From The Corpus Christi Bayfront To The Capital, Texas Has A Marriage Movement In It

On Valentine’s Day, HB 1300 was introduced in Texas. If passed, the bill would amend relevant provisions of the Texas Family Code to remove references to “husband and wife” in exchange for “spouse,” essentially providing for same-sex marriage in the State.

However, the Texas Constitution also defines marriage as between a man and a woman, thus the amendments alone will not provide for marriage equality.  But the bill does set the stage for a brighter future for same-sex couples assuming the Constitution’s provisions are either amended by other legislation also introduced, or judicially repealed.

HB 1300, hyped as a “Valentine’s Day” gift to equality-minded Texans, has inspired the people of Texas to rise up. On March 3, 2013, The Gay Straight Alliance of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and the International Socialist Organization hosted the “Corpus Christi Marriage Equality March.”

An estimated 300 people met on the Bayfront in Corpus, with the USS Lexington as a somewhat ironic backdrop. Armed with signs, rainbow flags and their voices, the people marched to chants such as “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re fabulous,” and, “What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Now!” When the crowd arrived at their destination, emcee Korbin “Boomer” Matthews took to the podium, and did exactly what Harvey Milk said we must do; he gave us hope.

And with hope Texans are marching forward to more events and actions leading up to a possible vote on HB 1300, as well as the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act. On the evening of March 10, 2013, the people of Texas will march again in Austin, the state’s capital, demanding justice for LGBT people. Thereafter, on March 11, 2013, Equality Texas will host its “Lobby Day,” where LGBTQ people and our allies will meet face-to-face with those who purport to represent us.

HB 1300 isn’t the only piece of legislation that has been introduced which affects LGBT people.  Proposed legislation includes, but isn’t limited to, bills relating to the:

• prohibition of discrimination in certain insurance matters;
• prohibition of discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression;
• amending the Texas Constitution to repeal the provisions defining marriage as between one man and one woman;
• supplementation of birth certificate information for an adopted child;
• educational programs regarding homosexual conduct (Texas currently requires such educational materials to state that homosexuality is abnormal and illegal); and
• repeal of the “Homosexual Conduct Law” (which criminalized homosexuality but was overthrown by the Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas).

For a complete list of legislation, visit Equality Texas’ legislative section. To join the Texas March for LGBT Justice, visit the event’s Facebook page.  For more information or to register for Lobby Day, visit Equality Texas’ website.

 

All images via Jay Morris

Jay Morris is a State Lead for GetEQUAL.org, a founding member of the Direct Action Network San Antonio and blogger at jaysays.com. You can find him posting randomness on Twitter or engage him in conversation on Facebook.