The North Dakota Family Alliance will not take part in a public debate Monday about same-sex marriage.

The Family Alliance, which is sponsoring an initiative to ban gay marriage in the state, declined a request by the Fargo Human Relations Commission to participate in the community dialogue.

Fargo Human Relations Commission members will decide by noon today whether to invite another party to the debate, planned for 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at Fargo’s Ramada Plaza Suites, or to postpone the forum until after the commission’s Sept. 1 meeting.

“I think with a dialogue like this the most important thing is to have both sides,” Dan Mahli, the commission’s city liaison, said Tuesday. “They proposed the amendment. ... We thought it would be natural to host a community dialogue with them.”

The Rev. Steve Kindle, executive director of Clergy United for Equality of Homosexuals, was to be the main speaker against the proposed constitutional amendment, which would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Kindle, a North Dakota native who lives in California, had offered to speak on the subject.

John Trombley, chairman of the Family Alliance, said the group did not believe Kindle’s viewpoints lined up with the vast majority of North Dakotans.

“This is a debate that’s designed to be divisive,” Trombley said. “His bent and his tactics, as I understand it, are not to just have an open forum but to twist Scripture to validate his personal point of view.”

Trombley also took issue with the Fargo Human Relations Commission having already taken a stance against the amendment.

“It would appear it’s not exactly a forum that is open and nonpartisan,” Trombley said. “The truth of the matter is we don’t think this is a healthy debate.”

Commission member Cheryl Bergian said although the group has taken a stance, it wants to foster discussion.

The forum would include 12 minutes for each side to speak, a moderated discussion between the two sides, and 45 minutes of questions from the audience, Bergian said.

“They are the ones who have put this out into the public debate,” she said. “How can you say to have a public conversation is not healthy?”

Bergian is in favor of holding the forum Monday with another proponent for the amendment speaking in order to inform voters of both sides’ viewpoints.

“I’d rather see it happen sooner rather than later,” she said.

Robert Uebel of Equality North Dakota, which opposes the amendment, said he wants to see the issue discussed publicly, but getting out the group’s message isn’t dependent on the Family Alliance.

“I think they’re simply afraid t o have their arguments aired in public and examined in public,” Uebel said. “They’re not really going to withstand the light of day because they’re based on irrational prejudice.”

Trombley would not say if the Family Alliance will take part in any other debates, although the group is scheduled to take part in a debate sponsored by Prairie Public Television, producer Matt Olien said.

The debate will be taped Sept. 29 in Bismarck. It is scheduled to air Oct. 5, 14, 19 and 31.

The spokesperson for the anti-amendment will be Sherri Paxon of Mandan, Olien said.

Christina Kindel, executive director of the Family Alliance is the tentative delegate from the Family Alliance, Olien said, but that has not been confirmed.

“We may have a representative in that discussion,” Trombley said. “We’re still talking about that as a board.”

Readers can reach Forum reporter Sherri Richards at (701) 241-5525