The Texas Defence of Marriage Act is an act that specifies that US State of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

does not recognise

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

. The statute was enacted in 2003, it made void in Texas any same-sex marriage or civil union. This statute also prohibits the state or any agency or political subdivision of the state from giving effect to same-sex marriages or civil unions performed in other jurisdictions. The act was signed by Governor

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...

in 2003.Texas Governor's website
/ref> Subsequently

Texas Proposition 2 (2005) Proposition 2 was a referendum for a state constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by the Texas legislature and approved by the voters at the November 8, 2005 general election. The measure added a new provision to the Texas Constitutio ...

wrote similar restrictions into the state constitution. Early appeals based on the unconstitutionality of the restrictions have been lost, or lost on appeal. On 26 February 2014 San Antonio-based Judge Orlando Garcia struck down the Texas state ban on same sex marriage stating that the "current prohibition has no legitimate governmental purpose." A stay has been granted awaiting appeal.

References

{{LGBT in Texas Texas statutes LGBTQ rights in the United States Same-sex marriage in the United States 2003 in LGBTQ history LGBTQ in Texas 2003 legislation 2003 in Texas Marriage in Texas

See also

References