Indiana Republicans weigh support for marriage language

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Delegates of the Indiana Republican Party are poised to maintain support for its definition of marriage in the party's platform.

The Indianapolis Star reports (http://indy.st/28q7DmD ) that the delegates will gather at Saturday's convention to vote on the platform and choose a nominee for state attorney general and a superintendent of public instruction.

Ahead of the convention, a committee tasked with exploring changes to the platform voted not to revise language that party members added in 2014 that favors marriage between a man and woman.

Marion County GOP Chairman Mike McQuillen says that the provision is at odds with the party's goal of getting more young people involved. McQuillen testified in April at one of the platform committee's public hearings about the issue.

"What are we to say to the children of gay and lesbian parents, who don't fit this definition of a strong family?" McQuillen said, according to transcript of his remarks to the committee. "What are we to say to courageous single mothers and fathers, who don't fit this definition of a strong family?"

Tom John, GOP chairman of Indiana's 7th Congressional District, said he wants to see the language of "between a man and a woman" removed long term, but argued that this year is not the right time to do so.

But Indiana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Cardwell said the language received overwhelming support at the 2014 state convention.

"It passed with better than 80 percent of people that participated the last time around. So nothing has changed at all. I think it will be fine," Cardwell said.

According to Rush County GOP Chairman Michael Dora, who wrote the marriage language, the platform-review committee felt that changing the language would draw attention to it.

"And made it more contentious than some people think it is," Dora said. "That's what the base of the party believes, that the foundation of this country was built with that belief. And if we don't stand for strong family units, then we're just going to continue to go down a path of more broken families."

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com

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The Gayly - 6/10/2016 @ 5:10 p.m. CDT