Meet the Families Fighting for Marriage in Indiana

Lambda Legal represents five same-sex couples who seek the freedom to marry in their home state of Indiana. Here are their stories:

Love Unites US: Indiana

Amy Sandler and Niki Quasney (Munster)
Amy and Niki have been in a loving and committed relationship for 13 years, and they have two children under the age of three. They have a civil union in Illinois and married in Massachusetts in 2013 but need their marriage to be legally recognized in Indiana to receive the protections and security that every other married family in Indiana receives.

Henry Greene and Glenn Funkhouser (Carmel)
Henry Greene and Glenn Funkhouser live in Carmel, Ind., with their 12-year-old son. They’ve been in a loving, committed relationship for 22 years and wish to be married so their son won’t internalize the message he receives from his government that his family is not as worthy as others. Henry and Glenn need marriage to protect their son and help him to grow up with dignity and pride in his family.

Esther Fuller and Rae Baskin (Whitestown)
Rae Baskin, 60 , and Esther Fuller, 78, have been together for nearly 24 years.  Rae wishes to marry Esther because absent marriage, their relationship is viewed as having less dignity and respect by the state and in the eyes of others. Esther wants to ensure that Rae is protected and secure, even if Esther should pass away, and that Rae receives spousal protections including social security benefits for surviving spouses. Esther had breast cancer in 2008 and broke her hip in 2009.

Lyn Judkins and Bonnie Everly (Chesterton)
Bonnie Everly, 56 and Lyn Judkins, 57, have been together for more than 13 years. In 2002, Bonnie and Lyn were struck by a drunk driver and both suffer from mobility related disabilities. “Lyn is what keeps me going. I want to make her my wife because I’ve never had that feeling for anyone else. I want to make my life complete by putting a ring on her finger knowing it will be there forever.”

Dawn Carver and Pam Eanes (Munster)
Dawn Carver, 41 and Pam Eanes, 50 have been together for 17 years. Dawn is a patrol officer for the Oak Park Police Department and has been working there for 10 years. Pam is a Captain in the Calumet City Fire Department, and has worked there for 26 years. Although they have a civil union in Illinois it is not recognized in their home state. Because Indiana’s marriage ban has prevented them from marrying, they are not fully protected in the event that either of them is seriously injured from the inherent dangers of their work.