LGBTQ EQUALITY 2017 LEGISLATIVE SCORECARD HOW DO YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS SCORE WHEN IT COMES TO GUARANTEEING A FAIR AND JUST STATE FOR LGBTQ COLORADANS AND THEIR FAMILIES?
ONE COLORADO’S LEGISLATIVE SCORECARD highlights the priorities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Coloradans and their families in the 2017 legislative session. In this scorecard, you will find accurate, nonpartisan information on bills related to LGBTQ equality and how each member of the legislature voted on issues that affect Colorado’s LGBTQ community.
USE THIS SCORECARD to find out if your elected officials’ votes align with your values of advancing equality for LGBTQ Coloradans. For more information, you can visit WWW.ONE-COLORADO.ORG.
During the 2017 legislative session, we saw a number of victories for LGBTQ Coloradans and their families that were the product of successful, bipartisan cooperation. However, other measures that would have dramatically improved the lives of LGBTQ people were defeated—including a ban on the harmful and discredited practice of conversion therapy and a bill to make it less burdensome for transgender Coloradans to update the gender on their birth certificates. We also saw attempts to roll back protections for LGBTQ Coloradans, in the form of religious exemptions proposals, which were fortunately defeated in both chambers of the Colorado Legislature.
WERE YOUR LEGISLATORS CHAMPIONS FOR LGBTQ EQUALITY THIS YEAR? Call or email them to thank them. Alternatively, if you aren’t satisfied with how your representatives and senators voted on this year’s scorecard, you can call, email, send a letter, or attend their town hall meetings to let them know how you feel. Between now and the end of the year, One Colorado will be making sure voters across the state know how their legislators voted on LGBTQ equality. If you want to help us hold our elected officials accountable, sign up to volunteer with us at WWW.ONE-COLORADO.ORG/VOLUNTEER.
NEED TO FIND OUT WHO YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS ARE? Visit WWW.OPENSTATES.ORG/FIND_YOUR_LEGISLATOR.
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 2 WITH THE HELP OF OUR MEMBERS IN 2017, ONE COLORADO:
Sent 10,564 letters to legislators
Held 350 in-person legislator meetings
Made 2,758 calls into legislators offices
Generated 133 news stories, on TV and in newspapers across the state, on our priority proposals
Brought 96 people to the capitol to testify
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 3 RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS
Over the past three years, there have been numerous efforts across the country to pass religious exemption laws that would allow individuals to claim their religion gives them permission to pick and choose which laws to follow. Religious freedom is important, which is why the First Amendment to our Constitution already protects it, but that freedom does not give anyone the right to harm others. This year, we saw two attempts to roll back protections for LGBTQ Coloradans in the form of vague religious exemption measures.
HOUSE BILL 1013 CONCERNING A PERSON’S FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION
This bill would have allowed businesses and individuals to claim that their religion gives them permission to exempt themselves from laws they don’t want to follow. House Bill 1013 was so broadly written that it would create exemptions for virtually anything that a person could contend is part of their religion and make our laws harder to follow.
Bill Sponsors: Representatives Dave Williams and Stephen Humphrey, Senators Tim Neville and Vicki Marble
House Vote: Failed 6-3 in State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee
SENATE BILL 283 CLARIFY DISCRIMINATION AND RIGHT TO DISAGREE
This bill would have allowed businesses and individuals to claim that any belief, including their religion, exempts them from non-discrimination laws they don’t want to follow. Senate Bill 283 was more broadly written than previous discriminatory laws that caused economic backlash in Indiana and North Carolina.
Sponsors: Senator Kevin Lundberg
Senate Committee Vote: Passed 3-2 • Senate Floor Vote: Failed 19-15 on division
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 4 TRANSGENDER EQUALITY
Understanding what it’s like to be transgender can be hard, especially if you have never met a transgender person, but every transgender person deserves to be treated fairly and with respect. Most states offer no legal protections in housing, employment, or health care for individuals who experience discrimination based on their gender identity or expression. Thankfully, Colorado law protects transgender people from discrimination in these areas, but Colorado law still makes it burdensome for transgender Coloradans to obtain identity documents that match who they are.
HOUSE BILL 1122 BIRTH CERTIFICATE MODERNIZATION ACT
This bill would have made the process less burdensome for transgender Coloradans to update the gender on their birth certificate by removing the requirement that a transgender Coloradan undergo surgery and then obtain a court order from a judge. House Bill 1122 would have also brought Colorado law in line with current federal policy for updating the gender on a passport or Social Security card. Transgender people whose birth certificates reflect their sex at birth – and not their current gender – risk being denied housing, employment opportunities, and the right to vote because of this discrepancy.
Bill Sponsors: Representative Daneya Esgar, Senator Dominick Moreno
House Vote: Passed 37-26-2 • Senate Vote: Failed 3-2 in State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 5 LGBTQ HEALTH
While lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Coloradans face many of the same health care challenges as the general population, they also encounter unique obstacles to fulfilling their specific health needs. Affordability, access, and quality issues confront LGBTQ Coloradans as a whole, and transgender people are often the most vulnerable. An equitable health care system in Colorado can be achieved, but only if disparities are clearly identified and action is taken to eliminate them. During this legislative session, a bill was introduced to protect LGBTQ young people from the harmful practice of conversion therapy along with an unsuccessful effort to defund the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, which supports the needs of students across Colorado.
HOUSE BILL 1156 BAN ON CONVERSION THERAPY
Conversion therapy – sometimes referred to as “reparative therapy,” “ex-gay therapy,” or “sexual orientation change efforts” – includes a range of dangerous and discredited practices aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. These harmful practices are based on the false claim that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer is a mental illness that should be cured. Unfortunately, many young people are coerced and subjected to these harmful practices, which put them at risk for depression, substance abuse, and suicide. House Bill 1156 would have prohibited state-licensed mental health care providers in Colorado from practicing conversion therapy on anyone under the age of 18.
Bill Sponsors: Representative Paul Rosenthal, Senator Steve Fenberg
House Vote: Passed 38-27 • Senate: Failed 3-2 in State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee
AMENDMENT TO THE STATE BUDGET DEFUNDING THE HEALTHY KIDS COLORADO SURVEY
The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey is a voluntary, anonymous survey that provides the state with vital information about the health and wellbeing of Colorado’s middle and high school students. The information in the survey helps government agencies address the challenges students across Colorado face, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students.
Senate Vote: Failed 18-17
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 6 PROTECTING LGBTQ COLORADANS
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Coloradans deserve to be protected from harassment, discrimination, and violence no matter where they live. During this legislative session, a bill was introduced to add sexual orientation, gender identity, and physical or mental disability to Colorado’s bias-motivated harassment statutes and, in an unprecedented action, the Colorado State Senate rejected an LGBTQ Coloradan’s appointment to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
HOUSE BILL 1188 CONCERNING BIAS-MOTIVATED HARASSMENT
This bill adds physical or mental disability and sexual orientation (including transgender status) to the protected categories in the harassment statute to make the statute consistent with Colorado’s existing law concerning bias-motivated crimes.
Bill Sponsors: Representative Mike Foote, Senators Dominick Moreno and Don Coram
House Vote: Passed 48-15-2 • Senate Committee Vote: Passed 5-0 • Senate Floor Vote: Passed 23-12
Signed by Governor: May 3, 2017
CONFIRMATION OF HEIDI HESS TO THE COLORADO CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION
In a rare move, the Colorado State Senate voted to not confirm Heidi Hess – who is One Colorado’s part‑time, Western Slope Field Organizer – to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Heidi has served on the Commission for over 4 years, and is currently its chair. As a proud, out, lesbian, Heidi’s work has been crucial in building public support for civil unions and the freedom to marry on the Western Slope. Over the past decade, she has been responsible for building a connected and robust community of LGBTQ people and allies in her community.
Senate Vote: Failed 17-18
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 7 2017 HOUSE VOTES
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 8 2017 HOUSE VOTES
Broad ReligiousBirth Certificate Exemptions Ban on Conversion Modernization(CommitteeBias Motivated Therapy Vote) Act Harassment HB-1013 H B -1122 H B -1156 H B -1188
HOUSE 2017 LIFETIME REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT SCORE SCORE Arndt, Jeni (D) 53 - 100% 100% Fort Collins
Becker, John J. (R) 65 - 0% 13% Fort Morgan X X X Becker, KC (D) 13 - 100% 100% Boulder
Beckman, Susan (R) 38 - 0% 0% Littleton X X X Benavidez, Adrienne (D) 32 100% 100% Commerce City Bridges, Jeff (D) 3 - 100% 100% Greenwood Village
Buck, Perry (R) 49 - 0% 0% Loveland X X X Buckner, Janet (D) 40 - 100% 100% Aurora
Carver, Terri (R) 20 - 33% 29% Colorado Springs X X
Catlin, Marc (R) 58 - 33% 33% Montrose X X Coleman, James (D) 7 - 100% 100% Denver
Covarrubias, Phil (R) 56 - 33% 33% Brighton X X Danielson, Jessie (D) 24 - 100% 100% Wheat Ridge Duran, Crisanta (D) 5 - 100% 100% Denver Esgar, Daneya (D) 46 - 100% 100% Pueblo
Everett, Justin (R) 22 - 0% 0% Littleton X X X Exum, Tony (D) 17 - 100% 100% Colorado Springs E E
SCORE E X Bold KEY Pro-Equality Vote Excused Anti-Equality Vote 100% Score in 2017
*Committee and floor votes on the same measure are both counted ONLY if there is a change in legislators’ votes from one to the other LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 9 2017 HOUSE VOTES
Broad ReligiousBirth Certificate Exemptions Ban on Conversion Modernization(CommitteeBias Motivated Therapy Vote) Act Harassment HB-1013 H B -1122 H B -1156 H B -1188
HOUSE 2017 LIFETIME REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT SCORE SCORE Foote, Mike (D) 12 100% 100% Boulder Garnett, Alec (D) 2 - 100% 100% Denver Ginal, Joann (D) 52 - 100% 100% Fort Collins Gray, Matt (D) 33 - 100% 100% Broomfield Hamner, Millie (D) 61 - 100% 100% Dillon Hansen, Chris (D) 6 - 100% 100% Denver Herod, Leslie (D) 8 - 100% 100% Denver Hooton, Edie (D) 10 100% 100% Boulder
Humphrey, Stephen (R) 48 0% 0% Eaton X X X X Jackson, Dominique (D) 42 - 100% 100% Aurora Kennedy, Chris (D) 23 - 100% 100% Lakewood Kraft-Tharp, Tracy (D) 29 - 100% 100% Arvada/Westminster
Landgraf, Lois (R) 21 - 33% 29% Colorado Springs X X
Lawrence, Polly (R) 39 - 33% 29% Roxborough Park X X Lebsock, Steve (D) 34 - 100% 100% Thornton Lee, Pete (D) 18 - 100% 100% Colorado Springs
SCORE E X Bold KEY Pro-Equality Vote Excused Anti-Equality Vote 100% Score in 2017
*Committee and floor votes on the same measure are both counted ONLY if there is a change in legislators’ votes from one to the other
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 10 2017 HOUSE VOTES
Broad ReligiousBirth Certificate Exemptions Ban on Conversion Modernization(CommitteeBias Motivated Therapy Vote) Act Harassment HB-1013 H B -1122 H B -1156 H B -1188
HOUSE 2017 LIFETIME REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT SCORE SCORE
Leonard, Timothy (R) 25 0% 0% Evergreen X X X X
Lewis, Kimmi (R) 64 - 0% 0% Kim X X X
Liston, Larry (R) 16 - 0% 0% Colorado Springs X X X Lontine, Susan (D) 1 100% 100% Denver
Lundeen, Paul (R) 19 - 33% 29% Monument X X
McKean, Hugh (R) 51 - 0% 0% Loveland X X X McLachlan, Barbara (D) 59 - 100% 100% Durango Melton, Jovan (D) 41 100% 100% Aurora Michaelson Jenet, Dafna (D) 30 - 100% 100% Commerce City Mitsch Bush, Diane (D) 26 - 100% 100% Steamboat Springs
Navarro, Clarice (R) 47 - 0% 13% Pueblo X X X
Neville, Patrick (R) 45 - 0% 0% Castle Rock X X X
Nordberg, Dan (R) 14 - 0% 13% Colorado Springs X X X Pabon, Daniel (D) 4 - 100% 100% Denver Pettersen, Brittany (D) 28 - 100% 100% Lakewood
Rankin, Bob (R) 57 - 33% 42% Carbondale X X
SCORE E X Bold KEY Pro-Equality Vote Excused Anti-Equality Vote 100% Score in 2017
*Committee and floor votes on the same measure are both counted ONLY if there is a change in legislators’ votes from one to the other
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 11 2017 HOUSE VOTES
Broad ReligiousBirth Certificate Exemptions Ban on Conversion Modernization(CommitteeBias Motivated Therapy Vote) Act Harassment HB-1013 H B -1122 H B -1156 H B -1188
HOUSE 2017 LIFETIME REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT SCORE SCORE
Ransom, Kim (R) 44 - 0% 13% Parker X X X Rosenthal, Paul (D) 9 - 100% 100% Denver
Saine, Lori (R) 63 - 0% 0% Firestone E X E Salazar, Joseph A. (D) 31 - 100% 100% Thornton
Sias, Lang (R) 27 - 33% 29% Arvada X X Singer, Jonathan (D) 11 - 100% 100% Longmont Thurlow, Dan (R) 55 - 100% 100% Grand Junction Valdez, Donald (D) 62 - 100% 100% Pueblo/Alamosa
Van Winkle, Kevin (R) 43 - 0% 0% Lone Tree X X X Weissman, Mike (D) 36 100% 100% Aurora
Willett, Yeulin (R) 54 - 33% 29% Grand Junction X X
Williams, Dave (R) 15 0% 0% Colorado Springs X X X X
Wilson, James D. (R) 60 - 33% 29% Buena Vista X X Winter, Faith (D) 35 - 100% 100% Westminster
Wist, Cole (R) 37 - 33% 25% Centennial X X Young, Dave (D) 50 - 100% 100% Greeley
SCORE E X Bold KEY Pro-Equality Vote Excused Anti-Equality Vote 100% Score in 2017
*Committee and floor votes on the same measure are both counted ONLY if there is a change in legislators’ votes from one to the other
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 12 2017 SENATE VOTES
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 13 2017 SENATE VOTES
to Defund the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey
ConfirmationConfirmation (Committee Vote Vote) Religious Exemptions Birth CertificateBan on ConversionModernization TherapyBias Act Motivated (Committee (CommitteeBias MotivatedHarassment Vote) Vote) Harassment (Committee Floor Vote) Vote SB-283 H B -1122 H B -1156 Budget AmendmentH B -1188 H B -1188 Heidi HessHeidi Hess
SENATE 2017 LIFETIME SENATOR DISTRICT SCORE SCORE Aguilar, Irene (D) 32 - - - - 100% 100% Denver
Baumgardner, Randy L. (R) 8 - - - - 0% 25% Hot Sulphur Springs X X X X
Cooke, John (R) 13 - - - - 0% 25% Greeley X X X X
Coram, Don (R) 6 - - - - 75% 63% Montrose X Court, Lois (D) 31 100% 100% Denver
Crowder, Larry (R) 35 - - - - 50% 75% Alamosa X X Donovan, Kerry (D) 5 - - - - 100% 100% Vail Fenberg, Stephen (D) 18 100% 100% Boulder Fields, Rhonda (D) 29 - - - - 100% 100% Aurora Garcia, Leroy (D) 3 - - - - 100% 100% Pueblo
Gardner, Bob (R) 12 - - - - 0% 0% Colorado Springs X X X X
Grantham, Kevin (R) 2 - - - - 0% 25% Canon City X X X X Guzman, Lucia (D) 34 - - - - 100% 100% Denver
Hill, Owen (R) 10 25% 25% Colorado Springs X X X X X X
Holbert, Chris (R) 30 - - - - 0% 25% Parker X X X X Jahn, Cheri (D) 20 - - - - 100% 100% Wheat Ridge Jones, Matt (D) 17 - - - - 100% 100% Longmont
SCORE E X Bold KEY Pro-Equality Vote Excused Anti-Equality Vote 100% Score in 2017
*Committee and floor votes on the same measure are both counted ONLY if there is a change in legislators’ votes from one to the other
LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 14 2017 SENATE VOTES
to Defund the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey
ConfirmationConfirmation (Committee Vote Vote) ConfirmationConfirmation (Committee Vote Vote) Religious Exemptions Birth CertificateBan on ConversionModernization TherapyBias Act Motivated (Committee (CommitteeBias MotivatedHarassment Vote) Vote) Harassment (Committee Floor Vote) Vote Heidi HessHeidi Hess SB-283 H B -1122 H B -1156 Budget AmendmentH B -1188 H B -1188 Heidi HessHeidi Hess
SENATE 2017 LIFETIME SENATOR DISTRICT SCORE SCORE Kagan, Daniel (D) 26 - - - - 100% 100% Englewood Kefalas, John (D) 14 - - - - 100% 100% Fort Collins Kerr, Andy (D) 22 - - - - 100% 100% Lakewood
Lambert, Kent (R) 9 - - - - 0% 25% Colorado Springs X X X X
Lundberg, Kevin (R) 15 - - - - 0% 25% Estes Park/Fort Collins X X X X
Marble, Vicki (R) 23 - 14% 32% Windsor/Broomfield X X X X X X
Martinez Humenik, Beth (R) 24 - - - - 50% 80% Thornton X X Merrifield, Michael (D) 11 - - - - 100% 100% Colorado Springs Moreno, Dominick (D) 21 - - - - 100% 100% Commerce City
Neville, Tim (R) 16 - - - - 0% 25% Littleton X X X X
Priola, Kevin (R) 25 - - - - 25% 25% Henderson X X X
Scott, Ray (R) 7 - - - 20% 23% Grand Junction X X X X
Smallwood, Jim (R) 4 - - - - 0% 0% Castle Rock X X X X
Sonnenberg, Jerry (R) 1 13% 19% Sterling X X X X X X X
Tate, Jack (R) 27 - - - - 50% 50% Centennial X X Todd, Nancy (D) 28 - - - - 100% 100% Aurora Williams, Angela (D) 33 - - - - 100% 100% Denver E Zenzinger, Rachel (D) 19 - - - - 100% 100% Arvada
SCORE E X Bold KEY Pro-Equality Vote Excused Anti-Equality Vote 100% Score in 2017
*Committee and floor votes on the same measure are both counted ONLY if there is a change in legislators’ votes from one to the other LGBTQ Equality 2017 Legislative Scorecard 15
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