119-sres163

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 163 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 163

Recognizing the contributions of Clela Rorex, a pioneering county clerk 
 who, in 1975, advanced civil rights for all couples seeking to be 
 married.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 April 9, 2025

 Mr. Bennet (for himself and Mr. Hickenlooper) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

Recognizing the contributions of Clela Rorex, a pioneering county clerk 
 who, in 1975, advanced civil rights for all couples seeking to be 
 married.

Whereas Clela Ann Rorex (referred to in this preamble as ``Clela'') was born in 
 Denver on July 23, 1943;
Whereas Ruby Rorex, the mother of Clela, was a dance and theater teacher, and 
 Cecil Rorex, the father of Clela, served for 30 years as clerk of Routt 
 County, Colorado, where Clela grew up in Steamboat Springs;
Whereas Clela earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado 
 Boulder in 1973 and a master's degree in Public Administration from the 
 University of Colorado Denver in 1981;
Whereas, in January 1975, at the age of 31, Clela became the Boulder County 
 Clerk and Recorder;
Whereas, in 1975, when a same-sex couple requested a marriage license in Boulder 
 County, Clela consulted the assistant district attorney and learned that 
 Colorado state laws did not specifically prohibit granting a marriage 
 license to a same-sex couple;
Whereas, as a newly elected county clerk, Clela issued a marriage license to 
 Dave McCord and Dave Zamora, the first marriage license issued to a 
 same-sex couple in the United States;
Whereas Clela was quoted in 2016 as saying, ``After having been so deeply 
 involved in the women's rights movements, who was I to then deny a right 
 to anyone else? It wasn't my job to legislate morality.'';
Whereas, after issuing the first marriage license to a same-sex couple in 1975, 
 Clela issued 5 more marriage licenses to same-sex couples over the next 
 month;
Whereas national news outlets circulated the groundbreaking story of Clela 
 issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, after which Clela 
 reported receiving a deluge of death threats and condemnation in 
 hundreds of letters and phone calls to the Boulder County Clerk's 
 office;
Whereas, despite the threats, Clela continued her advocacy efforts on behalf of 
 the LGBTQ community, including by marching, volunteering, and donating 
 to LGBTQ efforts for decades;
Whereas, in 2014, a series of court rulings cleared the way for same-sex 
 marriages in Colorado, and, in 2015, the Supreme Court of the United 
 States legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, 40 years after Clela 
 issued the first same-sex marriage license in the United States;
Whereas Clela was 78 years old when she died on June 19, 2022, in Longmont, 
 Colorado;
Whereas, in honor of Clela and her advocacy for human rights, Boulder County, 
 Colorado, declared July 23, 2022, to be ``Clela Rorex Day''; and
Whereas Clela should be recognized for her leadership as a national civil rights 
 leader, paving the way for countless individuals: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) recognizes--
        (A) the contributions of Clela Rorex as a pioneer 
 for civil rights and same-sex marriage;
        (B) the respect and bravery Clela Rorex 
 demonstrated when issuing the first same-sex marriage 
 license in the United States; and
            (C) the courage Clela Rorex exhibited following the 
 threats she received when she issued marriage licenses 
 to same-sex couples; and

    (2) designates March 26, 2025, as ``Clela Rorex Day''.
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