INDIANAPOLIS, IN, February 13, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “The media claims we don’t exist. Freedom Indiana claims there are none of us left. But as young Hoosiers, we are here today.”
Those were the words of Shane Weist, 33, who along with a group of more than 100 other young adults, held a press conference Tuesday in which they sought to prove that – despite media reports to the contrary – not every young person in America backs legally-sanctioned same-sex “marriage.”
Weist and his companions make up Young Hoosiers for Marriage, an Indiana-based group fighting for passage of HJR-3, an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
Also at issue in Indiana are so-called ‘civil unions,’ which give many of the legal benefits of marriage without the name or federal recognition.
The House passed a version of the marriage amendment that stripped a provision banning civil unions, but the Senate must now debate whether to add the provision back in. A vote on the issue was expected late Thursday. If the two houses can come to an agreement on wording, the final version will appear on the general election ballot in November for approval by voters.
Weist told reporters that Young Hoosiers for Marriage support the amendment as it was originally conceived. He urged the Senate to add the language banning civil unions back in the bill.
“The Senate should restore the second sentence because without it, marriage remains vulnerable to redefinition and will more likely face prolonged litigation in court,” Weist explained.
“We are committed to rebuilding culture to ensure that children are not intentionally deprived of a mother and a father,” he added.