Bitter fight over LGBT ordinance goes to voters

Voters of Houston, Texas, the country's fourth largest city, will choose a new mayor and decide whether to extend nondiscrimination protections to its gay and transgender residents in a referendum being watched nationally. The ordinance passed by the Houston City Council, but the Texas Supreme Court ordered that it to be put to a public vote by the Texas Supreme Court.

The fight for and against the ordinance has been bitter, pitting Houston's mayor, Annise Parker, who is gay, against conservatives worried about men being allowed to use women's public restrooms. The results could send a signal nationally. Some gay rights groups see local equal rights protections as their next major fight, after the U.S. Supreme Court awarded them the right to marry.

Having served since January 2010, Mayor Annise Parker has been voted into office three times by Houston voters. She also served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council. Parker and her partner, Kathy Hubbard, have been together since 1990.

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The Gayly - 11/2/2015 @ 5:50 p.m. CST