More Anti-Gay Attacks in Houston Mayor’s Race

[seeinfweggos]

With LGBT activists focused on marriage equality fights in New York and New Jersey, Houston could either elect its first openly gay Mayor on December 12th – or re-affirm that bigotry is alive in Texas. City Controller Annise Parker has already endured her share of anti-gay attacks in this race, but now a major right-wing kingmaker has jumped in the fray. Steven Hotze, who ran the infamous “straight slate” of City Council candidates in 1985 and continues to have a large following of Houston voters, has endorsed Parker’s opponent (Gene Locke) by sending out a mailer of preferred candidates. But Locke has added fuel to the fire by refusing to reject this endorsement at a debate on Monday – in stark contrast to Barack Obama, who in a debate last year agreed to “reject and denounce” the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan. ....

Now, Hotze and Blakemore have publicly endorsed Locke. In a mailer sent on behalf of “Conservative Republicans of Travis County,” they endorsed seven candidates in local races – ranging from Mayor to City Council – on the December 12th ballot. The mailer noted that all seven of their opponents are “endorsed by gay lesbian political action committee.” Some of the other endorsed candidates have repudiated this, but Locke so far has not.

http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/More_Anti_Gay_Attacks_in_Houston_Mayor_s_Race_7612.html