Posted on 07/24/2012 1:37:47 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Terre Haute business owner Mike Tingley has some pretty strong opinions about legislative efforts in Indiana toward a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
"It's a good reason for people to leave Indiana if such a thing should happen," he said. "It would be a serious step backwards."
A member of his family is a lesbian and he has many friends who are gay or lesbian.
Tingley said he knows people who probably would leave Indiana if the state constitution was amended to include a same-sex marriage prohibition.
Indiana State University has a policy that prevents discrimination based on sexual orientation. It also extends university benefits to same-sex domestic partners, said Tara Singer, university spokeswoman.
But university officials have no comment on the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. "The board of trustees doesn't take a position on social policy issues," Singer said.
She did note that President Dan Bradley "is committed to diversity, tolerance and acceptance of all individuals. He's done a lot in his administration to provide a welcoming climate for all people at ISU," she said.
ISU strives to have and recruit a diverse population of faculty, staff and students, Singer said.
While ISU doesn't take a position on the proposed constitutional ban, some of its professors do.
Sociology professor Chuck Norman believes that if the constitutional amendment passed, it could prevent the most qualified job candidates from considering employment in Indiana. "This could be a deal breaker," Norman said.
He's concerned it would cause others to view the Hoosier state as "behind the curve" and close-minded.
Tom Steiger, also an ISU sociology professor, said many businesses simply don't want the state pursuing something that might affect their ability to hire the best possible candidates for a job.
If such an amendment was ultimately approved by voters through a referendum, it would create a negative environment for gays and lesbians and discourage them from locating to the state, he said.
Ultimately, Steiger believes it will become a dead issue because younger people support marriage equality. "Demographics are all against [the constitutional ban on same sex marriage]," he said. "Those under 30 think [the constitutional ban] is ridiculous."
While those 65 and over tend to be "vastly against" same sex marriage, that opposition progressively lessens the younger the age group, he said.
While the Indiana Chamber of Commerce says it is neutral on the issue, the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce did come out against the constitutional amendment in 2011, when it was moving its way through the legislature.
The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce hasn't looked at the issue, said Ken Brengle, president/CEO, who is new to the position.
When and if it works its way through the state legislature again, "At that point we might ask our public policy group to look at it," Brengle said.
Kim Perkins, spokeswoman for Union Hospital, deferred any comment on the issue to the Indiana Hospital Association.
I’m well past fed up with the totalitarian gaystapo.
Win-win.
All the people in Indiana need to do is to look across Illinois and into Iowa to devastation that Gay Marriage has brought to Iowa.
I don’t know about others, but I am more likely to want to consider work in Indiana because of that.
I don’t see the downside to having homosexuals move out. Maybe it would catch on with other states.
I liked Indianapolis when I was stationed there for training in 1981. Lots going on.
Is unemployment so low in Indiana that employers are having to resort to hiring sodomites?
Conservatives are saying that if you want to have a gay marriage or an abortion, you can move to NYC, LA, or SF, or any large city in the nation, but there should also be room in this country for communities that are rated G.
I was just thinking: How is this a bad thing?
If true, wouldn’t this also shift HIV carriers to other states, lowering both Indiana’s medical costs and the rate of new infections in their state?
If it keeps away leftist garbage that tend to move in from fifth column hell holes like NYC and California. who leave a wake of distruction in their path by bringing their communist voting habits with them,then GOOD!!
Homosexuality all thru the land is a SCOURGE.....Abortion, Gay Rights, etc. have RUINED our once fine country......RUINED it.
So if Indiana State University is all about diversity and tolerance, they must have about 50% conservative Christians on their faculty, right???
Sit down and shut up, queers...we are tired of your whining. 2%. That’s it.
Tingley said he knows people who probably would leave Indiana if the state constitution was amended to include a same-sex marriage prohibition.
So perverts and pedophiles moving out of your State is a bad thing???
ok, about 1% of the population is supposedly gay. Of that, I don’t know how many are going to leave because they can’t have a “commitment” — most gays don’t want commitment
Considering the number of states with such an amendment in their constitutions, the reporter might have looked up actual statistics. But then, unsupported allegations make better headlines.
And yet such bans enjoy comfortable electoral margins. What say you to that, ISU sociology professor?
Pretty contrived story. She went from a local business owner, to the local university and the Chamber of Commerce to fill find people who told her what she wanted to write.
The question in my mind is why manufacture this story now? Election ploy I suppose.
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