A Dallas lawmaker got engaged to his partner in the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Tuesday.
State Rep. Venton Jones, a Democrat who became one of the first out Black gay men ever elected to the Texas Legislature in November 2022, proposed to his partner, Gregory Scott Jr., after Jones was sworn in on the first day of the legislative session.
When the state House went into recess Tuesday, Jones got down on one knee and asked Scott to marry him. Scott said yes and wiped away tears as Jones gave him an engagement ring, according to a video shared on social media by WFAA-TV reporter Jason Whitely.
“Today, I took a renewed oath to serve my community with courage, conviction, and love. I made a promise to the person who has stood beside me through every step of this journey,” Jones said in a statement to local news outlets. “In a time when our love and our very existence are challenged, often in the halls of this very building, this moment is a reminder that love conquers all.”
Jones said he and his fiancé “stand as proof that progress is unstoppable, and no amount of hate can erase the truth of who we are.”
As Jones alluded to in his statement, Texas has considered dozens of bills that would restrict the rights of LGBTQ people. In 2023, the last time the state held a legislative session, Republican lawmakers introduced 55 such bills — the most of any state in the country that year, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Six became law, with the majority targeting trans youths, either by barring them from participating on school sports teams that align with their gender identities or prohibiting their access to certain transition-related medical care.
In his statement, Jones said he plans to use his power as the House Democratic Caucus whip and vice chair of the LGBTQ Caucus “to protect all Texans.”
“Our love symbolizes resilience and our story reminds us that love can and will always overcome hate,” he said.