Houston Mayor Would Be ‘Shocked’ If Obama Supported Marriage Equality In 2012

At a convening of LGBT journalists in Houston Friday evening, Mayor Annise Parker, who is openly lesbian, fielded questions about the role marriage equality in the 2012 election. She said that “it’s important to have the debate” in the Democratic Party, so long as it doesn’t cause division and take away from re-electing President Obama, who she pointed out is a better candidate on LGBT issues than any of the Republican hopefuls. As for whether Obama will complete his “evolution” on marriage equality this year, Parker said she’d be “shocked” if he changed his position because he’s already doing everything he can to support the recognition of same-sex couples. Annise Parker is serving her second term as mayor of Houston and is co-chair of the Mayors for Freedom to Marry project, which around 200 mayors have joined.