Colorado legislators kill civil unions bill

In the closest the state has come to legalizing civil unions, a special session in Colorado’s legislature effectively killed a bill that would have granted the right to same-sex couples before it even reached the House floor:

A measure allowing same-sex civil unions that prompted Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to call a special session after Republicans killed it last week may be defeated again later today.

On the first day of the new session, Colorado Republican House Speaker Frank McNulty assigned the bill to the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, a panel dominated by conservative members.

McNulty “sent it to state affairs, unfortunately known as his ‘kill’ committee,” said Democrat House Minority Leader Mark Ferrandino, the bill’s sponsor. “I’m going in knowing we don’t have a committed ‘yes’ vote.”

McNulty said the reason why he sent it to the kill committee was to “dispense with divisive issues as quickly as possible so we can get back to the business of creating jobs.” Additionally, GOP Rep. Don Coram said the reason why he voted against the bill (he has a gay son) was because, “I’m concerned that the gay community is being used as a political pawn.”

So you’re voting against a bill granting rights to the gay community…for their own well-being? This kind of argument by the right that civil liberties for gay couples (or Obama’s support for marriage equality) is some kind of political ploy or diversion from the “real issues” is a political ploy in itself (not to mention completely trivializes LGBTQ rights) — and not one that will work come November.

Pic via.