Purely a Matter of Equality

One of the most debated controversial issues of today’s society is the issue of gay rights. Senators here in Colorado have recently been debating the topic. The Rocky Mountain News reported on a spat between senators when Democrat Sen. Jennifer Veiga proposed the idea of equal health insurance for same sex couples. Veiga made the proposal on Monday, February 23 in Senate Bill 88. She stated that this was purely an equality issue. Many Republican senators, such as Nancy Spense from Centennial and Kevin Lundberg from Berthoud, argued with this idea. The Rocky Mountain News reported senators commenting that it was not time for this sort of change. Perhaps the most shocking argument was that of Republican Sen. Scott Renfro from Greely. Renfro stated, “I am not saying this [being gay] is the only sin that’s out there. We have murder. We have all sorts of sin. We have adultery. And we don’t make laws making those legal and we would never think to make murder legal (On Top Magazine).” Many gay and lesbian peoples, including Veiga, found this extremely offensive. Furthermore, several of the Republican senators pleaded that they do not stand by the remark that their fellow party member made, even if they do not agree with the bill. It is slightly difficult for most to make the analogy between a heinous crime such as murder and a shared affection between two people, even if they are of the same sex.

In 2006 Coloradans voted that ‘marriage’ was between a man and a woman and denied any proposals that would award same sex couples equal rights as married heterosexual couples; however now 17 counties have officially decided not to restrict that equal privileges for homosexual couples. Therefore, on Monday the Legislature gave S.B. 88 the initial ‘o.k.’ regardless to Refro’s comment. S.B. 88 is a bill that awards same sex couples group benefits.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country is not as accepting to these sorts of proposals. There are only two states, Massachusetts and Connecticut, which have allowed same sex marriage in the courts. Many states have had a back-and-forth verdict about whether same sex couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples. The New York Times reported on states such as Rhode Island that are having issues with the decision to allow bills such as those like Colorado’s to pass. Many of Rhode Island’s dominant senators are opposed to these proposals. Other states such as Utah, New Mexico, Montana, and even California struggle with this change.

Kaitie Haagenstad