Amendment 2 was a ballot measure approved by Colorado voters on November 3, 1992, simultaneously with the United States presidential election. The amendment prevented municipalities from enacting anti-discrimination laws protecting gay, lesbian, or bisexual people.
The amendment's enactment prompted a widespread boycott. It was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in Romer v. Evans (1996).
Contents
The proposal appeared on the ballot as follows:
Campaign
Several major cities in Colorado enacted laws prohibiting anti-gay discrimination, including Aspen in 1977, Boulder in 1987, and Denver in 1991. Literature from Colorado for Family Values (CFV), a conservative group based in Colorado Springs, presented municipal anti-discrimination laws as the first steps towards a "national 'gay-rights' law."
In March 1992, CFV submitted the required signatures for a ballot initiative. Their amendment would add the following passage to the state Constitution:
The text of the amendment focuses on the issue of "special rights" being given to homosexuals; this contrasts with the actual municipal ordinances at issue, which only protected homosexuals from discrimination. A focus group paid for by Equal Protection Ordinance Colorado found that while Coloradans didn't agree with anti-gay discrimination, they disliked anything related to affirmative action.
The amendment was opposed by the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Governor Roy Romer, Senate candidate Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Representative Pat Schroeder.
Results
A poll taken by Talmey-Drake shortly before the election indicated that Amendment 2 would fail, with 42% voting for it and 52% voting against. On Election Day, however, Amendment 2 was approved with a margin of almost 7 points.