Kate Burns and Sheila Schroeder
Lesbian Couple Files Lawsuit to Overturn Colorado Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
February 14, 2008
A state constitutional amendment denying same-sex couples the fundamental right to marry is being challenged in court by Englewood, CO, lesbian couple Kate Burns and Sheila Schroeder, both members of the First Unitarian Church of Denver.
Burns and Schroeder, who have been together for five years, applied for a marriage license from the Denver Clerk and Recorder Office on September 24, 2007. When they were denied a license, the couple staged a sit-in with their minister, Rev. Mike Morran , present for support. Burns and Schroeder were arrested and charged with trespassing, for which they appeared in Denver County Court on February 13.
Earlier this week, however, Burns and Schroeder filed a motion to overturn Colorado’s Amendment 43, passed fifteen months ago, which defines marriage within the state as only between one man and one woman. The couple’s lawyer, Mari Newman, argued on February 13 that the Colorado ban on same-sex marriage denies Burns and Schroeder their right to equal protection under the law provided in the U.S. Constitution. The two also asserted that Amendment 43 unconstitutionally denies the United States’ protected tradition of religious pluralism.
Judge James Breese of Denver County Court set a trial date of April 14 for the charge of trespassing, and a hearing on the motion to find Amendment 43 unconstitutional is slated for February 28.
For more information contact info @ uua.org.
Last updated on Tuesday, February 19, 2008.
