While the country has been jogging toward its new position on gay marriage, polling numbers show Texans appear to have been moseying along in the same direction.

Whether or not the Catholic Church remains strongly opposed to gay marriage under Pope Francis I, one thing is for sure: There is a clear and widening gap between papal and public opinion on same-sex relationships in the U.S., and Texas is no exception.

Pflugerville ISD made history last year when the board of trustees approved health benefits for domestic partners of its employees. In response, Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, has filed a bill to cut the district's health care funding.

On Valentine's Day, state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, joined numerous lawmakers who have already filed bills that would extend rights to same-sex couples.

While comments by state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, on his "evolving" attitude toward certain gay rights issues have garnered plenty of negative attention from conservative groups, the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll shows the Republican lawmaker's views are consistent with changing attitudes among many Texans. 

At the national level, voters are concerned about pocketbook issues, while at home immigration is the top problem.

At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, weighed in on several issues he'll face if he wins election to Congress, including Texas vs. the EPA, same-sex marriage and funding for Planned Parenthood.

El Paso Mayor John Cook and two City Council members face a recall election over the city's controversial decision to extend health care benefits to unmarried domestic partners of city workers — gay and straight.

This weekend, the San Antonio physician and prolific donor to conservative candidates and causes hosts a Hill Country gathering for Gov. Rick Perry and some of his evangelical supporters. Who is Leininger? Here's a primer.

Gov. Rick Perry, taking flak from social conservatives, took a step back from his laissez-faire approach to New York’s gay marriage law on Thursday. Now he says it threatens the definition of marriage everywhere, including Texas.

Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday he isn’t worried that a failure to increase the nation’s debt ceiling would trigger an economic catastrophe. He also says that it should be up to the states to decide whether abortion is illegal — or legal.

Root profiles conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan, Aaronson on the Senate's flare-up over an airport groping ban, Grissom on some twisted logic in the state's same-sex marriage laws, Murphy and Macrander expand and refresh our public employee salary database, yours truly with the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll results on politics, issues, the state's finances, and race, Ramshaw's report on how some of the governor's former aides now represent clients who want more money in the state budget, M. Smith on last-minute efforts to save education legislation that didn't make it through the process, Tan reports on efforts to finish the state budget before the session ends on Monday, and Dehn with the video week in review: The best of our best from May 9 to 13, 2011.

In a state that bans same-sex marriage, it would seem to be easy to know who can legally marry. Texas county clerks will tell you it is not — at least when it comes to the issue of transgendered applicants.

Over the objections of state Attorney General Greg Abbott, an Austin appellate court has upheld the divorce of a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts.

Libertarians launch a new political action committee, Texas Libertarios, to show Latinos they have more choices than just Republicans and Democrats.

In a letter formally declining El Paso County's request for an opinion on transgender marriages in Texas, Attorney Greg Abbott's office said it would not opine on the issue because a case currently in court could clear up the question.