Another
anti–marriage equality initiative proposed in
Colorado

A Colorado lawmaker and a man instrumental in the passage of Amendment 2, which prohibited laws protecting gay people from discrimination, are pushing a ballot initiative to ban civil unions and domestic partnerships. Republican representative Kevin Lundberg and Will Perkins, a retired Colorado Springs car dealer, filed paperwork Tuesday seeking the constitutional amendment. "It defines everything that marriage is not," Lundberg said. "It is not a civil union, it is not a domestic partnership." Perkins was chairman of Colorado for Family Values, which spearheaded the 1992 campaign to pass Amendment 2. The amendment was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1996. The men's efforts come as the Colorado legislature considers a measure that would let voters decide whether to give same-sex partners the rights of marriage, including inheriting property and making medical decisions for each other. The measure (House Bill 1344) has passed the house and was scheduled to be heard today in the senate. Another ballot proposal, sponsored by Coloradans for Marriage, would amend the constitution to say: "Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state." Lundberg said his initiative would complement that proposal. (AP)