Houston gay mayor

When did you come out with your sexual orientation and, more importantly, how did it impact your work as a public servant? Annise Parker (born May 17,Houston, Texas, U.S.) is an American politician who served as mayor of Houston (–16). She became Houston’s first openly lesbian official. I was an out lesbian in the s.

I am having to operate at the top of my game all the time. To what do you attribute your success? CB : From the perspective of a mayor, what do you think will be the biggest challenge in terms of achieving full equality for LGBT people in the next decade? And of course, there was another onslaught of attacks because Houston last year passed a nondiscrimination ordinance that includes gender identity and sexual orientation.

CB : Congratulations on passing such an important piece of legislation. The more of us who are out and open about our lives, the less we can be denied and marginalized. Parker was re-elected twice, in and For six years, as a member of the council, she worked on the comprehensive development of the city and the increase in funding for the arts.

AP : Shaping the future of my hometown. By Andrea Lorenz HOUSTON (Reuters) houston gay mayor Houston's openly gay mayor, Annise Parker, has wedded her longtime partner at a private home in California, even as her home state of Texas bans such. Nothing that happens in the political arena is anything half as scary as back then.

I was out and open in college. In your years of public service did you face any backlash from anti-gay groups who opposed your position in government due to your sexual orientation? Even then we need to turn to the rest of the world. Parker lived in Houston until age 15, when her father’s work with the Red Cross took the family to a U.S.

Army base in. With that, what is the most enjoyable part of your job? It was always part of my persona. InParker was elected to the Houston City Council on her third attempt. I was arguably the most visibly lesbian activist in Houston in the s. Parker is Houston 's second female mayor (after Kathy Whitmire). She was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city.

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute President & CEO Annise Parker is the first former elected official to lead the organizations, having served six years as a Houston City Council member, six years as City Controller, and six years as Mayor of the city. CB : As someone with a wife and four children, you are one of the most visible openly-LGBT politicians in the United States today, and an inspiration to many.

Annise Parker made history when she became the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city in Her tenure as the city’s top elected official followed 12 years as an at-large City Council. Annise Parker (born May 17,Houston, Texas, U.S.) is an American politician who served as mayor of Houston (–16). A Democrat, Parker served as the 61st Mayor of Houston, Texas, from until She also served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council from to and as city controller from to [1][2] Parker is Houston 's second female mayor (after Kathy Whitmire).

Explore Articles. I get to do things and making decision that will change the face of my city twenty, forty, seventy years into the future. She is also one of the first openly gay mayors of a major U.S. city, with Houston being the most populous U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor until Lori Lightfoot was elected mayor of Chicago in [3][4][5].

She is one of only two women to have been elected mayor, and is the only person in Houston history to have held the offices of council member, controller and mayor. She was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city.

Still, all of those will fall. At the time of her election, Houston, then America’s fourth largest city, became the country’s largest city to elect an openly gay mayor. At the time of her election, Houston, then America’s fourth largest city, became the country’s largest city to elect an openly gay mayor. I was a lesbian activist who made the transition into mainstream politics.

What message do you think that sends to aspiring LGBT policymakers across the country? Mayors do things. Annise Danette Parker (born May 17, ) is an American politician from the state of Texas. Annise Parker made history when she became the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city in Her tenure as the city’s top elected official followed 12 years as an at-large City Council.

She is one of only two women to have been elected mayor, and is the only person in Houston history to have held the offices of council member, controller and mayor. I had my tires slashed, I had death threats. She is also one of.