Gay-rights advocates, coming off stinging defeats of same-sex marriage legislation in New York and Maine, could get a boost this week in- of all places- deep red Texas. With a small lead in the polls, openly gay Houston City Controller Annise Parker could win the city's mayoral race this weekend. A victory would put the Democrat in charge of the fourth-largest municipality in the country and make Houston by far the most populous city ever to elect an openly gay mayor. But to secure a win, Parker must beat back a last-ditch anti-gay campaign engineered by a Texas fundamentalist who is backing her opponent, African-American fellow Democrat Gene Locke.
If the polls hold, Houston stands a good chance of making history this weekend. As much as I hate the place (and I do), Houston is not necessarily the knee-jerk Republican bastion that most outsiders assume it is. With a large African-American population, Democrats have recently been pretty well represented in local politics, something you don't generally find in Texas- outside Austin, that is.
What I find so interesting, and so disturbing, is not Annise Parker's lead in the polls. It's that Gene Locke, a fellow Democrat, has hitched his wagon to haters like Steven Hotze, Dave Welch, and Dave Wilson. Locke has in effect made a deal with the Devil, chaining his political fortunes to those who traffic in hatred, oppression, and discrimination...not exactly something most Democrats would embrace. Still and all, ambition will cause normally reasonable people to do things they might not otherwise, and Gene Locke seems willing to do align himself with whoever he needs to in order to defeat Annise Parker.
Also interesting is that this campaign is not at all about Parker's experience and competence, which is beyond question. No, having decided that they can't touch her on her qualifications to be Mayor of Houston, the haters are going after that old standby- her lifestyle. While more reasonable and fair-minded people might be thankful for a committed, capable, and competent public servant like Annise Parker, the haters are focusing on the fact that she's a Lesbian. What Parker's personal life has to do with her ability to effectively govern the city of Houston is beyond me, but the haters will have you believe that it says everything one needs to know about her fitness to serve.
My hope is that the voters of Houston will recognize what they're being asked to do...and that they'll reject the hatred and exclusion being promoted by Gene Locke and his benefactors. Houstonians should be happy that someone as competent and committed as Annise Parker wants to run city government. The fact that she's a Lesbian in a committed relationship need not- and should not- even be a consideration.
If there's any justice, or simple human decency, in this world, Houston voters will elect Annise Parker. Perhaps then haters like Steven Hotze, Dave Welch, and Dave Wilson will crawl back into the swamp from whence they emerged. Of course, this will never happen. Hatred burns hot, and it burns long...especially in Texas, where that unique brand of Republican religiosity makes fear and ignorance a contact sport. Ask me how much I miss that....
