What would Amendment J change in Colorado if voters approve it?

COLORADO SPRINGS — An amendment on this year’s ballot could change the definition of marriage in the Colorado Constitution. Let’s break down Amendment J.

Currently, the Colorado Constitution defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The state constitution states, “Only the union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in this state.”

When voted on this year, Amendment J would remove that definition.

“We urge Coloradans to vote no on Amendment J,” said John Wolf, a community member.

“I hope the majority of people in our community agree that they will vote for this,” said Nicole Hunt, a spokeswoman for Focus on the Family Church in Colorado Springs.

The current definition of marriage was added to the Colorado Constitution in 2006 after voters approved an amendment. However, since 2014, same-sex marriage has been legal in Colorado. It became legal nationwide in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry.

“It was disturbing to see that it was put into effect in 2006 and just recently people decided to ban our marriage in essentially the state that we love and the city that we love,” said Josh Franklin, who is married on Wolfe for three years. “So the idea that anyone could say our relationship is illegal is laughable. You know, whether we like it or not, this is my man.”

The couple said they support Amendment J.

“Even if people, you know, say that their religious or cultural background doesn’t match our ideas, they see that it doesn’t take anything away from them. It’s just a level playing field for everyone, and I think that’s all we’re really looking for,” Wolfe said.

But others disagree.

“We believe that in order to have a healthy family and a healthy, prosperous society, we need to keep natural marriage intact, which is marriage between one man and one woman,” Hunt said. “Children do better when they are raised by married biological parents. All of this suggests that the way to protect families, create healthy families and healthy communities is to preserve our definition of marriage as one man and one woman.”

She said Focus on the Family members testified in the state this year against Amendment J.

“So we went and testified on behalf of these children and these families about how this would actually lead to a healthier and better society and why we shouldn’t take it out of the Constitution,” Hunt said.

What does your voice mean?

No vote means the constitution will remain the same. The current language defining a valid marriage as a union between one man and one woman will remain. A vote for Amendment J would repeal the current language in the state constitution, which defines a valid marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

___

_____

Watch KOAA News5 whenever and wherever you want with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search for KOAA News5, download and start watching.