Colo. Republicans Support Civil Unions

Jefferson County attorney Mario Nicolais bills himself as “a hard-core partisan Republican,” which comes as no surprise to any Democrat who saw his recent work on a commission redrawing legislative boundaries.

But Nicolais also serves as the spokesman for a new GOP group called Coloradans for Freedom, formed to serve as a resource for the passage of civil unions.

Their message: Being gay and forming a civil union is a matter of personal freedom consistent with the Republican philosophy of individual liberty.

“The point is not to create conflict within the Republican Party,” Nicolais said. “It’s to provide resources to people interested in the conservative argument for civil unions.”

Coloradans for Freedom is holding a “conservative cocktail reception” Thursday night at a Denver home.

A bill allowing civil unions in Colorado passed last year in the state Senate but died in a state House committee, with every Republican voting “no” and every Democrat voting “yes.”

A similar bill will be introduced in the 2012 session, which begins Jan. 11.

Civil unions offer same-sex couples the legal benefits, protections and responsibilities granted under state law to traditional couples.

They do not allow for gay marriage, which Colorado voters made unconstitutional in 2006.

“In my mind, there’s nothing inconsistent with being a Republican and supporting the rights of gay people to live as they choose,” Witwer said. “I would like gay people who believe in limited government and fiscal responsibility to know they still have a home in the Republican Party.”

“I’ve heard people say that civil unions threaten marriage,” Witwer said. “I’ve been married 16 years. They don’t threaten my marriage.”

(The full article appeared in the Denver Post.)