Texas AG Ken Paxton.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton reassured a crowd outside the Texas State Capitol today (Monday, March 23) about his opposition to his same-sex marriage.
Speaking before a group of prominent social conservatives, including Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state lawmakers, Paxton told the crowd that the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage was a mandate not to be messed with.
“In Texas, marriage has been clearly defined by our elected representatives and by a vote of the people, and more than three out of every four Texas voters defined marriage as between one man and one woman. The people of our state could not have spoken more clearly on this issue,” Paxton said.
Last week Paxton filed suit to stop new rules issued by the Department of Labor to state agencies mandating they extend Family Medical Leave benefits to same-sex couples who were married in another state.
The Department of Labor’s rule, scheduled to take effect on March 27, revises the definition of “spouse” to recognize marriage equality and therefore grant family and medical leave benefits to same-sex spouses.
“This was a direct assault on the rule of law in Texas, and a broadside against the values that Texas voters have stood for, time and time again,” Paxton said of the federal rule. “I will continue to lead the fight against the sort of ‘executive office activism’ that is becoming the trademark of the Obama Administration.”
