Colorado legislators want to remove an inoperative provision in state statute that bans same-sex marriage. Voters in November approved a similar change to the state Constitution.

Senate Bill 25-14 would remove language in Colorado state statute that says a marriage is valid if it is “only between one man and one woman.” The Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee approved the bill 3-2 Thursday, and will go to the Senate floor next.

The two Republican senators on the committee, Senator Byron Pelton of Sterling and Senator Rod Pelton of Cheyenne Wells, voted against it. Nobody testified against the bill, and the two senators did not explain their “no” votes.

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Colorado voters with 64 percent of the vote adopted a constitutional amendment that removed language added by a previous constitutional amendment, approved by Colorado voters 18 years ago, that stated that “only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.” The bill is not tied to or required by the constitutional amendment.

Bill sponsor Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, noted during the committee hearing that the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which granted the federal right to same-sex marriage, was a 5-4 decision, and “we have a different court now.” She told the committee that she has seen “a lot of things go wrong for my LGBTQ community.”

The Supreme Court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority, and concern that the court could reverse the Obergefell decision has grown since it overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion.

“I’ve helped lead some of the first gay Pride marches in the country in the South, where I saw and felt discrimination and hatred, and sadly I’m seeing and feeling that now toward my trans friends and family,” Jaquez Lewis said. “But we can do the right thing today, passing Senate Bill 14. We can make our Colorado laws crystal clear, challenge-free and respectful of the will of the people of our great state.”

We will not let extremists chip away at our rights one by one.

– Nadine Bridges, executive director of One Colorado

Sponsor Senator Jessie Danielson, a Lakewood Democrat, said the government has “no business” telling people who they can or cannot marry if they wish “to commit to a loving relationship.” She said Colorado statute needs to “reflect the values of this great state” and that LGBTQ+ Coloradans “deserve the same rights as everybody else.”

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“Through the removal of this exclusionary language, we assert that Colorado will not waver in our support for this community and the freedoms guaranteed to our citizens by our state Constitution,” Danielson said. “All individuals deserve the right to marry the person they love. It’s imperative that our laws reflect and uphold our values and actively protect our people through honoring and preserving their existing and future marriages.”

In the House, the bill is sponsored by Representative Lorena Garcia, an Adams County Democrat, and Representative Brianna Titone, an Arvada Democrat.

Nadine Bridges, executive director of One Colorado, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, said Colorado must send “a clear message” that the state “will not turn back.”

“We will not let extremists chip away at our rights one by one,” Bridges said. “We see what’s happening across the country and we’re taking action before it’s too late. Colorado has spoken. We are a place where freedom, fairness and family matter.”

Since President Donald Trump took office last week, he and Republican leaders in Congress have rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the federal government, placing staff whose roles focus on DEI on paid leave.

Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com.