A bill that would allow gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions took an important step forward this week in the Colorado legislature, but the steepest hill may be yet to climb.

After hours of emotional testimony Monday, the bill cleared a Senate committee on a 6-3 vote. If all goes as expected, it will go to the House, where it faces a less certain fate.

Leadership in the Republican-controlled House could assign it to a committee where the bill will have a chance to move forward, or the measure could be handled in such a way as to ensure its death.

House Speaker Frank McNulty and House Majority Leader Amy Stephens should give Senate Bill 172 the opportunity to get to the House floor so that all members have a chance to cast a vote on it.

It’s an important bill that deserves a fair hearing.

The bill would confer a variety of rights to those engaged in a civil union, including the ability to inherit property if the other person dies, and the ability to make medical decisions when the other in the relationship is incapacitated.

The list of rights and responsibilities in the bill is a long one. It creates a relationship that is similar to traditional marriage, but is not the same.

A handful of legislators have raised questions as to whether passing a bill that spells out a relationship so similar to marriage would amount to an end run around the will of voters, who in 2006 passed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

We don’t think so. The bill does not establish marriage for gays and lesbians. It creates a separate relationship, but it unfortunately does not confer all of the elements of marriage.

We support gay marriage as a matter of civil rights, and have opposed efforts to treat same-sex couples as if they’re inferior to heterosexuals.

Those who testified against the measure Monday mostly raised moral objections rooted in their religion. They spoke of scripture and family values and how allowing gays and lesbians to engage in civil unions would violate their beliefs.

While we respect their opinions, and the concerns of those who say voters made their wishes known in 2006, basic civil rights should not be withheld because others object.

It’s instructive to keep in mind that it wasn’t until 1967 that state laws forbidding interracial marriage were declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. And there were those back then who believed interracial marriage would be the downfall of society. But in that case, the court wrote that marriage was a civil right, and declared a Virginia law forbidding interracial marriage a violation of the Constitution’s equal protection clause.

We believe a similarly pivotal moment is in the offing for gay marriage and civil unions. Assuredly, there have been hopeful signs of change in public opinion, recent court decisions and new government policy.

Momentum is building, and we think all of Colorado’s state legislators ought to have the opportunity to vote on civil unions. And we hope they will approve this important step toward relationship equality for Colorado’s gay and lesbian citizens.