Indiana state senator faces backlash over post about marriage and parenting

Chris Sikich
Indianapolis Star

Corrections & clarifications: An earlier version of this story misidentified Stan Albaugh's military service. He is an Air Force veteran. 

A Republican state senator is facing criticism for his position that married biological parents are best suited to raise children and that scenario should be pursued whenever possible.

Critics note that leaves out same-sex couples, single parents and blended families with children from past marriages, just to name a few. 

Sen. John Crane, R-Brownsburg, described his position on marriage in a brief post on his campaign webpage for the Nov. 3 election. 

"Marriage, as designed by our Creator, is to be between a man and a woman. And social science has repeatedly confirmed that the ideal scenario for a child’s well-being is to be raised in a home where both biological parents are present and lovingly invested in their upbringing. We recognize that in our fractured world, the real is not always the ideal. And yet, because the ideal model of marriage and family serves the best interests of all people and societies, it should be pursued whenever possible."

Sen. John Crane

Sen. J.D. Ford, a Democrat from Indianapolis who is the state's first openly gay lawmaker, and Crane's Democratic opponent in the Nov. 3 election, Air Force veteran Stan Albaugh, both have publicly condemned Crane's position.

They say Crane's views are antiquated, and they worry he will pursue legislation that would harm the LGBTQ community and other types of nontraditional families.

Reached by IndyStar, Crane defended his beliefs but said he has no plans to pursue such legislation. 

Views on same-sex marriage, in particular, have shifted the past decade. In 2013, lawmakers were trying to ban it in the state Constitution. By 2018, they were welcoming the state's first openly gay lawmaker, Ford, to the Statehouse. 

After seeing Crane's campaign post, Ford wrote on Facebook that Crane has been particularly friendly and welcoming but indicated he feels betrayed by the senator's anti-LGBTQ priorities. 

"Know what I am tired of?" Ford wrote. "I am tired of my Republican colleagues pretending to care when I know just how they feel. I know when it comes time for their elections they will post things like this on their Facebook pages and return back to the Statehouse to smile in my face."

In an interview with IndyStar, Ford said he was disappointed the Republican Party has not moved on from divisive social issues. 

Crane stands by post

Crane told IndyStar he wrote the post when running for his first term in 2016 and was surprised to see it was gaining attention now. Ford and other Democrats noticed it and reacted after Crane recently updated his webpage for this year's election.

"I don't think I'm going to pursue any personal legislation to that end," Crane said, "but everything we are doing within government is trying to do what we believe is right." 

Crane, though, has been criticized for other legislative efforts regarding the LGBTQ community.  

This year, he co-authored a bill that would have required transgender Hoosiers to provide medical paperwork to identify themselves as other than their birth gender on their state driver licenses. The bill, which failed, stemmed from a proposal by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to allow Hoosiers to choose "X" as their gender instead of "male" or "female." 

Republicans and same-sex marriage

Not long ago, Crane's views on marriage would have been considered more mainstream. Republicans tried to ban same-sex marriage in the state Constitution but abandoned the effort after the Supreme Court's historic 2014 ruling legalizing it. Since then, public opinion has shifted dramatically with the majority of Americans supporting same-sex marriage.

The Republican party, though, has been struggling internally with the issue. In 2018, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb led an effort to remove traditional marriage from the Indiana GOP platform but was blocked by Attorney General Curtis Hill and his allies. Republicans will re-examine their platform in 2022. 

Crane comes from a politically connected family. Two of his uncles were Congressmen in Illinois and his father ran for Congress several times in Indiana. Crane and his wife, Jean Crane, founded the Sagamore Leadership Initiative, a faith-based group. In the past, he has been a pastor in Avon and a professor at a Christian college. 

Crane said he didn't immediately have the social science studies about parenting he cited in his post available to share with IndyStar. He acknowledged he knows such studies are disputed.

"I don't think my position is particularly controversial," he said. "I think it's pretty standard for a Republican conservative."

Asked whether he could see why Ford, in particular, might be upset with anti same-sex marriage and parenting views, Crane said the two have a good relationship and he knows Ford works hard in the Senate. 

Ford told IndyStar the implication is that he himself would not make a good father and it's upsetting to have a colleague think that. 

"I reject his notion that I wouldn't be a good father," he said. 

Sen. J.D. Ford.

Crane said he didn't say or mean to imply that Ford himself might not be a good father. 

"It's my position that a kid needs a good mom and a good dad," Crane said. "He assumed that meant I thought he would not be a good dad. That's out of context." 

Crane pointed out he acknowledged in his post that his views of parenting should be pursued only when possible. 

"Blended families and single moms are doing their best to raise kids," Crane said. "I think it's a very noble task." 

Albaugh hopes Crane's district is turning purple 

Albaugh wrote an article condemning Crane's post for LGBTQ Nation, an advocacy webpage. He is a retired Air Force colonel who works in real estate and is running against Crane in District 24, which includes portions of Hendricks and Putnam counties west of Indianapolis. 

Albaugh said, as a parent in a blended family, he is offended by Crane's position. Albaugh and his wife have five children and 10 grandchildren from previous marriages, he said. 

"He's going to legislate on religious views, not laws or the Constitution," Albaugh said. "I spent my whole life defending the Constitution. It offends me as someone who supports the Constitution. It offends me as someone with a nontraditional family."

Ford said voters will have the final say in November on whether Crane's position is appropriate. But Ford said it's brought back painful memories, including former Gov. Mike Pence's effort to pass the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which critics said would legalize certain discrimination against the LGBTQ community. 

"This Pence-like voice," Ford said. "I thought we moved on from these divisive social issues." 

Contact IndyStar reporter Chris Sikich at Chris.Sikich@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisSikich.