Texas Libertarians Call on California Party to Censure San Francisco Affiliate Over Age-of-Consent Remarks

The Libertarian Party of Texas is calling on its California counterpart to formally censure the Libertarian Party of San Francisco over its recent remarks concerning age-of-consent laws, adopting a resolution condemning the county group’s statements.

The Texas party published a resolution Sunday, November 1, unanimously approved by its State Libertarian Executive Committee. The resolution formally affirms that every human being is the “sole owner” of their body and mind but draws a proverbial line in the sand against using that principle to excuse, normalize, or otherwise minimize the exploitation of children and other vulnerable individuals.

It follows a series of social media posts made by the San Francisco affiliate late last month, including one in which the county party argued against age-of-consent laws from a libertarian anarchist perspective. The San Francisco party also addressed the subject of pedophilia, defining it as “sexual attraction to children who haven’t reached puberty” and “not an action,” further noting that child sexual abuse is criminalized rather than pedophilia itself.

The Texas party argues that meaningful consent must account for various considerations, including age, capacity, coercion, manipulation, and power imbalances. While acknowledging the San Francisco party’s clarification that opposition to criminalization does not necessarily mean approval of the conduct, it maintains that the affiliate’s statements are inconsistent with the importance of meaningful consent and safeguarding children from exploitation. It also rejects interpretations of the Non-Aggression Principle that would excuse such conduct and calls on the Libertarian Party of California to formally censure the county affiliate.

The resolution also comes after Libertarian National Committee Chair Evan McMahon issued a statement last week, rejecting opposition to age-of-consent laws and reaffirming the Libertarian Party’s support for protecting minors from sexual exploitation. McMahon also said he recognized the authority of the Libertarian Party of California to determine how best to address the county affiliate’s statements.

The full resolution adopted by the Libertarian Party of Texas is republished and preserved below:

Resolution Confirming the Sole Owner of their Own Body​

WHEREAS, the Libertarian Party of Texas affirms that every human being is the sole owner of their body and mind;

WHEREAS, the Libertarian Party of Texas opposes the initiation of force, threats of harm, coercion, and fraud as means of achieving personal, political, or social goals; WHEREAS, meaningful consent must be understood in the context of age, capacity, coercion, manipulation, and power imbalances, rather than reduced to a simplistic claim that the absence of overt force makes an interaction consensual;

WHEREAS, the language of individual liberty and consent must never be used to excuse, normalize, or minimize the exploitation of children and other vulnerable individuals;

WHEREAS, public statements made by political affiliates can affect public understanding of libertarian principles and the credibility of the broader liberty movement;

WHEREAS, the Libertarian Party of Texas has a responsibility to articulate its own principles clearly and consistently, while respecting freedom of expression and fair process; WHEREAS, on October 27, 2026, the Libertarian Party of San Francisco publicly stated, “Libertarian anarchists don’t believe in any laws, so of course they/we don’t believe in ‘age of consent’ laws either,” in a public statement;

WHEREAS, the Libertarian Party of San Francisco further stated, “When a young person is ready – whether to have sex … – is best determined by each minor and their parents/guardians, not the State,” in a subsequent response;

WHEREAS, although the Libertarian Party of San Francisco subsequently clarified that opposition to state criminalization does not necessarily constitute approval of the conduct, the Libertarian Party of Texas finds its statements concerning minors’ sexual activity and age-of-consent protections inconsistent with the importance of meaningful consent and safeguarding children from exploitation;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Libertarian Party of Texas reaffirms

that self-ownership, individual rights, and opposition to coercion and aggression apply to every human being, including children;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Libertarian Party of Texas rejects interpretations of consent or the Non-Aggression Principle that excuse the exploitation of children or disregard their individual rights and vulnerability;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Libertarian Party of Texas affirms that liberty and personal responsibility are inseparable, and that the defense of individual rights cannot be used as a pretext for excusing aggression, coercion, or exploitation;

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Libertarian Party of Texas formally condemns and calls on the Libertarian Party of California to censure the Libertarian Party of San Francisco for the statements it has made and the further defense of those statements advocating for positions that grossly misunderstand the non-aggression principle, consent, and their relationship to age of consent laws.