Houston Mayor's Race Outcome Cheers Gay Advocates

And it wasn't a squeaker, either. In a fiercely contested runoff to lead a city of 2.2 million people, Annise Parker, who is 53, decisively defeated a fellow Democrat and former city attorney, Gene Locke, 61, who is black, by 53 percent to 47 percent. Her victory came just a few weeks after gay advocates were reeling from a couple of major reversals in the same-sex marriage movement in Maine and in New York and are now facing a likely defeat in New Jersey.

"Tonight the voters of Houston have opened the door to history," Parker said last night, standing by her partner of 19 years, Kathy Hubbard, and their three adopted children. "I acknowledge that. I embrace that. I know what this win means to many of us who never thought we could achieve high office.''

Parker's victory resounded even more because it came in a conservative state where voters have banned gay marriage and where gays generally, though flourishing in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, have not built the political clout and organizations seen in more liberal states like California and New York.

While Parker during the campaign didn't make an issue of her sexuality and instead emphasized her experience as city controller, she began her career in the 1980s as an advocate for gay rights and has been open about her sexuality throughout.

Houston, a sprawl of diverse neighborhoods, is about 25 percent black and one-third Latino, but apparently race and ethnicity did not play a big role in the campaign. Only in the final weeks did the campaign turn ugly, when a group of black pastors accused Parker of having a gay agenda and other anti-gay groups circulated fliers condemning Parker's "homosexual behavior."

Despite those attacks, Locke was not able to get enough black and conservative white support to overcome her support among white progressives and gays.

"Another milestone for equality was reached last night with the historic election of Annise Parker as mayor of Houston,'' said Joe Solmonese, president of the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay organization. "She stood up to last minute anti-gay attacks with grace, courage and determination which carried the day. Houston sent a positive message to the nation, that it chose the best person for the job based on her experience and qualifications, while at the same time breaking another glass ceiling.''