Same-sex marriage meeting in Ferdinand on Wednesday

Ferdinand — A Ferdinand business owner is hosting a community meeting regarding the opposition of a proposed amendment to the Indiana Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage in the state.

The amendment, House Joint Resolution 6, states (HJR 6), “Only a marriage between one (1) man and one (1) woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana” and “A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized.”

Hosted by Keith Fritz through the group, Freedom Indiana, the meeting will inform citizens about the campaign and allow them to determine how they can help defeat the proposed amendment.

Freedom Indiana states on its website that the law as written duplicates existing language in the state constitution. Additionally, the second sentence of the amendment is ambiguous the way it is written, therefore, according to the site, “no one has been able to clearly define what effect the second sentence of the proposed amendment would have on existing marriages, domestic partner benefits, human rights ordinances, legal contracts and benefits for unmarried couples.”

Major state employers and universities have decried the amendment publicly due to the impact it could have in attracting young talent to the state.

The amendment must be approved by both legislative bodies twice before being put on the state ballot. HJR 6 passed both the Indiana House and Senate in 2011, but in 2012, a vote on the amendment was delayed due to challenges in the Supreme Court regarding similar laws in two other states.

The Legislature will have to address the resolution in the next session which begins in January, or it will die and the process will have to start over again.

If it is passed during the next session, voters will have the opportunity to decide on the issue in the 2014 election.

The Ferdinand Community Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 13 at 6 p.m. EDT at the Ferdinand Antique Emporium, 1440 Main Street.