Houston gay mayor

Another past president of the Caucus, she became the second openly gay person to win citywide election. 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 gay elected mayor of Chicago in [3][4][5].

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. 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.

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

With the support of the Caucus, she became the first openly gay individual elected to citywide office in Houston. T he news that a lesbian had been elected mayor of Houston, deep in the heart of the conservative South, was greeted with surprise this week.

Inthe group experienced another milestone with the election of Annise Parker to an at-large seat on Houston's city council. Many of the people who worked on her campaign advised her not to take the endorsement, because she would lose a lot of votes.

Annise Parker was the first openly gay mayor of a major American city. 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.

Inthe Caucus enjoyed another important mayor when Sue Lovell was elected to an at-large seat on city council. She won that race, instantly becoming one of the highest-ranking gay officials in the country. 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.

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. Annise Parker, 66, served as mayor of 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 and mayor.

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. While she never sought support solely on the basis of her sexuality, she also never shied away from it, insisting that, "Voters will elect me knowing that I'm gay and that it will mean a lot to my community.

Her response was, 'I believe I will gain more votes than I will lose, and it's the right thing to do. Her support for GLBT issues drew criticism from conservatives in the city, but she refused to recant it and won houston more elections with the group's support.

Annise Parker LGBTQ Victory

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. She was reelected as a council member in and with the support of the Caucus.

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.

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

The group made endorsements in the Houston municipal election held in the fall ofand contributed to the re-election of Houston Mayor Fred Hofheinz. I want to be on the forefront of this civil rights movement.