“You don’t commit 23 years of your life to someone to make a political statement.”

[cynatnite]

Houston Mayor Annise Parker tied the knot with her longtime partner, Kathy Hubbard, last week.

Parker’s election in 2009 made Houston the largest U.S. city with an openly gay mayor. She has since been re-elected twice, winning again in both 2011 and 2013.

The small wedding took place in Palm Springs, Calif. as their home state of Texas has a constitutional ban on same-sex couples’ marriages.

Jared Woodfill, the chairman of the Harris County Republican Party, stated it was all about her political agenda:

She waited until after the election to do this for a reason, because she realized had she done it before the election and subjected herself to the will of the voters, she might not have been successful […] First and foremost, she issues her unlawful same sex benefits to couples married in other states. Then she goes to California, a state that recognizes same sex marriage, and gets married there. Then she gives her city attorney a 43-percent pay raise.

When Parker was asked about Patrick’s comments in an interview with KHOU 11 News, she responded:

Dan Patrick’s running a political campaign. And he wants to make the gay community a whipping boy in that political campaign. And he thought I was an appropriate target. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And I don’t think that’s unusual.

“I took four days off,” Parker said. “I had to leave my home state and make a little wedge of time to marry the woman I love. They can get over it.”

She simply stated, “You don’t commit 23 years of your life to someone to make a political statement.”

http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/openly-gay-mayor-of-houston-shuts-down-critics-after-marryin

[gopiscrap]

1. Good for her

she should have told the homophobes to go fuck themselves!

[warrant46]

2. Jared Woodfill = Hateful Scum

[Gothmog]

4. Woodfill is being challenged for leadership of Harris County GOP

http://texpate.com/2014/01/10/the-harris-county-gop-chairman-race/

The Houston Chronicle reports that County Judge Ed Emmett has endorsed Paul Simpson in his race for chairman of the Harris County GOP, against incumbent Jared Woodfill. Emmett, a Republican, is the highest ranking member of the county party, holding the de facto executive leadership role over Harris County.

The news was broken last night on Quorum Report, where it was also reported that Emmett had donated a generous $10,000.00 to Simpson’s campaign. As the astute may recall, this is Simpson’s –a local attorney– third bid against the incumbent chair. However, unlike a previous race, this year’s election simply features the two candidates, making Woodfill somewhat more vulnerable. Emmett blasted Woodfill as being out of touch and implicit in the recent losing streak of the party. Ronald Reagan would probably not be welcome in today’s Republican Party. I would like to see the base in Harris County to be 400,000, not 150,000,” Emmett says.

Ed Emmett is well respected and this will be a fun race to watch

[Gothmog]

3. Juanita Jean has some very strong words about these attacks on Mayor Parker

http://www.juanitajean.com/2014/01/22/yeah-get-the-hell-over-it/

Houston Mayor Annise Parker is one of my favorite people and a friend. She is as sweet as a grandmother’s kiss, but also tough as a three dollar steak. She has been great for my hometown, the city of Houston. She first served as a city council member at large in 1998, then was elected comptroller in 2004, and finally as mayor in 2010.

She just won re-election against 8 opponents with 58% of the vote. What I’m telling trying to tell you is that she’s wildly popular. If we had a vote about whether to put a statue of her next to Sam Houston, she’d win that, too.

And all that time, she has been openly gay. She and Kathy Hubbard have lived together for 23 years and Kathy is often introduced as Houston’s First Lady. They are raising two adopted daughters and a foster child.

A couple of weeks ago, they went to California and got married. Mostly, everybody was happy for them. True love that lasts a lifetime is hard to come by and when two people find it, that’s generally cause for celebration.

Holy moly, not so much in Republican circles where both true and love are both in short supply.

Please read the rest. I know the author and I can tell you that she is pissed. I will be at a fundraiser with her Friday night and I bet she will still be mad

[Luminous Animal]

6. +1

[Ohio Joe]

5. k&r - nt

[okaawhatever]

7. Let he who has been faithful to the same partner for 23 years cast the first stone nt