Denver Post: Civil Unions On Fast Track

It’s going to happen:

Labor battles, gun fights, fracking and education financing will test lawmakers when the state legislature opens Jan. 9, but one issue is not in doubt: Colorado is poised to become the ninth state in the nation to allow same-sex couples to form civil unions.  After two years of fighting over the issue, the Republicans who controlled the House and killed the measure are out of power, paving the way for a civil unions bill to head to Gov. John Hickenlooper, who supports legal recognition for same-sex couples. But the victory will be bittersweet for Sen. Pat Steadman, the gay lawmaker who has led the fight for civil unions. The Denver Democrat said he believes allowing gays to marry, rather than just form civil unions, would truly represent equality, but marriage is banned under Colorado’s constitution. And he won’t be able to share the moment with his partner of 12 years, Dave Misner, who died in September after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. “It’s going to be very sad for me, and sort of anticlimactic,” Steadman said.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bob)