Houston gay mayor

Her election was particularly meaningful to the city's GLBT community, given the fact that conservative organizations attacked her on the basis of her sexuality during the campaign. With the support of the Caucus, she became the first openly gay individual elected to citywide office in Houston.

Many of the people who worked on her campaign advised her not to take the endorsement, because she would lose a lot of votes. She won that race, instantly becoming one of the highest-ranking gay officials in the country.

The Caucus was founded in the summer of by four dedicated gay and lesbian activists Pokey Anderson, Bill Buie, Hugh Crell, and Keith McGee, long before gay rights became a major national issue. Inthe group experienced another milestone with the election of Annise Parker to an at-large seat on Houston's city council.

The group made endorsements in the Houston municipal election held in the fall ofand contributed to the re-election of Houston Mayor Fred Hofheinz. Inthe Caucus enjoyed another important victory when Sue Lovell was elected to an at-large seat on city council.

Init endorsed Eleanor Tinsley, who was running for an at-large seat on city council; she defeated an incumbent who had been outspoken against GLBT rights. She led the general election and earned a spot in the run-off, where she defeated lawyer Gene Locke by a margin to make history.

Annise Parker houstonlgbthistory org

By the s, the HGLBTPC was one of the most important political organizations in the city, with many candidates seeking its endorsement, especially on the Democratic side. Annise Parker, 66, served as mayor gay hitchhiker Houston from to — the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city and the only person in Houston history to have served as a council member, controller houston mayor.

She was reelected as a council member in and with the support of the Caucus. She was reelected to two more terms on city council, and in she launched a bid to become city controller, the second highest office in city government. Its first president was Gary Van Ooteghem, who served from through the middle of Bob Falls is often mistaken for being a picture of the founders of The Caucus because many early activists, including some of the organization's founders, refused to have their photo published.

By far the biggest triumph of the organization was the election of Annise Parker as mayor of Houston in The Caucus endorsed Parker early in her bid to become the first openly gay mayor of a major American city, and its members provided much of the grassroots strength of her campaign.

Her response was, 'I believe I will gain more votes than I will lose, and it's the right thing to do. Inthe group experienced a turning point of sorts when it played an integral role in the election of Kathy Whitmire, who became the city's first woman mayor.

In its early years, the group struggled to find candidates who would actively seek its endorsement, but members persisted in grassroots efforts, from printing endorsement cards to working the polls and many other activities. Another past president of the Caucus, she became the second openly gay person to win citywide election.

T he news gay a lesbian had been elected mayor of Houston, deep in the heart of the conservative South, was greeted with surprise this week. Her support for GLBT issues drew criticism from conservatives in the city, but she refused to recant it and won four more elections with the group's support.

In it endorsed Kathy Whitmire, who won her mayor for City Controller.

Former Houston Mayor Fights

From its earliest moments, the organization emphasized electing candidates who were gay-friendly and had made specific commitments to support issues important to Houston's GLBT community. Annise Parker was the first openly gay mayor of a major American city.

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]. I want to be on the forefront of this civil rights movement.

Parker is Houston 's second female mayor (after Kathy Whitmire).