In our 2024 Vote Your Values Guide, the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado explained its support for Amendment J. Amendment J will remove language added to the Colorado Constitution in 2006 that defines marriage between a man and a woman.
In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Obergefell v. Hodges that the 14th amendment requires states to issue marriage licenses to and recognize marriages between same sex couples. In the years after, same sex couples in Colorado have had the freedom to marry. We are proud to be a state that provides strong legal protections for LGBTQ+ people, but without Amendment J, the discriminatory language from 2006 remains in place. It is both a painful reminder of a time when same sex couples experienced official discrimination in Colorado and a latent threat to equality for couples seeking to marry if the precedent set by Obergefell is not adhered to in the future.
Coloradans know that laws and policies that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people are harmful and do not reflect the values of people of faith and conscience or the people of Colorado. Amendment J will remove the discriminatory and out of step language added to the Colorado Constitution in 2006. Freedom to marry is about honoring the desire of committed couples to make a lifelong promise to love and care for each other and having the same ability to include partners in healthcare and other benefits, to visit them in the hospital, and plan for and build a secure future together.
At the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, we honor the inherent dignity of everybody in our human community. We honor the variety and complexity of human experience and know that it enriches our lives and our communities. As people of faith and conscience, we are called to respect the inherent dignity and worthiness of every individual and affirm equal rights for LGBTQ+ people, including the right to marry. We are proud to champion LGBTQ+ equality and support Amendment J, and to continue working toward a Colorado where all people are free and supported to live the lives they wish for.
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