To hear state Senator Kevin Lundberg tell it, there’s no need to create civil unions for gays and lesbians because “it is beyond my experience here in the state of Colorado” that anyone at a hospital would ask to see any kind of marriage certificate (watch his testimony below). But the overall tone for gays and lesbians on Wednesday was elation, as the Senate passed a civil unions bill that would grant such things as medical power of attorney—with united support from Democrats and a handful of Republicans (Denver Post).

Several candidates for Denver mayor also support the bill (Colorado Independent), as does Troy Ard, the student president of the Colorado Federation of College Republicans (Independent). The bill is headed to the state House next, where Republicans are in control by a slim margin. Though Representative Mark Ferrandino, a Denver Democrat who is gay and who is the bill’s House sponsor, says he thinks the measure will pass if it reaches the floor, it must first survive a committee hearing (Colorado Springs Gazette).

While civil unions do not afford all the benefits of marriage, a recent national poll for ABC News and the Washington Post found that a majority of Americans support gay marriage, a “milestone result that caps a dramatic, long-term shift in public attitudes” (AFP).