Colorado civil union bill advances toward showdown

DENVER • Sen. Pat Steadman introduced a bill last year to create civil unions for gay couples. It failed. So this year he’s doing it again. And on Wednesday, it cleared its first hurdle in the state Senate.

But not without a fight.

More than a hundred supporters and opponents of the bill crammed the Old Supreme Court chambers for five hours Wednesday afternoon, giving legislators more than was probably necessary on why they should or shouldn’t approve the bill.

Those who backed the measure contended universally that it was a question of equality and civil rights, while those against the measure said it was gay marriage in disguise.

Colorado Springs resident Lisa Green, a psychotherapist who specializes in family treatments, testified on behalf of the bill, and said it’s something that Colorado Springs needs to help gays live their lives.

“They’ve formed a niche on the west side, and they don’t go past Garden of the Gods,” Green said of the LGBT community.

“I had one girl recently who came out to her mother, and her mother said, ‘So?’ And I have two others who have been considering suicide,” Green said.

But many staunch conservatives said the bill is a “stepping stone” towards gay marriage and would undermine traditional values and the institution of marriage.

“Rather than a smooth arc toward justice, I would call this a precipice that we stand on and are about to jump off of,” said Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud.

Most opponents had similar religiously-toned themes. A representative from Catholic Charities said the bill would violate religious rights and keep it from assisting in adoptions because of the legal implications, and several religious leaders said the bill would erode the fabric of society.

“We as a society are causing our own demise,” said Cecilia O’Connor, a homemaker from Littleton.

The outcome was politically inevitable, though. The committee’s four Democrats were joined by one of three Republicans in approving the bill, which goes to the Senate Finance Committee, because it includes a licensing fee for the union.

The bill is not expected to survive the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The same measure died last year in the House Judiciary Committee.