Indiana Conservatives Revisit Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

Indiana lawmakers who oppose same-sex marriage said Monday they would launch another effort to ban such unions with a constitutional amendment, reports The Indianapolis Star.

Dave Cheatham, a Democrat, and Rep. Eric Turner, a Republican, said they would both sponsor measures with identical language in the house, and GOP senator Marlin Stutzman said he would sponsor legislation in the senate.

But prospects of the initiative passing both chambers this session seemed dismal. Democratic house speaker Patrick Bauer suggested that a constitutional ban was not necessary since Indiana already has a law prohibiting gay marriage.

Bauer said judges had been upholding that law and that proponents of the amendment "must have living proof that that law's not being followed ... we certainly don't want to waste the public's time when we have the critical duties that we have."

Though both chambers of the state legislature passed a constitutional ban in 2005 while under Republican control, state rules dictate that an amendment must pass two separately elected legislatures before being put to a statewide referendum. The measure stalled when Democrats took control of the House in 2006.

According the Star, the proposed amendment reads: "Only a marriage between one (1) man and one (1) woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in Indiana. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized." (Advocate.com)