The Denver Post has defended its
decision to run a photo of a gay lawmaker kissing his partner after
passage Tuesday of a civil unions bill.
Colorado House Speaker Mark Ferrandino
has championed the measure in the House for at least the last three
years.
The bill passed on Tuesday with a
strong 39-26 vote. Clearing the House means the bill will become law
since Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper has already publicly
stated his support for the measure.
(Related: Colorado
House approves civil unions for gay couples.)
The photo of Ferrandino kissing his
partner Greg Wertsch after passage of the measure is especially
compelling since a baby bottle belonging to the couple's foster child
was sitting on Ferrandino's desk.
The Denver Post defended its
decision to run the photo along with its front page story.
“Ferrandino has been a central part
of the entire civil unions debate, for years,” photo editor Ken
Lyons said. “His inclusion feels like the ending to this story,
and it would have been remiss to not have him as part of the report.”
“We were aware that some may object,
but we wanted to put the truth of what this bill means to this
couple. It's an example of what it means to many couples.”