Houston voters elect first openly gay mayor

[Duncan Grant]

HOUSTON — Annise Parker made history Saturday by becoming Houston's first openly gay mayor, seizing 53.6 percent of the vote in the city's hotly contested election.

Conceding defeat, former city attorney Gene Locke thanked Parker. "I am proud she is now the winner. I congratulate her," Locke said.

Of the more than 152,000 residents who turned out to cast ballots in the fourth largest U.S. city Saturday, 81,652 chose Parker — some 11,000 votes more than were placed for Locke. The election battle leading up to Saturday's balloting was marked by fierce campaigning and anti-gay rhetoric.

Parker is a lesbian who has never made a secret or an issue of her sexual orientation. But that orientation became focus of the race after anti-gay activists and conservative religious groups endorsed the 61-year-old Locke and sent out mailers condemning Parker's "homosexual behavior."

Link

See also: Annise Parker for Houston

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:woohoo:
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[pinto]

1. Houston voters elect first openly gay mayor (AP)

Houston voters elect first openly gay mayor

By Monica Rhor, Associated Press Writer

HOUSTON – Annise Parker made history Saturday by becoming Houston's first openly gay mayor, seizing 53.6 percent of the vote in the city's hotly contested election.

Conceding defeat, former city attorney Gene Locke thanked Parker.

"I am proud she is now the winner. I congratulate her," Locke said.

Of the more than 152,000 residents who turned out to cast ballots in the fourth largest U.S. city Saturday, 81,652 chose Parker — some 11,000 votes more than were placed for Locke.

The election battle leading up to Saturday's balloting was marked by fierce campaigning and anti-gay rhetoric.

Parker is a lesbian who has never made a secret or an issue of her sexual orientation. But that orientation became focus of the race after anti-gay activists and conservative religious groups endorsed the 61-year-old Locke and sent out mailers condemning Parker's "homosexual behavior."

Meanwhile, gay and lesbian political organizations nationwide rallied to support the 53-year-old Parker by raising money for her campaign and making calls urging people to vote.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091213/ap_on_el_st_lo/us_houston_mayor

[GrantDem]

2. Glad to see that the voters rejected the anti-gay BS

[pinto]

3. Yeah, voters didn't buy it apparently. And good to see a get out the vote campaign work.

[TexasObserver]

4. Recommend

[RetiredTrotskyite]

5. YAY!! Congrats, Annalise

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :headbang: :headbang: :fistbump: :pals: :toast: :party: :bounce:

[cutlassmama]

6. She will make a great mayor

[MrBig]

7. She really will!

And while I know she understands and appreciates the historical importance of her election, I hope people will see that she truly deserved to win. She's got big shoes to follow in Bill White, but I know she can fill them and then some.

[ccharles000]

8. yay