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Texas: Marriage Equality In The United States

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Marriage Equality in Texas
In the United States of America, there has been legislation concentrating upon marriage equality for same-sex couples. Predominantly in Texas, there has been legislation that has both supported and opposed marriage equality for same-sex couples. The following will examine the legislation of Texas, regarding marriage equality, in order to discuss the various sides of the issue.
Firstly, the political issue of marriage equality in Texas has been an overwhelmingly predominant issue throughout the course of the past few decades. The state has also passed an abundance of legislation protecting as well as opposing same-sex marriage since the second half of the twentieth century. “Beginning with Maryland, Texas, and Colorado …show more content…

The Texas Defense of Marriage Act, “eliminating the freedom to marry for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Texans in same-sex relationships”, (Equality Texas 1) was also passed in the Texas Legislature in 2003. It was followed by an amendment, which was quite similar, to the Texas Constitution in 2005. “Restricting the freedom to marry runs counter to basic Texas values like self-determination and the freedom of people to live their lives without government interference. Both the Texas Constitution and Texas Statute should be amended so that all Texans have the freedom to marry the person they love.” (Equality Texas 1) Proponents of marriage equality in Texas have worked extensively for the cause. The Equality Texas Foundation is an organization which strongly supports marriage equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Texans. Concerning legislation, the foundation aggressively advocates for the elimination of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Equality Texas argues that, “The state’s unconstitutional ban on marriage between same-gender-loving adults places an unfair—and unequal—burden on their freedoms and their families. But the struggle is about more than marriage equality.” (Equality Texas 1) By focusing on civil liberties and rights for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Texans, The Equality Texas Foundation has been instrumental in creating awareness of …show more content…

The federal judge in San Antonio, Texas, “ruled that Texas ' ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution and demeans the dignity of gay couples "for no legitimate reason." Judge Orlando Garcia then granted two plaintiff couples ' request for an injunction barring the state from enforcing the ban.” (Keen 1) One of the couples sought to be married in Texas while the other couple had already been married in Massachusetts, but desired to be recognized by the state of Texas. In Garcia’s ruling, he states that, “the Texas bans violate the guarantees of due process and equal protection of the U.S. Constitution.” (Keen 1) These basic fundamental civil liberties and rights have laid the foundation for the vast majority of supporters of marriage equality within

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