IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 319
Recognizing the contributions of Clela Rorex, pioneering county clerk who
advanced civil rights for all couples seeking to be married in 1975.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL9, 2025
Mr. N
EGUSE(for himself, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. PETTERSEN, Mr. CROW, and
Mr. T
AKANO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the contributions of Clela Rorex, pioneering
county clerk who advanced civil rights for all couples
seeking to be married in 1975.
Whereas Clela Ann Rorex was born in Denver on July 23,
1943, to Ruby Rorex, a dance and theater teacher, and
Cecil Rorex, who served as Clerk of Routt County, Colo-
rado, for 30 years, where Clela grew up in Steamboat
Springs;
Whereas Clela earned her bachelor’s degree from the Univer-
sity of Colorado Boulder in 1973 and a master’s degree
in Public Administration from the University of Colorado
Denver in 1981;
Whereas Clela, at the age of 31, became Boulder County
Clerk and Recorder in January 1975;
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•HRES 319 IH
Whereas, in 1975, when a same-sex couple requested a mar-
riage license in Boulder County, Clela consulted the as-
sistant district attorney and learned that Colorado State
laws did not specifically prohibit granting a marriage li-
cense to a same-sex couple;
Whereas, as a newly elected county clerk, Clela issued a mar-
riage 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, over the next month, Clela issued five more mar-
riage licenses to same-sex couples;
Whereas national news outlets circulated Clela’s
groundbreaking story, after which she reported receiving
a deluge of death threats and condemnation in hundreds
of letters and phone calls to the Boulder County Clerk’s
office;
Whereas Clela issued marriage licenses to six same-sex cou-
ples in Boulder County, Colorado, in April 1975, 40
years before the Supreme Court legalized same-sex mar-
riage nationwide in 2015;
Whereas, in 2014, a series of court rulings cleared the way
for same-sex marriages in Colorado;
Whereas, despite the threats and for decades, Clela continued
her advocacy efforts on behalf of the LGBTQ community
including marching, volunteering, and donating to
LGBTQ efforts;
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•HRES 319 IH
Whereas Clela was 78 years old when she died on June 19,
2022, in Longmont, Colorado;
Whereas due to her advocacy for human rights, Boulder
County, Colorado, declared July 23, 2022, as ‘‘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 House of Representatives— 1
(1) recognizes— 2
(A) the contributions of Clela Rorex as a 3
pioneer for civil rights and same-sex marriage; 4
(B) the respect and bravery Clela had 5
when issuing the first same-sex marriage license 6
in the United States; and 7
(C) the courage Clela exhibited following 8
the threats she received when she issued mar-9
riage licenses to same-sex couples; and 10
(2) expresses support for the designation of 11
‘‘Clela Rorex Day’’. 12
Æ
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