David McCord and David Zamora
David McCord and David Zamora, with Clela Rorex in the background. [1]
Colorado Springs-based David McCord and David Zamora were the first same-sex couple in Colorado history to get a marriage license on March 26, 1975. After being denied in El Paso county, and reportedly told El Paso County "do that kind of thing here, but you might try Boulder," they did just that.
In Boulder, they met the new Boulder County Clerk, Clela Rorex. Rorex was a member of the National Organization for Women and an advocate for equal rights for women. She also understood the precariousness of her position as someone so new to the position. She asked them to give her a couple days to think, before moving forward and granting them the license. As someone who opposed discrimination, her decision was a reflection of her values. Further, state law did not explicitly state that a marriage license could only be issued to opposite-sex couples. [1:1][2][3]
Once word got out about Zamora and McCord, several more gay couples approached Rorex and also received marriage licenses. [3:1]
Rorex was met with public outrage, which unfortunately did not relent for her entire two-year term. One man brought his horse, Dolly, to the Boulder County courthouse, requesting a marriage license for him and his horse to spite the decision. Rorex denied the license, stating that the horse was underage. [3:2]
McCord and Zamora divorced in March, 1976, due to what McCord characterized as a "misrepresentation" by Zamora. He did not elaborate. [4]
In 1977, the union was declared invalid by District Court Judge John F. Gallagher, who said that such a union was not valid in the eyes of the law, despite a marriage license from a county clerk and ceremony. [2:1] The Colorado legislature passed a law that year, defining marriage as between one man and one woman. [5]
Key Dates
- March 26, 1975 - David McCord and David Zamora make national news as the first same-sex couple in Colorado history to get a marriage license.
References
Genzlinger, Neil. “Clela Rorex, Clerk Who Broke a Gay-Marriage Barrier, Dies at 78 - The New York Times.” New York Times, June 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20260211172958/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/20/us/clela-rorex-dead.html. ↩︎ ↩︎
Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph (Colorado Springs, Colorado). “Marriage Between Males Declared Invalid by District Court Judge - David McCord and David Zamora.” April 21, 1977. https://www.newspapers.com/article/colorado-springs-gazette-telegraph-marri/197412730/. ↩︎ ↩︎
Brovsky-Eaker, Jess. “The First Same-Sex Marriage License in Colorado.” Law Week Colorado, April 6, 2020. https://www.lawweekcolorado.com/article/the-first-same-sex-marriage-license-in-colorado/. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
“Misrepresentation Charged in Annulment Suit Springs Men End Marriage.” The Rocky Mountain News, Volume 118, Number 161, 30 Sept. 1976, Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RMD19760930-01.2.28. ↩︎
Newton, David E. Same-Sex Marriage : A Reference Handbook. With Internet Archive. Santa Barbara, California : ABC-CLIO, 2010. http://archive.org/details/samesexmarriager0000newt_u7m4. ↩︎