BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University has joined a bipartisan campaign fighting a proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages.
The University announced Monday it was joining Freedom Indiana, a coalition that includes Eli Lilly & Co., Cummins Inc. and the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.
IU President Michael McRobbie says the amendment would turn some prospective employees away from Indiana and increase the state’s challenges remaining economically competitive.
“This amendment sends a powerfully negative message that Indiana is not welcoming to people of all backgrounds and beliefs, and we know that’s an image we can’t afford to project as a state if we want to keep our college graduates here and recruit top talent from elsewhere,” said Freedom Indiana campaign manager Megan Robertson, in a statement.
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“I’m not an IU grad, but it’s fair to say that everyone who supports freedom for all Hoosiers should tip their hats to the cream and crimson today and say thanks to IU for joining this fight,” she said.
The General Assembly approved the proposed ban in 2011, but the current Legislature would need to approve it again before it would go to voters in a statewide referendum.
Indiana law already bars same-sex marriage, but backers of the constitutional ban say it would provide an impediment to potential court decisions that would overturn the state law.
