The Texas House voted preliminarily on Thursday in favour of repealing the state’s anti-sodomy law, which has been unenforceable since the US Supreme Court’s ruling in a 2003 Texas case.
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The repeal bill, House Bill 1738, must be approved by the House again before the Texas Senate vote. It is unclear when the next House vote will take place, and the Senate fellow bill has not been heard by the committee.
The house voted Thursday was 72-55. Dallas Morning News Report. This is the farthest thing that the repeal bill has progressed.
Texas anti-sodomy law, along with others still present in the country, was hit by the U.S. Supreme Court. Lawrence vs. Texas However, in 2003. However, the state still has laws against “homosexual conduct” against books, and could be unenforceable if the High Court has been overturned so far. Lawrence, Something conservative justice Clarence Thomas said he wanted to see after he collapsed Roev. Wade In 2022, it requires a lawsuit to reach the court.
A rare coalition of Texas legislators is behind the abolition, Texas every month Report. The bill’s sponsors and co-hosts are three Democrats, Benton Jones Jr., Joe Moody and Anne Johnson, and two Republicans, Brian Harrison and Dade Phelan. Harrison’s mission includes “rollback” LGBTQ According to Texas every month,There are specific efforts to ban drug performance at public universities and universities and remove gender studies from there.
However, in supporting abolition, he issued a statement saying, “It is not the government’s role to criminalize homosexuality, I support abolition.” He added, “I will continue to fight consistently for limited government and individual freedom.” His reason for his opposition to drug and gender research in public institutions of higher education is that these schools are taxpayer-funded.
Harrison once “brought to steal books about non-medical gender transitions.” [University of Texas] library,” Texas every month The note adds that it is unclear how this action will save taxes.
Jones, the gay man who is Texas’ first openly HIV-positive lawmaker, spoke on Thursday in favor of the repeal. “We are not asking you to vote based on whether you agree to the Lawrence vs. Texas ruling,” said Jones, who is also vice-chairman of the House LGBTQ Caucus. Morning news. “Instead, I am asking you to vote for a law that enhances the basic civil and personal liberties that all Texans deserve.”
Three members of the public testified directly about the bill. Jonathan Coby, Texas’s policy director for values, objected. “Some laws need not be enforceable to serve their purposes,” he said. Morning news. “They are declarative and persuasive. That’s what this bill does to those who read about it and know about it. It warns that this act is unacceptable.”
Moody asked him, “Is it your organization’s position that gays should be considered criminals? Because that’s the only reason why the book maintains this law.”
“Our organization’s position is that we don’t want to bring out something that makes homosexuality seem more acceptable,” Coby replied.
Other far-right figures have come in favor of abolition, including Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Judge Thomas called anti-sodomy law “Sometimes stupid” However, he said its fate should be up to the lawmakers, not the court, and he questioned the Supreme Court’s basis for removing it. But Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he was “happily capable” to defend the ban on sodomy when necessary. Paxton is challenging other US Senator John Cornyn in Texas in the main Republican race next year.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
