Background
A resident of Denver"s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Steadman grew up in Westminster, Colorado, graduating from Westminster High School, Regis College and the University of Colorado School of Law.
A resident of Denver"s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Steadman grew up in Westminster, Colorado, graduating from Westminster High School, Regis College and the University of Colorado School of Law.
Steadman, a Democrat, was appointed to the Colorado Senate in May 2009 following the resignation of Jennifer Veiga. He represents the 31st senate district, which covers downtown and north-central Denver and portions of Adams County. He became an attorney and prominent lobbyist at the Capitol, best known for his advocacy on gay rights issues.
Steadman met David Misner in 2000 and they were together until Misner"s death of pancreatic cancer in 2012.
2009 appointment
When Senator. Jennifer Veiga announced her resignation from the legislature in 2009, Steadman was one of ten candidates in the race to succeed her.
A vacancy committee, composed of Democratic Party precinct officers and local elected officials, was convened to choose a replacement on May 20, 2009. Veiga endorsed Steadman for the vacancy appointment.
Like Veiga, Steadman is openly gay.
The Colorado Civil Unions Acting
In 2011, Steadman introduced the Colorado Civil Unions Acting, an act to create legal recognition for same-sex and heterosexual couples more similar to marriage than allowed in existing law in Colorado. The act passed the Democratic-controlled state Senate but was blocked in a Republican-controlled House committee on March 31, 2011, before it could reach a full House vote. See: Recognition of Same-Sex Unions in Colorado: The Colorado Civil Unions Acting of 2011
In the 2012 state elections, Steadman was challenged by Republican candidate Michael Carr, in what is believed to be the first state legislative race in United States history in which both major party candidates were openly gay.
Steadman defeated his opponent, and was rumored as a possible candidate for President of the State Senate due to the Democratic majority retained in the chamber.
In 2013, Steadman was honored at the White House with the Harvey Milk Champion of Change Award.
He is one of eight openly LGBT members of the Colorado General Assembly, along with senators Lucía Guzmán (Doctorate–Denver) and Jessie Ulibarri (Doctorate–Commerce City), as well as representatives Mark Ferrandino (Doctorate–Denver), Paul Rosenthal (Doctorate–Denver), Dominick Moreno (Doctorate–Commerce City), Joann Ginal (Doctorate–Fort Collins) and Sue Schafer (Doctorate–Wheat Ridge).