Marriage equality is now officially protected by law in Colorado. Governor Jared Polis signed a new bill this week repealing the state’s long-standing ban on same-sex marriage—language that’s been on the books for nearly two decades. Polis, the nation’s first openly gay elected governor, signed Senate Bill 25-014, also known as the Protecting the Freedom to Marry Act. The bill removes language from Colorado’s statute defining marriage solely as a union between one man and one woman. Governor Polis said, “Colorado is for everyone, no matter who you are or who you love… This is a long overdue step in the right direction and today’s law I’m signing ensures that Coloradans can marry who they love in our Colorado for all.”
Colorado voters originally passed a same-sex marriage ban in 2006. That ban was nullified by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015. But in 2024, Coloradans overwhelmingly chose to repeal the discriminatory provision, with 63 percent voting in favor. With rising concern that Obergefell could one day be overturned—especially as nine states have recently urged the Supreme Court to revisit the decision—Colorado lawmakers say this new law offers critical protection. Democratic State Senator Jessie Danielson, who introduced the bill, said: “The freedom to marry who we love is a fundamental right. It’s especially important now, as the Trump Administration attacks the LGBTQ community, to secure everyone’s right to live safely in our state and marry whomever they love. For LGBTQ Coloradans, this is more than policy—it’s personal.
