During her 2000 and 2002 election campaigns, Pam Rhodes featured "Stronger Families" among her personal priorities. She didn't explain what she meant by that. Unfortunately, in the second year of her first two-year term, it became clear that she meant taking an ideological stand against families headed by lesbian and gay parents -- at the expense of children.

Denver Post Editorial
Hypocrisy on The Hill

Whenever the Colorado Legislature starts lecturing the citizenry about morality, our thoughts turn to St. Matthew, chapter 7, verse 3:

Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

A good example of such hypocrisy is House Bill 1356, by Rep. Pam Rhodes and Senator Marilyn Musgrave.

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Two-parent support works for children
Denver Post Guest Commentary
Michael Brewer, CLIP legal director

The 17 sponsors of Pam Rhodes' and Marilyn Musgrave's HB 1356 are all conservative Republicans who claim to support "traditional" and "family" values. One would hope that those values include encouraging adults to assume financial and social responsibility for children they willingly and lovingly bring into the world. One would also hope those values reflect a commitment to see children born into the most secure environment possible.

It's a shame that "traditional" values don't seem to apply to all our children.

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In issuing decrees to same-gendered couples [authorizing both parents' names to appear on their children's birth certificates,] Colorado judges have done exactly what the Uniform Parentage Act was intended to do.

- Jeanine M. Pow, Boulder attorney ... Boulder Daily Camera Guest Opinion (3-30-2002)