This Boulder County clerk made history when she issued a marriage license to a gay couple 50 years ago

In The NoCo

This Boulder County clerk made history when she issued a marriage license to a gay couple 50 years ago

By In The NoCo,

Erin O'Toole, Brad Turner, Ariel Lavery

Published June 10, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

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A black and white photo of Clela Rorex, a woman in a light colored printed shirt and dark hair. In 1975, as the Boulder County clerk, she issued a marriage license to a gay couple. — "Clela Rorex is the perfect example of somebody that did the right thing, and did it because it was the right thing, not because it was an agenda," says Mardi Moore of Rocky Mountain Equality. Fifty years ago, as Boulder County clerk, Rorex issued Colorado's first same-sex marriage licenses.

Fifty years ago, two men came to the Boulder County courthouse, seeking a license to get married.

Marriage equality was not the law of the land in 1975. But Clela Rorex, the newly elected Boulder County clerk, could find that would prevent her from issuing a marriage license to a same-sex couple. So, she did. And she issued five more in the next few weeks before she was ordered to stop.

It was a in the movement for LGBTQ rights, and her actions made her a hero -- and a .

Mardi Moore is the CEO of , an LGBTQ advocacy group based in Boulder. She was a friend and colleague of Clela, who died in 2022 at the age of 78.

During Pride Month, Erin O'Toole spoke with Mardi to learn more about Clela Rorex and that day she made history back in 1975.

A woman in a black shirt and slacks and print jacket sits next to a woman in a rainbow-striped shirt, black slacks and black jacket. — Clela Rorex and Mardi Moore

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In The NoCo

皇冠网址's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of 皇冠网址鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in 皇冠网址's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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