DGLCC's April Luncheon with Pat Steadman

Quarterly Luncheon (April 17 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel) will be none other than State Senator Pat Steadman!

Steadman was selected in May 2009 to fill a vacancy in the Colorado State Senate that occurred when former Sen. Jennifer Veiga announced her resignation from office due to her planned relocation to Australia.

At age 49, he has been a long-time resident of Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He grew up in Westminster, Colorado, and graduated from Westminster High School, Regis College and the University of Colorado School of Law. In 2010 Steadman was elected to finish out Sen. Veiga’s term, and in 2012 he was re-elected to a full four-year term. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Joint Budget Committee.

As a lobbyist, he worked extensively to support public education, advance civil rights and civil liberties, protect a woman’s right to choose, expand worker’s rights, and defeat censorship and other far-right assaults on cherished freedoms. Over the course of 15 years of lobbying his accomplishments were many and included several significant pieces of legislation protecting the LGBT community that were sponsored by his predecessor, Sen. Veiga. Steadman has always been actively engaged in his community. He was appointed by Mayor Webb to the Denver Women’s Commission and by Mayor Hickenlooper to the Denver GLBT Commission, and was the first person to chair the Advisory Board for Denver’s Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations. As a senator, he continues to fight for progressive causes and give voice to those communities and issues that for too long have been marginalized and under-represented in the state legislature. In 2013 he was honored at the White House with the Harvey Milk Champion of Change Award for more than two decades of advocacy for equal rights.In other words, you do NOT want to miss DGLCC's next Quarterly Luncheon! 

DGLCC's April Luncheon with Pat Steadman

Quarterly Luncheon (April 17 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel) will be none other than State Senator Pat Steadman!

Steadman was selected in May 2009 to fill a vacancy in the Colorado State Senate that occurred when former Sen. Jennifer Veiga announced her resignation from office due to her planned relocation to Australia.

At age 49, he has been a long-time resident of Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He grew up in Westminster, Colorado, and graduated from Westminster High School, Regis College and the University of Colorado School of Law. In 2010 Steadman was elected to finish out Sen. Veiga’s term, and in 2012 he was re-elected to a full four-year term. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Joint Budget Committee.

As a lobbyist, he worked extensively to support public education, advance civil rights and civil liberties, protect a woman’s right to choose, expand worker’s rights, and defeat censorship and other far-right assaults on cherished freedoms. Over the course of 15 years of lobbying his accomplishments were many and included several significant pieces of legislation protecting the LGBT community that were sponsored by his predecessor, Sen. Veiga. Steadman has always been actively engaged in his community. He was appointed by Mayor Webb to the Denver Women’s Commission and by Mayor Hickenlooper to the Denver GLBT Commission, and was the first person to chair the Advisory Board for Denver’s Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations. As a senator, he continues to fight for progressive causes and give voice to those communities and issues that for too long have been marginalized and under-represented in the state legislature. In 2013 he was honored at the White House with the Harvey Milk Champion of Change Award for more than two decades of advocacy for equal rights.In other words, you do NOT want to miss DGLCC's next Quarterly Luncheon! 

Steadman and Ferrandino vow to reintroduce Colorado civil unions bill

Last week Colorado's own openly gay Sen. Pat Steadman and Rep. Mark Ferrandino, said New York succeeded in passing a marriage equality bill this year because New York's GOP is more savvy and vowed to reintroduce the Colorado civil unions bill that recently failed in the state house. According to Ferrandino, New York Republicans were willing to stand up to fringe elements within their party.

Below, Steadman and Ferrandino - among other Colorado politicians - appear in a video by Matt Kailey taken during Denver PrideFest 2011.

Colorado civil unions bill clears Senate committee

Sen. Pat Steadman (pictured) and Rep. Mark Ferrandino, two openly gay members of the Colorado state Legislature, are supporting an effort to create civil unions for same-sex couples in that state. The bill cleared a state Senate committee vote on Monday. 

"These are protections no family should be without," state Sen. Pat Steadman, one of the bill's sponsors.

Pat Steadman answers questions about Colorado Civil Unions Bill

Last week Sen. Pat Steadman appeared on 'Your Show' to answer questions about the Colorado Civil Unions Bill he recently introduced. You go, Pat!

Steadman and Ferrandino introduce Colorado civil unions bill

Colorado state Sen. Pat Steadman (left) and state Rep. Mark Ferrandino (right), both openly gay, introduced a bill on Monday that would establish civil unions for same-sex couples in the state. 

The Senate bill is expected to pass, but supporters say they aren't sure the bill will come to a vote on the floor of the Republican-controlled House.

Colorado's own Sen. Pat Steadman launches civil unions drive

Colorado state Sen. Pat Steadman (pictured) says he is confident his bill that would establish civil unions will pass the state's Senate, and that it could pass in the state House if the leadership allows it to come to the floor. 

"This is an issue whose time has come. The public is ready, my colleagues are ready, and I'm going to keep proposing it until it's done," Steadman said.

The GLBT Center of Colorado issued the following statement regarding civil unions in Colorado, "The GLBT Community Center of Colorado is proud to be a member of the coalition of organizations representing over 500,000 Coloradans supporting civil unions legislation in this state.  Unfortunately, many GLBT families lack the basic legal protections that they need to take care of each other and their loved ones.  It is clear that all Coloradans deserve to be able to protect and be responsible for the people they love.  The Center believes that the upcoming civil union bill to be sponsored by Sen. Steadman and Rep. Ferrandino will provide committed couples with these critical protections."

Sen. Pat Steadman to introduce civil unions bill in Colorado

Openly gay Colorado state Sen. Pat Steadman says his drive to pass a civil unions bill in the state Legislature, "isn't about picking a fight with someone to score political points. It's about righting a wrong and making our laws more fair." 

One poll shows 72% of Coloradans support legal protections for same-sex couples.

Passport Magazine reports on the story as well and used a photo I took of Sen. Steadman and his husband Dave Misner earlier this year at PrideFest (above).


Aren't they an adorable couple?

Who's Who in Gay Denver: Sen. Pat Steadman

Pat Steadman was selected in May 2009 to fill a vacancy in the Colorado State Senate that occurred when former Sen. Jennifer Veiga announced her resignation.

Home By Dark Panel Series: OUT in the Spotlight featuring Kirk Montgomery, Chris Parente, Sen. Pat Steadman, and Mary Celeste

Four local celebrities - Kirk Montgomery, Judge Mary Celeste, Chris Parente, and Senator Pat Steadman - discuss being openly gay in the public eye in the next installment of the Home By Dark Panel Series taking place this Friday, January 22 at 7 p.m.

9NEWS Entertainment Reporter Kirk Montgomery's interest in entertainment started at an early age when he acted, sang and danced in high school. Kirk also worked on a number of television shows in the late 1980's and has the dubious distinction of being Pauly Shore's body double in the really bad horror movie "Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge." Kirk won the Emmy in 2003 and again in 2005.

Channel 2 Morning Feature Reporter Chris Parente recently sat in for Regis Philbin on an episode of "Live! with Regis and Kelly." Chris has 13 years on-air experience, and his work as a journalist has earned him regional Emmies for news reporting. Chris graduated with honors from Indiana University, with degrees in both Journalism and Theatre.

Colorado State Senator Pat Steadman (D) represents the 31st senate district, which covers downtown and north-central Denver and portions and Adams County. He was a co-founder of a non-profit organization that lead the successful lawsuit all the way to the United States Supreme Court, ending in the landmark case of Romer v. Evans which declared Amendment 2 unconstitutional and established the first significant court precedent protecting the equal rights of GLBT Americans. PAt was appointed by Mayor Hickenlooper to the Denver Women's Commission, the Denver GLBT Commission, and currently chairs the Advisory Board for Denver's Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations.

The Honorable Mary A. Celeste is currently serving as the Presiding Judge of the Denver County Court. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the DU College of Law. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Celeste was in private practice in Denver from 1985 to 2000. She received her J.D. in 1983 from California Western School of Law, where she was the editor in chief of the California Western International Law Journal. She has been involved in numerous civic activities, including Denver Alternatives to Sentencing Sub-Committee, Career Service Authority, Denver Foundation Focus Committee, and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business Advisory Council, among others.

Reserve tickets online at www.curioustheatre.org.

In Europe - and Colorado - being out in politics is in

In contrast to the U.S., where there are still only a handful of nationally prominent out lawmakers, Europe's more welcoming political climate has resulted in the emergence of several dozen openly gay lawmakers and Cabinet officers, notably in Britain, France and Germany. The positive situation for LGBT leadership is fueled by public attitudes -- more than eight in 10 French, Germans and Spaniards say gay people should be accepted, compared with 49 percent of Americans.

Here in Colorado, of course, we're proud and lucky to have such openly gay lawmakers and politicians as Senator Pat Steadman, Rep. Mark Ferrandino, and Rep. Jared Polis.

Denver PrideFest 2009: Senator Pat Steadman and partner Dave

Colorado's newest Senator, Pat Steadman and his adorable hubby Dave made the rounds yesterday at PrideFest.

Aren't they cute?

I've known Pat for years but, given his new position, wasn't sure it was appropriate to give him a big sweaty PrideFest hug and kiss.

He assured me it was ok.

Colorado Stonewall Democrats congratulate Pat Steadman

From the Colorado Stonewall Democrats:

Last Wednesday after several ballots Pat Steadman, one of our very own Colorado Stonewall Members, was elected by a vacancy committee to serve in the Colorado Legislature in Senate District 31 taking the place of outgoing Senator Jennifer Veiga.

Pat Steadman has been on the front lines of equality for years and his work on behalf of the LGBT community of Colorado is incredible.

On behalf of the officers and every member of Colorado Stonewall Democrats...Congratulations Pat.

We look forward to working with Senator Steadman as do with all fair minded Democrats in the new legislative session.

Pat Steadman becomes first openly gay man to serve in Colorado State Senate

Congratulations to Pat Steadman. He's a heck of a guy and is going to do a wonderful job as Colorado's newest Senator.

Denver Democrat Pat Steadman won the race to fill a vacancy in the State Senate seat from Senate District 31 Wednesday night, rising from a field of 10 candidates to claim victory by a margin of 20 percent over his closest rival.

A passionate fighter for Civil Rights and justice in his capacity as a lobbyist at the State Capitol, Steadman united one of Colorado’s most diverse senate districts, covering parts of both Denver and Adams Counties.

“It is an awesome responsibility to represent all of you and to carry our values forward and make sure that we remain Democrats, we remain true to our Party platform, and we do things that we can all be proud of the next day,” Steadman told the crowd of Democratic Party activists at Morey Middle School Wednesday night. “I hope I can count on all of you to be part of my team going forward, because this is one Senate District, and it doesn’t matter what county you live in, or your race, or your gender, or your religion, or your sexual orientation. We’re all Democrats, we all have a common purpose, and we’re all going to be in this together.”

Steadman replaces Jennifer Veiga, a Democrat, who was in her final term as State Senator and resigned following the close of the legislative session so that she could move to Australia to be closer to her partner’s family. Veiga was the first openly gay member elected to the Colorado General Assembly, and Steadman is the first openly gay man to serve in the Colorado State Senate.

“The fact that this has happened on the 13th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Amendment 2 case is really personally significant for me, because that was the galvanizing event in my life that called me to political action,” Steadman said, referencing the controversial amendment approved by voters in 1992 and overturned four years later in the nation’s highest court. “The idea that people could put a constitutional amendment forward, vote on whether or not I had rights, and exclude me from the protection of the law, was something I knew was unconstitutional from the first day, and the Supreme Court of the United States of America 13 years ago confirmed that.”

Steadman, 45, beat nine other candidates to become Colorado’s newest State Senator. His closest competition came from former State Representative Ann Ragsdale of Adams County, who won 40% of the vote on the final ballot, and Director of Communications for Denver Public Schools Alex Sanchez, who won 28% of the vote on the second ballot.

The remaining candidates, in order of their first round results, included Jill Conrad, At-Large Member of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education; Patrick Byrne, a budget and policy analyst for the Colorado Department of Transportation; Butch Hicks, a bus driver and instructor for the Regional Transportation District, treasurer for the Colorado Democratic Party and the Adams County Democrats, and former Westminster City Councilman; John Masalanik, president of Frontier Capital, Inc., an investment management firm; Doug Williams, a real estate developer and Secretary of Senate District 31; John Wren, a business consultant and adult educator; and Tom Anthony, a member of the Vacancy Committee who nominated himself from the floor Wednesday night and used his time as a platform to discuss the issues facing the Elyria neighborhood.

“We are proud to add Pat Steadman to the group of folks representing Denver in the State Legislature as the new Senator from Senate District 31,” Democratic Party of Denver Chair Cindy Lowery said. “He has shown a lifelong commitment to progressive values in Colorado, and I am confident he will continue to fight for us at the Capitol.”

Colorado statute provided for Senator Veiga’s seat to be filled by a special election of the Senate District 31 Vacancy Committee, a body of 185 Democrats representing Denver County and Adams County. The vast majority of the members are Precinct Committee Persons from the district who were elected to two-year terms by Democratic voters in the precinct at the February, 2008 caucuses. The remaining members of the Vacancy Committee, all residents of Senate District 31, were Party officials from Senate District 31, Adams County, Denver County, and the state of Colorado, and Democrats holding elected office who live in the District. Seven of the 10 candidates served on the Vacancy Committee, with Steadman, Sanchez, and Byrne the only three not on the committee.

It took three rounds of voting for Steadman to win a majority of the 164 members of the Vacancy Committee present when the voting began. Ragsdale led the first round of voting with 56 votes. The candidates with the top four vote tallies continued to the second round, at which point Conrad withdrew from the race and threw her support to Sanchez.

Steadman won 63 votes in the second round with Ragsdale earning 53 votes and Sanchez taking 44. Steadman and Ragsdale continued to a third round, which Steadman won with 93 votes to Ragsdale’s 63.

“This is democracy in action,” Steadman told the crowd of some 300 activists Wednesday night. “This is healthy for our party. We should all be proud of ourselves for our participation in this process.

“I’m truly humbled to be selected to be your new State Senator. I’m very much looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work as your State Senator. There’s a lot of work to do. There are very important things happening this Interim. We’re going to study our School Finance Act, to study our tax policy and our constitution. I want to be very involved in all of that, and I want to keep you involved in all of that. Ultimately some of these things are going to have to come back to you the voters, to help be part of that solution. Together, we can get these things fixed and we can keep our state moving forward.”

Steadman is expected to be sworn in next week along with Michael Johnston, who won a Vacancy Committee Election in Senate District 33 on May 11.



Don't let this swing state swing the wrong way

Just a reminder - if you haven't read The Advocate's online report about Colorado as a swing state, published earlier in October and reported on by MHGG, here are the links again to the articles:

The Big Four Report

Pat Steadman Fights to Turn Colorado Blue

The Swing State Factor

Pat Steadman in Advocate.com

I don't know how I could have missed this in my last post about Advocate.com's Colorado Swing State article but one of Colorado's hardest working and most vocal GLBT activists, Pat Steadman, is also featured in the piece along with Matt Kailey.