Houston Elects First Openly Gay Mayor

[damngrumpy]

America and other jurisdictions will come a long way once its reported with the winners name and party affiliation won the election. No longer will be have the
unimportant labels, like woman, youth, white or black, gay straight, or for that
matter the first left handed candidate. The winners name is important and the
party affiliation. we do deal with party labels as part of the system. I think her
victory was good. I prefer left to right, but for the most part I believe in being
socially progressive and fiscally conservative. Houston is progressing from the
dark ages though and that is good

 

[JLM]

Well, it may come as news to you JLM, but it is still very much an issue in many places. In many parts of USA, if a candidate is gay, he is automatically guaranteed to lose.

It is just that in this one instance, anti-gay forces were not able to defeat the gay candidate. But as I said before, as long as gays are an oppressed minority, it will remain an issue in any election where there is a gay candidate.

God helps those who help themselves, it's their choice to tell people they are gay.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

America and other jurisdictions will come a long way once its reported with the winners name and party affiliation won the election. No longer will be have the
unimportant labels, like woman, youth, white or black, gay straight, or for that
matter the first left handed candidate. The winners name is important and the
party affiliation. we do deal with party labels as part of the system. I think her
victory was good. I prefer left to right, but for the most part I believe in being
socially progressive and fiscally conservative. Houston is progressing from the
dark ages though and that is good

No doubt that will be the ideal world, but unfortunately we are far away from that. In Canada, a gay politician is not newsworthy any longer, and that is all to the good.

However, suppose we have our first Indian Leader of the Opposition, or first Phillipino PM. Imagine the stir that would cause.

Whenever there is something odd, different about a politician, it is always news. Unfortunately in USA, when a politician is gay, his homosexuality becomes the issue, it swamps everything else.

 

[damngrumpy]

You are right Sir Joseph, it would be an ideal world and in a democracy we strive to
create the ideal society know it happens one small step at a time. In Canada it is no
longer news, but in contrast if an American politician can think for himself/herself
then its news, I suppose because in either country that rarely happens anymore.

 

[jsiooa]

Yeah, it's kind of mind boggling that this stuff is news. Ability to do the job should be the ONLY criteria. I think gays/lesbians probably got those jobs without any problems before they came out of the closet. Anyway it's a non issue (to me anyway) I couldn't care less if they have orange skin. People who concern themselves with this stuff don't have enough to do. I guess on the plus side it's entertainment for forums.

I don't know what the hell you're rambling about, if you're even serious or if you're just arguing for the sake of arguing but an openly gay mayor being elected in Texas of all places is definitley newsworthy.

 

[JLM]

I don't know what the hell you're rambling about, if you're even serious or if you're just arguing for the sake of arguing but an openly gay mayor being elected in Texas of all places is definitley newsworthy.

I have no problem with your opinion so it's baffling why you'd have a problem with mine.

 

[Liberalman]

Are you prejudiced against so-called red necks? Lumping them into a group and labelling them like that could be offensive to certain people. I think that could be interpreted as a "slur" and this could become another "issue." Is this an example of redneckphobia? Oh, oh...I smell a looming social problem.

I lived in Alberta for years and that province is considered to be like Texas.

I knew a lot of rednecks and most of them are prejudiced some weren’t.

Most of the farmers are rednecks but some aren’t.

Most farmers live in small towns so they have to repeat the same rederick as the rest of the community so they can fit in.

In bigger cities one can have they’re own opinions and not get labelled as much as in a small town.

Most Reform/Conservatives are rednecks because they blindly support the whole, no matter how ridicules the idea is.

I did not mean that redneck as an insult just a way of life.

 

[countryboy]

I don't know what the hell you're rambling about, if you're even serious or if you're just arguing for the sake of arguing but an openly gay mayor being elected in Texas of all places is definitley newsworthy.

Perhaps I might be able to help you figure it out. I took it that JLM was saying that being gay or not is about as important as the color of one's skin or a host of other things when it comes to qualifying a person to do a job, in this case, the job of being mayor of Houston. It appears to me that he was saying those "things" are NOT important and the only thing that counts is the ability to do the job, thus rendering those other things not worthy of being "news."

Does that answer your question?

By the way, I don't think the issue of being gay (or not) is newsworthy either, as I don't think it would affect the person's ability to do the job, one way or the other. I hope I'm not rambling too much, and I am quite serious.

Please feel free to disagree, as long as you're clear on what I mean. If you're not clear, please don't hesitate to seek further clarification. If you disagree, I certainly respect your opinion and I hope you will return the courtesy.

When voicing disagreement, a civil manner can be an effective way to state your point of view, as it tends to draw the person(s) with an opposing viewpoint into a productive engagement which can even lead to that person coming over to your point of view after listening to your intelligent, thoughtful, and well-stated argument. At the very least, that type of approach can encourage the opposition to become more respectful of your viewpoint.

Thank you so much for bringing your concerns to the surface, and I for one, look forward to more healthy discourse on this or any other subject.

 

[Cliffy]

I don't know what the hell you're rambling about, if you're even serious or if you're just arguing for the sake of arguing but an openly gay mayor being elected in Texas of all places is definitley newsworthy.

Off topic: Is your avatar Vlad the Impaler?

 

[JLM]

Perhaps I might be able to help you figure it out. I took it that JLM was saying that being gay or not is about as important as the color of one's skin or a host of other things when it comes to qualifying a person to do a job, in this case, the job of being mayor of Houston. It appears to me that he was saying those "things" are NOT important and the only thing that counts is the ability to do the job, thus rendering those other things not worthy of being "news."

Does that answer your question?

By the way, I don't think the issue of being gay (or not) is newsworthy either, as I don't think it would affect the person's ability to do the job, one way or the other. I hope I'm not rambling too much, and I am quite serious.

Please feel free to disagree, as long as you're clear on what I mean. If you're not clear, please don't hesitate to seek further clarification. If you disagree, I certainly respect your opinion and I hope you will return the courtesy.

When voicing disagreement, a civil manner can be an effective way to state your point of view, as it tends to draw the person(s) with an opposing viewpoint into a productive engagement which can even lead to that person coming over to your point of view after listening to your intelligent, thoughtful, and well-stated argument. At the very least, that type of approach can encourage the opposition to become more respectful of your viewpoint.

Thank you so much for bringing your concerns to the surface, and I for one, look forward to more healthy discourse on this or any other subject.

Well, you certainly had no problem figuring out what I was talking about and actually I don't think he had any problem either.............:lol::lol::lol: Maybe he's the editor of a gay/lesbian newspaper........:lol::lol::lol:

 

[JLM]

I lived in Alberta for years and that province is considered to be like Texas.

I knew a lot of rednecks and most of them are prejudiced some weren’t.

Most of the farmers are rednecks but some aren’t.

Most farmers live in small towns so they have to repeat the same rederick as the rest of the community so they can fit in.

In bigger cities one can have they’re own opinions and not get labelled as much as in a small town.

Most Reform/Conservatives are rednecks because they blindly support the whole, no matter how ridicules the idea is.

I did not mean that redneck as an insult just a way of life.

Actually probably a lot more good than bad. They can be hard workers and also honest. I admit some of them could clean up their yards a bit, but that is a pretty weak excuse to denigrate them.

 

[Ron in Regina]

My experience with most people that consider themselves Rednecks (and
not people that other label others with their own preconceived stereotypes)
are some of the most unassuming and direct yet open-minded people that
I've ever had the pleasure to meet. That's just my own anecdotal experience
though, I guess. Oh yeah....and they throw some of the best parties.

I'd rather deal with someone who believes in the honour of his own word
based on a handshake than most of the slippery characters that seem
to fill Parliment and Prisons and Bay Street.

Anyway....this is off-topic, and the Topic is that a Mayor in Houston (who
happens to also be Gay) had been elected. Sorry for the sidetrack.

 

[countryboy]

I lived in Alberta for years and that province is considered to be like Texas.

I knew a lot of rednecks and most of them are prejudiced some weren’t.

Most of the farmers are rednecks but some aren’t.

Most farmers live in small towns so they have to repeat the same rederick as the rest of the community so they can fit in.

In bigger cities one can have they’re own opinions and not get labelled as much as in a small town.

Most Reform/Conservatives are rednecks because they blindly support the whole, no matter how ridicules the idea is.

I did not mean that redneck as an insult just a way of life.

OK, thanks for that. By the way, is there any particular issue they (the rednecks) stand for that you disagree with? (I understand the point you made on prejudice, but I'm wondering if there are more...) - thanks!

 

[countryboy]

OK, thanks for that. By the way, is there any particular issue they (the rednecks) stand for that you disagree with? (I understand the point you made on prejudice, but I'm wondering if there are more...) - thanks!

Ron raises a good point - the whole red neck thing is a bit off-topic, but I was trying to understand the Texas-redneck-gay mayor connection a bit more thoroughly. I'm a bit slow on these things! :lol:

 

[Ron in Regina]

Ron raises a good point - the whole red neck thing is a bit off-topic, but I was trying to understand the Texas-redneck-gay mayor connection a bit more thoroughly. I'm a bit slow on these things! :lol:

I'll start a new Thread for this. Lets leave this Thread on the Topic of Gay Texas
Mayors. :lol:

 

[ironsides]

Houston Elects First Openly Gay Mayor - Good for Houston. There aren't to many cities in our two countries that can say they have put prejudice aside and elected the better person.

 

[JLM]

Houston Elects First Openly Gay Mayor - Good for Houston. There aren't to many cities in our two countries that can say they have put prejudice aside and elected the better person.

How do we know they eleced the better person?

 

[Kreskin]

If it makes the conservative right in Houston feel better please let them know we appreciate their tolerance allowing Houston to be the new gay city leader. Council can work to host the World's Gay Fair.

 

[ironsides]

How do we know they eleced the better person?

How do we ever know, just hope.

 

[countryboy]

How do we know they eleced the better person?

Well, based on the opening post, there isn't a lot of substance to be able to offer an opinion on whether or not the better person won. The person who won happens to be gay, and the one who lost wasn't, although I'm making an assumption on the loser's sexual orientation as it wasn't clearly stated in that opening post.

There wasn't any mention made about the platforms of the candidates, their track records, and their experience. I guess if we (Canadians) are so interested in the civic election results in Houston, Texas, we'd have to dig a bit further come up with a valid opinion on whether or not the best qualified candidate actually won.

I realize that the winner is gay, but I'm not too clear as to how that (alone) would qualify a person to run a big city like Houston. Personally, that wouldn't be on my list of things to be concerned with if I had been voting in that election.

Hopefully - for their sakes - the voters of Houston weighed all the information and made an intelligent, informed decision. Just like we do every time we go to the polls. :lol: