Same-sex couples in Colorado won legal recognition today after a civil unions bill received final approval in the state House.  The legislation, which had previously passed in the Senate, now heads to the governor, who supports it.

Civil unions legislation stalled in the last legislative session, but Democrats took control of the House in 2012 elections and gave the speaker’s gavel to Mark Ferrandino, an openly gay representative from Denver.  The number of openly gay and lesbian lawmakers doubled from four to 8 this year, adding to the inevitability surrounding passage of the bill in this session.

“We are proud that this debate was led by Colorado’s openly LGBT lawmakers and their allies,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute.  ”Having a place at the table really matters.”

Photo:  AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

Out lawmakers in Virginia, Colorado and Rhode Island are busy this week working to pass legislation that would advance the LGBT community’s access to equal rights.

In Virginia, openly gay State Sen. Adam Ebbin and ally Sen. Donald McEachin succeeded last night in passing an employment non-discrimination bill through a key committee. SB701, the bill that would prohibit discrimination based on a public employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity, passed through the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee with an 8-7 vote, MetroWeekly reports. The bill will now move on to the 40-member Senate for a vote.

In Colorado, out State Sen. Pat Steadman continues to lead the effort to pass a civil unions bill, which the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear Wednesday afternoon. The bill is expected to easily pass, finally ending the years-long battle to win civil unions in the state.  Steadman told The Denver Post that this hearing should be far briefer and less dramatic than last year’s four-hour event: “How much more is there really to say about this? We’ve heard it before. People understand this. This is family law.”

And the breaking news in Rhode Island today is that the House Judiciary Committee unanimously endorsed HB5015, the bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in the state. On January 24, the bill will face the full House of Representatives, where openly gay Speaker Gordon D. Fox is in charge. State Sen. Donna Nesselbush, who is openly lesbian, is leading the Senate effort to win marriage equality along with bill co-sponsor State Sen. Arthur Handy, who is an ally.

Photo: Rhode Islanders United for Marriage

At least seven Victory Fund-endorsed candidates will compete for state legislative seats in Colorado this fall, which could give the state one of the largest LGBT legislative caucuses in the country.  All seven advanced in uncontested Democratic primaries Tuesday night, though some could face well-financed GOP opponents in November.

“These are all truly impressive people with strong records of community service.  They will be fantastic representatives for their districts, and they will add energy and authenticity to the debate about LGBT equality in Colorado,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

The now-official openly gay and lesbian Democratic nominees for the Colorado General Assembly are:

Rep. Mark Ferrandino, Colorado State House of Representatives, District 2 (incumbent)
Joann Ginal – Colorado House of Representatives, Dist. 52
Dominick Moreno - Colorado House of Representatives, Dist. 32
Paul Rosenthal – Colorado House of Representatives, Dist. 9
Sen. Pat Steadman – Colorado State Senate, District 31  (incumbent)
Rep. Sue Schafer – Colorado State House of Representatives, District 24 (incumbent)
Jessie Ulibarri – Colorado State Senate, Dist. 21

Sen. Lucia Guzman, an incumbent, is not up for reelection this year.

GOP leaders in the Colorado House of Representatives last night again blocked a floor vote on a civil unions bill, but next time could be different if the state’s numerous gay and lesbian legislative candidates have anything to say about it.

Four non-incumbents have been endorsed by the Victory Fund–three House candidates and one candidate for the Senate.  If they win and join the four out legislators now serving, Colorado would have one of the largest LGBT legislative caucuses in the U.S., and their victories could ensure a floor vote on civil unions.

The out non-incumbent candidates endorsed by Victory are:

Jessie Ulibarri, Senate District 21 (pictured with his family)

Dominick Moreno, House District 32

Paul Rosenthal, House District 9

Joann Ginal, House District 52

This year’s civil unions legislation was sponsored by Rep. Mark Ferrandino, the openly gay House Minority Leader.  It won bipartisan support in committee votes throughout last week, but House Speaker Frank McNulty used procedural delays to prevent an up-or-down vote by the entire chamber, where it was expected to pass.  McNulty was able to kill the measure again Monday night during a special session called this week by Gov. John Hickenlooper, a strong supporter of the civil unions bill.

One Colorado, the statewide LGBT group, said it would now turn its focus to ousting McNulty.  ”We must fight back.  They must be held accountable,” said Brad Clark, the group’s executive director.

Ferrandino and his House colleague, Rep. Sue Schafer, joined their out counterparts in the Senate–Sens. Pat Steadman and Lucia Guzman–in urging their colleagues to give same-sex couples many of the legal rights, benefits and responsibilities afforded to married couples, and they vowed to keep fighting.

“(W)e’re going to work hard to make sure the public understands what happened, the games that were played, and next we’re going to push it again.  And as I’ve said a number of times, it’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it’s a matter of ‘when.’ And the ‘when’ keeps getting sooner and sooner. This will happen,” said Ferrandino.

Democrats in the Colorado House of Representatives have elected an openly gay man to lead their caucus, meaning he could become House Speaker if the chamber flips back to Democratic control next year.

Rep. Mark Ferrandino of Denver, who co-sponsored a civil unions bill this year that failed to pass in the Republican-controlled House, said he will work to put Democrats back in charge of the nearly evenly divided chamber.