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.
Candy Parker
“When I was younger, I dreamed of someday being known as ‘the lesbian Erma Bombeck.’ But I quickly discovered that opportunities for national syndication were sparse for lesbian humor writers,” laughs Candy Parker, the Editor-in-Chief of GAY e-magazine, the self-described “e-magazine by Lesbians with a Sense of Humor.” She set out to remedy this in part by founding GAY, which features lesbian writers and cartoonists from all over the world who volunteer their time and art. Parker edits GAY when not working her full-time job at an environmental consulting firm in Washington, D.C. All this hard work is worth it to her. “A very exciting benefit has been our ability to promote our sisters in comedy–the plethora of lesbian stand-up comedians who endeavor to compete in a very tough industry. While some publications might feature comedian interviews/profiles once a year in a comedy-themed issue, we’re highlighting these performers every month,” Parker says. -CB
