The General Assembly will take up a proposal after the first of the year to permanently ban gay marriage and a new exclusive poll shows that the public is sharply divided on the subject.  The WISH-TV Ball State Hoosier Survey also shows that there is support for civil unions.

The Hoosier Survey shows that 45% support allowing gays and lesbians to legally marry.  An identical 45% are opposed to the idea with 10% undecided.

The other findings are also eye-catching.  Only 38% support the constitutional ban on gay marriage that will appear on the Indiana ballot in 2014 if the legislature approves it in 2013.   54% oppose it.  “There are more Republicans who would like to see it in the constitution,” says Ball State political scientist Joe Losco, “but Democrats and independents are strongly against it.”

And when it comes to civil unions 55% are in support with 37% opposed.  “But we have been saying for a long time the public’s way ahead of the legislature on this,” says Rick Sutton of Indiana Equality.

Curt Smith is an opponent of gay marriage.  He heads the Indiana Family Institute and says a poll he commissioned earlier this year shows support for a ban on gay marriage.  “But I think that’s good public policy,”says Smith, “and so do the author’s of the amendment and, again, we’ve had strong votes in both Houses of the legislature and if this goes on the ballot I’m confident we’ll get a strong vote from Hoosier voters.”

Yet Smith also believes that attitudes are changing.  “Lot’s of people just want to avoid the conflict,” he says.  “They just don’t want to talk about this.”

Bil Browning, gay activist and blogger, is inviting people to help him out legislators who fail to keep their marriage vows in light of yesterday’s 70-26 Indiana House vote in favor of a constitutional ban on same sex marriage.  Browning believes the legislature has no place in his relationships but also believes that turnabout is fair play.

Meantime, the most curious vote was the one cast by Minority Leader Pat Bauer in favor of the marriage amendment.  It was under Bauer’s leadership that Democrats avoided floor votes on the matter during the last four years.

Bauer says he always supported the idea of marriage consisting of one man and one woman.  He says that this year the opposition from corporate leaders disappeared.

Could it be that he also learned a political lesson on November 2nd?

A committee in the Indiana House just voted 8-to-4 in favor of the latest version of a constitutional ban on same sex marriage.   The vote was along party lines with Republicans in favor of the ban.

The proposal has passed the state Senate 5 times but has never gone to a statewide referendum because House Democrats were able to derail it.  That doesn’t appear likely now with Republicans in control.

The measure must pass 2 separately elected General Assemblies and then go to a vote of the people in order to change the constitution.

Don’t expect Indiana House Speaker Pat Bauer to permit a vote on a constitutional ban on same sex marriage in response to the news that a judge threw out a statutory same sex marriage ban in Iowa.

Bauer pointed out today that 4 Indiana judges have upheld the statutory ban here.