The Chronicle‘s Editorial LiveJournalists had a fun observation in today’s editorial celebrating Gay Pride Week:
Although recent years have seen voter approval of a state constitutional ban on gay marriage and the defeat of efforts to provide insurance coverage for the domestic partners of city of Houston workers, celebrants have plenty of progress to point to over the past three decades.
Perhaps the most obvious is the citywide elections of Controller Annise Parker and at-large Councilwoman Sue Lovell, both of whom are openly lesbian. In the late ’70s, the only way for local gay activists to influence the political process was to work for progressive candidates such as Kathy Whitmire, who served as city controller before serving five terms as mayor.
Parker’s and Lovell’s winning campaigns show the growing willingness of Houstonians to vote for the best candidate, regardless of sexual orientation. Parker won three successive terms as an at-large councilmember and is now serving her second term as city controller after being elected without opposition. Lovell is in her first term on council after winning a runoff last year.
In Lovell’s case, perhaps it would have been more accurate to write about the willingness of a Houston union to boost one candidate to victory (skirting the city’s campaign finance laws), regardless of sexual orientation. At least they get credit for being an equal-opportunity union.
