veiga-jenniferGovernor Bill Ritter signed a bill yesterday that will make it easier for gays and lesbians to inherit the property of their partners and to make funeral arrangements for them, according to The Denver Post. House Bill 1260 applies to other unmarried couples, too–helping people who don’t marry for financial reasons–but was backed by gay and lesbian groups, a blow to opponents who argue that Colorado voters already shot down a proposal to create domestic partnerships. State Senator Jennifer Veiga (pictured) and Representative Mark Ferrandino, both Denver Democrats and the only openly gay members of the the Legislature, sponsored the bill, which includes other rights, such as the ability to file a wrongful death lawsuit on a partner’s behalf, according to The Colorado Independent. Meanwhile, U.S. Representative Jared Polis, in touring Iraq this week, raised concerns about a man allegedly sentenced to death in the country’s criminal court because he belonged to a gay-rights group, the Post reports. Polis, who is gay, is investigating how gays in Iraq are treated and spoke last week to a transgendered Iraqi man who claims to have been arrested, beaten, and raped by Iraqi security forces.