Colorado House Approves Civil Union Bill in Bipartisan Vote; Outcome Not in Doubt for Final Vote Tomorrow

Colorado is poised to approve  SB-11, the Colorado Civil Union Act, in a final recorded vote on Tuesday after an initial vote approving it today, the Denver Post reports:

At least two Republicans support the measure: Cheri Gerou of Evergreen and Carole Murray of Castle Rock.

"What this bill is about is personal freedom and individual liberties," Gerou said. "This is a good conservative bill."

Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to sign the bill into law this month; it would be implemented May 1.

"This bill is about three simple things," Ferrandino said at the start of the debate. "It's about love, it's about family, and it's about equality under the law."

Said Brad Clark, Executive Director of LGBT rights group One Colorado following the vote:

"This historic victory belongs to the thousands of committed couples across the state, who have worked tirelessly for three years to make it possible for all loving families to have the protection they need to take care of one another. “cross the country, we’ve seen a sea change in public opinion on this issue. A vast majority of Coloradans support providing committed same-sex couples with the security they need, and these fair-minded folks are glad to see civil unions finally passed. We applaud the bipartisan group of Representatives and Senators who voted to affirm that all families are worthy of respect."

The Senate has already passed the bill. Governor John Hickenlooper has promised to sign it.

Colorado Civil Unions Bill Headed for Full House Vote After Appropriations Committee Approves It

The Colorado Civi Union Act, SB-11, is headed to the full House after it was approved today in a bipartisan 9-4 vote by the Colorado House Appropriations Committee. The Senate passed the bill on February 11, and Governor John Hickenlooper says he will sign it, so it's just one vote away from becoming law.

'O'Reilly Factor' Ambushes Gay Colorado House Speaker, Says He's 'Not Protecting Kids from Child Predators': VIDEO

Check out this ugly trolling by The O'Reilly Factor of openly gay Colorado House Speaker Mark Ferrandino. O'Reilly's Jesse Watters questions Ferrandino's opposition to "Jessica’s Law", which imposes excessive mandatory sentences for first-time offenders of child molesters.

Ferrandino explains that his opposition is because Colorado's laws "are tougher than Jessica's law" but O'Reilly's segment seems more interested in suggesting that Ferrandino is aiding and abetting child molesters, Think Progress reports. Following the ambush, O'Reilly also notes that Ferrandino is “a big gay marriage guy… big marijuana legalizer.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Queen Elizabeth, Daft Punk, Rhode Island, CPAC

Two Oregon men were attacked by a wrench-wielding man hurling anti-gay epithets as they walked their pink poodle. Police are looking into whether or not the incident can be considered a hate crime.

Queen Elizabeth has been hospitalized with gastroenteritis, an intestinal inflammation typically caused by a virus. Apparently these commoner viruses do not know the 86-year old is royalty!

Gay and lesbian couples, and the wedding industry, are gearing up for spring and summer ceremonies in Maine.

Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb sees marriage equality on the horizon. Civil unions, he says, are just the first step.

Lincoln Chafee, the independent governor of Rhode Island, where same-sex marriage recently passed the state House, makes an economic argument for passage: "Without marriage equality in Rhode Island...very desirable employer(s) will consider the difficulties and costs of hiring in Rhode Island against conditions in other Northeastern states. And the company may simply feel it's wrong to deny its gay and lesbian employees a fundamental freedom: the right to marry the person they love in the state they call home."

Could docs have a path toward a potential "HIV cure" for newborns? "A baby born with the AIDS virus appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2½ and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection... A doctor gave this baby faster and stronger treatment than is usual, starting a three-drug infusion within 30 hours of birth... That fast action apparently knocked out HIV in the baby's blood before it could form hideouts in the body."

Sequestration and HIV.

While litigation can create positive change in some cases, it likely won't work when it comes to breaking down homophobia in the NFL, says NBC Sports' Mike Florio.

"Palestinians Only" buses coming soon to Israel.

Gay Orthodox Jewish group preps for their first seder in Jerusalem.

Obama's second term will continue to see the judiciary undergo long overdue demographic shifts: "Reelected with strong support from women, ethnic minorities and gays, Obama is moving quickly to change the face of the federal judiciary by the end of his second term, setting the stage for another series of drawn-out confrontations with Republicans in Congress."

James Franco admits he teases people about his sexuality, and that questions about it are now a big part of his public persona. "One of the things that's very much part of my public image is the question of my sexuality. It's not something that bothers me in the slightest. It hasn't gone away and I get asked about it from all sides. It's partly my doing and partly not my doing," he tells Attitude.

From a New York Times op-ed called "The Perils of Perfection:" "Barriers and constraints — anything that imposes artificial limits on the human condition — are being destroyed with particular gusto. Superhuman, another mysterious start-up that could enliven any comedy show, promises to offer, as its co-founder recently put it, an unspecified service that 'helps people be superhuman.' Well, at least they had the decency not to call it The Übermensch."

Right wing magazine the National Review blasts CPAC for banning the gay group GOProud and not inviting Chris Christie: "...As friends of CPAC and fellow conservative advocates, we nevertheless regret that CPAC has excluded the gay conservative group GOProud and declined to invite New Jersey governor Chris Christie."

Daft Punk teases a new album.

The best type of reporters are the ravishing kind...

Jack the Giant Slayer topped the weak weekend box office with a meager $28 million.

Colorado House Committee Advances Civil Union Bill in 8-3 Vote: VIDEO

Colorado's House Judiciary Committee advanced SB-11, the Colorado Civil Union Act in an 8-3 vote late yesterday, reports One Colorado:

If passed, the bill will provide committed gay and lesbian couples with critical legal protections and responsibilities, such as the ability to inherit property, to take family leave to care for a partner, to visit a partner in the hospital, and to make medical and end-of-life decisions for a partner.

“Committed gay and lesbian couples in the state have been waiting for years — 10, 20, even 40 years — to have their relationships protected. It's well past time that these families have the security we all need and deserve,” said Brad Clark, Executive Director of One Colorado, the leading organization advocating for civil unions.

“Representative Murray’s courageous vote is further recognition that civil unions adhere to the core conservative principles of individual liberty and limited government. We look forward to bipartisan passage on the floor of the House,” said Clark.

Civil unions legislation is sponsored by House Speaker Mark Ferrandino and Representative Sue Schafer.

the bill now goes to the Finance and Appropriations Committees. Debate in the full House is expected sometime during the week of March 11.

Watch a 9News report on the vote, AFTER THE JUMP...

Colorado School Bars 6-Year-Old Trans Girl from Using Girl's Restroom; Parents File Civil Rights Complaint: VIDEO

First-grader Coy Mathis has been barred from using the girls' bathroom at her Colorado school because she is transgender. She has male genitalia but has identified as a girl since 18 months and living as a girl since age 4, Salon reports:

But the school doesn’t see her that way. W. Kelly Dude, an attorney for the Fountain-Fort Carson School District, said the school’s decision “took into account not only Coy but other students in the building, their parents, and the future impact a boy with male genitals using a girls’ bathroom would have as Coy grew older.” Adding, “However, I’m certain you can appreciate that as Coy grows older and his male genitals develop along with the rest of his body, at least some parents and students are likely to become uncomfortable with his continued use of the girls’ restroom.”

The letter goes on to allege that Mathis’ presence in the women’s bathroom would be “psychologically damaging” later in life, and so the school chose to address the matter now.

The Mathis family has filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, the first claim to test the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act, which includes protections based on gender identity.

Watch several news reports and an interview with Coy's parents, AFTER THE JUMP...