“You don’t commit 23 years of your life to someone to make a political statement […] They can get over it.”
Houston Mayor Annise Parker tied the knot with her longtime partner, Kathy Hubbard, last week.
Parker's election in 2009 made Houston the largest U.S. city with an openly gay mayor. She has since been re-elected twice, winning again in both 2011 and 2013.
Richard Carson / Reuters / Reuters
Local Republican leaders questioned the motives behind both the location and timing of her ceremony.
The couple selected January 16 for their wedding date because it marks the 23rd anniversary of the start of their lives together.
Richard Hartog / Reuters
She waited until after the election to do this for a reason, because she realized had she done it before the election and subjected herself to the will of the voters, she might not have been successful [...] First and foremost, she issues her unlawful same sex benefits to couples married in other states. Then she goes to California, a state that recognizes same sex marriage, and gets married there. Then she gives her city attorney a 43-percent pay raise.