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.
Melissa Febos
In Whip Smart, memoirist and former GO contributor Melissa Febos lays bare her past career as a dominatrix. From role play to rubber costumes, Febos gives the reader a sharp portrait of this world and its emotional impact. “It’s terrifying, and liberating at the same time,” she says of revealing her former life. These days Febos teaches at SUNY Purchase and NYU, and hosts the monthly Mixer Reading and Music Series at Cake Shop in New York City. “If Whip Smart has a message, it is one of self-acceptance,” she explains. “And, I hope it suggests that we often don’t know as much as we think we do about ourselves and other people; the world becomes a bigger, more interesting place when we figure that out.” -CB
