A Progressive World?

A proposal to ban interracial marriage in Colorado would do so with the simple phrase, "only a union of one white man and one white woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in this state."

The phrase would be added to the state's constitution if a proposal by a coalition of religious and conservative leaders is passed by voters in November, according to a copy of the language obtained by The Denver Post and published Thursday.

A purpose statement that makes a case for the amendment says marriage between one white man and one white woman is rooted in centuries of tradition, is best for children, and protects Coloradans from "activist judges."

"People have the right to form relationships that are meaningful to them as they may choose; however, they do not have the right to redefine marriage for all of us," the statement reads.

It also says the amendment would not discriminate or prevent anyone from receiving benefits available under current law, or prohibit laws.

Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, predicted the anti-interracial marriage initiative will not be easy to pass.

"I do believe it will be divisive, and I do believe it will be high-profile," Minnery said. "But the fact is that God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix."

Focus on the Family, the National Association of Evangelicals and the lobbying arm of the Roman Catholic Church in Colorado, are part of the coalition. They'll need 68,000 signatures for the proposal to be placed on the ballot.

Sean Duffy, former deputy chief of staff to Republican Gov. Bill Owens, is coordinating the campaign to fight the initiative. He said he has been contacted by numerous conservative Republicans "who are concerned about discrimination and who also feel that there are other issues that Colorado really needs to focus on at this point, and feel that a constitutional amendment to put discrimination into the constitution is not the best use of everybody's time."

In related news, the state of Virginia moved a step closer to amending its 230-year-old Bill of Rights to ban interracial marriage on Wednesday when the state Senate voted 28 to 11 to follow the House of Delegates in approving the measure. A referendum on the matter is expected in November.