100 Women We Love Class of 2010
A Houston, Texas native, Annise Parker has remained close to her roots. She was sworn in as the 61st mayor of Houston in January, becoming only the second woman and first openly gay person to hold that office. She graduated from Rice University and worked for two decades in the oil and gas industry, with 18 of those years spent at the Houston-based Mosbacher Energy Company. For ten years, she co-owned Inklings, a Houston-based independent gay bookstore. Parker was involved in Houston politics for several years prior to becoming mayor, serving six years as a member of the City Council and one six-year term as Houston City Controller. -CB
As the first decade of the new millennium comes to an end, we take a moment to celebrate 100 out lesbians who have made the past year one of inspiring change and amazing progress.
Sincalir Sexsmith
Sinclair Sexsmith, in the throes of a “lesbian bed death” relationship, began the blog sugarbutch.net in 2006. “I decided to either go to the gym or write erotica every time I wanted to have sex, and I ended up writing a whole lot of erotica,” she confesses. “The beginnings of the blog were mostly fiction, things I wished I was doing, and some tortured posts about my relationship. It became a personal meditation on sex and desire, and new acceptance about my own kink, sexuality, desires and relationships.” A few years and several awards later, sugarbutch.net remains incredibly popular and Sexsmith has branched out, writing regular columns for the websites Sex Is and Carnal Nation. “It’s hard, sometimes, to make so much of my personal life available on the Internet. But it’s also really worth it,” she adds. “I get some of the most supportive emails about how my own story has touched and changed someone else.” -CB
