‘Personhood’ author inspires man to push for gay marriage amendment

A 23-year-old Lakewood man who plans to meet with legislative staff Tuesday to review his proposed ballot measure to allow gay marriage in Colorado says he was inspired by 20-year-old Kristi Burton, who sponsored the controversial “personhood amendment” on last year’s ballot, Lynn Bartels reports in the Rocky Mountain News. “I don’t think there should be gender-specific laws when it comes to marriage in Colorado — or anywhere,” golf club salesman Stu Allen told Bartels.

Burton’s proposal, which would have defined a fertilized egg as a person, went down to a crushing defeat, but Allen told Bartels he was “impressed by what (Burton) had accomplished at such a young age” when he read an article about the woman who placed Amendment 48 on the 2008 ballot. “That got me to thinking,” Allen said. “I went to Google and I looked up how to formally submit an initiative.”

If voters approve Allen’s ballot measure — after it passes through various hurdles to make the ballot — it could be written to override Amendment 43, the 2006 constitutional measure that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, Bartels reports.

Allen told Bartels it’s only fair that gay couples “should have the same rights he and his girlfriend of seven years, Crystal Russell, would enjoy if they got married.”

Comments are closed.