Mary Cheney Headlining Gay Marriage Fundraiser

The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney is coming to Indianapolis to help raise money to fight a proposed amendment banning gay marriage.

Mary Cheney plans to headline a fundraiser for Freedom Indiana on Dec. 11. Tickets range from $30 to $5,000. Cheney is a married lesbian who supports same-sex marriage throughout the nation.

"No one should be denied the fundamental liberties we all deserve," Cheney wrote in the fundraising appeal sent Tuesday.

Cheney has recently been fighting publicly with her sister, a conservative Republican running for the U.S. Senate in Wyoming. Senate candidate Liz Cheney recently said earlier this month that she continues to believe marriage should be limited to being between one man and one woman. Cheney is seeking to oust U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi in next year's Republican primary.

However, in Indiana, the fight is not over legalizing gay marriage, but rather strengthening and expanding the state's existing ban on gay marriage. Lawmakers are considering a measure which would add the state ban to the constitution, but also expand it to bar future approval of civil unions or employer benefits for same-sex couples.

Supporters of the strengthened ban say it is needed to block a judge from potentially overturning state law, while opponents say it would drive new businesses from locating in Indiana.

If approved during the upcoming legislative session, the measure would head to Indiana voters for approval, which has the potential to turn 2014 into a high-dollar, national battle.