Voters in Houston yesterday voted down Mayor Parker's signature piece of Legislation by a 2 to 1 margine.
The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, coined "HERO", turned into a side show of some really strange partners. The most vocal opposition came from the Black Pastors of local Churches, who look at it as condoning a lifestyle that their faith finds reprehensible, combined with White Evangelicles.
In truth, the most affective campaign was lead by those who simply said,......."do you want boys in your girl's locker rooms and bath rooms"?
Of course, this was just the opening salvo. I suspect the LGBT community will simply look to the courts for satisfaction.
And, on the very day that Houston says "NO", President Obama says that school districts must provide the same facilities to TransGendered students as boys and girls. I'm not sure how this will affect the Houston vote, but I suspect the voters in Houston are in for a big surprise, or rude awakening, depending on your viewpoint.
I think Mayor Parker has been a good mayor, her view on Houston has always been, "the business of Houston is, Business". And I am sure her heart is in the right place. Everybody knows she is gay, and never let that get in the way of recognizing her practical way of running the city.
But with HERO, she crossed the line in the view of many voters. By, as it seems, a wide margine.