The Freedom To Marry Is Not The Final Stop On The Road To Full LGBT Equality
AT THE END OF JUNE, the Supreme Court finally recognized that the freedom to marry is a precious, fundamental right that belongs to all. After decades of tireless work from members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, same-sex couples now have equal respect for their marriages across America and many are asking if this means that our work for legal equality is over. While the Court’s decision is cause for tremendous celebration, we still have a lot of work to do to make sure our families can live openly and honestly no matter their zip code.
Dave Montez, Executive Director of One Colorado
Some of the very same LGBT Americans who can now legally marry a same-sex partner may still feel unable to do so. Why? Because a majority of states do not have nondiscrimination laws protecting LGBT people and their families from being unfairly fired or kicked out of their home. We are lucky that Colorado banned housing and employment discrimination against LGBT people in 2008, but now it is crucial that the rest of the country join us. It is time for Congress to update existing federal law, so that it protects people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Even though our state is ahead of the curve when it comes to nondiscrimination laws, we still have a long way to go until we achieve full equality. The LGBT community must harness the momentum from the marriage conversation to make sure we finally put an end to the overwhelming discrimination that transgender people face in every aspect of their lives. That means making sure that transgender Coloradans are able to access the healthcare they need, making it easier for transgender Coloradans to update the gender on their birth certificate, and continuing to tell the stories of transgender people until we end the harmful stereotypes and misconceptions that have resulted in transgender Coloradans facing high rates of discrimination, harassment, and violence.
We still have work to do to make sure every single young person in Colorado lives in a community where they feel safe, welcome, and empowered to make change. Even now, 35 percent of Colorado’s school districts do not have policies that protect LGBT students from being bullied. Until every single school district bans bullying and discrimination against LGBT students — and enforces those policies — we cannot stop working. It is also time to ban the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy on minors, so that no more young people are forced into trying to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
And while we move the ball forward on all these issues, we will simultaneously have to stand up to attacks by anti-equality forces determined to roll back our hard-earned victories. Just a week after the historic marriage equality decision, two ballot measures were filed in Colorado to overturn the Court’s ruling as well as allow businesses to claim their religion gives them permission to ignore laws they don’t like — including laws that ban discrimination against LGBT people. We can’t afford to live in a Colorado where individuals can pick and choose which laws to follow. The only way to protect our victories is to remain vigilant, stand up to these attacks, and make it clear that our families deserve the same protections that are afforded to all other Coloradans.
As the state’s largest advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Coloradans and their families, One Colorado is leading the fight on these issues with our allies. Now that the Supreme Court has recognized the freedom to marry for all, we invite you to join us in working to move our state forward until every LGBT person in Colorado can live the life that they want.
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