Houston Mayor Annise Parker has already had a big start to 2014. She was newly inaugurated to her third and final term on January 2nd, and has hit the ground running with a new City Council in place. The local economy is in full swing, and everyone around the nation now has Houston on their list of “best cities” for one reason or another. And the Parker Administration has surprised quite a few with it’s quick “progressive shift”… passing a landmark ordinance to combat wage theft, tackling predatory lending practices, and announcing that city benefits will now be offered to same-sex spouses. Despite several attempts by the Harris County Republican Party to block the action, the new benefits coverage remains in effect.

But there’s at least one person that is still not eligible for those benefits… Houston’s First Lady Kathy Hubbard. Though she and Mayor Parker have been together 23 years, the state of Texas does not allow them to marry simply because they are gay. At one point, the Mayor stated that she wanted to be married in her home state of Texas, and was willing to wait around for the state-level ban to be struck down. But now, those plans have changed. Clifford Pugh of Culturemap Houston reported in late December that the Mayor was making plans to wed in Mid-January. This would be the assumed time as well because January 16th is the couple’s 23rd anniversary.  Sources confirmed to Texas Leftist that close friends of the couple were in route to Palm Springs, California. The Mayor and Hubbard were wed in a private ceremony.  

Now to be clear, the Mayor has said that the couple’s decision to get married is personal (as it should be), and has nothing to do with the city’s decision to extend benefits to same-sex spouses. That was made because of the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. But even if the Mayor and First Lady stay out of the legal toggle, their marriage is sure to be news in the LGBT community.

This week Houston’s First Couple made it official. Stay tuned for updates. Congratulations to our Mayor and First Lady!!!