Indiana University on Monday announced
its opposition to a proposed gay marriage ban in Indiana.
Michael A. McRobbie, the president of
Indiana University, said the constitutional amendment could hurt the
state's ability to attract talent.
“As a major employer in the state, IU
competes with universities and companies around the world for the
very best talent, and HJR6 would needlessly add challenges to our
ability to attract employees to our campuses around the state,”
McRobbie said in a statement.
Megan Robertson, campaign manager of
Freedom Indiana, the coalition of groups working against passage of
the amendment, said her group “could not be more excited to welcome
them to the Freedom Indiana family.”
“As President McRobbie said, 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,” Robertson said.
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.)