Colorado is being watched politically on a number of issues, with gay rights being at the top of the list.
On one side you have Coloradoans For Marriage, a group that is attempting to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman on this year’s ballot. On the other, there is Referendum I, a measure that would allow gay and lesbian couples to have legal protections through domestic partnerships, rather than marriage.
And now, national organizations-and their local counterparts-are chiming in. Just yesterday, an executive director with Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), a national GLBT support organization, mentioned Colorado in a weekly newsletter sent out to supporters.
“With more states considering constitutional amendments to ban marriage equality, including Colorado which also is considering legislation to authorize domestic partnership benefits, the broader issue of GLBT equality remains an important issue for millions of people this year,” wrote Jody M. Huckaby in the letter.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), another gay rights group, is also on the record supporting Referendum I and opposing the marriage initiative:
Across the pond, there is Focus On The Family, a evangelical organization that is based in Colorado, but works on a national level. The organization’s leader, James Dobson, has said that his group is not in favor of gay marriage, vying instead to support marriage that is defined as strictly heterosexual. Dobson has been more tacit when it comes to the issue of domestic partnerships, however. Focus on the Family is also a part of Coloradans for Marriage, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
But GLBT and religious organizations aren’t the only ones throwing their hats into the proverbial ring, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a legal and civil rights group in Colorado and other states, has voiced its support for domestic partnerships, while opposing the marriage amendment which the organization says discriminates against same-sex couples.
