Dozens of people gathered this morning in the atrium of the Wellington E. Webb Building to celebrate Colorado's new Designated Beneficiaries law and file their agreements with the Denver Office of Clerk and Recorder.

"This is something we've been hoping would happen for years and it's going to be such a huge relief to have the law backing up our legal documents," said Liz Gettings, who along with her partner, Patricia Vivien Yarrow, were among the first in Colorado to file their Designated Beneficiary agreements.

The law, which takes effect today, provides a new tool for estate planning, giving Coloradans access to a low-cost and convenient method for making plans for end-of-life decisions, inheritance, and other protections related to health care and medical emergencies. It also allows beneficiaries to sue for wrongful death and the access to workers compensation benefits, two provisions that weren't possible for unmarried couples before today. (For more information go to www.designatedbeneficiaries.or g.)

A-B44jIVhj0

Five laws protect and enrich the lives of LGBT people in Colorado. The Rights 5 is a league of superheroes banded together to illuminate those laws.

http://www.TheRightsFive.com

Yd_Gece5ObQ

Erin Egan, Progress Director for Progress Teams in Colorado introduces you to ways to get organized and stay active in your community. Find out how to build your community and bring about sustainable progressive change through Progress Teams -- a movement combining online organizing with traditional grassroots organizing.

paTdFrKq8JQ

Senator Mark Udall speaks about his Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights Act

sS7ijHdb31I

Scott McInnis, who plans to run as the Republican candidate for Governor, was caught on a voicemail describing illegal activities related to his campaign. The Republican website Complete Colorado posted the voicemail in April and it immediately brought McInnis under fire for possible illegal campaign activities including coordination between McInnis' campaign and a 527.

9CVdBZ5JHjU

After deliberating for just two hours, a Weld County jury today found Allen Ray Andrade guilty of first-degree murder and guilty of a bias-motivated crime in the murder of Angie Zapata of Greeley.
The family gave a brief statement following the outcome of the trial in which they praised the Weld County DA for their efforts in bringing justice for Angie and then called for federal hate crime legislation.

3VJkSOUuiFM

Angie Zapata was brutally murdered in Greeley, Colorado, in July 2008. Angie was a transgender woman and she was murdered because of anti-transgender bias.

On April 14, 2009, her alleged killer will go on trial in Greeley, Colorado. The trial marks the first time that Colorados gender identity-inclusive hate crimes statute has been applied in the investigation and prosecution of an anti-transgender murder case.

Watch Angie's family tell her story through their eyes.

FBVeVVS-XJM

At Denver's right-wing Tea Party rally, 850 KOA Radio Host Gunny Bob Newman joined in the President Obama bashing that seemed to be the theme of the day.

I8IkP2S5KoM

Angie Zapata was brutally murdered in Greeley, Colorado, in July 2008. Angie was a transgender woman and she was murdered because of anti-transgender bias.

On April 14, 2009, her alleged killer will go on trial in Greeley, Colorado. The trial marks the first time that Colorados gender identity-inclusive hate crimes statute has been applied in the investigation and prosecution of an anti-transgender murder case.

Watch Angie's family tell her story through their eyes.

T8J8FmbvBcQ

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter took some time to talk with us about Colorado's energy economy and it's importance in leading our state out of the recession. Here are 3 minutes with the Gov on this topic.

3qQtWhb3IQo

http://www.progressnowcolorado .org/page/s/enough?source=yout ube&subsource=videopage

On Feb 25, the evening he made his comments about wishing AIDS on babies, he went on the radio show Caplis and Silverman where he dug his heels in defending his indefensible position. Now as Schultheis blames Rocky Mountain News reporter Lynn Bartels for not editing his comments for him, remember he was on the radio for nearly half an hour repeating the same line. Here is an unedited section of that conversation.

M3XHQFnGjMw

On the January 26, 2009 edition of Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC), Colorado State Senator Dave Schultheis was featured as the runner-up for Worst Person in the World after he repeatedly defended being the lone vote against a bill concerning HIV testing for pregnant mothers with the reasoning that it's better for babies to contract HIV/AIDS than for the government to "reward promiscuity" by preventing their infection through early testing.

5Io3NOEBanM