Indiana University’s administration announced Monday that it is against an amendment to the state constitution that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.
The university became a part of the Freedom Indiana coalition, joining Columbus-based manufacturer Cummins Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., the Indy Chamber and other civil rights organizations. Freedom Indiana was created in August to advocate against HJR6, a proposal for an amendment that passed the Indiana House and Senate in 2011 and needs to be voted through again before it could be put on a statewide referendum in November 2014.
“Equality, compassion and respect for individuals have long been the bedrock of Indiana University’s educational mission, and the lack of tolerance implicit in HJR6 runs counter to IU’s deeply held values,” IU President Michael A. McRobbie said in a press release. “We are proud to join the Freedom Indiana coalition and, in doing so, stand with some of Indiana’s most respected employers and organizations on the side of fairness.”
According to IU spokesman Mark Land, the university wanted to take a stand on this issue, because of the values attached to it but also because it could be harder to recruit talent if the state constitution invalidated the marriages of faculty and staff from other places. For the past decade, the university has offered domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples.
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