"The comments make me sad," President Pro Tem Sen. Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood) said. "They were very hurtful to a lot of people, particularly when you talk about a woman who might be infected with HIV to give birth to a child who would have AIDS when they were born. That was, I thought, appalling."

The Schultheis firestorm came just two days after Sen. Scott Renfroe (R-Greeley) made a comment that some have interpreted as comparing homosexuality to murder during a debate over a bill to extend state health care benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian state employees.

On Monday, Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, created a stir by quoting Bible verses that condemned homosexuality. He made his comments during a debate over extending health insurance benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian state workers, a measure sponsored by Veiga.

Penry said many Coloradans support the traditional view of marriage and defended the right of lawmakers to express their strongly held views.

Debate on the health benefits bill also rankled some Republicans. They objected to Senate Majority Leader Brandon Shaffer's comments suggesting that supporting the bill was the more "enlightened" stance.