One simple phrase – “only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state” – is about to set off a costly and emotional campaign in Colorado about marriage, gay rights, religion and the state’s economy.
A coalition of religious and conservative leaders plans to ask Colorado voters in November to add that phrase to the Colorado Constitution, in effect barring gay marriage here, according to a copy of the language obtained by The Denver Post.
A new nonprofit group, Coloradans for Marriage, is expected to file paperwork with the state next week, kicking off a debate over whether Colorado should become the 20th state to adopt a constitutional amendment that would prohibit gay marriage.
The coalition – which includes Focus on the Family, the National Association of Evangelicals and the lobbying arm of Roman Catholic Church in Colorado – is expected to have little problem gathering the roughly 68,000 signatures needed to put the proposed amendment on the November ballot.
“Marriage is a fundamental aspect of our society,” said Jon Paul, executive director of Coloradans for Marriage. “The constitution is one of the documents that draws up the fundamental aspects of our society. Marriage needs to be in there as one of those fundamental aspects.”
The amendment’s purpose statement is a road map for the proponents’ case: that marriage between one man and one woman is rooted in centuries of tradition and is best for children, and that Colorado needs protection from “activist judges” who have opened the door to same-sex marriage elsewhere.
“People have the right to form relationships that are meaningful to them as they may choose; however, they do not have the right to redefine marriage for all of us,” the statement reads.
The statement posits that the amendment would not discriminate or prevent anyone from receiving benefits available under current law. The amendment would not prohibit laws, for example, granting power of attorney for medical decisions and executions of wills, it says.
While supporters will argue that a constitutional safeguard is needed, opponents will argue a constitutional amendment is unnecessary because state law already defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
“It is merely a political ploy,” said Michael Brewer, public policy director of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Colorado. “It is designed to get ultra-conservative voters to the polls in 2006.”
Sean Duffy, a Republican political consultant working against the amendment, said another message will be that Coloradans do not want to relive the divisive days of Amendment 2. The 1992 citizen-approved initiative would have barred the passage of laws protecting gays from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the law.
“People will remember this had an unfortunate effect on Colorado’s economy,” Duffy said. “Reviving that unfortunate reputation just as Colorado is emerging from a recession that hit tourism particularly hard is something that sets us apart quite a bit” from other states that have voted on marriage amendments.
Staff writer Eric Gorski can be reached at 303-820-1698 or egorski@denverpost.com.
POTENTIALLY DIVISIVE TEXT
Ballot Title:
AN AMENDMENT TO THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION EXPRESSING THE PUBLIC POLICY OF THE STATE OF COLORADO THAT ONLY A UNION OF ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN SHALL BE VALID OR RECOGNIZED AS A MARRIAGE IN THE STATE OF COLORADO.
Text:
Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Colorado:
Section 1: Article II of the Colorado constitution is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION to read:
Section 31. Marriages valid or recognized.
(1) Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.
(2) This section shall take effect upon proclamation of the vote by the governor.
Summary:
The measure amends the Colorado constitution by expressing the choice of the people of the state of Colorado to preserve, as a matter of public policy, that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in the state of Colorado.
The measure specifies that the constitutional change shall take effect upon proclamation of the vote by the governor.
