Houston Pastor Calls on Mayor Annise Parker to Step Down for Support of Same-Sex Marriage

Houston Pastor Steve Riggle, who has been on a crusade against Mayor Annise Parker since she took office, and last year spearheaded a coalition of clergy demanding that she rescind a sweeping non-discrimination order protecting LGBT people, used his megachurch pulpit over the weekend to demand that she step down over her decision to join dozens of other U.S. mayors in Freedom to Marry's national campaign calling for marriage equality.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

Speaking at the congregation's 10 a.m. service, Riggle promised some 3,000 worshippers "the shortest sermon that has ever been preached in this congregation." After reading 25 Bible versions of the Genesis account of marriage as a man "leaving his father and mother and being joined to his wife," Riggle spent the next 50 minutes reading a letter he wrote to Parker last week, summarizing her response and then reading a new letter he has written to the mayor.

Parker responded with a statement:

"Houston is a city supportive of equal rights and tolerant of opposing opinions – a city where individuals may disagree with one another without being personal," said Parker. "I am standing with 160 mayors, including other Texas mayors, who have taken the same public position.My focus remains on creating jobs and building a safer city."

The paper adds that Riggle received "numerous ovations" for his attacks on Parker.

He said that he was not anti-gay nor a "gay-hater," noting that he had prayed with gay people dying of AIDS. "Just because I disagree with the life style choices that people make does not mean that I hate the people who make those choices," Riggle said, as his listeners responded with applause.

Mayor Annise Parker Advancing Insidious 'LGBT Agenda', Warns Houston Pastor: VIDEO

Dave Welch, Executive Director of the Houston Area Pastor Council, who has been after out lesbian Houston mayor Annise Parker since she was running for office in 2009, is targeting Parker again with an ad that tries to prove, as the Dallas Voice notes, that she "has engaged in an insidious plot" to advance the LGBT agenda. He's encouraging area pastors to play the video at their churches.

See, she's kissing her partner of 20+ years Cathy Parker on the cheek!

The paper adds: "Early voting in the Houston mayoral race started Monday. Early numbers show historically low voter turnout with only 2,557 people voting in person. That’s down almost half from the 4,089 people who voted on the first day of early voting in 2009 when Parker was first elected."

Watch Dave Welch's attack video, AFTER THE JUMP...

Annise Parker Fights Back Against Opponent's Anti-Gay Agenda

We all know by now that politics can be a dirty business. And that's especially true when same-sex relations are involved. Just consider Houston mayoral candidate David Wilson, who recently sent out an email warning against lesbian mayor Annise Parker's "homosexual agenda."

"Being homosexual is one thing," Wilson writes in the letter, which he sent to Parker's contributors. "But using your position of power to promote the homosexual agenda." Wilson goes on to cite transgender judge Phyllis Frye, whom he calls a "transvestite," as evidence of Parker's alleged plot.

And, in a particularly insidious turn, Wilson uses LGBT family members to make his discriminatory case: "I have family members and friends who have been ensnarled and trapped in homosexual behavior, and I know firsthand of the incredible pain and sorrow it has brought to them and their families."

But Mayor Parker won't let Wilson get away with such a vile trick. She released her own letter last week imploring voters to back her up: "Today I am running for a second term as mayor. And, just as in 2009, I am being attacked because I am a lesbian." Parker then asks recipients for a donation "to help me fight back against these attacks."

Writes the mayor, "Your contribution will help me win re-election and show David Wilson and narrow-minded bigots everywhere that anti-gay attacks don't work and have no place in civilized society."

Here's a PDF of Parker's letter, which includes Wilson's remarks.

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Houston bigot Dave Wilson starts sending out anti-gay flyers attacking Mayor Annise Parker again: "I realize that some of you support Ms. Parker’s alternative lifestyle and agree with her promoting the homosexual agenda. But to those of you who do not, I would ask you to help me stop the promoting of the homosexual lifestyle in Houston."

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LGBT Stories: Houston Mayor Annise Parker Shares Personal Story Of Young Love

NATHAN MANSKE

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee just finished a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD.

Before meeting the mayor, we met and spoke with her chief of staff, Janice, who wanted to make sure Mayor Parker had the right idea about what we were looking for. "Any story, right?" "That's right." "It doesn't have to be about politics?" "Nope. Any true story from her life involving her being a lesbian." "Even before her time as Mayor?" "Yes. Any story, from any time, about anything involving her being a lesbian." It seemed as though Mayor Parker was eager to share a story about love--both the ups and downs--but only wanted to if it was okay. I thought it was both charming and courageous.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Houston Mayor Annise Parker Appoints Texas' First Transgender Judge

Yesterday, Houston Mayor Annise Parker appointed Texas' first transgender judge, Legislative Queery reports:

"Phyllis Randolph Frye, longtime legal advocate for the transgender community, was sworn in this morning as the state's first transgender judge. Frye was appointed by Houston Mayor Annise Parker as an Associate Municipal Judge. The city council unanimously approved her appointment, along with a couple dozen other appointments, with little fanfare and no dissent. The significance of the moment was not lost on Mayor Parker who fought back tears as she welcomed the appointees to the council dais. Council member Sue Lovell who, along with Parker and Frye, fought for years as a citizen to improve the lives of queer Houstonians, beamed as she spoke of how far the three of them have come. Several council members specifically thanked Frye for her willingness to serve."

Frye is a nationally-recognized legal expert on trans issues.