Houston Elects Gay Comptroller to City Mayor

Annise Parker's comfortable rise to mayor is drawing attention from national news outlets who are noting the significance of the nation's fourth largest city making history by electing an openly gay leader.

The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor and MSNBC, for instance, emphasized that Parker won the race in a state that outlawed gay marriage and in a city that defeated a referendum granting benefits to same-sex partners of city workers.

With Parker winning nearly 53 percent of the vote late Saturday, Houston became the largest city to elect an openly gay mayor. Others include Cambridge, Mass., Portland, Ore., and Providence R.I.

From The Christian Science Monitor: “The distinction neatly sums up the American mood. As gays and lesbians become broadly accepted in society and politics, that acceptance is marked by a firm boundary beyond which voters do not yet appear willing to cross: same-sex marriage.”

Parker's sexual orientation became an issue in the final stretch of the race, after anti-gay activists and conservative religious groups endorsed Parker's opponent, 61-year-old Gene Locke, and sent out mailers condemning Parker's sexual orientation.

The New York Times, which started following how Parker's sexuality was playing out politically in October, described her win a “milestone for gay men and lesbians around the country.”

In a post-election piece, the Times presented Parker as a charming victor who throughout the campaign tried unsuccessfully to stay away from discussing her sexuality, instead focusing on her accomplishments.

Bloomberg.com pointed out that Parker highlighted her sexual orientation in her victory speech and opened the door to her personal life, quoting Parker: “This election has changed the world for the lesbian, gay and transgendered community, just as it is about transforming the lives of all Houstonians for the better,” Parker told supporters last night before introducing “the person who has shared my life for more than 19 years.”

Earlier this year, the second most populous county in Florida, Broward, where Fort Lauderdale is based, selected as its Mayor, Kenneth Keechl.

Gay Mayoral Candidate in Houston Slandered By Morons

The homophobic attacks against Houston mayoral candidate Annise Parker have begun, and the one below is alarming.

It's a postcard mailing to 35,000 people from your average local hateful moron, featuring a picture of Parker and her longtime partner, which asks, "Is this the image Houston wants to portray?" and reads:

“I have nothing but compassion, respect and sensitivity towards those trapped in homosexual behavior. I have family members and friends who have been ensnared in this behavior, and I know something of the incredible pain and sorrow it has brought to them and their families. With God’s grace, I carefully balance this love and respect for these individuals with warnings about the promotion and demand for legal and political approval for homosexual behavior that will stifle religious freedom and trap millions of more people in its deadly grip. Therefore, I would ask you to vote against Annise Parker for Mayor.”

So Fort Lauderdale's ex Mayor, Jim Naugle, should be pleased to know he has some Neanderthal company in Texas. In Lauderdale, gay mayoral candidate Dean Trantalis was defeated in an election last March. But in the same county, Ken Keechl, a gay county commissioner, was appointed this week by his colleagues, as the Broward County mayor. This is the second most populous county in the state, with over a million residents.

Whether it is US Attorneys in Seattle, or US Marshals in Wisconsin, or gay mayors in South Florida, our community is establishing itself as professionals across the country. This normalizes us and popularizes us for what we achieve with our clothes on. We have reason to be proud, and the hateful feudal populations who opt for denigrating our identity instead of applauding our achievements are destined to become relics of history. But women such as Annise Parker are destined to become America's leaders of tomorrow.