<\/p>\n
DENVER \u2013 Observers wondered how long it would take before some in Colorado would try to erode same-sex marriage, which was recently declared the law of the land by the nation\u2019s high court. The answer: six days.<\/p>\n
Two initiatives for the 2016 ballot were proposed July 2, both of which seek to limit same-sex marriages.<\/p>\n
Gay-rights advocates aren\u2019t surprised. Even as they were celebrating the landmark June 26 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, they were preparing for battles in the wake of the decision.<\/p>\n
The first initiative would redefine gay marriage in order to limit it to only a civil union. The second proposal would allow businesses providing wedding services to contract jobs to another business if same-sex marriage violates their principles.<\/p>\n
Both initiatives have been proposed by Littleton residents D\u2019Arcy Straub and Gene Straub. Neither returned calls seeking comment. D\u2019Arcy Straub was on an extended mountaineering trip, according to voicemail.<\/p>\n
The proposals are awaiting reviews by the state; they are scheduled for July 16. Legal questions remain about whether the initiatives would be valid after the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling. If the petitions are approved, proponents would need to collect 98,492 valid signatures to make the 2016 ballot.<\/p>\n
Barbara Balaguer, chairwoman of Four Corners Alliance for Diversity, expressed disappointment but not surprise. She understands the fight continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would be looking through rose-colored glasses if we thought that everyone would be completely on the same page,\u201d Balaguer said. \u201cWhile this is an overwhelming success on many levels \u2026 in reality, discrimination continues to exist on many levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wonders whether the proposals violate American principles.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever happened to separation of church and state?\u201d Balaguer asked. \u201cAt the end of the day, marriage is a civil contract, and one does not have to have a religious ceremony in order to be legally married within the state of Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling, religious interests assailed the decision, suggesting that the court made sweeping changes to the definition of marriage with far-reaching moral and legal consequences.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarriage precedes the creation of states and, by its nature, remains the union of one man and one woman. No court, no law and no amount of political correctness or wishful thinking can really change what marriage is,\u201d Colorado bishops said in response to the ruling. \u201cMen and women were designed by God in complementary relation to one another, and only a man and a woman can form a conjugal union that brings forth children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are concerned that this decision will fan the flames of government hostility against individuals, businesses and religious organizations whose convictions prevent them from officiating at, participating in or celebrating such unions,\u201d said Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, a Christian-based nonprofit that promotes socially conservative views. \u201cUltimately, however, no court can change the eternal truth that marriage is, and always has been, between a man and a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Karen Skelly, a Durango-area wedding photographer, the issue is simple: Marriage should be allowed for anyone who wants to enter into one. Skelly has already taken wedding photos for one gay couple at Silverpick Lodge north of Durango. She doesn\u2019t believe a ballot initiative is necessary to present wedding businesses with options.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy thought is that if you are in business, you should serve everybody. If you don\u2019t want to serve certain people, you shouldn\u2019t be in business,\u201d Skelly said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know they have their religious beliefs that the Bible says a marriage should be between a man and a woman,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the Bible was written by men thousands of years ago. Who knows if God actually said those words. God is the one that has to judge people, not us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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