March 11, 2008 9:13 AM
Sen. Veiga seeks to expand anti-discrimination protections for gays and lesbians
Sen. Jennifer Veiga has introduced a bill to provide anti-discrimination protections to gays and lesbians in housing, public accommodation, consumer credit practices and other arenas.
SB 200 would build on the Denver Democrat’s success last year in passing a law outlawing workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.That bill triggered a bruising partisan battle in the Senate, but the House passed it on 44-18 vote with several Republicans backing the measure.
Does Veiga expect sparks to fly with the new bill?
“Sadly, yes,” she said. “It really should be, in my opinion, non-controversial. But any time you try to add legal protection to gays and lesbians for whatever reason there’s controversy.”
The bill would extend anti-discrimination protections to gays and lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals that are already afforded to people based on disability, race, creed, and gender, religion, national origin and marital status.
In last year’s anti-employment discrimination bill battle, Senate Republicans charged that gays and transgendered residents do not qualify for a protected-class status, based on criteria in state and federal civil rights laws.
But Veiga finally won passage after similar legislation failed four years in a row, either because it was vetoed by former Republican Gov. Bill Owens or died in GOP-controlled committees.
Finally, Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter signed the anti-employment discrimination measure into law.
--Alan Gathright
April 24, 2008
9:45 PM
Chris writes:
This bill as I understand it would allow homosexual couples to force churches to rent there facility to them for a homosexual wedding or recepption for example. Even when the church does not believe in this type of union! This is under the "public accomodation" part of the bill. This is if the church even just occasionally would rent there facility to non members.
IE: Our CHurch is Methodist and rents to Catholic charites durng the week so they can have the head start program in the building serving the community.
I am not a homosexual hater! I am not an unreasonable person either. Much of the bill I agree with! I do not however believe that the state should dictate this scenerio to churches or other private organizations! How about the "Homosexual churches" out there being forced to rent there facilities to the extreme red neck KKK for a rally they want to have?
Should that be required of them? Seems like this would apply as well!
I hope the best for this situation and that our religious freedoms will not be attacked!
May 22, 2008
7:29 PM
Elizabeth writes:
That's just a stupid response. Church and religious grounds are not protected under discrimination. You can't marry a Jew in the Catholic church now. You obviously don't have any idea about the protections religious grounds have.
A non-mormon can't even attend a wedding at a mormon church, let alone marry someone who isn't mormon in the church. What and who a church allows is 100% their decision. It always has been and this would not change that.
This bill does not change that a church has the right to refuse rental to anyone for any reason.
May 30, 2008
2:42 PM
Doug writes:
Chris' response is not stupid. Read it again. he stated,
"This is if the church even just occasionally would rent there facility to non members."
A church that occasionally rents their facility is considered a "Public Accomodation" and must adhere to the law spelled out in SB200.