The Evansville City Council on Monday
voted unanimously to oppose a proposed gay marriage ban in Indiana.
More than a dozen people spoke before
lawmakers approved a resolution rejecting the General Assembly's
proposed state constitutional amendment.
“In this state, I may never be able
to marry my partner,” one woman told councilors. “It is my hope
that in the future this issue will be a non-issue and everybody will
have the right to be happy.”
“Let the people decide,” a man
said. “If the people want the marriage to be between a man, woman,
or otherwise, then they should decide, not judges.
Brenda Bergwitz, who spoke in favor of
the measure, told ABC
affiliate WTVW that she was “disappointed” with the outcome.
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.)