Although opposition has grown in Indiana to passage of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, it appears a near certainty now that the Indiana General Assembly will entertain a vote to send the question to a state-wide voter referendum. That is unfortunate, in that growing opposition from corporate Indiana and from universities is based in part on the belief that eventual passage of the referendum would do economic harm to Indiana. That is, corporations that are open minded to gay and lesbian issues, or have gay and lesbian leadership in their companies would be reluctant to invest in Indiana. Indeed, such a vote on an amendment could be seen as piling on, given that statutory law in Indiana already bans same-sex marriage. A vote on the proposed amendment simply is not necessary.
Regardless, Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said Tuesday at the legislature’s organization day that the resolution will be assigned to a committee for the upcoming session. That procedural move would set the proposed amendment on a track for consideration by the House. And should it pass the full legislature, it would then go voters for statewide consideration.
In fact, Bosma does have the power to kill just about any vote, but he said this week that no one person should have the power to prevent the amendment from receiving a vote.
That’s a good thought for the speaker to keep in mind as the legislature considers other controversial issues.
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