Houston's Lesbian Mayor Annise Parker Speaks to the Advocate

"Just days after Houston elected the first openly lesbian mayor, Annise Parker, the Houston City Controller spoke in depth in an interview with the Advocate.

With nearly all of Houston's 738 precincts reporting, Parker had 53% of the vote and Locke 47%, Parker told supporters on Election Day, "The voters of Houston have opened the door to history." The population of the Texas city is approximately 2.2 million.

Parker, 53, took the oath of office in the nation's fourth-largest city with her partner, Kathy Hubbard, at her side and in the post-election interview with the Advocate, Mayor-elect Parker discusses gay activism and her responsibility to the LGBT community:

You've asserted that while you are now seen as a national LGBT role model, you've also been a local gay rights role model for 30 years.

Yes, I was a founding member of [an LGBT] student support group in 1979 at Rice University. I've been a state co chair of the LGBT Democrats, and I've worked with the Houston GLBT Political Caucus. In the 80s I was arguably one of the most visible gay activists in Houston.

Were you surprised by the antigay campaign against you?

No, it wasn't a surprise. Dr. Hotze was involved against the referendum [to grant benefits for same-sex partners of Houston city employees]. We had wondered when it would come. There were three pieces of mail that went out, one by Dr. Hotze. But we were surprised that highly placed individuals in my opponent's campaign were funding it. And I think Houstonians were embarrassed by it.

National groups like the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund supported your campaign, and your success is certainly one of the year's high points in gay politics. Will you take a national role in the LGBT community?

I pledged to the voters that I would not take on any national issues that did not affect the city of Houston. I appreciate the support of the Victory Fund and other organizations, and I will do anything I can to boost the fortunes of Victory candidates and to help raise the number of LGBT-elected officials. But I will do that as a private citizen.

What will you do to reverse the city referendum that denies benefits to same-sex partners of city workers?

That was part of a very hard conversation I had with LGBT supporters at the beginning of this campaign. Because domestic-partner benefits are blocked by a referendum, and because it's in our city charter, this requires another referendum to undo it. It's not something I can change; it requires a public vote. My personal opinion is, of course I'd like to see that change."
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