Full text of my Colorado House committee testimony on civil unions

Daniel Gonzales

March 31st, 2011

Providing testimony to a Senate committee earlier this month.

.

The Colorado House is holding a crucial committee hearing on the civil unions bill today and I will be testifying.  In 2006 Colorado voters both rejected a referendum to enact civil unions and amended the state constitution to ban gay marriage.  These events of 2006 have become a favorite talking-point for those legislators wishing to oppose civil unions here in 2011.  Gay rights are one of the fastest changing opinions among voters and multiple polls in Colorado have shown that voters here have changed their views drastically since 2006.

My name is Daniel Gonzales.

I need to publicly apologize to my community because before I came out of the closet, I voted in favor of my home state’s marriage ban amendment.

But I’m not alone, the issue of equal protections for gays and lesbians is one of the most rapidly shifting opinions among voters in our nation right now.

Yet when this bill was in the Senate your peers kept bringing up Ref i and Amendment 43, as if Coloradans are an exception and haven’t reconsidered the issue since these votes in 2006.

That’s clearly not the case.

Three different polls conducted this year and last have all shown support for civil unions exceeding 72% among Coloradans.

So yes, Colorado voters, including people in your district, have changed their minds on this issue, and I count myself among them.

The citizens of Utah, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma have seen fit to pass amendments banning not just marriage but also civil unions.  Yet the people of this state have not done so.  The people of Colorado have left the door open for us to have civil unions.

Amendment 43 bans marriage.  Civil unions and marriage are not the same thing.  Colorado voters know that. That’s why the two poll at drastically different levels of support.

I ask you to please work within the bounds of our constitution to give our relationships some basic dignity through civil unions.

I ask that you realize and acknowledge that the voters of Colorado and I have changed our thinking on this issue.

My own coming out took three years, it was a gradual process. And in that time my existing beliefs and preconceptions were challenged and I began to think about what sort of life and what sort of family I might one-day have.

I’m not here to try and change your personal religious convictions or get some sort of moral stamp of approval.

But I am saying that the voters of Colorado and I have changed our thinking on this issue and I would ask that you too begin to challenge your preconceived feelings about people you might think are so different than you.

Perhaps some of the tearful testimonies earlier have demonstrated that the hopes, dreams and fears of our families are not that much different than yours.

Today you have an opportunity to improve the lives of families in our state. I urge you to take it.

G Carey

March 31st, 2011

When will this be voted on?

Daniel Gonzales

March 31st, 2011

The committee hearing is still going. The most crucial vote is this evening when the committee votes on it. If the bill reaches the House floor it will pass there.

Ben M

March 31st, 2011

Measure failed on a party line vote.

Ben M

March 31st, 2011

Final vote:

Sonnenberg (R-65): No
Kagan (D-3): Yes
Nikkel (R-49): No
Lee (D-18): Yes
Levy (D-13): Yes
Barker (R-17): No
Gardner (R-21): No
Duran (D-5): Yes
Ryden (D-36): Yes
DelGrosso (R-51): No
Waller (R-15): No

I guess Sonnenberg told Rep Ferrandino he will be a great dad… after condemning his family to ongoing hardship.

Ryan

March 31st, 2011

With 72% of Colorado citizens supporting Civil Unions, gay rights groups should put it up for a popular vote. Counting on Republicans to do the right thing by gays is a losing proposition. This time they can’t even hide behind the “sanctity” of anything. This is pure Republican animus.

Ben M

April 1st, 2011

There was an amendment to put the bill to popular vote… it failed (all Republicans voted no).

Leave A Comment

All comments reflect the opinions of commenters only. They are not necessarily those of anyone associated with Box Turtle Bulletin. Comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

(Required)
(Required, never shared)

PLEASE NOTE: All comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

 

Latest Posts

The Things You Learn from the Internet

"The Intel On This Wasn't 100 Percent"

From Fake News To Real Bullets: This Is The New Normal

NC Gov McCrory Throws In The Towel

Colorado Store Manager Verbally Attacks "Faggot That Voted For Hillary" In Front of 4-Year-Old Son

Associated Press Updates "Alt-Right" Usage Guide

A Challenge for Blue Bubble Democrats

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance

Featured Reports

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.