III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 118 

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 

MARCH 23, 2023 

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 Clela’s mother, Ruby Rorex, was a dance and theater teacher, and her father, Cecil Rorex, 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; 


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•SRES 118 IS 

Whereas, in January 1975, at the age of 31, Clela became 

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 samesex couple in 1975, Clela issued 5 more marriage licenses 

to same-sex couples over the next month; 

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, 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 


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•SRES 118 IS 

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, due to 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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes— 

3 (A) the contributions of Clela Rorex as a 

4 pioneer for civil rights and same-sex marriage; 

5 (B) the respect and bravery Clela Rorex 

6 demonstrated when issuing the first same-sex 

7 marriage license in the United States; and 

8 (C) the courage Clela Rorex exhibited fol9 lowing the threats she received when she issued 

10 marriage licenses to same-sex couples; and 

11 (2) designates March 26, 2023, as ‘‘Clela Rorex 

12 Day’’. 

Æ 


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