LGBT rights in Texas | |
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Status | Same-sex sexual activity legal statewide since Lawrence v. Texas, 2003., legislative repeal pending. |
Gender identity | Transgender people may change documented sex (gender) by court order[1][2] |
Discrimination protections | Federally protected; no statewide antidiscrimination laws; additional protections in some cities and counties |
Family rights | |
Recognition of relationships | Same-sex marriage since 2015[3] |
Adoption | Adoption permitted for married couples |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Texas have some protections in state law but may face legal and social challenges not faced by others. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in Texas in 2003 by the Lawrence v. Texas ruling. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Texas has a hate crime statute that strengthens penalties for certain crimes motivated by a victim's sexual orientation, although crimes are rarely prosecuted under the statute. The law does not cover gender identity.[4] While some localities in Texas have ordinances that provide a variety of legal protections and benefits to LGBT people, Texas has had no statewide law banning anti-LGBT discrimination. The federal protections against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, established in 2020 by several landmark cases, apply in Texas.
A majority of Texans support same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination laws for LGBT people.[5]
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