Sunday, December 13, 2009

CARINA 360°: Houston Elects First Lesbian Mayor

A couple of years ago, Houston voted against a ballot that would give benefits to same-sex partners of city workers.

Now following in the footsteps of Providence - Rhode Island and other cities, Houston Texas, as of December 12, 2009, has elected their first openly gay mayor, Democrat Annise Parker.
(Not only that but she has also made history again for being the second female mayor of Houston.)

As a 53 year old mother of two, she and her partner of 19 years have never made an issue out of her sexual orientation. Before becoming the new mayor of Houston, she was city controller for the past five years.

Even though only 16 percent of qualified voters showed up, Parker still won. With 53 percent of the vote, she beat city attorney Gene Locke.

As with any gay or lesbian public figure, Parker did receive protest from anti-gay groups. Residents of the city got mail telling of the relationship with her partner.

"I have always stood up for the fact that I am gay. It's part of the resume that I bring to the table, but it's just a piece of the package," Parker said.

But she has nothing to worry about now, she won!

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