Anti-Gay Letter Attacks Annise Parker

Wilson's 2009 flyer (click for full size)

It was only a matter of time really: Dave Wilson is sending anti-gay letters to Houstonians attacking Annise Parker.

Wilson, you may remember, is the homophobic electrician who sent 35,000 flyers to Houston homes during the 2009 elections with a picture of Parker's swearing in for her previous position as City Comptroller, her partner Kathy Hubbard at her side. The 2009 flyer asked the question "Is this the image Houston wants to portray?" To which Houston voters resoundingly replied "YES!"

Wilson's latest attack is on a much smaller scale than his full color assualt from 2009: a personal letter sent to Parker's donors and Houston Democratic precinct chairs. The letter, dated May 27th, reads:

Dear Sir of Madam,

Annise Parker and her campaign manager want you to think that sexual orientation does not matter. IT DOES.

Being homosexual is one thing, but using your position of power to promote the homosexual agenda is quite another. In her first term as Mayor, Ms. Parker has appointed a transvestite to be a municipal judge (Phyllis Frye). She has signed an executive order that allows men dressed as women to use the women’s restroom (#1-8 Revised). She has carved out a new council district for homosexuals (District “C”).

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. Religious freedom will be stifled and millions more will be trapped as the demand for legal and political approval for homosexual behavior increases.

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.

It is the health, or corruption, of the moral imagination that is the most important factor in determining the future of our city. If we want to save our city we must change the direction of the moral and cultural compass that guides us.

Do we lack the courage and character to pursue and implement the wisest of ideas that promote a wholesome, righteous, and godly city for our children to grow up in? I HOPE NOT!

Please join me in recruiting a capable person to challenge Ms. Parker for Mayor.

Sincerely,


David B. Wilson

Wilson's 2011 letter (click for full size)

Is commentary even needed? Beyond the gross inaccuracy of calling the Hon. Phyllis Frye a "transvestite," (Frye identifies as transgender and is legally recognized by the State of Texas as female) Wilson completely misrepresents Parker's executive order insuring that women may use the women's room and men may use the men's room regardless of what gender other people might assign them.

It may be easy to dismiss the letter as the ravings of a bigoted crank, but Wilson puts his money where his mouth is (he was a major donor to Parker's 2009 runoff opponent Gene Locke), and he has the influence to pull other donors with him. According to Noel Freeman over at Boots on the Bayou four candidates have officially entered the Mayor's race: Parker, Bryan Carr (who, as a non-Houston resident is ineligible), Fernando Herrera (who ran an unsuccessful Republican campaign in 2010 to unseat Jessica Farrar in the Texas House) and Kevin Simms. Expect Wilson to pick his favorite challenger in the next couple of months and start funneling money that way. Once that happens the question will be if Wilson's favorite will keep the money (as Locke did in 2009), or refuse it.

Trans Pioneer Phyllis Frye Becomes Texas' First Trans Judge

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.

It was only 30 years ago that Frye risked arrest every time she entered City Hall. At that time the City of Houston and most American cities had ordinances criminalizing cross dressing. Frye defied the law to fight for it's repeal, which finally happened in 1980.

Frye is only the third transgender judge in the country. The other two both serve in California.

Frye is nationally recognized as an expert on the legal issues facing transgender Americans. Her law firm is currently representing Nikki Araguz in the suit brought by Mrs. Araguz's late husband's ex-wife in Wharton County. The ex-wife is attempting to void the Araguz's marriage (so that she may inherit the estate of her ex-husband). The suit centers on the fact that Mrs. Araguz was originally legally recognized as male by the state of Texas and could have national ramifications for the transgender community.