Colorado for Family Values (CFV) was led by Will Perkins, a Colorado Springs car dealer, along with Kevin Tebedo and David Noebel. They drafted Amendment 2 Colorado’s ballot measure to prohibit any Colorado government entity from enacting anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people. The amendment specifically targeted existing ordinances in Denver (1990), Boulder (1987), and Aspen (1977).

On November 3, 1992, Colorado voters passed Amendment 2 by a margin of 53% to 47%. It was not simply the absence of protection — it was an affirmative constitutional prohibition against ever creating such protection. LGBTQ+ Denver Guide

The Advocate ran a February 1993 cover reading "Colorado Goes Straight to Hell." Whoopi Goldberg and Madonna endorsed the boycott. The U.S. Conference of Mayors cancelled conventions scheduled for Colorado. Tourism revenue dropped by an estimated $40 million. Film production in the state fell from roughly $28 million to about $15 million. The television show Frasier changed its setting from Denver to Seattle.

Anti-gay violence escalated. The Tattered Cover bookstore received a bomb threat. Therapist Ruth Williams was knocked unconscious, maced, and had crosses cut into her hands. Colorado's LGBTQ+ Legal Timeline

Justice Kennedy wrote in Romer v. Evans: ‘A State cannot so deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws.’ This sentence became the foundation for Lawrence v. Texas, Windsor, and Obergefell — every subsequent federal LGBTQ+ rights ruling.

The lead plaintiff was Richard G. Evans, who worked for Mayor Wellington Webb. Other plaintiffs included tennis champion Martina Navratilova and the cities of Denver, Boulder, and Aspen. Lead attorney Jean Dubofsky — the first woman to serve on the Colorado Supreme Court — argued the case.

On January 15, 1993, Judge Jeffrey Bayless enjoined the amendment. The case moved through the courts until May 20, 1996, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that Amendment 2 Colorado’s ballot measure was unconstitutional. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion, including the landmark sentence: “A State cannot so deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws.”

Denver refused to comply with Amendment 2 from the start. Mayor Wellington Webb and the City Council would not repeal Denver’s 1990 anti-discrimination ordinance, effectively daring the state to enforce the amendment against its capital city. Denver’s defiance was both symbolic and practical — it signaled that the state’s largest city stood against the measure.

Romer v. Evans was the first U.S. Supreme Court case on gay rights since Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986. The precedent Kennedy established directly led to Lawrence v. Texas (2003), United States v. Windsor (2013), and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). Colorado’s attempt to constitutionally ban LGBTQ+ protections ultimately created the legal foundation for marriage equality nationwide.

Thirty years after Amendment 2 Colorado’s passage, Denver is a dramatically different city for LGBTQ+ residents. The legal protections that Amendment 2 sought to erase are now firmly established at the city, state, and federal level. But the practical realities of living in Denver still matter.

The median home list price in Denver currently stands at $589,000, with a median sale price of $550,000 and a median of 32 days on market (source: FRED / Zillow). For LGBTQ+ residents considering Denver, the Denver housing market remains competitive but accessible compared to coastal cities with similar protections.

On the safety front, Denver Open Data reports approximately 20,000 crime incidents in recent data. The city’s crime map shows that neighborhoods like Capitol Hill — historically Denver’s LGBTQ+ center — have active community safety programs. For a full picture of Denver’s LGBTQ+ neighborhoods, protections, and community resources, see the LGBTQ+ Denver Guide.

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From ‘Hate State’ to Equality

Amendment 2 was a dark chapter — but Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community turned defeat into a Supreme Court victory. Read the full story.

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