INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ A coalition of businesses and activist groups has begun its push to defeat an amendment that would write Indiana's same-sex marriage ban into the state constitution.
More than 200 people filled downtown Indianapolis' Artsgarden for Wednesday's announcement of the new group, called Freedom Indiana.
Campaign manager Megan Robertson says passing the amendment would strip gay and lesbian residents of their rights and harm Indiana's reputation. She calls the campaign against the amendment a bipartisan push.
The Republican-dominated Legislature passed the amendment in 2011, but the measure must pass a second time and be approved by voters before it's added to the state constitution.
Eli Lilly's director of corporate responsibility, Robert Smith, says passage of the amendment would hamper efforts by the Indianapolis-based drugmaker and other businesses to recruit top-notch employees.
