BREAKING: Texas Lawmakers Drop Controversial Sex Toy Restrictions

(Austin, TX July 24, 2025) A pair of legislative proposals that would have tightened Texas’ already restrictive laws on sex toy sales have quietly died in the state legislature, marking a win for sexual freedom advocates at least for now.

House Bill 1549 and Senate Bill 3003 were the latest attempts by conservative lawmakers to police the bedroom in a state where it is already illegal to own more than six so-called “obscene devices.” Both bills were introduced by far-right anti-porn legislators and aimed to further limit access to sexual wellness products.

HB 1549 targeted major “big box” retailers like Walmart and Target, seeking to ban them from selling sex toys altogether. SB 3003, sponsored by state Sen. Angela Paxton, would have forced Texans to undergo age verification checks for every online sex toy purchase a move critics argued would create privacy risks and unnecessary barriers for consenting adults.

Neither bill gained traction before the legislative session ended in late May, effectively killing them for the year.

Sen. Paxton, who recently filed for divorce from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has been a vocal supporter of strict anti-porn and sexual content measures. Her estranged husband spearheaded the state’s defense of House Bill 1181, the controversial age-verification law for adult platforms. That law survived a constitutional challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court after the Free Speech Coalition sued, alleging it violated the First Amendment.

While the latest defeat of HB 1549 and SB 3003 leaves Texas’ current sex toy limits in place, sexual rights advocates say it signals that even in one of the most conservative legislatures in the country, appetite for further restrictions may be waning. Still, with existing laws on the books and lawmakers eager to revisit such measures, the battle over bedroom autonomy in Texas is far from over.