Colorado Lawmaker and His Gay Son Split on Civil Unions Bill

Last week, businessman Dee Coram sat down with his father on the garden patio of the Coffee Trader, a hip hive of activity in the tiny town of Montrose.

The elder Coram was on break from the legislature, where a bill to allow civil unions for same-sex couples teetered on the brink: It could languish in a GOP-run committee or come up for a full House vote, where it would most likely pass.

With his trademark pragmatism, Republican Rep. Don Coram opined that the full House should get its vote in order to ward off attacks from well-heeled gay-rights activists come November.