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Old 12-13-2009, 07:51 AM
 
Location: Underneath the Pecan Tree
15,982 posts, read 35,194,653 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dopo View Post
I don't believe that,
the reason I said that is because I think (guessing) that if a gay person was going to pick a city in Texas to live their first choice would be Austin.

Again, that's just a guess.
Yeah because all the gay people live in Austin.
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Old 12-13-2009, 09:29 AM
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Location: Ohio
17,107 posts, read 38,096,265 times
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The thread is discussing things that are off topic. Here's a reminder of the topic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dopo View Post
Is Texas moving "Left"?
I'm surprised that Houston is the first city to elect an openly gay mayor in Texas, I would have thought it would be Austin.

Houston Is Largest City to Elect Openly Gay Mayor - NY Times - Dec 12, 2009
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Old 12-13-2009, 12:07 PM
 
1,329 posts, read 3,543,264 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dopo View Post
Is Texas moving "Left"?
I'm surprised that Houston is the first city to elect an openly gay mayor in Texas, I would have thought it would be Austin.

Houston Is Largest City to Elect Openly Gay Mayor - NY Times - Dec 12, 2009
Not really. I think there's this (mistaken) perception that Austin is liberal, whereas Houston and Dallas are conservative. The reality? Houston and Dallas have both had black mayors. Austin hasn't. The rule generally is that Texas's big cities are liberal, whereas their suburbs are conservative. Note that both Houston and Dallas already have working mass rail transit, whereas Austin does not.
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Old 12-13-2009, 12:07 PM
 
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
5,429 posts, read 14,836,889 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LAnative10 View Post
I dont think Houston electing a gay mayor means Texas is moving left. Her fiscal view are very conservative. It just means that most people here dont really care about sexual orientation and can get past it to find the best person for the job
I couldn't have said it better.

No one cares if she's gay or not gay (well, maybe a few people. But most don't.) Houston is quite live-and-let-live, and always has been. They just want the BEST person for the JOB, and the voters seem to think she was it.
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Old 12-13-2009, 12:57 PM
 
1,534 posts, read 3,493,463 times
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I agree. Ms. Parker won the election b/c more people thought she was the best candidate available and people liked what she had to propose. Large cosmopolitans like NYC, Houston, LA, etc, people in general are much less closed minded. If anything, I'd be more suprised if a small rural town in the US elected a gay mayor. I don't know why anyone who really knows houston would be surprised at this news; Htown is a very liberal and ecclectic city. As for Austin, pleez. It's a nice "city" but it's way over rated imo and anyone who's travelled much will not compare it to real cosmopolitans such as Boston, NYC, LA, Washington, Miami, etc. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against austin, and admittedly it's prettier and cleaner than Houston, but it tries too hard to be hip. -I'm just saying...

Last edited by houstonfan; 12-13-2009 at 01:08 PM..
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Old 12-13-2009, 01:15 PM
 
Location: ITL (Houston)
9,221 posts, read 15,947,260 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady View Post
Couple of things. First, the gay folks that I know that live in the Austin area are happy here because they are considered just like anyone else, they're just people like everyone else, and so the size of the gay community here is a bit harder to detect for that reason. We don't expect people, just because they're gay, to "flaunt it" any more than we expect people to have "Heterosexual Pride" parades - it's really none of our business, when you get right down to it. What's more important is what kind of neighbors, employees/employers, friends, they are - or what kind of public officials.
I really don't know what you're saying here. I haven't known any gays who advertise it. The only place where I've seen that was in LA.
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Old 12-13-2009, 05:29 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas
3,631 posts, read 7,666,242 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dopo View Post
I don't believe that,
the reason I said that is because I think (guessing) that if a gay person was going to pick a city in Texas to live their first choice would be Austin.

Again, that's just a guess.
I think it's a misguided assumption based on marketing and the media. I really think Austin is a far cry from the alternative mecca it is made out to be at least in any genuine sense. Austin is a somewhat trendy place and as long as it is trendy to embrace various sub cultures it can be expected to continue on that path. So while it might be a tolerant city its basically a superficial tolerance based on some precieved level of "coolness" and probably 95% percent of the "weird" people in Austin will be completely mainstream adults once they reach maturity. Bottomline is there is nothing weird about following the herd even if the herd's destination is "weirdness".

Austin is no Greenwich Villiage or West Hollywood.

I am sure that more genuinely unique, interesting people, with diverse opinions and lifestyles can be found in both DFW and Houston simply based on the size of the metro areas. People living alternative lifestyles in area's where it isn't completely embraced by the mainstream tend to be the real deal as they sometimes have to make considerable sacrifices and are willing to do so.

The keep it "weird" slogan btw is pretty lame IMHO...anything genuine doesn't require upkeep. It is what it is.

Parker was elected because the majority feel she is the best person for the job.
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Old 12-14-2009, 01:41 AM
 
Location: New London County, CT
8,949 posts, read 12,131,290 times
Reputation: 5145
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoHoVe View Post
Austin is no Greenwich Villiage or West Hollywood.
As am openly gay man who lived in Austin for 17 years (4 at UT), I do have to say if I were to pick a to pick a city to live in now it would be Houston or Dallas. They are larger cities, more cosmopolitan, and I think have more to offer note just gays, but everyone!

I am not at all surprised that Houston elected Ms. Parker. She was, according to the voters, the best person for the job. Large cities, I think, tend to be more liberal as a sheer reflection of the diversity included in their numbers.

Austin is a nice place to live, but doesn't live up to its own hype and marketing. I sometimes think the people who say Austin is "sooo liberal" need to go visit NYC, or Burlington, VT, etc.

When it came time to make a move, I went back to Connecticut. In the end I don't really care about how liberal or conservative a place is.... I care if a place feels like home.
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Old 12-14-2009, 12:36 PM
 
Location: Metromess
11,798 posts, read 25,175,776 times
Reputation: 5219
Quote:
Originally Posted by mlassoff View Post
In the end I don't really care about how liberal or conservative a place is.... I care if a place feels like home.
I think that says it all.

Still, I'm happy that not enough people in Houston held Ms Parker's gayness against her enough to keep her from being elected.
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Old 12-14-2009, 01:00 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
17,029 posts, read 30,911,890 times
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She was the more experienced of the candidates, and too many it was the lesser of two evils. None of the candidates were thought of as strong this year. Only 16% of voters turned out. Houston is not moving left, it is a much more tolerant and live-and-let-live city that it gets credit for.
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