World

Houston elects its first openly gay Mayor, Annise Parker

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | December 13, 2009 at 07:18 am

571 views | 36 Recommendations | 5 comments

Quote

“Tonight the voters of Houston have opened the door to history,” she said, standing by her partner of 19 years, Kathy Hubbard, and their three adopted children. “I acknowledge that. I embrace that. I know what this win means to many of us who never thought we could achieve high office.”

Annise Parker, New York Times Dec. 12

Despite being subject to many homophobic attacks during the campaign, Lesbian candidate Annise Parker has been elected Houston's Mayor.

Conservative Steven Hotze had sent out mass emails and fliers which depicted Parker as being part of the "gay and lesbian caucus" and of being part of the community for the "evil" of gay marriage.

See Now Public story by this author about homophobic attacks during Mayoral race .

During the campaign, Parker did not lay emphasis on her sexual identity, but had sought instead to stress her fiscal policies and various successes as comptroller.

Nevertheless, the New York Times and other publications know Parker for her gay advocacy beginning in the 1980s, and it is clear that her election as the first openly gay mayor of Houston is indeed a victory and a historic milestone for the gay movement.

Houston is the largest US city to elect an openly gay Mayor, with some 2.2 million residents.

Parker overtook fellow Democrat Gene Locke, an African American with a strong constituency.

With all precincts reporting, Ms. Parker, the city controller, had defeated Mr. Locke 53 percent to 47 percent.
Throughout the campaign, Ms. Parker tried to avoid making an issue of her sexual orientation and emphasized her experience in overseeing the city’s finances. But she began her career as an advocate for gay rights in the 1980s, and it was lost on no one in Houston, a city of 2.2 million people, that her election marked a milestone for gay men and lesbians around the country.

Several smaller cities in other regions have chosen openly gay mayors, among them Providence, R.I., Portland, Ore., and Cambridge, Mass. But Ms. Parker’s success came in a conservative state where voters have outlawed gay marriage and a city where a referendum on granting benefits to same-sex partners of city employees was soundly defeated.

Turnout was light across the city on a rainy, foggy day, with only about 16 percent of registered voters going to the polls.

Ms. Parker’s sexual orientation did not become an issue in the race until after the general election produced no winner and led to a run-off between her and Mr. Locke, who is black and enjoys strong support among African-American voters.

The two candidates differed very little on the issues. Mr. Locke, who is 61, promised to crack down on crime and expand the police department. Ms. Parker, 53, said her experience as controller made her a better candidate to steer the city through the tough financial times it now faces.

Source: nytimes.com

2 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Karen Hatter

at 12:08 on December 13th, 2009

An excerpt from an MSNBC article:

Parker's sexual orientation became the focus of the race in recent weeks after anti-gay activists and conservative religious groups endorsed the 61-year-old Locke and sent out mailers condemning Parker's "homosexual behavior."

Meanwhile, gay and lesbian political organizations nationwide rallied to support the 53-year-old Parker by raising money for her campaign and making calls urging people to vote.

Locke, who would have become the city's second black mayor if elected, tried to distance himself from the anti-gay attacks while courting conservative voters who could tip the race in his favor.

Although Locke condemned the divisive rhetoric, two of his key supporters contributed money to a conservative political action committee that sent out an anti-gay mailer earlier this month, urging voters not to pick Parker because she was endorsed by the "gay and lesbian political caucus."

Campaign finance reports show Ned Holmes, finance chairman of Locke's campaign, and James Dannenbaum, a member of the campaign's finance committee, each gave $20,000.

Parker and Locke, both Democrats in the nonpartisan race, made it to the runoff after garnering more votes than two other candidates on Nov. 3.

Parker replaced Bill White, who is term-limited after serving six years and is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.

Several smaller U.S. cities have openly gay mayors, including Portland, Ore., Providence, R.I., and Cambridge, Mass.

Houston, the country's fourth largest city, is predominantly Democratic and about 25 percent black and one-third Hispanic. About 60,000 of its 2.2 million residents identify as gay or lesbian.