Everyone was happy about Mayor Annise Parker’s recent marriage to her partner of 23 years, Kathy Hubbard—except some of her fellow Texans in the GOP. State Republicans were not OK with her decision to wed, apparently.
According to ABC News, some of her partisan adversaries believe her marriage was politically motivated.
Parker and Hubbard did not marry in Texas, where same-sex marriage isn’t legal. The couple tied the knot in Palm Springs, California. In a spiteful statement, Republican State Senator Dan Patrick lashed out, saying “I am not shocked that Mayor Parker decided to elope to California for a marriage that is unconstitutional in Texas. This is obviously part of a larger strategy of hers to turn Texas into California.”
Would that be so terrible?
“This is a very happy day for us,” Parker proclaimed. “Kathy has been by my side for more than two decades, helping to raise a family, nurture my political career and all of the other ups and downs and life events that come with a committed relationship. She is the love of my life, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life married to her.”
But another hater, Harris County GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill, also suggested that Parker played politics with her marriage by waiting to wed until after she had won re-election. “I think it’s all about her political agenda. She waited until after the election to do this for a reason, because she realized had she done it before the election and subjected herself to the will of the voters, she might not have been successful.”
In a commendable act of defiance, Mayor Parker hit back at her bigoted opponents in an interview with Houston’s KHOU 11 News.
“Get over it,” she said.
“You don’t commit 23 years of your life to someone to make a political statement. I took four days off. I had to leave my home state and make a little wedge of time to marry the woman I love. They can get over it.”
Exactly. You marry who you love out of love, not making excuses or apologies. And Parker wonderfully demonstrates that even an out lesbian Democrat can have power in a red state.
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