Kansans in April will probably approve a state Constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, but it is only a matter of time before it will be repealed or struck down and society’s attitude toward the issue changes, a former legislator said Sunday.

“Ten years from now, in 2015, we will be amazed that we were ever sitting in this room and having this discussion,” said David Adkins, a former Republican state legislator from Leawood.

Adkins spoke to about 50 people who attended a forum about the gay marriage issue at Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt. The forum was organized by the church’s Open and Affirming Committee. Last year the congregation voted to adopt a statement welcoming gays and lesbians into the full “life and leadership of the church.”

Moreover, there is “little or no justification” for such an amendment because Kansas law already prevents members of the same sex from officially being married, Adkins said. He said he knew of no effort by gays to obtain a marriage license or file a lawsuit challenging the law.

But Adkins thinks the amendment, if it passes, will be challenged in court.

After failing in an attempt last year, the Kansas Legislature passed a gay marriage ban during the early weeks of this year’s session, and thus it brought the issue of a Constitutional amendment to popular vote in the April 5 general election.

The push for a gay marriage ban is a sign of a troubling conservative extremist movement that targets politicians who don’t completely agree with those extremists on certain “wedge” issues, Adkins said.

“We need to find ways to get rid of these wedge issues and litmus tests,” he said. “A portion of what I’m seeing coming to Kansas from Washington are these interest groups that are well-financed with a narrow agenda and that will target people over very narrow votes.”

Adkins encouraged unaffiliated voters to join a political party to better confront the extremists. He noted that Republican moderates have been defeated in Kansas primaries.

David Adkins, vice chancellor for external affairs at Kansas University Medical Center and a former state senator, speaks during an open forum about civil rights issues pertaining to gays and lesbians. The Sunday morning talk was held at Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt.

Adkins left the legislature last year without seeking re-election to the Kansas Senate, ending a 12-year political career that included both legislative houses. In 2002 he ran for Kansas attorney general and was defeated in the Republican primary by Phill Kline. Adkins is now the vice chancellor for external affairs with Kansas University Medical Center.

About 50 people attended the forum, one in a series the church’s committee has had on issues during the past year. One of them, Phil Friedeman, commended Adkins for speaking out and said he hoped Adkins would again run for office.

“I’ve got to hope that Kansans will go to the polls and reject this,” said Friedeman, a retired minister. “If they don’t, I’ll really be disappointed.”