On Thursday, May 29th, Governor Bill Ritter, with the stroke of his pen, signed into law legislation that made my lifestyle and convictions criminal. That’s when SB200 became law in the state of Colorado. The lifestyle and morality that were a part of my heritage for generations is now viewed with disfavor.
Now, as I stand outside of a movie theater bathroom or a swimming pool shower room door and guard the most precious thing in my life; my wife and daughter’s safety, modesty and privacy, I can no longer stop a man from entering a woman’s domain. (I will anyway, that’s why I’m a criminal!) For this violation of the law, an act that once was criminal, is now legitimate, and what was taught to me as a virtue is now a vice. Not only am I liable for civil penalties but criminal, as well as I can be sentenced for up to a year in jail.
I immediately contacted my State Representative, Wes McKinley to ask him what his stand was on this bill. He proudly told me he supported it. I brought to his attention the recent case in New Mexico that was in national news. A photographer refused to photograph a lesbian ceremony. The lesbian couple found another photographer who would and then turned around and sued the Christian photographer for standing up for her values. They won the suit and the photographer was fined over $6000.00. I asked Rep. McKinley if he thought this was right. He told me no and assured me that wouldn’t happen with this bill.
I then contacted my attorney who told me that SB200 does, indeed, open the door to this kind of litigation, and that I would have to be careful to not express my convictions in public in this kind of situation.
During further research on this bill, I found that Cathryn Hazouri, the executive director of the ACLU, testified in committee concerning this bill: “One may practice one’s religion in private; however, once a religious person comes into the public arena there are limitations in how the expression of their religion impacts others. ….. You give up some of your rights when you go into the public square.” Wow I didn’t know that. I was taught in school that these rights of free speech were “unalienable.” Apparently, gay rights trump heterosexual rights, as well as the first amendment.
