The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce on
Tuesday announced its opposition to a proposed gay marriage ban in
Indiana.
Michael Huber, president of the
Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, said the constitutional amendment
could hurt the state's economic climate.
“Writing what we consider to be
discriminatory language into the Indiana Constitution would really
fly in the face of a lot of our economic development efforts,
specifically our efforts to show people Indiana is a welcoming place,
because we want people to be moving here, not just from the East and
West coasts but from all over the world,” Huber told Indiana
Public Media.
“While most of the country is moving
toward equality, do we want to be moving in this direction and
planting a flag that certain people aren't welcome here in Indiana?”
asked Megan Robertson, who heads Freedom Indiana, which opposes the
proposed ban. “I think most Hoosiers are saying that's not what we
want to be about.”
Republican lawmakers, including
Governor Mike Pence, are pushing for House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR-6)
to be on next year's ballot. The measure seeks to define marriage as
a heterosexual union and prohibit civil unions as an alternative to
marriage. It sailed through the Republican-controlled General
Assembly in 2011. A needed second vote is expected to take place
early next year.
A December, 2012 WISH-TV/Ball State
University Hoosier Survey found only 38 percent of respondents
support the amendment.
(Related: Indiana:
Majority oppose proposed gay marriage ban.)