Friend,
Today, Texans across the state are breathing a sigh of relief knowing that one of their most fundamental rights -- the right to be married to the person they love, regardless of race or gender identity -- is no longer under direct threat by an extremist Supreme Court or a radical far-right Republican-majority Texas Legislature. As President Biden said, Congress has restored a measure of security to millions of marriages and families.
We express unending gratitude to the Biden-Harris Administration and our courageous Texas Democrats in the U.S. House for working so doggedly to enshrine our freedoms and protect us from the predations of off-the-rails authoritarian Republicans at all levels of government.
But we must also be clear about where we are in Texas, Friend: if Obergefell is overturned by this extremist Supreme Court, a nightmare that’s not at all out of the question, the Texas Legislature can still act to ban same-sex marriages from being performed in Texas. The idea of overturning Obergefell was explicitly mentioned by Justice Clarence Thomas this summer -- and the Republican Party of Texas this summer voted to officially deem being gay as an “abnormal lifestyle choice.” It’s true that Texas will now have to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages from other states, but the idea that so many millions of Texans may still have to flee our state just to get married is a degradation of our basic dignities and freedoms.
It’s also a tragic matter of fact that Texans today still face brutal state governmental control over another critical aspect of starting or building a family: if, when, and with whom to get pregnant.
So today, we celebrate this historic victory and thank all our Democrats in Washington for fighting for justice. But we remain dedicated to the cause of fighting to ensure that all Texans are able to realize the full rights and freedoms they deserve -- right here in Texas.
Adelante,
Gilberto Hinojosa
Chair, Texas Democratic Party
