Gay in texas
The Texas House of Representatives have preliminarily voted in favor of repealing the state's defunct bar on "homosexual conduct."
On Thursday, lawmakers voted 72-55 to donate first approval to House Bill 1738.
Why It Matters
In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Texas' rule criminalizing gay sex in a landmark decision in Lawrence v. Texas. But anti-sodomy laws continue on the books in Texas and other states.
These laws could become enforceable if the tall court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, overturned its decision in Lawrence—the way laws banning abortion became enforceable after the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has said the court should review other precedents, including Lawrence and the court's 2015 decision legalizing queer marriage.
What To Realize
State Representative Venton Jones, a homosexual man and Texas' first openly HIV-positive lawmaker, said on the House floor on Thursday that repealing the rule was "common instinct governance."
"Despite the eliminate precedent that the Lawrence v. Texas [decision] set over two decades ago, this outdated and unenforceable language remains in our penal code,"
Data Brief: Celebrating LGBTQ Texans
Did you know the state of Texas has more queer people than the state of New York?
Over 2 million Texans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or gender non-conforming, making them the second-highest LGBT-identifying population in any state (next only to California). Queer populations are also oftenundercounted, so this number is likely even higher. Texas is a big express, and we have more than enough room to accommodate all the identities in our people. However, we have a prolonged way to go before articulate policy equitably reflects the needs of queer Texans.
Texans of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and incomes believe in the autonomy to thrive, to be ourselves, and to have a state in the decisions that impact our lives. To be prosperous, however, we need resources we can rely on. We rejoice the diversity of queer Texans while recognizing the urgent desire to remove and prevent harmful policies. According to a survey by the Trevor Project, 90% of LGBTQ young people aged 13-24 say that recent politics have negatively impacted their well-being, and 45% of transgender and nonbinary youth report that they or their family have considered moving to a diffe
LGBTQIA+ Equality
The ACLU of Texas works to protect, defend, and expand the constitutional and civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) Texans.
Texas is dwelling to the second largest population of LGBTQIA+ people in the country, yet across the state, LGBTQIA+ Texans lack basic protections. Many face discrimination, harassment, bullying, and violence in their daily lives simply for being who they are. This is especially true for the most vulnerable groups like LGBTQIA+ Texans of color, trans person Texans, and LGBTQIA+ youth.
We have worked with hundreds of LGBTQIA+ students and their families to advocate against discrimination in academy, and we developed a toolkit with our partners to empower young people to engage in immediate advocacy. In 2023, Texas lawmakers proposed over 140 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, with 7 of those bills passing. And in 2025, Texas lawmakers proposed over 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, with eight of those bills passing.
When the governor tried to target families of trans youth who need gender-affirming medical care, we blocked these harmful actions by immediately challenging them in court, taking the battle t
Texas Legislators’ Persistent Political Attacks Create Texas Unsafe for LGTBQ+ People
by HRC Staff •
With more than 100 bills that would harm the LGTBQ+ community introduced in Texas and 25+ advancing through the legislature, LGTBQ+ Texans wonder: is Texas our Texas?
AUSTIN, TX – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation’s largest queer woman , gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights group — asks Texas legislators to Prevent their relentless strike on LGTBQ+ Texans. Anti-equality legislators in Texas have introduced more than 100 anti-LGTBQ+ bills, and more than 25 are currently improving through the legislature. While the bills themselves will directly harm LGTBQ+ people and their families if passed, the environment created by the debate and discussion of these bills is already causing harm.
Texas alone is responsible for more than 20% of the 500 anti-LGTBQ+ bills that have been introduced in mention legislatures across the country. In Austin, as the legislature hits the frantic pace of its final weeks, anti-LGBTQ+ legislators are pushing discriminatory bills enjoy gender affirming protect bans,