DENVER — It'll soon be six years since Andrew Morrison and his husband, Billy, got married. And every year since, they've wondered whether someone will take their right to marry away.
"When Trump was elected, that was probably the first [time] to cross my mind," Andrew said.
Following the conservative majority's opinion on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, that concern has grown.
"My main thought was my sister and my female friends who, you know, this is impacting them in an immediate sense," Andrew said. "But it wasn't long before I kind of started thinking again, "What precedent does this set, and how long will my marriage be protected?""
In Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion, he wrote the court "should reconsider" several cases, including the right to same-sex marriage. A spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis, who himself is in a same-sex marriage, said he was "shocked and saddened" after reading Thomas' opinion.
"Depending on what that decision would look like, does it mean that suddenly folks who are married across the country, their marriages are dissolved? Does that mean that folks are going to have to pursue civil unions?" One Colorado deputy director Garrett Royer said Friday.
It's why he and his team will be working with the legislature next year to make same-sex marriage in Colorado a protected right. Currently, it's not written into law.
"We're going to have to take some time and do some strategizing to make sure that whatever that framework or legislation looks like next year, we are in a good place to ensure that the rights of LGBTQ Coloradans are protected," Royer said.
For now, LGBTQ Coloradans like Andrew and his husband Billy will march this Pride weekend with a renewed sense of purpose.
"I think there's going to be a little bit of anger, a little bit of resistance. But ultimately, I think a lot of passion, you know, specifically because of what's happened today," Andrew said.