STATUS: Anti-marriage law

TAKE ACTION: State advocacy groups are working toward fairness for all of Indiana's families by blocking attempts to write discrimination into the state constitution.

HISTORY: Every year since 2004, the Indiana state legislature has proposed or voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman. Thanks to the tireless work of Indiana civil rights advocates, citizens, and legislators, each attempt to pass the constitutional amendment has failed.

Anti-gay groups in Indiana are continuing to work toward writing discrimination into the state's constitution. An Indiana state statute forbids the government from recognizing or performing marriages or other forms of union between same-sex couples.

GROUPS ACTIVELY WORKING ON MARRIAGE:

• Indiana Equality is a coalition of organizations from around the state that focus on ensuring basic human rights for Indiana's LGBT citizens.
• Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage for same-sex couples nationwide. 
• Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. 

RECENT POLLING: 54% of Indiana residents oppose changing the state constitution to bar gay couples from marrying, while just38% support doing so. (Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University and WISH-TV, December 2012)

NUMBER OF SAME-SEX COUPLES: According to The Williams Institute's analysis of the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,074 same-sex couples are living in Indiana, representing 4.4 same-sex couples per 1,000 households.