One of two DP initiatives pulled from Colorado ballot

One of two Colorado proposals that would allow same-sex couples to register as domestic partners was withdrawn from the November ballot Tuesday because backers said the other proposal would accomplish the same goal. Coloradans for Fairness pulled Amendment 45, which would have changed the state constitution to give registered domestic partners some of the same rights as married couples.

Still on the ballot is Referendum I, which would put domestic partnerships into state law rather than into the constitution. It was placed on the ballot by the legislature.

Coloradans for Fairness gathered signatures to place their proposal on the ballot partly to counter another measure that would have barred any government in Colorado from recognizing any relationship similar to marriage. Backers of the anti–domestic partnership proposal failed to gather enough signatures to win a spot on the ballot.

"The simple question before voters this fall is whether we will provide basic legal rights for such things as hospital visitation, end-of-life decisions, inheritance of property," said Sean Duffy, executive director of Coloradans for Fairness, which gathered more than 140,000 signatures for its proposal. "That's the choice Referendum I gives us."

He said Coloradans for Fairness offered its proposal to show that Referendum I would not allow same-sex marriage but provide committed gay couples with legal rights they lack now. The move leaves seven initiatives and seven referenda on the November ballot, including two dealing with same-sex relationships: Referendum I and Amendment 43, which would amend the state constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. (AP)

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