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Old 12-14-2009, 06:21 PM
 
1,588 posts, read 4,047,198 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frodo2008 View Post
Not only is Houston the first city in the south to elect a gay mayor but it's the first major city in America that has ever elected a gay mayor.
Not true.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frodo2008 View Post
What this means is Houston is more progressive than most cities in these liberal areas.
Not true. Several cities have had gay city officials for years. Some of these cities are also VERY gay friendly. For example, Minneapolis passed its first protection policies over 30 years ago and has some of the strongest GLBT rights in the country. Also, several large companies throughout the Twin Cities area have been offering domestic partners benefits to their employees for several years.
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Old 12-14-2009, 11:04 PM
 
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,636,755 times
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Houston has also had gay city council members, the new mayor for one. Sue Lovell is another.

As for the semantic quibbles, it's the largest major city to have elected an openly gay or lesbian mayor. How's that?
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Old 12-14-2009, 11:07 PM
 
Location: Houston
2,023 posts, read 4,169,856 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bostoner View Post
Houston has also had gay city council members, the new mayor for one. Sue Lovell is another.

As for the semantic quibbles, it's the largest major city to have elected an openly gay or lesbian mayor. How's that?
I think was the New York Times' exact phrasing (or something close to that) when they wrote an article on Parker winning the election.
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Old 12-14-2009, 11:25 PM
 
Location: Southwest Washington
2,316 posts, read 7,790,420 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scarface713 View Post
Key word here is MAJOR cities on the West Coast and Northeast. Portland is overshadowed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Sacramento. Providence is overshadowed by Boston, NYC, DC, Philly, etc.
Portland isn't overshadowed by Sacramento.

But it could be said that Houston is overshadowed by Dallas, Miami, and Atlanta...

It's relative. Portland and Providence are major cities. Portland more so than Providence, definitely. And don't get me wrong--I really like Houston. But it's a little bit silly to say that Portland and Providence aren't major cities within the U.S.
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Old 12-14-2009, 11:28 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in the universe
2,155 posts, read 4,562,715 times
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That's why it's the largest major city to have thus far. Not the first city, not the first major city.
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Old 12-14-2009, 11:31 PM
 
Location: El Cajon, CA
643 posts, read 1,388,872 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by backdrifter View Post
Portland isn't overshadowed by Sacramento.

But it could be said that Houston is overshadowed by Dallas, Miami, and Atlanta...

It's relative. Portland and Providence are major cities. Portland more so than Providence, definitely. And don't get me wrong--I really like Houston. But it's a little bit silly to say that Portland and Providence aren't major cities within the U.S.
Houston is bigger than Dallas, Miami and Atlanta. However I would be ashamed if I lived in Houston after this election
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Old 12-14-2009, 11:57 PM
 
Location: Southwest Washington
2,316 posts, read 7,790,420 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mattpresley View Post
Houston is bigger than Dallas, Miami and Atlanta. However I would be ashamed if I lived in Houston after this election
The Dallas metro area is larger than Houston's, and Miami is as much of an 'international' city as Houston, and Atlanta is the capital of the South.

Why would you be ashamed if you lived in Houston? Annise Parker doesn't strike me as a raging liberal, but then again I don't know too much about her...
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Old 12-15-2009, 12:29 AM
 
1,588 posts, read 4,047,198 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bostoner View Post
Houston has also had gay city council members, the new mayor for one. Sue Lovell is another.

As for the semantic quibbles, it's the largest major city to have elected an openly gay or lesbian mayor. How's that?
My point was Houston isn't anymore progressive than the numerous cities that have already had and do have gay officials.

Anyway who cares as long as she does well, which I'm sure she will. Congrats to her and to the city.
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Old 12-15-2009, 12:50 AM
 
Location: At the center of the universe!
1,179 posts, read 2,053,617 times
Reputation: 383
Quote:
Originally Posted by backdrifter View Post
The Dallas metro area is larger than Houston's, and Miami is as much of an 'international' city as Houston, and Atlanta is the capital of the South.

Why would you be ashamed if you lived in Houston? Annise Parker doesn't strike me as a raging liberal, but then again I don't know too much about her...
I think what Matt is trying to say is Annise Parker is a Democrat and she's gay and we elected her. Matt is a registered Republican therefore he would be ashamed.
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Old 12-15-2009, 07:36 AM
 
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,636,755 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackOut View Post
My point was Houston isn't anymore progressive than the numerous cities that have already had and do have gay officials.

Anyway who cares as long as she does well, which I'm sure she will. Congrats to her and to the city.
My point was that it's been in the national and international news because 1. it's a Texas city 2. in (what most people think of as) the South 3. and the LARGEST to have elected a gay mayor. Parker's election helps dispel long-held misconceptions people have had about Texas and the South. I'm fairly certain that it shocked many people that Houston, of all places, known as the home of Big Oil and Bush country, both of which the left despise, elected a gay mayor before other more liberal cities like Boston (neighboring Cambridge, the Berkeley of the Northeast, has a black lesbian mayor, but she wasn't popularly elected), NYC, and Seattle. Perhaps it's not a big deal to you, but to everyone else it's newsworthy.

(And 4. I live near Providence and while it's a city, I don't think of it as a major city on the level of Houston. It's a major city in its region New England, but even here it is vastly overshadowed by Boston, for a number of good reasons.)

Last edited by houstoner; 12-15-2009 at 08:20 AM.. Reason: adding the bit about Cambridge
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