Keep Ind. as gay as possible

Last week the Illinois legislature voted to allow same-sex marriage. Hailing from Illinois, I’m pretty hopped up on equality right now.

But nothing brings your buzz down more than bigots.

Unfortunately, we’re in a different struggle over here in Indiana. House Joint Resolution 6, an amendment focused on banning same-sex marriages in Indiana, is becoming more imminent and entering the public discourse more every day.

Thankfully, the amendment isn’t sitting well with most. The Indianapolis Chamber, Indiana University, several smaller colleges, Eli Lilly and Co., Emmis Communications, and Cummins have all demonstrated a clear opposition to HJR 6.

Most recently added to the list of those opposing the amendment: the Indianapolis City-County Council.

In a vote Monday, the City-County Council agreed 22-6 on Proposal 354, a special resolution urging the General Assembly to reject the proposed HJR 6.

Council Vice President John Barth’s opposition to the amendment stems from the fact that Indianapolis, and Indiana on the whole, doesn’t need to be sending any type of message that it is not welcoming.

Barth openly said, “Simply put, our city needs to attract and retain citizens who want to work with us to make this the best place it can be.”

And there’s the rub.

The most vocal groups in support of the amendment continue to base arguments on religion and a general threat to the family. But by not supporting marriage equality, there might be a more present and dangerous threat to the state: a drop in population.

Now a mass exodus of all the gays in Indiana isn’t likely — although that’d be pretty exciting and a more exhilarating Moses story to tell the kids. But the legislation that comes across as so off the mark to so many youths does severely limit growth of Indianapolis and Indiana in general.

Last year, Indianapolis actually dropped a spot in the national cities population ranking. The United States Census Bureau says new population estimates show Indianapolis slipped from No. 12 during the census year that ended July 1, 2012.

If Indiana government workers are sane and aware — which Barth seems to be — they would probably prefer the city stop dropping in population. More people, more money.
And it’s not just Indianapolis. Bloomington prides itself on being voted the 4th Gayest City in America by the Advocate’s 2010 standards.

Based on my experience, the Bloomington gay community is strong and won’t back down from a fight. But should members ever choose to get out of dodge, a significant portion of tax dollars runs away with them.

So yes, companies like Eli Lilly and Co. are demonstrating their opposition to HJR 6 because it’s backward thinking, and they want to be good people, but they also want to keep Indiana strong.

By being on the wrong side of history, the state could potentially lose an incredible amount of support.

At this point, opposing same-sex marriage actually threatens detriment to
the state.

— sjostrow@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Sam Ostrowski on Twitter @ostrowski_s_j.