Houston elects out mayor
365gay. com reports Houston voters chose Annise Parker to become the city’s first openly gay mayor.
At a press conference Dec. 13, Parker paused to reflect on the significance of the election, which made Houston the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor.
“It’s a historic election for my community, and I believe an election that will change some people’s minds about the city of Houston,” said Parker, 53. “It’s a diverse, international city that welcomes everyone.”
Parker, who began her political career as a gay activist, rose through the ranks of local politics to serve first on city council, then as city controller.
SF Bay schools drop gay-friendly curriculum
Yahoo News reports a San Francisco Bay area school board will replace antigay bullying curriculum with broad lessons against bias — the former of which had become a national centerpiece in the opposition to same-sex marriage.
The 45-minute Lesson 9, which was to be taught once a year in each grade, sparked a lawsuit, accusations that religious families were being discriminated against and threats of a recall election against the three board members who approved it.
The new board-approved anti-bullying lessons will be supplemented by children’s books that address six specific forms of bias, including against gays.
Calif. picks openly gay Assembly speaker
The Sacramento Bee reports the California Assembly has picked its first openly gay speaker.
Assembly Democrats on Dec. 10 unanimously backed John Perez, the chairman of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, to be its next speaker.
Perez will hold one of the most powerful positions in state government. A cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Perez was elected to the Assembly last year.
The nomination now goes before the full Assembly, but the candidate with the most Democratic support usually wins because Democrats hold a majority in the 80-member chamber.
He will take over from Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who was elected by her colleagues in February 2008.
— Larry Nichols