Colorado religious leaders support constitutional amendment that scraps gay marriage ban

A coalition of Colorado religious leaders on Tuesday endorsed a ballot measure that would remove language in the state Constitution banning same-sex marriage.

Amendment J, referred by the Legislature to the November ballot, seeks to remove a constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2006 that defines a marriage as only between a man and woman.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Colorado and at the federal level because of the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. State leaders worry, however, that the court could reverse the decision just as it overturned the right to abortion enshrined in Roe v. Wade.

In a concurring opinion in the decision that overturned Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the court could reconsider rulings such as Obergefell.

“We are one bad decision away from overturning (Obergefell),” Susy Bates, the campaign director for Freedom to Marry Colorado, told reporters on a Tuesday call. “If that happens, the 2006 ban would go into effect and marriage for LGBTQ couples would immediately be at risk. We have to take action now to remove the ban and ensure protections for our communities.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is in a same-sex marriage. He married his longtime partner in 2021.

Nearly 40 religious leaders from churches and temples across the state signed a letter in support of the ballot initiative, writing that it is in line with their faith tradition and values.

“If indeed we are all created in God’s image, then laws which exclude and discriminate against one’s ability to express and sanctify their love and relationships violate basic principles of fairness and equality that are central to who we are. My tradition teaches this,” Joseph Black, the senior rabbi of Temple Emmanuel in Denver, said.

The leaders criticized people, including those on the far-right, who use religion as justification for discrimination.

“These efforts stand in stark opposition to our core religious and spiritual convictions, which compel us to forge a beloved community that rejects the misinformation and rejects divisions that fuel hostility, misunderstanding, fear and hatred expressed toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and nonbinary persons,” the letter reads.

Constitutional amendments need to be approved by 55% of voters. Voters will decide on seven other constitutional amendments in November, including one over the right to an abortion.

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