Texas Sen. Angela Paxton announced today (Thursday, July 10) that she has filed for divorce from her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to a report by The Texas Tribune.

Angela Paxton said she is divorcing Ken Paxton after 38 years “on biblical grounds” following “recent discoveries.”

Paxton is one of Texas’ most right-wing, most homophobic and most transphobic state officials. The LGBTQ+ community, especially transgender Texans, is one of his favorite targets when he is looking to rile up his hateful voter base. He has been Texas attorney general since 2015, and was impeached — but not convicted — in 2023 based on allegations of corruption that were related, in part, to an extramarital affair.

Ken Paxton has chosen to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 GOP primary rather than run for another term as attorney general. Democratic former Congressman Colin Allred recently announced that he is running for the Democratic nomination to replace Cornyn.

In a statement posted to X, Angela Paxton said: “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant, and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation. But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children or Ken to remain in the marriage.”

Ken Paxton, for his part, issued a statement blaming the impending divorce on “pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny.” He also referred the move as “start[ing] a new chapter” rather than “getting a divorce.”

— Tammye Nash

CHRISTOPHER KANE  |  Washington Blade
Reprinted Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a portion of the Affordable Care Act requiring private health insurers to cover the cost of preventative care, including PrEP, which significantly reduces the risk of transmitting HIV.

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the majority opinion in the case, Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, which originated in Texas in 2020. Kavanaugh was joined by two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, along with the three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown-Jackson.

The plaintiffs, including the Christian company Braidwood Management, argued that the ACA’s mandate requiring health plans to cover preventive services without cost-sharing violates their constitutional and religious rights. The plaintiffs specifically objected to coverage of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention — or PrEP citing religious objections to facilitating behavior they oppose, such as homosexual conduct and drug use.

United States District Judge Reed O’Connor of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, who was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2007, ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in 2022, and in 2024 The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his ruling.

The Supreme Court’s decision today, however, rejected the plaintiffs’ challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s reliance on the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force to “unilaterally” determine which types of care and services must be covered by payors without cost-sharing.

An independent all-volunteer panel of nationally recognized experts in prevention and primary care, the 16 task force members are selected by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve four-year terms.

They are responsible for evaluating the efficacy of counseling, screenings for diseases like cancer and diabetes, and preventative medicines — like Truvada for PrEP, drugs to reduce heart disease and strokes, and eye ointment for newborns to prevent infections.

Parties bringing the challenge objected especially to the mandatory coverage of PrEP, with some arguing the drugs would “encourage and facilitate homosexual behavior” against their religious beliefs.

UPDATE: Lambda Legal is hosting a gathering today (Wednesday, June 18) at 6 p.m. at Union Coffee, 3705 Cedar Springs Road, at which those affected by this ruling and their allies can be with each other, get the most up-to-date information about the decision and what it means and find resources. 
A second gathering will be held Saturday, June 21, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of Hope Interfaith Peace Chapel, 5910 Cedar Springs Road.

The Tennessee state law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors can remain in place, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled.

The 6-3 decision in L.W. v. Skrmetti “effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people,” the Associated Press reports.

Texas is one of the 26 other states with similar laws in place.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, ruling that the law does not violate the Equal Protection Clause in the U.S. Constitution, while Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a dissenting opinion stating that the court’s majority ruling “abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.”

Sotomayor was joined in her dissent by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

We will update this post as more information becomes available.

Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project: “Today’s ruling is a devastating loss for transgender people, our families, and everyone who cares about the Constitution. Though this is a painful setback, it does not mean that transgender people and our allies are left with no options to defend our freedom, our health care, or our lives. The Court left undisturbed Supreme Court and lower court precedent that other examples of discrimination against transgender people are unlawful.  We are as determined as ever to fight for the dignity and equality of every transgender person and we will continue to do so with defiant strength, a restless resolve, and a lasting commitment to our families, our communities, and the freedom we all deserve.”

Sasha Buchert, Counsel and Director of the Nonbinary and Transgender Rights Project at Lambda Legal: “This is a heartbreaking ruling, making it more difficult for transgender youth to escape the danger and trauma of being denied their ability to live and thrive. But we will continue to fight fiercely to protect them. Make no mistake, gender-affirming care is often life-saving care, and all major medical associations have determined it to be safe, appropriate, and effective. This is a sad day, and the implications will reverberate for years and across the country, but it does not shake our resolve to continue fighting.”

Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Tennessee: “Today the Supreme Court told Tennessee transgender youth and their families that they cannot access healthcare that is vitally important for a successful life. This ruling creates a class of people who politicians believe deserve healthcare, and a class of people who do not. We will continue to stand with transgender people in Tennessee and are committed to realizing a world where all people belong, are valued, and can access the necessary healthcare they need.”

LGBTQ VICTORY FUND: “This is a direct attack on our community. And it won’t stop here. We’ve warned that the right to privacy and bodily autonomy — two rights protected by Roe — are under siege. Today, those warnings became reality. Bigots spent years passing hateful laws to target trans people, hoping they’d land at this court. Now they’ve succeeded.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus: “Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is devastating for young transgender Americans and their families who live in states that decide to put divisive and dehumanizing politics over people. The court’s ruling upholding Tennessee’s cruel and politically-motivated ban on medically-necessary care for young trans people undermines the ability of transgender patients, their families, and doctors to make medical decisions about accessing evidence-based care without politicians’ interference. The law the court upheld is an attack on some of the most vulnerable in our community — but we still have other tools to challenge anti-trans laws in courts across the country. As chair of the Equality Caucus, I am committed to continuing to lead elected officials from across the country in the fight for full equality for transgender people under the law here in Congress.”

— Tammye Nash

Big news breaking today (Thursday, May 29) from the LGBTQ network Revry: As Entertainment Weekly just announced, Revy is set to launch the very first nationally televised all-drag-king reality competition series, King of Drag …. And — drum roll, please — Dallas’s very own king, Buck Wylde, is among the 10 kings who will be competing for the title.

Buck Wylde, for those who might not recall, won Dallas Voice’s first-ever Readers Voice Award for Best Drag King in 2024.

The show, to be hosted by iconic New Your City drag king Murray Hill, will span six episodes and premieres June 22 at 8 p.m. Central on Revry. We’re sure there will be a local watch party somewhere, so stay tuned for those details.

Along with Murray Hill as host, King of Drag will feature an array of permanent judges that include Drag Race season 9 winner Sasha Velour, Drag Race season 13 and All Stars 9 competitor Gottmik, drag kings Tenderoni and Wang Newton and Revry CEO Damian Pelliccione. Guest judges will include Drag Race season 4 star Carmen Carrera, actress Lisa Rinna, Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, Tony nominee Cole Escola and Hill’s fellow Somebody Somewhere stars Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller.

A second Texan is also on the list of 10 competitors: Alexander the Great from Austin. Others are Big D, Charles Galin King, Dick Von Dyke, Henlo Bullfrog, King Molasses, King Perka $exxx, Pressure K and Tuna Melt.

— Tammye Nash

UPDATE: The 72-55 vote on Thursday in the Texas House to remove Section 21.06 of the Texas Penal Code which criminalizes private, consensual conduct between adults of the same gender came on the measure’s second reading. The bill now faces a third reading and vote in the House —expected to be scheduled soon, according to Equality Texas — before it moves on to the state Senate for a vote there.

The final vote on the second reading was 72 ayes, 55 nays and five present not voting. A record of who voted and how is available at the Texas Capitol website.

Brad Pritchett, Interim CEO of Equality Texas, said in a statement Thursday night, “When people hear the phrase ‘gay rights,’ I think that can be confusing, because this is literally all we want — the privacy to live our lives in peace.

“While the law that the House voted to strike from the books has been illegal for over two decades, today’s victory is no small feat,” Pritchett continued. “The passage of this bill in the House is a testament to the drive, dedication, and bi-partisan determination of state Rep. Venton Jones. We know that when we work together, we can make life better for all Texans. I hope other Texas lawmakers will have the courage to follow Venton Jones’ lead and work toward progress together.”

A press release from Equality Texas notes, “This vote comes at a time when transgender Texans are increasingly targeted by Texas lawmakers. In total, the Texas Legislature has filed more than 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills—more than any other state at any other time in history. While this bill erases an unenforceable law from the books, LGBTQIA+ Texans still lack statewide legal protections, which 71 percent of Texans support.”

ORIGINAL POST: The Texas House voted overwhelmingly to decriminalize sodomy today, Thursday, May 15. House Bill 1738, introduced by Rep. Venton Jones, passed 72-55, meaning it had bipartisan support.

Jones has been strategic since filing the bill his first session. While Democrats typically file it in each legislative session, the bill has historically gotten nowhere. But with the likes of conservatives such as Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Waxahachie, an antagonist of House leadership, and members of leadership like powerful State Affairs Chairman Ken King, this time around Jones found a clearer path for the measure.

The bill repeals Section 21.06 of the Texas Penal Code, which criminalizes private, consensual sexual contact between adults and which was ruled unconstitutional in 2005 in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Lawrence v. Texas ruling overturning sodomy laws around the country.

Conservatives who have long held a strong majority in the Texas Legislature have consistently refused to take the Texas sodomy law off the books. And the state’s anti-LGBTQ attorney general, Ken Paxton, has said he would take steps to enforce the law if the Supreme Court, now held in a stranglehold by partisan right-wing justices, were to overturn Lawrence v. Texas, as Justice Clarence Thomas has called for.

Jones attracted bipartisan support in previous sessions for keeping language condemning the “homosexual lifestyle.” He also got a boost when Sen. Ted Cruz called for eliminating the statute in 2022.

“Consenting adults should be able to do what they wish in their private sexual activity, and government has no business in their bedrooms,” a Cruz spokesperson told The Dallas Morning News.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for more information.

— James Russell

CHRISTOPHER KANE. |. Washington Blade
Reprinted Courtesy of National LGBT Media Association

Disgraced former Republican congressman George Santos was sentenced to 87 months in prison today (Friday, April 25)  after pleading guilty last year to federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

“Mr. Santos, words have consequences,” said Judge Joanna Seybert of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. “You got elected with your words, most of which were lies.”

The first openly gay GOP member of Congress, Santos became a laughing stock after revelations came to light about his extensive history of fabricating and exaggerating details about his life and career. His colleagues voted in December 2023 to expel him from Congress.

An investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee found that Santos had used pilfered campaign funds for cosmetic procedures, designer fashion, and OnlyFans. Federal prosecutors, however, found evidence that “Mr. Santos stole from donors, used his campaign account for personal purchases, inflated his fund-raising numbers, lied about his wealth on congressional documents and committed unemployment fraud,” per the New York Times.

The former congressman told the paper this week that he would not ask for a pardon. Despite Santos’s loyalty to President Donald Trump, the president has made no indication that he would intervene in his legal troubles.

The Turtle Creek Conservancy announced today (Thursday, April 17), that activities planned for its annual Easter in Turtle Creek Park are canceled due to the severe weather expected for this weekend.

Weather forecasters are predicting heavy rainfall, strong winds and the potential for severe thunderstorm throughout the weekend, especially on Saturday evening, April 19, into Easter Sunday morning, April 20. That could create “muddy and wet conditions not conducive to hunting Easter eggs, hosting the annual Pooch Parade or enjoying the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Brass Quintet,” noted a press release announcing the cancellation.

The 15,000 eggs that were to have been used in the Easter Egg Hunt are instead being donated to The Stewpot, Family Gateway, Austin Street Center and Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Turtle Creek Conservancy President Tiffany Davis said, “Our board of directors, donors and staff all agree that the safety of park guests and maintaining the beauty and healthy condition of Turtle Creek Park are our main priority.”

She continued, “We are so grateful that the generous sponsors and supporters have agreed to remain on our board for Easter in the Park 2026 plans. We also appreciate The Stewpot team’s willingness to distribute the eggs we had secured for the egg hunt.”

The conservancy’s signature fundraising event, “A Day at the Races,” which is held primarily indoors, is set for Saturday, May 3, and will be held “rain or shine,” Davis said.

Turtle Creek Conservancy and its supporters care for Turtle Creek Park “by tending to and maintaining the park’s grounds and historic Arlington Hall,” the press release noted. “Their mission is to protect this natural, historic treasure in the heart of the city.”

Visit the Turtle Creek Conservancy website for more information.

— Tammye Nash