The first gay speaker of the Colorado House ferociously defended the right of gay couples to form civil unions during a lengthy debate Monday, arguing that Republicans’ attempts to amend his bill amounted to promoting discrimination.

Rep. Mark Ferrandino, a gay Denver Democrat, has a reputation as a numbers wonk and someone who struggles to hold back tears, whether it’s when his peers elected him speaker or when he voted for a tenure bill that teachers opposed.

But on Monday, Ferrandino showed another side, his voice rising again and again as he ripped Republicans for their attempts to add religious exemptions or send the issue to a vote of the people.

“I don’t ask to put your relationships up to a vote of the people,” he said.

After a debate that lasted 4½ hours, the House gave initial approval to Senate Bill 11, which already has passed the Senate. The House on Tuesday will take a formal, recorded vote on the measure, and as Democrats control the House 37-28, the outcome is not in doubt.

At least two Republicans support the measure: Cheri Gerou of Evergreen and Carole Murray of Castle Rock.

“What I think this bill is really about is personal freedom and individual liberties,” Gerou said. “I think this is a good conservative bill.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to sign the bill into law this month; it would be implemented May 1.

“This bill is about three simple things,” Ferrandino said at the start of the debate. “It’s about love, it’s about family, and it’s about equality under the law.”

Rep. Bob Gardner of Colorado Springs, who has heard the bill three times in three years in the House Judiciary Committee, led the Republican caucus in opposition to the bill.

Of particular concern was that this year’s bill does not allow religious exemptions for groups such as adoption agencies, further igniting Focus on the Family, the Catholic Church and other organizations already opposed to the measure.

“It infringes the free exercise of religion and moral conscience,” he said.

Gardner introduced an amendment allowing religious-based private agencies an out so they would not have to violate personal beliefs when it came to same-sex couples.

Ferrandino rebuked efforts to undo that part of the bill. He said his bill is an attempt at equality and that he wasn’t about to sanction discrimination.

“We have a horrible history of Amendment 2 in this state,” he said. “I don’t think we want to go back to that.”

Amendment 2 prohibited laws protecting gays from discrimination. Colorado was dubbed the “hate state” after voters approved the measure in 1992, but it was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1996.

One of the most vocal opponents of the measure, Rep. Lori Saine, R-Dacono, repeatedly mentioned religious references to civil unions.

“What this bill is about, really, is the Bible. Is it right or wrong?” she said.

Ferrandino also said a civil union is not marriage, although Republicans pointed out the word “spouse” is in the bill.

“I fully support full equality, which means marriage for gay and lesbian couples,” Ferrandino said. “But until the voters say otherwise, civil unions is the closest we can do as a General Assembly to make sure that all families are provided protections under the law.”

Voters in 2006 passed a constitutional amendment that defined marriage in Colorado as between a man and a woman.

The debate Monday could not be any more different than last year, when Republicans controlled the House 33-32. At least three and as many as five Republicans were on board, and, knowing Ferrandino had the votes to pass it, Republican Speaker Frank McNulty of Highlands Ranch refused to call the bill up for debate. It died on the second-to-last night of the session in dramatic fashion.

Democrats won back the House in November in an election that saw a record number of gays elected to the legislature.

Ferrandino pointed out that five members of the 65-member House are gay, as are three members in the 35-member Senate. Colorado has the distinction of having the most gays per capita serving in the legislature.

“We are equal in many ways to the 60 members of this body — our love is not equal, and our families are not equal,” Ferrandino said.

The bill also was co-sponsored by Rep. Sue Schafer, a gay Wheat Ridge Democrat.

Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327, lbartels@denverpost.com or twitter.com/lynn_bartels