VIDEO: New Latino Voices Emerge in Support of Marriage Equality During Hispanic Heritage Month in Colorado

October 1, 2014
DENVER – In light of National Hispanic Heritage Month and with another statewide Latino organization joining the groundswell of support for marriage equality in Colorado, Why Marriage Matters Colorado released a short video featuring the Rodriguez family, a Latino family from Longmont. The video features Ray Rodriguez and his family, as he shares how he came out to them and discusses their unconditional support for him – and the freedom to marry for same-sex couples.
You can watch the video here: www.marriageco.org/Rodriguez

“I think everybody should be able to love who they want to love. I would like to see my son get married some day if that’s what he chooses,” said Jennie Rodriguez of Longmont about her son Ray.
“This is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and it’s appropriate that we honor all of our family members – committed families both gay and straight. We have a long, rich cultural history of family bonds. This is a continuation of that heritage,” said Cristina Aguilar, Executive Director of Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR).
COLOR’s endorsement comes on the heels of the Colorado Latino Forum announcing its support for marriage equality last month. Other Latino community leaders who have come out for the freedom to marry include: State Representative Joe Salazar, State Representative Dominick Moreno, State Senator Jessie Ulibarri, State Senator Irene Aguilar, State Senator Lucia Guzman, Denver City Councilman Paul D. López, Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz, and Denver Public School Board member Rosemary Rodriguez. Why Marriage Matters Colorado is broadening the dialogue with Coloradans about why marriage is important to same-sex couples and their families and why it is consistent with the values of liberty and freedom. More information on this statewide initiative – which is being spearheaded by leading statewide LGBT advocacy group One Colorado, ACLU of Colorado, and Freedom to Marry – can be found here: www.whymarriagematterscolorado.org