Nineteen-year-old political science
student Mark Olmstead is leading the fight to repeal Colorado's
constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, the AP reported.
Olmstead is one of the sponsors of a
push to reverse a 2006 voter-approved amendment that defines marriage
as a heterosexual union.
“I feel like it's time to start
fighting for it here,” said Olmstead, who is gay but does not have
any immediate plans to marry. “I think Colorado has changed from
then to now. I'm not entirely sure it's changed enough, but it's
about time to start talking about it.”
A proposed ballot question is being
reviewed by the state title board, which is expected to rule next
week. If approved, proponents of the measure would have to collect
roughly 86,000 signatures to secure a spot on the 2012 ballot.
A civil unions bill died in a House
committee earlier this year after passage in the Senate.
According
to a statistical model published by the New York Times, a
constitutional amendment in 2012 banning gay marriage is either “very
likely” or “favored” to be rejected by Colorado voters.
Opponents of gay rights say they're
confident voters will uphold the ban.
“We have every confidence that the
people of Colorado would affirm that vote again if an attempt to
repeal marriage comes to the ballot,” said Carrie Gordon Earll of
Focus on the Family.