Can a 17-year-old boy date an 13-year-old girl in the state of texas?

Answer 1

They can date yes as long as there is no sexual type touching and that is when Texas law is grey. Kissing in of itself is not considered  sexual type touching, nor is holding hands. However if the girl turns 14 and the boy is 17, then as long as the girl is 14 and gives consent to the dating, then it becomes consentual.

Answer 2

Yes- The law in texas is read as such...In Texas, it is illegal to have sexual relations or touching of any kind with a child who is under seventeen years old, if you are more than three years older than the child. However, a child under the age of 14 cannot consent to any type of sexual activity. The way this law works affects different cases in different ways. For example:

If you are 18, and you have s*x with a 15 year old, it is legal as long as it is consensual.
If a 15 year old has s*x with a 13 year old, they can be charged with sexual assault, and can go to prison for up to 20 years once out of the juvenile system.

However if the girl was fourteen and not 13 years of age when the occurance happened, the accourding to Texas Law it is considered consentual in most cases...