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.
Mimi Gonzalez
Comedian Mimi Gonzalez is most likely coming to a venue near you. The much-traveled performer frequently appears at colleges, clubs and Pride events throughout the country and has entertained the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The best work I’ve ever done is the ‘give-back’ kind, to the military and to my big gay family through Prides,” she says. Gonzalez, who started her career by taking a stand-up comedy class at the Learning Annex in New York City, has appeared on a number of TV shows including LOGO’s One Night Stand-Up, SiTV’s Loco Comedy Jam and NBC’s Today Show. More recently, she has become a regular performer in Provincetown and on Olivia cruises. Between gigs, Gonzalez tends to a black walnut farm in Michigan. Seriously. “Trees just grow and grow and my life’s made me nuts…so I’ll just grow more for the world,” she says. -CB
