Overturned gay-marriage ban encourages, worries students

Although California recently became the second state to allow full marriage benefits to same-sex couples, advisers and students in IU’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community aren’t celebrating yet.\nGLBT Student Support Services assistant Carol Fischer said she has been sending announcements via e-mail to students involved in the IU GLBT organization. She said some students, as well as herself, have mixed feelings about the May 15 ruling.\n“There’s going to be a battle to have a same-sex ban amendment,” she said. “The opposition is so strong. It may go to federal court.”\nGLBT outreach and grant coordinator Ryne Shadday said students have a sense of excitement about the ruling, but there is also worry. He said voters could overturn the ruling, thus celebrating would be a premature act.\n“It’s very important for people to realize that it could be overturned so that they will know what they want to do to get people out to vote,” he said.\nNewly graduated IU GLBT students are also considering both the positive and negative prospects of the ruling so that they can plan their lives accordingly.\nEleanor Moss, who recently obtained her master’s degree in library science, said she is openly bisexual and is currently dating a man. She said she is keeping her perspective positive, but she is still aware of the risks.\n“I’m really excited for the ruling,” she said. “But I hope it’s not overturned.”\nMoss said she is originally from Kentucky, a state that passed a same-sex marriage ban in 2004. She said she never wants to return to her home state and wants to escape Indiana so her choices won’t be restricted as a bisexual woman.\n“I still feel like it affects me,” she said. “It’s limiting my life and how I can live it.”\nAlthough her plan is to move away from the Midwest, Moss keeps her attitude positive when it comes to the laws in Indiana. She said she protested Indiana Senate Joint Resolution 7, or the Marriage Protection Amendment, which proposed to ban same-sex marriage and only recognize marriage between a man and a woman.\n“I expect it will be brought up again,” she said. “But I’m hopeful it will be tossed out.” \nFischer said GLBT students leaving Indiana and states that will not recognize same-sex couples is becoming a trend, which will last until same-sex marriage is legalized in those states.\nSarah Stumpf, who also recently received her master’s degree from IU, is currently in a long-term relationship with a woman. Stumpf also feels optimistic about California and what it could mean for the whole country.\n“There is more understanding now,” she said. “There is the general idea that discrimination is wrong, and that’s a basic American value.”\nStumpf did her undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she met her current girlfriend. However, Wisconsin passed a same-sex marriage ban in 2006.\n“As much as we would like to go home, there is no hope,” Stumpf said.\nStumpf and her girlfriend plan to move to Illinois, where a House bill was created to allow civil unions between same-sex couples. She hopes the bill will pass through so she can ensure her future.\nFischer noted that many companies in Indiana opposed SJR7 and threatened to leave the state because of the fear of losing income and prospective employees.\n“It’s an economic windfall not to allow the amendment, but to allow marriage,” she said. “If Indiana doesn’t support marriage, people will leave.”\nShadday said he is somewhat pessimistic about Indiana and sees more same-sex couples moving to states such as Massachusetts and California.\n“It’s Indiana,” he said. “Indiana is just too conservative of a state to take up an issue like that now.”