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.
Pam Spaulding
Pam Spaulding’s popular blog PamsHouseBlend.com has won a slew of awards, including Best LGBT Blog at the 2005 and 2006 Weblog Awards. As its editor and publisher, Spaulding herself was named one of the Huffington Post‘s Ultimate Game Changers in Politics in 2009, and received the 2006 Distinguished Achievement Award from The Monette-Horwitz Trust for making significant contributions toward the eradication of homophobia. Spaulding is a regular contributor to other progressive blogs, including Pandagon and The Bilerico Project. “I love reader feedback, including the batshit crazy right,” she says. “The best way to blunt the hate is to embrace its lunacy, so I display the quotes as badges of honor.” A Durham, NC native, Pam lives in the Bull City with her wife, Kate. -EI
