In Texas, we believe in the strength and dignity of all families. Every family deserves respect and support, and those who receive it are better positioned to thrive.

All Texas families, including those with lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender family members, need the same protections, access to accurate identity documents, the ability to insure and protect their loved ones, and access to care for each other when they are sick.

Texas law allows people assigned a gender at birth that does not reflect their true gender to legally change their recognized gender. However, the process for doing so is not clearly laid out in statute. This has resulted in a patchwork of different processes and precedents across the state. In order to ensure that all Texans can be assured fair treatment by the courts, Texas should provide a standard process for modification or reissuance of identity documents.

For families raising children—one of the most fulfilling and also difficult jobs in the world—government should not make their lives more difficult. We support removing roadblocks that make parenting harder and life more difficult for LGBT families. We oppose broad restrictions against entire categories of potential custodial or permanent parents that hamper efforts to act in the best interest of each child.

Texas statutes that have been declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court should be repealed from the books so that the written law reflects both constitutional reality and actual practice. Texas should repeal all references to “Homosexual Conduct” that were declared unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas, and should repeal all restrictions on marriage that were declared unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges. Texas should also affirmatively amend statutes to reflect and address marriages of same-sex couples and their family relationships.

The human right to healthcare means that everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, which includes access to all medical services. Hospitals, clinics, medicines, and doctor’s services must be accessible, available, acceptable, and of good quality for everyone on an equitable basis.

Texas should:

• Expand delivery of culturally competent healthcare to LGBTQ populations.
• Increase access to, and funding for, HIV treatment and prevention including Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) prevention efforts.
• Support suicide prevention, including efforts to reduce LGBTQ suicidality rates.

Equality Texas is committed to building strong Texas families, including those with LGBTQ+ family members.