IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 248 
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 
MARCH 23, 2023 
Mr. NEGUSE (for himself, Mr. POCAN, Mr. CROW, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. 
PETTERSEN, Ms. CARAVEO, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, 
Ms. BONAMICI, and Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas) submitted the following reso-
lution; 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; 
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•HRES 248 IH 
Whereas Clela, at the age of 31, became Boulder County 
Clerk and Recorder in January 1975; 
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 
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•HRES 248 IH 
including marching, volunteering, and donating to 
LGBTQ efforts; 
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) recognizes— 
(A) the contributions of Clela Rorex as a 
pioneer for civil rights and same-sex marriage; 
(B) the respect and bravery Clela had 
when issuing the first same-sex marriage license 
in the United States; and 
(C) the courage Clela exhibited following 
the threats she received when she issued mar-
riage licenses to same-sex couples; and 
(2) expresses support for the designation of 
‘‘Clela Rorex Day’’. 
Æ 
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