Valentine's Day Used To Renew Civil Unions Fight

DENVER (CBS4) - Denver couples lined up at the County Clerk's Office to get their marriage license and this Valentine's Day brought a renewed fight from gay and lesbian couples to bring civil unions to Colorado.

Colorado is now taking up one of the most divisive social issues in the country. A new bill would provide legal protection for committed gay couples.

Flowers are big on Valentine's Day and so are candy and cards. But Monday civil unions were on the minds of gays and lesbians in Colorado. They even brought in Cupid to help them fight to have their relationships recognized.

They looked like a child's colorful art project, but they were links of love carried with Cupid's help on Valentine's Day. It was a chain with each link containing a personal sentiment brought to the Capitol by demonstrators.

"Equal rights for all, not some, love is never wrong," one link said. "Please support civil unions," another said.

There were more than 1,000 messages from across the state in a show of support for the Colorado Civil Unions Act.

"Civil unions would provide thousands of committed gay and lesbian couples across the state with the critical legal protections they need to provide for their families," Jessica Woodrum with ONE Colorado said.

Sen. Pat Steadman, a Democrat from Denver who is gay, introduced the bill.

"This is a simple fair way of making our laws more inclusive," Steadman said.

Steadman says it would be more inclusive for couples like Jessie Ulibarri and Louis Trujillo, who are raising a son together.

"Like if my partner, knock on wood, if he were to pass away I don't know if I would be able to maintain the house," Ulibarri said. "I wouldn't have the same type of protections right now. We're not even able to have each other on our insurance plans."

Activists delivered sections of the paper chain to individual lawmakers. They are cautiously optimistic.

"It's going to pass the Senate. I think it's got a fighting chance in the House," Steadman said.

The argument is "love is love," but some worry even Cupid won't be able to sway the Republican-controlled House.