The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) is considering whether to take legal action to force a proposed
gay marriage ban on the Indiana ballot in November.
According to Indianapolis ABC
affiliate RTV6, NOM on Wednesday met with House Speaker Brian
Bosma, who supported passage of House Joint Resolution 3 (HJR-3).
“We are building a coalition of the
willing and looking for legislators who are willing to join in this
task,” Chris Plante, regional director for NOM, told the network.
“We understand it will be heavy
lifting, but if we all work together, we believe we have the law on
our side. And we believe HJR-3 should go to the people in November
2014 as was promised by [the] Legislature on multiple occasions,”
he added.
In 2011, lawmakers overwhelmingly
approved an amendment which sought to prohibit gay couples from
marriage and “similar arrangements.” To reach voters this year,
a second vote was needed. And while the Republican-led Legislature
did approve a marriage amendment, its language differed, banning only
marriage. That alteration means another vote is necessary and the
earliest voters could decide is 2016.
Megan Robertson, spokeswoman for
Freedom Indiana, the coalition working to derail the amendment, said
the move “reeks of desperation.”
“They couldn't get a vote in the
House. They couldn't get it in the Senate. The legislative process
worked and a court case is trying to go around democracy,”
Robertson said.
“I think they will be unsuccessful,”
she added.