Texas is known by many in the LGBT community to be a very conservative state. It’s where Lawrence v. Texas was decided, and it’s currently one of the few states where Obergefell v. Hodges was challenged following the Supreme Court’s ruling. There are also few laws protecting LGBT citizens in some areas. However, there are several cities that are very welcoming to LGBT people and have put protecting ordinances in place.
Protections
Currently, Texas does not have any statewide law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Employees are not protected from being fired despite several bills being introduced in the legislature. None of those bills made it through committee readings. LGBT people are also not protected from being discriminated against in the areas of public accommodations, housing, or insurance. Several bills offering protection in these areas also failed to get out of committee.
Fortunately, there are cities and counties that do offer protection. Dallas County does not allow discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity when it comes to hiring county employees or contractors. Walker County offers protection to county employees, but that protection does not include gender identity.
A number of cities also include protections for LGBT people, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Plano, San Antonio, El Paso, Waco, Houston, and Grand Prairie. The types of protection differ from city to city, and it’s important to note that while these protections are on the books, they may not always been enforced. A gay or lesbian real estate agent may be able to point you towards more information about the protections offered in the area you’re looking to move to.
Colleges and Universities
If you’re looking at going to school in Texas, you’ll find that most universities do have non-discrimination policies in place that protect both students and employees on the basis of orientation, identity, or both. This includes the branches of the University of Texas, the University of North Texas, Rice, Georgetown, San Houston State University, and Texas A&M.
Adoption
Any adult can legally adopt a child, regardless of orientation or gender identity, and second-parent adoption by same-sex couples has been done. However, it’s important to note that while there’s nothing prohibiting this, there’s nothing specifically approving it, either. The Texas Supreme Court has not made an official statement, but they have said that the decision lower courts have made that allowed same-sex second-parent adoptions was correct.
So overall, if you’re moving to Texas, do a little research first to see what kinds of LGBT protections are in place in the area you’re moving to.
