Houston Makes History By Electing Gay Mayor

The City Controller stressed her budget experience and fiscal competence, and never planned to make her sexuality an issue. The election was significant in other ways because Parker was the first Houston Mayor in a generation not handpicked by the business community. But Parker’s status as a lesbian played a role and galvanized the LGBT community, after she became subject to hateful anti-gay attacks by Republican operatives. And her opponent, an African-American Democrat, never repudiated such support. What this proves is the effectiveness of such tactics are on the wane. And if the Right believes they can make common cause with the black community by exploiting homophobia, they are sorely mistaken.

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