My partner Kathryn and I have been blessed to be surrounded by the love and support of our community as we plan our big day. We frequently express our gratitude that our right to love each other and be together has been validated. With the nation finding itself in a tumultuous and unpredictable situation, we are grateful to the legislature that Coloradans will now have the opportunity to amend the state constitution to provide another layer of protection for LGBTQ+ people and our right to marry who we love.

When Nick and I met, we never could have imagined that we would later commit to sharing our lives with each other, we were both young, rushing through jobs and college and school, and the option to marry wasn't even available to us at that time. Now, many years later, we have built a home together, we have two cats, Jinkx and Milo, and a dog Bernie, and are talking about making another commitment by having a child and adding a new member to our family. These opportunities should be available to everyone, regardless of who and how you love.

We both grew up at a time when marriage for LGBTQ people wasn't even a possibility, but after years of progress, I'm so grateful that we can call one another husband, and I'd do it all over again. Marriage equality is just that: equality. And it should be available to everyone so that they can create a life with the person that they love the most.

We fell in love and made a lifelong promise to each other over 20 years ago. We have fought for decades to obtain marriage equality, and now we are fighting to keep it for couples in the future.

It has been so important for our 16 year old son to have the critical legal protections of married parents for most of his life; all children should have that security. We want all couples who wish to make a lifetime commitment to the person they love to have the freedom to marry and to be able to protect their families as we have.

My husband and I got married in October 2020. Over the last 3 1/2 years, I've experienced firsthand how important it is to be able to be married in the eyes of the law - through him being at my side in the hospital after surgery, to buying a house together in 2021, to just simply filing our taxes - our Marriage means that we are treated with the same access, dignity, and respect as every other American. People understand the legal implications when I call him my Husband, and it affords us the equal level of dignity and respect that all married couples have.

Should the unthinkable happen and Marriage Equality be overturned at the Federal level, Amendment 43 would say that the state that I’ve called home for 12 years would not recognize my marriage, and my dignity. I hope Coloradans do what is right, and what is just, to repeal Amendment 43.

Photo by Jennie Crate

We met in 2015 on a dating app for women and decided to get married after over 5 years together because we didn't want to ever be without each other. Marriage celebrates our love and also affords us the legal recognition of our union and rights that will protect our partnership. We got married in May of 2021, and that July we bought our first house together in Pueblo. We’ve been together for almost 9 years now and are so grateful to live in a time and place where we have rights and protections for who we are as a married couple. Our love and marriage are so beautiful. Colorado must protect the rights and benefits of marriage for same-sex couples like us.

Growing up in Colorado on the heels of Amendment 2, the idea of marrying the one we loved felt like a distant dream. But thanks to the hard work of advocates, we're now able to openly share our lives together. Over six wonderful years, we've built a life filled with love and commitment. Last November, we joyously celebrated our engagement—a moment that symbolized not only our love for each other but also the progress made in the fight for equality.

We can't afford to wait for the Supreme Court to make a new ruling to decide if our love is valid. If Obergefell is overturned at the Federal Level, it is couples like us who would immediately lose the right to marry in Colorado. It's time we fix outdated laws and affirm that love knows no bounds. We stand strong for a future where everyone has the freedom to love and marry the person they choose, no matter who they are.

As the mother of two young adult sons, marriage equality means both of my kids have access to the same benefits and protections that marriage affords. My hopes and dreams for my kids have always included each of them finding someone to love and build a life with, children if they choose, and all the things that go along with sharing your life with a partner. Marriage should be available to both of my sons, even though one would have a wife and the other a husband.

My son has never had to consider that marriage might not be available to him because of the person he loves. It is something that should be available to everyone. Knowing that this right is protected in Colorado would mean peace of mind for me and equality for my kids.