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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 13:33:17 |
New Colorado legislation allows same-sex couples to jointly adopt children, and provides new protection to gays in the workplace.
Earlier this year, Gov. Bill Ritter signed off on the second-parent adoption act and the employment nondiscrimination act after the measures passed in the Colorado General Assembly.
Both laws went into affect Aug. 3.
"I think it kind of shows the perspective of legislators," said Jordan Bair, program coordinator for Auraria's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Student Services. "They understand we need to be protected."
A prior attempt to pass legislation that would increase workplace rights for gays and lesbians was initially approved, but later vetoed by Gov. Bill Owens.
Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, opposes the legislation. He said it enables litigation against people who discuss their beliefs in the workplace.
"This bill opens up the opportunity for people to sue on those grounds, and stifle religious expression and freedom of speech," Harvey said.
Not according to Mindy Barton, legal director for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado. She said the law is about securing equality for all Coloradans, not promoting lawsuits.
"We're not the first state to have an employment nondiscrimination act in place," Barton said.
Colorado is the 20th state to pass legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the 13th to extend that legislation to transgender people.
"These were very successful," Barton said. "We're very excited that Gov. Ritter was the one to follow through and sign both of these."
But Harvey said the new laws are not what the people of Colorado want. He cited Referendum I, a failed ballot initiative from last November that would have legalized domestic partnerships.
Barton and Bair said the adoption law covers much more than new rights for same-sex couples.
"Both of these laws impact the GLBT community and the heterosexual community," Barton said. "They go both ways."
Under the second-parent adoption act, a legal parent can consent to have a second adult adopt their child, so long as they undergo a home study and pass a background check.
Bair said this would benefit many people, gay or straight, because it would offer a child additional support and resources.
"I think it will honestly impact youth more than anyone else - young women having children," she said.
If parents were to get joint rights, Bair said their children would likely have access to better education and health benefits.
But according to Harvey, the law is just a "window dressing" for the proponents of the legislation whose objective was to allow same-sex adoption.
"I think it's always in the best interest for children to have a mom and dad," he said. "That's the ultimate goal of any society, is to have solid families."
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