Up & Down in Texas politics: Gay marriage; immigration bills

AUSTIN—In the end, there was a meaningless Senate resolution. And then, the monthslong Republican-led effort to further shield Texas from gay marriage should the U.S. Supreme Court legalize it was dead.

Every Senate Republican and conservative Democrat Eddie Lucio signed a declaration praising "traditional" marriage. It has no legal effect and the Texas Constitution has banned gay marriage since 2005.

But a bill to bar state, county and local clerks from issuing court-ordered same-sex marriage licenses collapsed without floor votes in either chamber. And a proposal allowing some child welfare agencies to refuse to let gays or samesex couples adopt children in Texas stalled, too.

So the ceremonial resolution was all the Senate's stalwart social conservatives could muster. Supporters said it was about family values; opponents suggested that the Supreme Court would force Texas to change soon enough.

"I'm not as concerned about being on the wrong side of history as I am being on the wrong side of what I believe," said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Senate and also signed the resolution.

It sparked, though, rawer emotions than are usually seen in the staid upper chamber. Democratic Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa declared, "What I see is discrimination."

"I do not understand why there is so much dislike and hate for people who are different," said Hinojosa, a McAllen Democrat who has a gay daughter. The resolution's author, North Richland Hills Republican Sen. Kelly Hancock, responded that he was no bigot: "There's no hate here."

When the debate was over, many senators hugged, showing there was no hard feelings. But their words still hung heavily in the air.