Jan 26, 2007  |  By: ELIZABETH A. PERRY  | COMMENTS     

development for AIDS Alabama, a board member of Equality Alabama, executive director of Birmingham AIDS Outreach, state coordinator of the Campaign to End AIDS and the founder and former president of Alabama Stonewall Democrats. 

She says that since Alabama passed an amendment banning gay marriage last year she doesn’t think she will be working on any more gay issues this year, although if the Christian Coalition decides to follow through with its plan to ban gay adoptions in the state, she would fight it. Barring employment discrimination based on sexual orientation is one of the issues that may have to wait until Todd’s second or third year in office.

 “Whenever you are the first anywhere you also have to be seen as part of the team,” she says.People already had the perception that because I had been involved in LGBT politics before I got elected, that I would be an activist going to the legislature. Just having a space at the table enables me to be a face for our community.”

ANNISE PARKER, THE second-highest ranking city official in Houston, quips that when she first entered politics, the words “lesbian activist” were used to describe her so often she was beginning to think they were part of her name. She says the worst thing a gay or lesbian candidate can do is lie about their sexual orientation or be defensive about it when the question comes up.

“There was no question about me being out,” she says. “Every piece of literature I put out said I was past president of the Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, so I didn’t have to talk about it in the context of my campaign.”

She says that by being open and honest about her sexual orientation, the issue was out of the way early, enabling her to focus on the issues of her campaign. Some of her harshest critics have been gay voters, including those who have said she is too conservative.

After losing her first bid for city council in 1994, she ran again in 1996 and won. She served six years as an at-large member of the city council. After she was term-limited out of her seat, she ran and was elected as controller in 2003 and was reelected in 2005. She is gearing up for another run this year.

“I’ve been visible and vocal on gay issues where they were germane to my role as city council member,” she says. “As a council member I worked to pass a nondiscrimination policy for city employees and helped to create a hate crimes investigative unit. I lobbied for a state hate crimes bill and tried to pass citywide domestic partner benefits for employees.”

Parker has been with her partner Kathy Hubbard, a tax consultant in private practice, for 16 years. They have two adopted children, Daniela, 16, and Marquitta, 11.

“My children are biracial and look African American,” Parker says. “I was told it would be terrible for my political career, so I took them everywhere I campaigned. They love the perks, but hate the fact I can’t go to the grocery store without people coming up<