NOS.

14-556, 14-562, 14-571, 14-574

In the Supreme Court of the United States

States

JAMES OBERGEFELL, et al., Petitioners,

v.

RICHARD HODGES, DIRECTOR, OHIO DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH, et al., Respondents.

--------------------------VALERIA TANCO , et al., Petitioners,

v.

BILL HASLAM, GOVERNOR OF TENNESSEE, et al., Respondents.

--------------------------APRIL DEBOER, et al., Petitioners,

v.

RICK SNYDER, GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN, et al., Respondents.

--------------------------GREGORY BOURKE, et al., Petitioners,

v.

STEVE BESHEAR, GOVERNOR OF KENTUCKY, et al., Respondents.

On Writs of Certiorari to the United States

Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE INDIANA

UNIVERSITY IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS

D. Lucetta Pope
Jane Dall Wilson
Daniel E. Pulliam
Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
300 North Meridian Street
Suite 2700
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 237-0300
lucetta.pope@FaegreBD.com
jane.wilson@FaegreBD.com
daniel.pulliam@FaegreBD.com

Jon Laramore
Counsel of Record
2042 N. Alabama St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 372-5582
jonblaramore@gmail.com
Counsel for Amicus Curiae
(Counsel continued on
inside cover)

Becker Gallagher Cincinnati, OH Washington, D.C. 800.890.5001

Jacqueline A. Simmons
Vice President and General Counsel
Kiply S. Drew
Senior Associate General Counsel
Indiana University
Bryan Hall Room 211
Bloomington, IN 47401
(812) 855-9739
simmonsja@iu.edu
ksdrew@iu.edu

i
Table of Contents
Table of Authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Statement of Interest of Amicus Curiae . . . . . . . . . 1

Summary of Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

I.

Same-sex marriage currently is lawful in

Indiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

A. Indianas statutory same-sex marriage

ban violates equal protection. . . . . . . . . . . 6

B. Answering no to the questions

presented in this appeal could undo IUs

progress toward equal treatment of all

individuals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

II.

Marriage inequality impedes IUs

educational mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

III.

State laws banning same-sex marriage

violate the Equal Protection Clause of the

Fourteenth Amendment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

A. Moral disapproval of an unpopular group

is not a legitimate government interest

for purposes of rational basis review

under the Equal Protection Clause. . . . . 20

B. Laws denying same-sex couples the right

to marry are candid declarations of moral

disapproval, as United States v. Windsor

recognized. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

ii
C. That states and courts cannot identify a
legitimate reason to exclude gay and
lesbian couples from marriage strongly
suggests none exists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Appendix
Appendix A List of Association of American
Universities with Policies Covering
Sexual Orientation and Gender
Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . App. 1

iii
Table of Authorities
Cases
Baskin v. Bogan,
766 F.3d 648 (7th Cir. 2014) . . . . . . . . . . . passim
Bowers v. Hardwick,

478 U.S. 186 (1986) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Ctr.,

473 U.S. 432 (1985) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21

DeBoer v. Snyder,

772 F.3d 388 (6th Cir. 2014) . . . . . . . . . 23, 27, 28

Hollingsworth v. Perry,

133 S. Ct. 2652 (2013) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Kitchen v. Herbert,

755 F.3d 1193 (10th Cir. 2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Latta v. Otter,

771 F.3d 456 (9th Cir. 2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Lawrence v. Texas,

539 U.S. 558 (2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 22, 24, 26

Loving v. Virginia,

388 U.S. 1 (1967) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 28

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan,

376 U.S. 254 (1964) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Romer v. Evans,

517 U.S. 620 (1996) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21

SmithKline Beecham Corp. v. Abbott Labs.,

740 F.3d 471 (9th Cir. 2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

iv
U.S. Dept of Agric. v. Moreno,
413 U.S. 528 (1973) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21

United States v. Windsor,

133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . passim
Whitney v. California,
274 U.S. 357 (1927) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Williams v. North Carolina,
317 U.S. 287 (1942) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Constitution
Ind. Const. art. IX, 2 (1816) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Mich. Const. art. I, 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

U.S. Const. amend. XIV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 28
Other Authorities
Brief of American Companies as Amici Curiae in
Support of Respondents, Hollingsworth v. Perry,
133 S. Ct. 2652 (2013) (No. 12-144), 2013 WL
795548 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Campus Pride, Campus Pride releases 2014 Top 50
List of LGBT-friendly Colleges & Universities
(Apr. 15, 2014), http://www.campuspride.org/
campus-pride-releases-2014-top-50-lgbt-friendlylist-highlighting-the-best-of-the-best-collegesuniversities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

v
Crosby Burns, The Costly Business of
Discrimination: The Economic Costs of
Discrimination and the Financial Benefits of
Gay and Transgender Equality in the Workplace,
Ctr. for Am. Progress (Mar. 22, 2012),
https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wpcontent/uploads/issues/2012/03/pdf/lgbt_biz_di
scrimination.pdf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 19
Wesley Combs, LGBT Inclusion & Diversity in the
Workplace, Diversity MBA Magazine (Aug. 22,
2012), http://diversitymbamagazine.com/lgbtinclusion-diversity-in-the-workplace . . . . . . . . 13
Corporate Equity Index, Human Rights Campaign,
http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/corporateequality-index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Amy Davidson, The Economic Closet: The Business
Case for Gay Marriage, The New Yorker (Feb.
27, 2013), available at www.newyorker.com/
news/daily-comment/the-economic-closet-thebusiness-case-for-gay-marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Domestic Partner Coverage, Ind. Univ. Human Res.,
https://www.indiana.edu/~vpfaa/saahandbook/i
ndex.php/Equal_Employment_Opportunity_Po
licy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Domestic Partner Coverages, Ind. Univ. Human
Res., http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/
benefits/dp/dp.html . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

vi
Julie Dorf, Mark Bromley, & Michael Guest,
Anchoring Equality: How U.S. Corporations Can
Build Equal and Inclusive Global Workforces,
Council for Global Equality (Oct. 2009),
available at http://www.globalequality.org/
storage/documents/pdf/councilforglobalequality
reportfinal_lowres.pdf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 19
Employer Database, Human Rights Campaign,
http://www.hrc.org/apps/cei/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Gallup, Americas, Most Americans Approve of
Interracial Marriages (Aug. 16, 2007), available
at http://www.gallup.com/poll/28417/mostamericans-approve-interracial-marriages.aspx . . 28
James Gwartney & Charles Hayworth, Employer
Costs and Discrimination: The Case of Baseball,
82 J. of Pol. Econ. 873 (1974) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Health,
Employment, Labor and Pensions, 110th Cong.
(Sept. 5, 2007) (statement of Kelly Baker, V.P.
Human Resources, General Mills, Inc.) . . . . . . 18
Ryan M. Hill & Jeremy W. Pettit, Suicidal Ideation
and Sexual Orientation in College Students: The
Roles of Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted
Belongingness, and Perceived Rejection Due to
Sexual Orientation, Am. Assn of Suicidology
(2012) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
H.J. Res. 3, 118th Gen. Assemb., 1st Reg. Sess.
(Ind. 2013) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

vii
Laurel Holland, et al. Thats So Gay! Exploring

College Students Attitudes Toward the LGBT

Population, 60:4 J. of Homosexuality (2013) . . 14

Indiana University Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Indiana_University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Eric Love, Diversity Education, Ind. Univ.,

http://www.indiana.edu/~diversit . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Nick Manes, Inaction on LGBT equality stalls

Michigans talent efforts, Mibiz (Jan. 4, 2015),

http://mibiz.com/item/22108-inaction-on-lgbtequality-stalls-michigans-talent-efforts . . . . . . 16

Susan McPherson & Laura Clise, Big Business

Increasingly Supports Gay Rights, Harv. Bus.

Rev. (Sept. 28, 2012), https://hbr.org/2012/09/bigbusiness-increasingly-supp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 13

Member Institutions and Years of Admission, Assn

of Am. Univs., http://www.aau.edu/about/

article.aspx?id=5476 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana

University (Sept. 20, 2002) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Mission, Ind. Univ., http://www.iu.edu/about/

mission.shtml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 2

Out and Equal Workplace Culture Report (2008) . 19

Policy Briefings, IU general counsel testifies against

proposed Indiana marriage amendment (Jan. 14,

2014), ht tp://viewpoints.iu.edu/policybriefings/2014/01/14/iu-general-counsel-testifiesagainst-proposed-indiana-marriageamendment/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

viii
Press Release, Indiana University joins Freedom
Indiana in fight against constitutional
amendment banning same-sex marriage (Oct. 28,
2013), available at http://news.indiana.edu/
releases/iu/university-wide/2013/10/iu-joinsfreedom-indiana.shtml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Press Release, IU Bloomington named one of top
LGBT-friendly universities (Apr. 15, 2014),
available at http://news.indiana.edu/releases/
iu/2014/08/LGBT-friendly-schools.shtml . . . . . 14
Steve Sanders, Symposium: Lets be clearthe
marriage bans are about animus, SCOTUSblog,
(Jan. 16, 2015, 6:12 PM), http://www.scotusblog.
com/2015/01/symposium-lets-be-clear-themarriage-bans-are-about-animus . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Brad Sears & Christy Mallory, Economic Motives
for Adopting LGBT Related Workplace Policies,
The Williams Institute (Oct. 2011), available at
http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wpcontent/uploads/Mallory-Sears-CorporateStatements-Oct-20111.pdf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Christine Silva and Anika K. Warren, Building
LGBT Inclusive Workplaces, Engaging
Organizations and Individuals in Change,
CATALYST (2009) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Jacqueline Simmons, Vice President and General
Counsel, Indiana University, Testimony Before
the Indiana House of Representatives, Judiciary
Committee (Jan. 13, 2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 10

ix
What We Do: Academic Support & Retention, Ind.
Univ. Office V.P. for Diversity, Equity, and
Multicultural Affairs, http://www.indiana.edu/
~dema/whatwedo/acad_support.shtml . . . . . . . . 2
What We Do: Administration & Culture, Ind. Univ.
Office V.P. Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural
Affairs, http://www.indiana.edu/~dema/
whatwedo/admin_culture.shtml . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Workplace Discrimination Laws and Policies,
Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights
Campaign, http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/
Workplace-Discrimination-Policies-Laws-andLegislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Statement of Interest of Amicus Curiae1

Indiana University, known in Indiana as IU, was
founded in 1820. The Indiana legislature created IU in
response to a mandate in the 1816 Indiana
Constitution to provide, by law, for a general system
of education including a state university.2 IU now is
a major, multi-campus public research institution with
outstanding programs in the liberal arts and sciences;
it also is a world leader in professional, medical, and
technological education. IUs mission is to provide
broad access to undergraduate, graduate, and
continuing education for students throughout Indiana,
the United States, and the world, as well as
outstanding academic and cultural programs and
student services.3
Fulfilling this mission, IU has more than 110,000
students on eight campuses, the largest being in

Respondents have lodged blanket letters of consent to the filing

of amicus briefs with the Clerk of the Court, and Petitioners have
consented in writing to the filing of this brief in accordance with
Supreme Court Rule 37.3. No counsel for a party authored the
brief in whole or in part. No party or counsel for a party made a
monetary contribution intended to fund the preparation or
submission of the brief. No person or entity, other than the amicus
curiae, made a monetary contribution to this brief.

Ind. Const. art. IX, 2 (1816), available at http://www.in.gov/

history/2874.htm.

Mission, Ind. Univ., http://www.iu.edu/about/mission.shtml (last

visited Feb. 26, 2015).

Bloomington (43,000) and Indianapolis (31,000);4 most

IU students are from Indiana. More than 8,700 faculty
university-wide serve these students.5 IU has many
well-known programs, including music (Jacobs School
of Music), business (Kelley School of Business),
informatics and computing, medicine, optometry, public
and environmental affairs, public health, nursing,
dentistry, social work, education, and law.6
To maintain and enhance its educational quality
and achieve its mission, IU strives to achieve full
diversity, and to maintain friendly, collegial, and
humane environments, with a strong commitment to
academic freedom.7 To achieve this goal, IU provides
academic support services to bolster a climate that
encourages cultural, ethnic, and gender diversity.8 It
also provides services to students and the entire
university community through its diversity education
program; African American Arts Institute; Asian
Culture Center; First Nations Educational & Cultural
4

Indiana University Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Indiana_University (last visited Feb. 26, 2015). The Indianapolis
campus is called Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis and is administered by Indiana University.

Id.

Id.

Mission, Ind. Univ., http://www.iu.edu/about/mission.shtml (last

visited Feb. 26, 2015).
8

What We Do: Academic Support & Retention, Ind. Univ. Office

V.P. for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs,
http://www.indiana.edu/~dema/whatwedo/acad_support.shtml (last
visited Feb. 26, 2015).

Center; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student

Support Services; La Casa/Latino Cultural Center;
Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center; and NealMarshall Black Culture Center Library.9 These centers
function as a resource to promote a campus climate
emphasizing cultural awareness, understanding, and
tolerance.10
These centers also embody IUs recognition that in
todays society, students must have a set of
multicultural competencies to compete in the job
market and succeed in an increasingly diverse world.
IUs programs promote cultural awareness and
dialogue and seek to convey the knowledge, skills, and
experience necessary for students and graduates to
prosper in diverse workplaces.11
IU has become a leader in promoting tolerance,
respect, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender persons, including students, faculty, staff,
and visitors. IU has included sexual orientation in its
non-discrimination and Equal Employment
Opportunity policies since 1992, and has included

What We Do: Administration & Culture, Ind. Univ. Office V.P.

Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs,
http://www.indiana.edu/~dema/whatwedo/admin_culture.shtml
(last visited Feb. 26, 2015).
10

11

Id.

Eric Love, Diversity Education, Ind. Univ.,

http://www.indiana.edu/~diversit (last visited Feb. 26, 2015).

gender identity in those policies since 2009.12 It also

has included sexual orientation and gender identity or
expression in its public written statements about
diversity. Since April 2002, IU has offered domestic
partner benefits after the Bloomington and
Indianapolis faculties voted unanimously to do so.13 IU
employees are required to provide evidence of marriage
or establish by affidavit and other documentation a
mutual commitment constituting the functional
equivalent of a marriage to obtain these benefits.14
IUs domestic partner benefits policy has helped the
university attract and retain the best and brightest
faculty and staff. Its policy not only directly affirms the
value of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender faculty
and staff, it also is tangible affirmation of IUs
commitment to diversity and inclusiveness that helps
to attract and retain excellent faculty, staff, and
students.
Summary of Argument
Same-sex marriage is the law in Indiana because a
federal district court and the Seventh Circuit ruled
12

Domestic Partner Coverage, Ind. Univ. Human Res.,

https://www.indiana.edu/~vpfaa/saahandbook/index.php/Equal_
Employment_Opportunity_Policy (last visited Feb. 27, 2015).
13

Jacqueline Simmons, Vice President and General Counsel,

Indiana University, Testimony Before the Indiana House of
Representatives, Judiciary Committee (Jan. 13, 2014). Minutes of
the Board of Trustees of Indiana University (Sept. 20, 2002).
14

Domestic Partner Coverages, Ind. Univ. Human Res.,

http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/benefits/dp/dp.html (last visited
Feb. 27, 2015).

that Indianas statutory ban on same-sex marriage

lacks rational basis. If the Court answers the questions
presented in these cases now in the negative, Indiana
law is likely to revert to prohibiting marriages between
same-sex couples. This development would damage
IUs efforts to make its academic environment
welcoming to diverse students, faculty, and staff and
has the potential to reverse IUs policiessuch as
extending health benefits to same-sex partners in
committed relationshipsthat treat committed samesex relationships equally with opposite-sex marriages.
In contrast, IUs educational mission would be
enhanced if the Court answered the questions
affirmatively, allowing IU to continue to compete for
top students, faculty, and staff.
As a world-class center for higher learning, IU
participates in a global market for talent. IUs policies
favoring diversity are not only the right thing to do,
they also provide access to a larger talent pool and
improve retention and job satisfaction for all
employees, those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) and those who are not. Equal
treatment of same-sex couples is essential to attracting
and retaining the diverse workforce IU needs to
continue its status as an outstanding educational
institution. The overwhelming majority of Americas
largest, most successful businesses stress diversity in
their workforces and ensure equal treatment of LGBT
employees; many of these businesses have supported
litigation challenging same-sex marriage bans. These
businesses, along with IU, understand that a diverse
workforce generates creativity and innovation, which
are vital to the success of enterprises as diverse as
Microsoft, General Mills, and IU.

The state laws under review in this case violate the

federal Constitution. The statutes embody moral
disapproval of same-sex relationships, but they serve
no legitimate purpose. Moral disapproval of a
groupespecially one with immutable traitsis
insufficient without more to satisfy rational basis
review. And, as decisions from the Fourth, Seventh,
Ninth, and Tenth Circuits conclude, none of the states
proffered justifications for their bans withstand
constitutional scrutiny.
Argument
IU submits this brief in support of the rights of its
faculty, staff, and students. IU asks the Court for a
decision that allows these individuals to live in dignity
and with respect. IU asks that they be free from
discrimination based on their personal relationships
outside of the workplace. IU additionally asks the
Court to honor the marriages into which its faculty,
staff, and students have entered, and which have been
recognized by the State of Indiana, other states, and
relevant state and federal courts. And IU further asks
the Court to recognize the equal dignity due the
children of these unions, who should not be treated
differently just because their parents are of the same
gender.
I.

Same-sex marriage currently is lawful in

Indiana.
A. Indianas statutory same-sex marriage
ban violates equal protection.

Indianas statute limiting marriage to one man and

one woman was found unconstitutional in Baskin v.
Bogan, 766 F.3d 648 (7th Cir. 2014), which rejected the

statute on equal protection grounds. In Baskin, the

Seventh Circuit concluded that Discrimination by a
state against a minority, when based on an
immutable characteristic of the members of that
minority and occurring against an historical
background of discrimination against the persons who
have that characteristic, makes the discriminatory law
or policy constitutionally suspect. Id. at 654. Baskin
found that Indiana failed to show that its prohibition
against same-sex marriages served any important
governmental interest, while on the other hand the
statutory prohibition deprived same-sex couples of
dignity as well as substantial economic and legal
benefits such as testimonial privilege, spousal-support
obligations, various rights in divorce, and federal
benefits including tax benefits, Social Security benefits,
and veterans benefits. Id. at 658. Indianas prohibition
also humiliates tens of thousands of children now
being raised by same-sex couples by mak[ing] it even
more difficult for the children to understand the
integrity and closeness of their own family and its
concord with other families in their community and in
their daily lives. Id. at 659 (quoting United States v.
Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675, 2694 (2013)).
The Seventh Circuit rejected Indianas sole
rationale for prohibiting same-sex marriage, which was
to try to channel unintentionally procreative sex into
a legal regime in which the biological father is required
to assume parental responsibility. Id. at 660. The
court pointed out that Indiana has other ways to
enforce this responsibility (such as child support laws)
and that if this were in fact Indianas rationale for
marriage, marriage should be limited to fertile couples.
Id. at 661. Moreover, if the purpose of marriage is to

protect children of unmarried parents, Indianas law is

vastly underinclusive because it does not include the
great number of same-sex couples who adopt children.
Id. at 663. The Seventh Circuit ruled that Indianas
prohibition against same-sex marriage failed the
rational basis test and therefore violated the Equal
Protection Clause. Id. at 665.
B. Answering no to the questions
presented in this appeal could undo IUs
progress toward equal treatment of all
individuals.
If this Court answers the questions presented in
this case in the negative, Indianas statutory
prohibition against same-sex marriage would be
resurrected and IU would be placed at a disadvantage
compared to institutions of higher learning in states
that recognize same-sex marriage. That outcome would
signal not only to same-sex couples, but to all others,
that Indiana is a very unwelcoming environment. Id.
This outcome could reverse IUs progress toward
fostering a welcoming academic environment for
diverse students, faculty, and staff. Indianas laws
would be subject to further litigation, possibly leading
to reinstatement of the statute limiting marriage to one
man and one woman that Baskin found
unconstitutional. Indiana also would again enforce its
prohibition against recognizing same-sex marriages
performed in other states. This reversion to prior law
would undo IUs longstanding record of treating
committed same-sex relationships equally with
opposite-sex marriages.

Negative answers to the questions presented in this

case would re-open the door to the state constitutional
amendment Indiana was considering at the time
Baskin was decided. Before Baskin, IU was a key part
of Freedom Indiana,15 a coalition of businesses and
educational institutions that opposed this proposed
amendment, which not only would have
constitutionalized the requirement that marriage be
between one man and one woman, but would have
prohibited any legal status identical or substantially
similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals.
See H.J. Res. 3, 118th Gen. Assemb., 1st Reg. Sess.
(Ind. 2013). IUs President Michael McRobbie stated
the following regarding the proposed constitutional
amendment:
[It] sends a powerfully negative message [to
prospective employees] of Indiana as a place to
live and work that is not welcoming to people of
all backgrounds and beliefs. . . . As a major
employer in the state, IU competes with
universities and companies around the world for
the very best talent, and [the proposed
amendment] would needlessly complicate our
efforts to attract employees to our campuses
around the state.16

15

Press Release, Indiana University joins Freedom Indiana in fight

against constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage
(Oct. 28, 2013), available at http://news.indiana.edu/releases/
iu/university-wide/2013/10/iu-joins-freedom-indiana.shtml. More
than 100 IU students, most of whom were straight, participated in
the Freedom Indiana Campaign.
16

Id.

10

IUs outside legal counsel advised that the

Universitys domestic partner benefit program could be
rendered unlawful by this amendment because the
benefit program could be deemed to confer a legal
status similar to marriage for same-sex couples.17 In
part because of this issue, IUs Vice President and
General Counsel Jacqueline Simmons testified against
the state constitutional amendment at a 2013
legislative hearing. She testified that the debate over
the state constitutional amendment is sending the
wrong message to potential employees that Indiana
does not welcome everyone. Its a message being heard,
not only by the talented LGBT recruits, but also their
families, their friends and a broad cross-section of our
potential workforce and scholars.18 IU took this stand
on controversial legislation before the very legislative
body that appropriates hundreds of millions of dollars
for the University in each biennium.
More specifically, a negative answer to the second
question in these cases could have an immediate
negative effect. Many IU faculty and staff have been
married in states with statutes or state constitutions
that permitted same-sex marriage. A negative answer
to the second question would allow Indiana to enforce
its statute denying recognition to those marriages.
Denial of recognition of these lawful marriages would
create an immediate and strong incentive for these

17

Policy Briefings, IU general counsel testifies against proposed

Indiana marriage amendment (Jan. 14, 2014),
http://viewpoints.iu.edu/policy-briefings/2014/01/14/iu-generalcounsel-testifies-against-proposed-indiana-marriage-amendment/.
18

Simmons, supra note 13.

11

legally married faculty and staff to leave Indiana in

favor of locations that recognize their marriages and do
not stigmatize their children.
IUs educational mission would be enhanced if the
Court answers yes to both questions presented in the
cases under review. That outcome would allow IU to
continue to be an academic work environment that
welcomes everyone.
II.

Marriage inequality
educational mission.

impedes

IUs

IUs success as a world-class institution of higher

learning depends on attracting and retaining the best
talent, including faculty, staff, and students. [W]ith
LGBT employees making up 5-10% of the working
population, companies neglecting to promote an
inclusive culture will likely miss out on the opportunity
to attract top talent from this segment of the
workforce.19 IUs policy favoring diversity not only
provides access to a larger talent pool, it improves the
retention and satisfaction of employees once they are
hired. Employees who work for employers that
discriminate are less able to focus their energy on
performing their jobs, feel less valued, and experience
negative job attributes such as higher rates of
absenteeism and additional physical and mental health

19

Susan McPherson & Laura Clise, Big Business Increasingly

Supports Gay Rights, Harv. Bus. Rev. (Sept. 28, 2012),
https://hbr.org/2012/09/big-business-increasingly-supp.

12

problems.20 These effects inhibit employees job

performance.21
IUs commitment to diversity also increases its
access to the worldwide talent pool needed to hire the
best faculty and staff. IU is a member of the elite
Association of American Universities, made up of 62 of
the top research universities in the U.S. and Canada.
Most of these universities are in jurisdictions that
would retain same-sex marriage even if this Court gave
negative answers to the questions presented here,
putting IU at a disadvantage in the market for topnotch faculty, staff, and students.22 IU would also find
itself disadvantaged when competing against other
employers. When the Jacobs School of Music needs to
fill the Hamlin Chair in Piano, it will participate in a
global market for talent; the same is true when the IU
School of Medicine needs to fill the Zipes Chair in
Cardiology or the Kelley School of Business has to fill
the Haeberle Chair in Entrepreneurship. IU must vie

20

Crosby Burns, The Costly Business of Discrimination: The

Economic Costs of Discrimination and the Financial Benefits of
Gay and Transgender Equality in the Workplace, Ctr. for Am.
Progress (Mar. 22, 2012), https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wpcontent/uploads/issues/2012/03/pdf/lgbt_biz_discrimination.pdf.

21

22

Id.

Member Institutions and Years of Admission, Assn of Am.

Univs., http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476 (last visited
Feb. 25, 2015). Thirty-two of the 62 AAU schools are in
jurisdictions that have same-sex marriage under state
constitutional provisions (Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey), state
statutes (California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota,
New York, Rhode Island, Washington) or national law (Canada).

13

for talent not merely with other universities, but with

the orchestras, medical research start-ups, technology
companies, and myriad other non-educational
employers drawing on the same talent pools. IU wants
to treat its faculty, staff, and students equally; and IUs
leadership knows that fostering inclusion and diversity
makes the University a stronger institution in multiple
ways.
Equal treatment of same-sex couples is integral to
attracting and retaining the diverse workforce IU
desires. Survey data show that 83% of lesbian, gay,
transgender, and transsexual persons believe it is
important that their employer offer equal health
insurance benefits to all employees, and 68% say they
prefer a job with an employer in a state where same
sex marriages are recognized.23 Other creative
workplaces recognize these facts. As Washington-based
Microsoft has said about marriage equality, As other
states recognize marriage equality, Washingtons
employers are at a disadvantage if we cannot offer a
similar, inclusive environment to our talented
employees, our top recruits and their families.24
For educational institutions, a more diverse faculty
also helps attract a more diverse group of
undergraduate and graduate students. Todays
students are looking for an environment of inclusion,

23

Wesley Combs, LGBT Inclusion & Diversity in the Workplace,

Diversity MBA Magazine (Aug. 22, 2012),
http://diversitymbamagazine.com/lgbt-inclusion-diversity-in-theworkplace.
24

McPherson & Clise, supra note 19.

14

and a universitys reputation as a LGBT-friendly place

is enhanced if it is in a state with same-sex marriage.
For example, a school with top-notch LGBT faculty is
more likely to attract LGBT students when LGBT
faculty may serve as mentors and when students feel
more a part of an academic community that values
them as individuals; the presence of out and
supportive faculty and staff have been cited as critical
to the success of LGBT students on a university
campus.25 IUs ability to attract diverse students has
been enhanced by its recognition as a five-star rated
campus in Campus Prides LGBT-Friendly Campus
Climate Index and its inclusion on Campus Prides list
of top 50 LGBT-friendly colleges and universities for
2014. These listings are based on policies, programs,
and practices relating to LGBT students, faculty, and
staff at more than 425 colleges and universities.26
IUs interest goes beyond promoting diversity. The
University is doing more than just making widgets.
Each year, IU serves as a gateway into the workforce
for tens of thousands of its students. In this role as an
educational institution preparing students for the

25

See Laurel Holland, et al. Thats So Gay! Exploring College

Students Attitudes Toward the LGBT Population, 60:4 J. of
Homosexuality 575-95 (2013).

26

Campus Pride, Campus Pride releases 2014 Top 50 List of LGBTfriendly Colleges & Universities (Apr. 15, 2014),
http://www.campuspride.org/campus-pride-releases-2014-top-50lgbt-friendly-list-highlighting-the-best-of-the-best-collegesuniversities; Press Release, IU Bloomington named one of top
LGBT-friendly universities (Apr. 15, 2014), available at
http://news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2014/08/LGBT-friendlyschools.shtml.

15

future, IU has a special interest in ensuring a

workplace that reflects both the diversity of its student
body and the diversity students will encounter postgraduation. IU therefore strives to attract a diverse
student body and to educate all students to have
mutual tolerance and respect. Obstacles to diversity,
including marriage inequality, threaten IUs progress
toward its educational mission.27
Colleges and universities have responded. Sixty-one
of the sixty-two Association of American Universities
members affirmatively include sexual orientation in
their anti-discrimination policies, and fifty-six
affirmatively include gender identity.28 Failure to
accept diversity has a real effect. For example, when a
sought-after candidate was considering a position at
University of Michigan medical school, friends and
colleagues encouraged the candidate, who is gay, to
look elsewhere because Michigan has a poor
reputation within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
27

By contrast, where gay, lesbian, and bisexual students perceive

or anticipate rejection due to sexual orientation, these students
show higher levels of believing they burden others and suicidal
thoughts than heterosexual students. Ryan M. Hill & Jeremy W.
Pettit, Suicidal Ideation and Sexual Orientation in College
Students: The Roles of Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted
Belongingness, and Perceived Rejection Due to Sexual Orientation,
Am. Assn of Suicidology (2012).
28

See Appendix A. The Human Rights Campaign website

currently reports that of the top 120 colleges and universities
ranked by U.S. News magazine, 108 include sexual orientation in
their non-discrimination policies; 60 include gender identity in
their non-discrimination policies; and 72 offer domestic partner
health benefits. Employer Database, Human Rights Campaign,
http://www.hrc.org/apps/cei/ (last visited Feb. 26, 2015).

16

transgendered (LGBT) community because of the

states ban on same-sex marriage and its lack of antidiscrimination protections.29 Although that candidate
accepted the position, he knows of at least one other
recruit who turned down an opportunity to work for the
universitydespite a competitive compensation
packagebecause of Michigans ban on same-sex
marriage and the states lack of comprehensive, equal
protection laws for LGBT people.30
American businesses recognize the importance of
diversity and inclusion. Of the Fortune 500 companies,
89% have non-discrimination policies that cover sexualorientation, as do 96% of the Fortune 100.31 Dozens of
businesses have submitted amicus briefs in the circuits
on the issues in this case, making the business case

29

Nick Manes, Inaction on LGBT equality stalls Michigans talent

efforts, Mibiz (Jan. 4, 2015), http://mibiz.com/item/22108-inactionon-lgbt-equality-stalls-michigans-talent-efforts
30

31

Id.

See Corporate Equity Index, Human Rights Campaign,

http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/corporate-equality-index (last
visited Feb. 26, 2015); Brad Sears & Christy Mallory, Economic
Motives for Adopting LGBT Related Workplace Policies, The
Williams Institute (Oct. 2011), available at
http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/MallorySears-Corporate-Statements-Oct-20111.pdf;
Workplace
Discrimination Laws and Policies, Human Rights Campaign,
Human Rights Campaign, http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/
Workplace-Discrimination-Policies-Laws-and-Legislation (last
visited Feb. 26, 2015).

17

for diversity and same-sex marriage.32 One brief

pointed out that prohibitions against same-sex
marriage impede[] businesses from achieving the
markets ideal of efficient operationsparticularly in
recruiting, hiring, and retaining talented people who
are in the best position to operate at their highest
capacity.33 Similarly, dozens of Americas largest
companies have supported federal legislation, the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, designed to
prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual
orientation.34 General Mills testified before Congress
that the proposal is good for business and good for
America. It will help businesses attract and retain top
talent, . . . help provide a safe, comfortable and
productive work environment, [and] help create a

32

Amy Davidson, The Economic Closet: The Business Case for Gay
Marriage, The New Yorker (Feb. 27, 2013), available at
www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-economic-closet-thebusiness-case-for-gay-marriage (describing briefs in United States
v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry filed by companies that
range from Apple to Xerox, with everyone from Levi Strauss,
Cisco, Morgan Stanley, Nike, and Panasonic in between).
33

Brief of American Companies as Amici Curiae in Support of

Respondents, Hollingsworth v. Perry, 133 S. Ct. 2652 (2013) (No.
12-144), 2013 WL 795548 at *16.
34

Julie Dorf, Mark Bromley, & Michael Guest, Anchoring Equality:

How U.S. Corporations Can Build Equal and Inclusive Global
Workforces, Council for Global Equality (Oct. 2009) at 9, available
a t http://www.globalequalit y . o r g / s t o r ag e / do c u m e nt s /
pdf/councilforglobalequalityreportfinal_lowres.pdf.

18

culture that fosters creativity and innovation that is

vital to the success of all businesses.35
One well-known study that illustrates the effects of
employment discrimination is the 1974 Gwartney and
Haworth study of major league baseball.36 For the
years 1947 through 1956, the study compared the
teams that drew upon a more diverse pool of
athletesthat is, the teams that did not exclude
African American playerswith the teams that
intentionally limited their diversity by excluding
African Americans.37 The study concluded that teams
choosing not to discriminate had an advantage over
those that segregated.38 The non-discriminating teams
were able to acquire higher-quality players, had higher
attendance at their games, and won more games than
the teams that excluded African American players.39
A workplace that welcomes LGBT employees is
more productive for all employees. Studies show that
where LGBT diversity is recognized and respected in
the workplace, the morale of employees improves
across the board. In an LGBT-affirming business
35

Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Health, Employment, Labor

and Pensions, 110th Cong. (Sept. 5, 2007) (statement of Kelly
Baker, V.P. Human Resources, General Mills, Inc.).
36

James Gwartney & Charles Hayworth, Employer Costs and

Discrimination: The Case of Baseball, 82 J. of Pol. Econ. 873, 874
(1974).

37

Id. at 875.

38

Id. at 876.

39

Id. at 880.

19

environment, even non-LGBT employees tend to feel

more accepted, thereby reducing stress and increasing
morale and productivity.40 Many talented technical
workers, designers, and managers actively seek
employment with companies that promote diverse and
LGBT-inclusive corporate images, regardless of their
own sexual orientations.41 A diverse workforce breeds
innovation and creativity and promotes effective
problem solving among groups of employees.42
III.

State laws banning same-sex marriage

violate the Equal Protection Clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment.

The state laws under review (and others like them)

are not merely at odds with IUs commitment to
promoting respect for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender persons, they also violate the U.S.
Constitution. As this Courts decision in United States
v. Windsor makes clear, laws denying same-sex couples
the right to marry are candid declarations of moral
disapproval. 133 S. Ct. 2675, 2693-95 (2013). There can
hardly be more palpable discrimination against a class
40

Dorf, supra note 34 at 9 (citing Christine Silva and Anika K.

Warren, Building LGBT Inclusive Workplaces, Engaging
Organizations and Individuals in Change, CATALYST (2009)).

41

Id. at note 10 (citing Out and Equal Workplace Culture Report

(2008) stating that 63% of heterosexual respondents to survey
reported it was extremely or very important to work for a
company that offers equal health insurance to all employees and
49% reported that it was extremely or very important to work
for a company that includes sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination policy).
42

Burns, supra note 20, at 30.

20

than making the conduct that defines the class

criminal. Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620, 641 (1996)
(Scalia, J., dissenting) (internal citation and quotation
marks omitted). Yet laws excluding that conductand
therefore that classfrom the fundamental dignity of
marriage cannot be far behind. Serving no legitimate
purpose, they violate the Equal Protection Clause.
A. Moral disapproval of an unpopular
group is not a legitimate government
interest for purposes of rational basis
review under the Equal Protection
Clause.
The Equal Protection Clause is essentially a
direction that all persons similarly situated should be
treated alike. City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Ctr.,
473 U.S. 432, 439 (1985). Legislation ordinarily is
presumed to be valid and will be sustained if the
classification drawn by the statute is rationally related
to a legitimate state interest. Id. at 440. But even
under rational basis review, the bare desire to harm
a politically unpopular group is not a legitimate state
interest. U.S. Dept of Agric. v. Moreno, 413 U.S. 528,
534 (1973); see also Romer, 517 U.S. at 632; Cleburne,
473 U.S. at 446-447.
Nor is moral disapproval of a group (much less one
defined by immutable traits) by itself an interest
sufficient to satisfy rational basis review under the
Equal Protection Clause. Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S.
558, 582 (2003) (OConnor, J., concurring); see also
Romer, 517 U.S. at 634-635; Moreno, 413 U.S. at 534.
Applying rational basis review, this Court has
repeatedly struck down classifications explicable only
as efforts to harm or demean unpopular groups. A

21

classification failed rational basis review, for example,

when no legitimate reason explained why the
government would deny food stamps to people living in
households including an unrelated person (i.e.,
presumed hippies) (Moreno, 413 U.S. at 534); or why
a city required a special use permit for residences if
they house people with mental disabilities (Cleburne,
473 U.S. at 450); or why a State would impose a
constitutional ban on laws barring discrimination
against gay and lesbian people (Romer, 517 U.S. at
632). And most recently, no rational basis was found
for denying federal recognition to same-sex marriages
but not to all other state-recognized marriages
(Windsor, 133 S. Ct. at 2695-96).
Far from supporting classifications under rational
basis review, bare moral disapproval of unpopular
groups impugns them. The very point of requiring that
the classification bear a rational relationship to an
independent and legitimate legislative end [is to]
ensure that classifications are not drawn for the
purpose of disadvantaging the group burdened by the
law. Romer, 517 U.S. at 633 (emphasis added).
B. Laws denying same-sex couples the
right to marry are candid declarations
of moral disapproval, as United States v.
Windsor recognized.
Even if reviewed merely for a rational basis, laws
that deny gay and lesbian persons the right to marry
an unmarried adult of their choice do not survive. See,
e.g., Baskin, 766 F.3d at 665 (holding that Indianas

22

ban flunks this undemanding test).43 Rather, these

laws are candid declarations of moral disapproval.
They declare that same-sex couples are unworthy of the
dignity and status of immense import given to
heterosexual couples through marriage. See Windsor,
133 S. Ct. at 2692; see also Baskin, 766 F.3d at 659.
They declare the lawful conduct of same-sex couples
unworthy of lawful status, thus undermin[ing] both
the public and private significance of same-sex
relationships. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. at 2694. And they
tell[] those couples, and all the world, that their
[ r e l at i o n s h i p s ] a r e u n w o r t h y o f [ l e gal ]
recognitionplacing same-sex couples in . . . secondtier relationships that demean[] the couple, whose
moral and sexual choices the Constitution protects. Id.
(internal citations omitted); see also Lawrence, 539 U.S.
at 578 (striking down law criminalizing same-sex
sodomy as demeaning gay and lesbian people by
making their private sexual conduct a crime). Having
thus broadcast their intent to demean, these laws make
good on that purpose by burdening same-sex couples
with a sweeping array of legal and economic
43

The Seventh Circuit and Ninth Circuits have correctly concluded

that more than a reasonable basis is required because this is a
case in which the challenged discrimination is . . . against a
minority, . . . based on an immutable characteristic of the members
of that minority, . . . and occurring against an historical
background of discrimination against the persons who have that
characteristic, mak[ing] the discriminatory law or policy
constitutionally suspect. Baskin, 766 F.3d at 654; SmithKline
Beecham Corp. v. Abbott Labs., 740 F.3d 471, 483 (9th Cir. 2014)
(finding laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation are
subject to heightened scrutiny). But as the Seventh Circuit ruled
in Baskin, state laws banning same-sex marriage flunk even
rational basis review. Baskin, 766 F.3d at 665.

23

disabilities, under both state and federal law, not

suffered by their opposite-sex counterparts.
This is invidious discriminationillegitimate and
unlawfulas this Court recognized when it decided
Windsor. Confronting a statute attaching these very
declarations and disabilities to same-sex marriages,
Windsor found a principal purpose and necessary
effect to demean. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. at 2695. And it
found a violation of basic due process and equal
protection principles applicable to the Federal
Government. Id. at 2693 (striking down the federal
Defense of Marriage Act that denied federal marriage
benefits to same-sex couples married under state law).
The Constitutions guarantee of equality, the Court
explained, must at the very least mean that a bare
congressional desire to harm a politically unpopular
group cannot justify disparate treatment of that
group. Id. (internal quotations omitted). Neither less
apparent nor more legitimate here, the bare intent to
demean same-sex couples whose moral and sexual
choices the Constitution protects cannot justify
discrimination in these cases. Id. at 2694.
Nor, contrary to the Sixth Circuits suggestion, can
Windsor be confined to its federalist precepts.
Upholding laws limiting marriage to couples of
different genders, the Sixth Circuit read Windsor to
invalidate the Defense of Marriage Act merely as an
intrusion of federal power into matters of state
sovereignty. DeBoer v. Snyder, 772 F.3d 388, 413-16
(6th Cir. 2014). It was that anomalous intrusion, the
court reasoned, that raised the suspicion that bigotry
rather than legitimate policy [was] afoot. Id. at 414.
Windsors suspicions, however, were proved by the text

24

and history of the statutes at issue, which demonstrate

an essential purpose to interfere[] with the equal
dignity of same-sex marriages. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. at
2693 (quoting House Report finding it both
appropriate and necessary for Congress to do what it
can to defend the institution of traditional heterosexual
marriage); see also Lawrence, 539 U.S. at 601 (Scalia,
J., dissenting) (preserving the traditional institution
of marriage is just a kinder way of describing the
States moral disapproval of same-sex couples
(emphasis in original)). Declaring an unmistakable
intent to demean, the text and history of state laws
limiting marriage to heterosexual couples equally
establish an illegitimate purpose here.44
C. That states and courts cannot identify a
legitimate reason to exclude gay and
lesbian couples from marriage strongly
suggests none exists.
The laws of Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, and
Michigan (like the law of Indiana before them) are
brought into irreconcilable conflict with the

44

Not just the text but also the history of these laws confirms their
illegitimate purpose. Between 1996 and 2012, more than thirty-one
states amended their constitutions, while others (like Indiana)
passed statutes to define marriage as between one man and one
woman. See Steve Sanders, Symposium: Lets be clearthe
marriage bans are about animus, SCOTUSblog, (Jan. 16, 2015,
6:12 PM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2015/01/symposium-lets-beclear-the-marriage-bans-are-about-animus (author is a professor
at IU Maurer School of Law). The often-expressed intent of these
laws was to preserve the traditional institution of marriage, just
as Congress expressly acted to defend traditional (i.e.,
heterosexual) marriage when it enacted DOMA. Id.

25

Constitution not just by their illegitimate purpose to

demean, but also by a resounding failure to advance
any legitimate government interest.
In the absence of a legitimate purpose, singling out
same-sex couples for special treatment in itself conveys
animus. Failure to give same-sex couples the same
benefits as opposite-sex couples is a statement that
same-sex couples are less worthy; different treatment
bespeaks stigma and lower status. As the Michigan
Constitution puts it, the union of one man and one
woman in marriage shall be the only agreement
recognized as a marriage or similar union for any
purpose in order [t]o secure and preserve the benefits
of marriage for our society and for future generations
of children. Mich. Const. art. I, 25. In other words,
same-sex marriage or any similar union, presumably
civil unions, cannot be permitted; if they are permitted,
our society and future generations of children will
be deprived of the benefits of marriage. The very
language of the legal provision at issue conveys the
stigma and illustrates the animus.
Years of litigation in many circuits have failed to
disclose any legitimate government interest that could
plausibly explain why same-sex couples should be
denied the right to marry. The Seventh Circuit, for
example, rejected Indianas and Wisconsins reasons for
their discriminatory policieswhether relating to
child welfare or the supposed need to gather more
informationas not just conjectural but totally
implausible. Baskin, 766 F.3d at 671. The Fourth,
Ninth, and Tenth Circuits have rejected still more
proposed rationales, preferences for gender-specific
parenting roles among them, with descriptions ranging

26

from illegitimate to wholly illogical. See, e.g., Latta v.

Otter, 771 F.3d 456, 470 (9th Cir. 2014); Kitchen v.
Herbert, 755 F.3d 1193, 1223 (10th Cir. 2014). And in
dismissing reason after reason, these courts together
raise the question Justice Scalia asked more than ten
years ago: if moral disapprobation is not a legitimate
state interest, what justification could there possibly
be for denying the benefits of marriage to homosexual
couples exercising the liberty protected by the
Constitution? Lawrence, 539 U.S. at 605 (Scalia, J.,
dissenting) (internal quotation omitted).
Nor does the Sixth Circuitthe only appellate court
to credit state rationalesprovide an adequate answer.
Most notably, the opinion below invokes tradition, state
authority to regulate marriage, and the democratic
process as legitimate grounds for discriminating
against same-sex couples. But these reasons fail on a
larger scale. Tradition already has proved an
inadequate ground to limit the Constitutions
guarantee of equal protection. Lawrence, 539 U.S. at
577 (the fact that the governing majority in a State
has traditionally viewed a particular practice as
immoral is not a sufficient reason for upholding a law
prohibiting the practice. (quoting Bowers v. Hardwick,
478 U.S. 186, 216 (1986) (Stevens, J., dissenting))). And
as Baskin explains, the tradition of excluding same-sex
couples from marriage is part of a greater tradition of
discriminating against people who are lesbian or gay:
until quite recently homosexuality was anathematized
by the vast majority of the American
peopleHomosexuals had, as homosexuals, no rights;
homosexual sex was criminal (though rarely
prosecuted); homosexuals were formally banned from
the armed forces and many other types of government

27

work (though again enforcement was sporadic); and

there were no laws prohibiting employment
discrimination against homosexuals. Baskin, 766 F.3d
at 665. Tradition would be a peculiar reason to
withhold constitutional protection because tradition is
so often what unconstitutionally oppressed groups seek
protection from.
The Sixth Circuit also credits the states traditional
authority to regulate marriagesuggesting that
federalism permits states to act as laboratories of
experimentation. DeBoer, 772 F.3d at 406. But no one
disputes a States authority to define marriage as the
foundation of the States broader authority to regulate
the subject of domestic relations with respect to the
[p]rotection of offspring, property interests, and the
enforcement of marital responsibilities. Windsor, 133
S. Ct. at 2691 (quoting Williams v. North Carolina, 317
U.S. 287, 298 (1942)). The question is whether states
can define marriage (experimentally or otherwise) to
exclude same-sex couples if that exclusion violates the
Equal Protection Clause. And the answerrepeatedly
given by this Courtis they cannot. See, e.g., Windsor,
133 S. Ct. at 2691 (State laws defining and regulating
marriage, of course, must respect the constitutional
rights of persons. (citing Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S.
1 (1967))).
Nor, as the Sixth Circuit finally insists, does our
constitutional democracy consign close questions to
majority opinion. Deferring to the democratic process,
the court declined to substitute the opinions of lifetenured judges for those of elected legislatures.
DeBoer, 772 F.3d at 408. But this humility abandons
a principal purpose of the Constitution: to protect

28

minorities from the tyranny of unfettered majority

rule. See, e.g., New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376
U.S. 254, 270 (1964) (Recognizing the occasional
tyrannies of governing majorities, they amended the
Constitution so that free speech and assembly should
be guaranteed. (quoting Whitney v. California, 274
U.S. 357, 375-76 (1927) (Brandeis, J., concurring))).
This Court has not hesitated to strike down statutes
that violate individual rights protected by the
Fourteenth Amendment even when those laws are
supported by state or national majorities. See, e.g.,
Loving, 388 U.S. at 12 (striking down state
miscegenation statutes as violating the equal
protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth
Amendment); see also Gallup, Americas, Most
Americans Approve of Interracial Marriages (Aug. 16,
2007), available at http://www.gallup.com/poll/28417/
most-americans-approve-interracial-marriages.aspx
(finding that 73% of Americans polled in 1968, one year
after Loving, disapproved of interracial marriage). And
regardless of whether the majorities of voters in
Indiana and other states ultimately come to see samesex couples as worthy of equal dignity, the intervening
wait and see will do untold damageincluding
damage to the faculty, staff, and students of IU and to
the University itself. A Burkean sense of caution does
not violate the Fourteenth Amendment, DeBoer, 772
F.3d at 406, but the denial of fundamental rights to gay
and lesbian people does.
In sum, laws banning same-sex marriage palpably
discriminate against and demean a class of gay and
lesbian people. Supported by no legitimate purpose, the
laws under review violate the Equal Protection Clause.

29
Conclusion
This Court should reverse the Sixth Circuits
judgment.

30

Respectfully submitted,
Jon Laramore
Counsel of Record
2042 N. Alabama St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 372-5582
jonblaramore@gmail.com
D. Lucetta Pope
Jane Dall Wilson
Daniel E. Pulliam
Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
300 North Meridian Street
Suite 2700
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 237-0300
lucetta.pope@FaegreBD.com
jane.wilson@FaegreBD.com
daniel.pulliam@FaegreBD.com
Jacqueline A. Simmons
Vice President and General Counsel
Kiply S. Drew
Senior Associate General Counsel
Indiana University
Bryan Hall Room 211
Bloomington, IN 47401
(812) 855-9739
simmonsja@iu.edu
ksdrew@iu.edu
Counsel for Amicus Curiae

APPENDIX

i
APPENDIX

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Appendix A List of Association of American

Universities with Policies Covering
Sexual Orientation and Gender
Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . App. 1

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Brown
University

Yes

Yes

Yes

Brandeis
University

Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Yes

Boston
University

California
Institute of
Technology
Carnegie
Mellon
University

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

Member
Institution

http://www.cmu.edu/studentaffairs/theword/comm_standards/nondiscrimination.html (Feb. 26, 2015)

http://www.bu.edu/eoo/policiesprocedures/equal-opportunity/ (Feb. 18,

2015)
http://www.brandeis.edu/studentaffairs/sr
cs/rr/index.html (Feb. 19, 2015)
http://www.brown.edu/about/administrati
on/policies/corporation-statementnondiscrimination (Feb. 19, 2015)
http://hr.caltech.edu/services/policies (Feb.
23, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 1

Emory
University
Georgia
Institute of
Technology

Duke
University

Case Western
Reserve
University
Columbia
University
Cornell
University

Member
Institution

Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes

Yes
Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

http://eoaa.columbia.edu/notice%20of%20
non-discrimination (Feb. 23, 2015)
https://www.hr.cornell.edu/diversity/eeeo/
statement.html (Feb. 23, 2015)
https://web.duke.edu/equity/resources/doc
uments/nondiscrimination_statement.pdf
(Feb. 26, 2015)
http://communications.emory.edu/tools/sty
le-guide/emory.html (Feb. 26, 2015)
http://dev2014facultyhandbook.gatech.edu
/policy-nondiscrimination-andaffirmative-action (Feb. 26, 2015)

http://www.case.edu/finadmin/humres/poli
cies/standards/aa_eeo.html (Feb. 23, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 2

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

Yes

Yes
Yes

Yes

Yes

Member
Institution

Harvard
University

Indiana
University

Iowa State
University

The Johns
Hopkins
University

Massachusetts
Institute of
Technology
Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

http://diversity.harvard.edu/pages/statem
ent-equal-opportunity-laws-and-policies
(Feb. 24, 2015)
http://trustees.iu.edu/resources/nondiscrimination-policy.shtml (Feb. 24,
2015)
http://www.eoc.iastate.edu/ (Feb. 24,
2015)
https://portalcontent.johnshopkins.edu/car
ey/student-services/university-and-schoolpolicies/nondiscrimination-policy.html
(Feb. 26, 2015)
http://web.mit.edu/referencepubs/nondiscr
imination/# (Feb. 26, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 3

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Member
Institution

McGill
University

Michigan
State
University

New York
University

Northwestern
University
Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

http://www.nyu.edu/about/policiesguidelines-compliance/policies-andguidelines/affirmative-actionequalopportunity-policy.html (Feb. 24, 2015)

http://www.northwestern.edu/hr/equloppaccess/equal-employmentopportunity/nondiscrimination.html (Feb.
24, 2015)

https://secureweb.mcgill.ca/secretariat/pol
icies/hr/harassmentsexualharassment
(Feb. 26, 2015)
http://www.inclusion.msu.edu/equity/Univ
ersityPolicies.html (Feb. 24, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 4

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Princeton
University

Yes

Yes

Yes

The
Pennsylvania
State
University

Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Yes

The Ohio
State
University

Purdue
University
Rice
University

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

Member
Institution

http://policy.princeton.edu/policycategories/non-discrimination (Feb. 24,

2015)
http://www.purdue.edu/purdue/ea_eou_sta
tement.html (Feb. 24, 2015)
http://professor.rice.edu/IndependentPage.
aspx?id=291 (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://policies.osu.edu/policies/affirmativeaction-equal-employment-opportunitynon-discriminationharassment-1.10.html
(Feb. 24, 2015)
https://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD85.html
(Feb. 24, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 5

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/nondiscrimination-policy (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://www.stonybrook.edu/diversity/
(Feb. 25, 2015)

http://policies.rutgers.edu/viewpolicies/alphabetical-list#E (Feb. 25, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

http://search.tamu.edu/index.html?q=non
Texas A&M
Aspirational Aspirational discrimination&search_items=TAMU
University
(Feb. 25, 2015)

Rutgers,
The State
University of
New Jersey
Stanford
University
Stony Brook
UniversityThe State
University of
New York

Member
Institution

App. 6

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Yes

Tulane
University

The
University of
Arizona
University at
Buffalo,
The State
University of
New York

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

Member
Institution

http://advising.buffalo.edu/legal/nondiscrimination.php (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://tulane.edu/searchresults2.cfm?cx=017967096760080950669
%3Abl9vlsogwoo&cof=FORID%3A11&q=n
ondiscrimination&as_sitesearch=tulane.e
du%2F&as_dt=&siteURL=tulane.edu%2F
&sa=Search (Feb. 25, 2015)
http://policy.arizona.edu/policy-index (Feb.
25, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 7

University of
California,
Berkeley
University of
California,
Davis
University of
California,
Irvine
University of
California,
Los Angeles
University of
California,
San Diego

Member
Institution

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/str/
NondiscriminationPolicy.aspx (Feb. 25,
2015)
http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/front/shpp.ht
ml (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://unex.uci.edu/services/legal/nondiscr
im/ (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://ophd.berkeley.edu/policiesprocedures/nondiscrimination?Refresh=0.
390742228816 (Feb. 25, 2015)
http://catalog.ucdavis.edu/appendix/nonde
sc.html (Feb. 25, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 8

University of
California,
Santa Barbara
The
University of
Chicago
University of
Colorado
Boulder
University of
Florida
University of
Illinois at
UrbanaChampaign

Member
Institution

Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes

Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

http://ucommunications.colorado.edu/servi
ces/style-guide/nondiscriminationstatements (Feb. 25, 2015)
http://search.ufl.edu/web/#gsc.tab=0&gsc.
q=nondiscrimination (Feb. 25, 2015)
https://www.hr.uillinois.edu/cms/One.aspx
?portalId=4292&pageId=5670 (Feb. 25,
2015)

https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/leg
al-nondiscrimination (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://my.sa.ucsb.edu/catalog/20132014/equalop.aspx (Feb. 25, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 9

The
University of
Iowa (1909)
The
University of
Kansas
University of
Maryland,
College Park
University of
Michigan
University of
Minnesota,
Twin Cities

Member
Institution

Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes
Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes
Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

http://www.hr.umich.edu/oie/ndpolicy.ht
ml (Feb. 25, 2015)
http://regents.umn.edu/policies/index
(Feb. 25, 2015)

http://www.president.umd.edu/policies/
(Feb. 25, 2015)

http://policy.ku.edu/IOA/nondiscriminatio
n (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/ii/0
6.htm (Feb. 25, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 10

University of
MissouriColumbia
The
University of
North
Carolina at
Chapel Hill
University of
Oregon
University of
Pennsylvania
University of
Pittsburgh
University of
Rochester

Member
Institution

Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

http://aaeo.uoregon.edu/affirmativeaction-plans (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v
55/n18/aapolicy.html (Feb. 25, 2015)
https://www.cfo.pitt.edu/policies/policy/07/
07-01-03.html (Feb. 25, 2015)
http://www.rochester.edu/diversity/nondis
crimination.html (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://identity.missouri.edu/policiesguidelines/nondiscrimination.php (Feb.
25, 2015)
http://policies.unc.edu/policies/studentorg-dondiscrim/ (Feb. 25, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 11

University of
Southern
California
The
University of
Texas at
Austin
University of
Toronto
University of
Virginia
University of
Washington

Member
Institution

No

Yes

Yes
Yes
Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes
Yes

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/p
olicies/hrights.htm (Feb. 25, 2015)
https://policy.itc.virginia.edu/policy/policy
display?id=HRM-009 (Feb. 25, 2015)
http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/p
olicies/PO/EO31.html (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://catalogue.usc.edu/aboutcatalogue/nondiscrimination-policy/ (Feb.
25, 2015)
https://www.policies.utexas.edu/policies/n
ondiscrimination-policy (Feb. 25, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 12

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Vanderbilt
University

No

Covers
Gender
Identity

Yes

Yes

The
University of
WisconsinMadison

Washington
University in
St. Louis
Yale
University

Covers
Sexual
Orientation

Member
Institution

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/student_handb
ook/university-policies-andregulations/#equal-opportunity (Feb. 25,
2015)
http://hr.wustl.edu/policies/Pages/NonDiscriminationStatement.aspx (Feb. 25,
2015)
http://www.yale.edu/equalopportunity/poli
cies/ (Feb. 25, 2015)

http://www.wisc.edu/policies/aaeo.php
(Feb. 25, 2015)

URL to University/Date Visited

App. 13