mm, smell that sweet texas bigotry

Texas is next.

AUSTIN – A West Texas legislator on Monday proposed a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a "union of one man and one woman," a move conservatives called an endorsement of national efforts to ban gay marriage.

The amendment is seen as a sure-fire win in a state where Republicans dominate the House and Senate. Lawmakers convene in January, and they could send the amendment to voters as early as next fall.

"Sometimes legislators get out of touch with the people, and this puts it back into perspective," said state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, the bill's author. In 2003, the Legislature passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.