“Our Democratic values are not up for debate,” said State Rep. Leslie Herod (D-Denver), adding that reproductive choice is an essential part of the party’s platform. “We and our voters know that access to an abortion is not just a women’s issue. It’s an economic issue, a health care issue, a queer issue, and so much more.” “If you don’t stand for those things, you are not a Democrat,” said Herod. “Show me your party registration.” NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado’s Karen Middleton p

This past weekend, a strange political convention came to town. Democrats for Life of America (DFLA), an anti-choice organization claiming to be the “pro-life voice and wing” of the Democratic Party, hosted its inaugural conference in Denver ahead of the 2018 elections. Representative Jovan Melton, Representative Leslie Herod, and Senator Rhonda Fields joined ProgressNow Colorado, NARAL, and Compassion & Choices to call them out. Read full article #abortionrights #immigrantri

Colorado’s legislative session is 120 days and a great deal happens in these mere four months that affect many Coloradans. For example, in the 2018 session, transportation and education saw unprecedented gains in funding. The legislature infused $645 million into multi-modal transportation and infrastructure and increased per pupil funding by $469 per student. Civil liberties legislation rarely gets much attention. The one exception this year was the reauthorization of the Co

In 2010, 29-year-old Duran jumped into state politics and ran a fierce campaign against three other Democrats for the House District 5 seat vacated by Representative Joel Judd. Duran wasn't totally green when it came to politics; she had volunteered for political organizations like the Colorado Young Democrats and New Era Colorado, and she helped former state attorney general Ken Salazar in his bid for the U.S. Senate and was the political director for Mark Udall's 2008 Senat

Legislation that preserves a strong and effective Colorado Civil Rights Division, the agency charged with protecting Coloradans from discrimination since 1951, is going into effect on July 1, the beginning of the state’s 2018-19 fiscal year. “By protecting a strong Civil Rights Division and Commission, we protect Coloradans from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations,” said Speaker Crisanta Duran, who sponsored HB18-1256. Her co-prime sponsor, Rep. Le

Councilwoman At-large Robin Kniech introduced a bill last week that would require landlords to accept all forms of payment, including vouchers. Owner-occupied duplexes and single family homes would be exempted. “This policy is about someone who can afford an apartment…but, ‘I’m turned away because of how I’m paying,’” Kniech said at a city meeting last week, according to Denverite. “This is about stopping discrimination.” Read full article #discrimination #affordablehousing #

While the court didn't rule that it was permissible to discriminate against gays or lesbians, it did say the commission treated the baker unfairly in a complaint filed against him, saying the panel was unfairly hostile to the baker, violating his free-speech rights in the process. As a result of that case, some members of the Legislature tried to alter the makeup of the commission to add more business representatives to it. Much of that effort failed, but the panel was altere