Traditional Marriage
Bottom Line Up Front: while the legal landscape has shifted, we will never apologize for promoting the ideal of man-woman marriage as the cornerstone of a healthy society. We believe most Coloradans, whatever their personal views, can agree that strong families – often built on the model of a mom and dad raising kids – are crucial to addressing issues like poverty, education gaps, and crime. We’ll launch initiatives highlighting marriage’s benefits (like reducing child poverty and improving outcomes) and support faith-based and community programs that mentor young people on the importance of stable marriages and fatherhood. Our goal is not to disparage anyone, but to lift up an institution that benefits everyone. As we champion traditional marriage, we simultaneously call on those within such marriages to model love, fidelity, and respect – strengthening the argument by example. Colorado will be a state where traditional families are valued, and in turn, those families will help Colorado thrive.
a. Biblical & Social Foundations: We uphold Traditional Marriage as the union of one man and one woman, a definition rooted in history, biology, and the Judeo-Christian ethic. Genesis 2:24 declares, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Jesus reaffirmed this in Mark 10:6-8, saying “God made them male and female…the two shall become one flesh.” This lifelong covenant between husband and wife is the bedrock of family and child-rearing. Every human society until recent decades recognized this natural institution because it provides the optimal environment for raising children and propagating society’s values. Traditional marriage isn’t about excluding anyone out of malice; it’s about celebrating and reinforcing the unique complementary bond that, by design, can create new life and provide children with both mother and father. We believe Colorado’s laws and policies should encourage and strengthen traditional marriages, not undermine them.
​
b. Constitutional & Legal Perspective: Marriage policy has historically been a state matter. The people of Colorado in the past affirmed marriage as one man/one woman (in 2006, voters added this definition to our state constitution), though that was invalidated by the federal courts and ultimately the 2015 Supreme Court Obergefell ruling which required all states to license same-sex marriages. We acknowledge that ruling as current law – but we also maintain our First Amendment duty to ensure that those who continue to hold to traditional marriage in belief and practice are protected. Religious freedom and free speech guarantee that churches, pastors, business owners, or officials with conscientious objections are not forced to endorse or participate in ceremonies or expressions contrary to their faith. We will pursue robust exemptions in state law so that no one is punished for acting on the belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. This is in line with Supreme Court precedent (e.g., Masterpiece Cakeshop) defending individuals from being coerced to violate their conscience.
​
c. Colorado Policy Conflicts: Colorado currently recognizes and celebrates many forms of marriage and partnership. While we respect the dignity of all individuals, some state actions have effectively placed traditional religious believers on the defensive:
1. Civil Rights Commission Overreach: The famous Masterpiece Cakeshop case arose here when the state punished a Christian baker for declining to create a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. Even after the Supreme Court’s slap on the wrist to Colorado for showing hostility to religion, that baker faced new complaints for declining to custom-design a cake for a gender transition celebration. This suggests our current state civil rights enforcement is not neutral. We will reform Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act to ensure it cannot be weaponized against those who act on the traditional view of marriage. Tolerance must be a two-way street. We will explicitly protect religious wedding vendors, adoption agencies, counselors, and others who serve consistently with their beliefs. No one should fear ruin for standing for traditional marriage.
​
2. Parental Rights in Education: There’s been friction in schools where traditional beliefs about marriage and family clash with modern curricula. Colorado in 2019 updated its comprehensive sex education law to mandate inclusion of LGBTQ concepts if sex ed is taught. While the law allows parents to opt out, we find that often those who hold to traditional views feel marginalized or labeled as bigots. We will ensure parental notice and opt-outs are robust (strengthen them if needed) so that parents can instill their own values on marriage to their kids without state interference. Also, we will encourage curriculum that, while respecting differences, does not disparage the traditional family model or present it as just one of many equal options. Social science overwhelmingly shows children do best on average with a married mother and father in a stable home; it’s not hateful to teach that truth.
​
3. Support for Traditional Families: Currently, much of Colorado’s social policy is neutral or in some cases penalizes traditional arrangements. For example, welfare benefits sometimes decrease or vanish upon marriage, disincentivizing low-income couples from marrying (a problem nationally too). We will review and reform any state assistance programs to remove marriage penalties. If two parents marry, our policies should reward that commitment, not make them financially worse off. Similarly, in adoption and foster care, we will welcome and encourage married husband-wife couples to participate and not let ideological bias prefer other family structures over traditional ones when all else is equal and the child’s best interest is at stake.