Change Comes to Houston

Twice in my lifetime, I’ve witnessed political spirit steeled in change shatter a ceiling that once favored good old boys: first, in an African-American’s election to the U.S. presidency and now with Houston’s 50th and first openly lesbian mayor-elect Annise Parker. Finally, the nation’s 4th largest city can retire its country-cosmo combo image and revel in a mayoral distinction no other major metropolis claims. Eat your hearts out, New York, San Francisco and most of all, Dallas.

Victory surfaced in Twitter tweets early Saturday evening; however, the runoff’s slim turnout came straight from a mixed message bag: either shedding bigotry’s pimpled skin was vocalized in the city’s best interest or political preference for white over black prevailed as status quo. Houston’s 25% African-American population failed to seal the deal for Gene Locke and given his alignment with anti-gay forces , a vote for the former city attorney came eerily close to a hate endorsement.

Yet historically monumental, Parker’s achievement hardly suggests the emergence of a post-sexual south. Enter gay marriage and the campaign’s high note fails to strike a dramatic chord in attitudinal shifts. Even with Houston’s victory, Texas’ blood still beats red in political ideological where religious tenets conveniently fuel ignorance to the legality of social parity. As recently as 2003, the last of the anti-sodomy laws were yanked from the books so homophobes rest assured, gay marriage won’t automatically advance just because a lesbian is mayor.

Though well credentialed, Parker didn’t win the keys to the city without playing it smart and shoving a gay agenda down the straight majority’s throat will only invite political suicide. Should local gays and lesbians foster any quid pro quo expectations now that one of their own is in, they’re certain to be as disappointed as they’ve been by Obama. If anything is to be gained from the Civil Rights Movement, gays and lesbians must understand that baby steps precede full strides. Change has come to Houston but giant leaps rarely occur overnight.