who are not part of the litigation and won’t appear in court, but who believe the court’s decision could affect them. [link]

Ball State University’s Hoosier Poll last fall found Hoosiers evenly split over whether same-sex marriages should be legal. But a majority supported legalizing civil unions and opposed changing Indiana’s constitution to ban gay marriage. The General Assembly has approved a constitutional amendment but legislative leaders decided to postpone for a year putting the amendment before voters because of the pending Supreme Court cases. “Hoosier opinion is changing rapidly, just like it is across the country,” said Ray Scheele, co-director of Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs.

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