[parker] <http://www.flickr.com/photos/36189...@n02/4180809962/>
December 13, 2009 Houston Is Largest City to Elect Openly Gay Mayor By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. HOUSTON Houston became the largest city in the country to elect an openly gay mayor Saturday night, as voters gave a solid victory to the city controller, Annise Parker. Cheers erupted at Ms. Parker's campaign party as her opponent, Gene Locke, a former city attorney, conceded defeat after it became clear he could not overcome her lead of 53 percent to 47 percent. Throughout the campaign, Ms. Parker tried to avoid making an issue of her sexual orientation and emphasized her experience in overseeing the city's finances. But she began her career as an advocate for gay rights in the 1980s, and it was lost on no one in Houston, a city of 2.2 million people, that her election would mark a milestone for gay men and lesbians around the country. Several smaller cities in other regions have chosen openly gay mayors, among them Providence, R.I., Portland, Ore., and Cambridge, Mass. But Ms. Parker's success came in a conservative state where voters have outlawed gay marriage and a city where a referendum on granting benefits to same-sex partners of city employees was soundly defeated.... Ms. Parker's sexual orientation did not become an issue in the race until after the general election produced no winner and led to a run-off between her and Mr. Locke, who is black and enjoys strong support among African-American voters. Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/us/politics/13houston.html?hp <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/us/politics/13houston.html?hp> http://tinyurl.com/ydctofk <http://tinyurl.com/ydctofk>
