EDGE Denver

On May 1, same-sex civil unions will become legal in Colorado, and along with the very real legal and financial benefits to creating a family recognized by the state, a rush of weddings will also boost the local economy.

On March 21, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed Colorado’s civil unions bill into law, legalizing partnerships for same-sex couples in the Rocky Mountain state.

From President Barack Obama’s comments about gay military spouses at the State of the Union address to his historic acknowledgement during his second inauguration that LGBTs be treated equally; has ’The Obama Effect’ changed public opinion on gay rights?

A bill to legalize same-sex civil unions passed Colorado’s Senate Judiciary Committee, and appears ready for passage by the Senate.

Colorado made history this month, when they elected Rep. Mark Ferrandino to be the state’s Speaker of the House, making him the first openly gay legislator in the state to hold that role.

Thanks to the hard work of Lise Iwon, whose partner died last march, Rhode Island sex couples who are married or joined in civil unions will be allowed to take the same marital deductions as opposite-sex couples.

A New Jersey agency upheld a judge’s ruling that an organization discriminated against a lesbian couple when they refused to allow them to hold their civil ceremony on the group’s pier.

Statewide advocacy organization One Colorado released a list of endorsements of 67 Democrats and one Republican for this year’s election, in an attempt to put more pro-equality candidates in office.

In a surprise turnaround, Poland’s conservative party announced this week it will introduce a bill that would legalize civil unions for same sex-couples.

Two conservative representatives from Colorado announced that they will vote against a civil unions bill even though they each have a gay son.