Our country has come a long way since our early days, but a strong democracy requires constant maintenance. We must continue to work hard to protect both individual liberties and equal rights for all citizens regardless of race, religion, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
This last point has always been especially important to me. A close friend came out to me in 7th grade at a time when growing up in Colorado Springs was really tough for gay kids. She and I used to talk about how unfair it was that the law would never treat her as equal. Colorado has made remarkable progress on this issue over the last decade -- more progress than we used to imagine would ever be possible. I am committed to making sure our law upholds the civil rights of every Coloradan.