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HJR-6 Content
House Joint Resolution 6, more commonly known as HJR-6, is a bill that will define marriage in the Indiana state constitution as only between one man and one woman. A legal status similar or identical to that of marriage for unmarried couples will not be valid or recognized. It would have many effects on same-sex couples such as:

HJR-6 passed through the House with a vote 70-26. HJR-6 passed through the senate 40-6.
 * Eliminate any chance of same-sex marriage in the future.
 * Eliminate health care benefits for same-sex couples
 * Eliminate inheritance laws from being applied to same-sex couples
 * Eliminate hospital visitation rights
 * Eliminate wills and trusts for same-sex couples

Exact wording of the bill is, "Only marriage between one (1) man and one (1) woman will be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized."

Senators who voted against it include:

 * Jim Arnold
 * Jean Breaux
 * John Broden
 * Tim Lanane
 * Lonnie Randolph
 * Earline Rogers
 * Vi Simpson
 * Tim Skinner
 * Karen Talian
 * Greg Taylor

Institutions and organizations opposing HJR-6
Freedom Indiana- Formed in August of 2013 to help the Hoosiers who are against the HJR-6 bill have their voices be heard. The campaign is managed by Megan Robertson. It has brought together many businesses to go against the HJR-6 bill.

Moms For Freedom- In October of 2013 Freedom Indiana launched Moms For Freedom. It shares the stories of five Indiana mothers who are against the HJR-6 bill. All the women feel that this bill would go against Hoosier hospitality and hurt the reputation of our state along with the lives of many. These mothers are: Indy Chamber- The Indy Chamber has come out and said that they oppose the HJR-6 bill, they feel that it would negatively effect the state in many ways. Not only would it hurt the families but they feel it would defer people and other business opportunities from coming to the state. They feel it will make Indiana look unattractive to young and talented people, and thus drive away many good opportunities.
 * Leah Jackman-Wheitner, a mother of two daughters who has been married for twenty years to husband Jeff. She has said that she doesn’t want the HJR-6 bill to pass because her daughter identifies as bisexual. She wants her children to be able to grow up safely and fall in love without worrying about their state laws.
 * Dr. Terri Jett,a single mother who lives in Indianapolis Indiana. She doesn’t want the bill to pass because she says that being a Hoosier is about hospitality and that shouldn’t discriminate against the LGBTQ community
 * Cathy Wyatt, a mother of five and married to husband Dan, she is against the bill to support her gay son, Eric. She is currently living in Spencer Indiana. She has great hopes for the future of Indiana and hopes we all learn the true meaning of equality.
 * Annette Gross, has said she doesn’t want the bill to pass because she has a gay son. She has been married 43 years and wants to give her son the option of having a strong marriage as well. She worries that if HJR-6 is passed it will send a hurtful message to the LGBT youth and she doesn’t want to see that happen.
 * Beth Benkel, a mother to three children and a wife to Dan has said that she is against HJR-6 to support her lesbian daughter Abby and her daugher’s partner, Sarah. She worries that if the bill passes her daughter and other LGBT families will be forced to leave Indiana and settle somewhere else.

Indiana University- Indiana University has announced that it will join Freedom Indiana in the fight against the HJR-6 bill. IU president Michael A. McRobbie said, “Equality, compassion and respect for individuals have long been the bedrock of Indiana University’s educational mission, and the lack of tolerance implicit in HJR6 runs counters to IU’s deeply held values. We are proud to join the Freedom Indiana coalition and, in doing so, stand with some of Indiana’s most respected employers and organizations on the side of fairness.”

DePauw University and Wabash College-- On November 4, 2013 DePauw and Wabash made a joint announcement that they disagreed with HJR-6. The presidents of both colleges, Casey and Hess, were quoted together saying, “Our students come from around the country and around the world, and our fundamental goal is to educate them to think critically, exercise responsible leadership, communicate effectively, and tackle complex problems. This depends on attracting talented faculty and staff, a task that is made more difficult by the passage of this amendment. We are also engaged in the enterprise of fostering ideas and innovation, a mission which inherently depends on an environment of openness and inclusion that would be compromised should this amendment be enacted.”

Institutions and organization supporting HJR-6:
Advance America- Founded in 1980 by Eric Miller, Advance America is pro-family, pro-church, pro-private and home school, pro-tax reform. They encourage citizens to vote yes on HJR-6 and let their senators state representative know how they feel on the subject because they feel that marriage should remain between a man and a woman.

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