Dallas May Make History, Not that there's anything wrong with that

hasn't that phrase jump the shark

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Will Dallas make history with gay mayor?
Candidate's sexuality touches off debate in this changing city


By THOMAS KOROSEC
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Dallas Bureau

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DALLAS — Handicapping Dallas' mayoral contest in a recent interview, former Mayor Ron Kirk mentioned one thing as crucial to the candidacy of three-term councilman Ed Oakley: "The question for him is, 'Is Dallas ready for Ed Oakley?' "

If the 54-year-old small-business owner wins Saturday's runoff election, Dallas would become the first large city in the nation to elect an openly gay mayor.

This once-conservative stronghold has by all accounts become more diverse, more cosmopolitan and more politically liberal. But as city voters have become aware of Oakley's sexual orientation — which had not been prominently discussed in news coverage until last week — his campaign staff and key supporters said they are finding they are not quite living in freethinking Paris or Berlin, both led by gay mayors.

They say that wider knowledge of Oakley's sexual background — which he tersely acknowledges in interviews and debates — is hurting him in a Bible Belt city that remains home to scores of conservative churches, white and black, whose leaders regard homosexuality as a sin.

"Since there's become a focus on this, instead of people talking about crime in apartment complexes, we have black churches doing prayer circles to get Ed Oakley off the ballot," said Jesse Garcia, president of the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, which supports gay candidates and issues.

The blast of publicity, which began with an essay in Time that described Dallas as "the lavender heart of Texas," has stirred an issue that had not been raised by the local media or Oakley's opponent, Tom Leppert. The former construction company executive moved on with Oakley to a runoff after the May 12 city election.

"The best thing for us is to shut up," said Garcia, referring to his group and other gay political organizations that have gained clout in the city, especially since November when Democrats swept Dallas County offices.

At the urging of the head of the Texas Stonewall Democrats, the local party endorsed Oakley in what traditionally has been a nonpartisan race.

Oakley, too, appears anxious to dampen discussion of his groundbreaking role. "It doesn't serve any purpose of ours to talk about that," said Craig Murphy, Oakley's campaign spokesman, declining the Houston Chronicle an interview with the candidate for this story. "It can be used to hurt you."

Southern Methodist University political scientist Matthew Wilson said "family-values voters" are more concentrated in the suburbs than in the city.

"There are a lot of people who won't care that Ed Oakley is gay," he said. "It's an issue for people out there but I don't get the sense there is some sort of organized movement in the churches to come out against this."


Light turnout expected
The mayoral race has not generated much interest among the public at large, with only 13 percent of registered voters going to the polls last month. Election officials are predicting the runoff will draw 8 to 10 percent.
A district that includes Oak Lawn, a predominantly gay neighborhood, elected Dallas' first gay City Council member in 1993. Democrat Lupe Valdez, a lesbian, was elected Dallas County sheriff in 2005 in a down-ballot contest that made little mention of her sexual orientation. And other gay officeholders were swept into county offices last November.

On the other hand, two out of three voters in Dallas County approved banning gay marriage when it was on the ballot statewide in 2005.

"Does Dallas want to be famous for having a lesbian sheriff and a homosexual mayor to compete with San Francisco? I don't think that is where Dallas is going," said Cathie Adams, leader of the conservative Texas Eagle Forum.

She said Oakley, who sits on the board of a company that operates four gay bars, has been low-key about it but "will push a gay agenda in every arena he can push it."


'A huge issue'
Rufus Shaw, a political commentator and consultant, said "this issue of lifestyle is a huge issue for African-American faith-based voters. This is one area in which black Baptists are in lock step with white evangelicals."

Shaw said he was at a banquet last February of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, a group representing predominantly black churches in North Texas, at which the group's president, the Rev. S.C. Nash, made some pointedly anti-gay remarks.

Nash, who did not return repeated telephone calls for comment, must have been aware that Oakley was in the audience, Shaw said. "In my opinion, Oakley has tried to play down this issue from the beginning."


Fundraising efforts
There has been no discussion of specific gay rights issues during the campaign. Dallas revoked a ban on the hiring of gay police officers 14 years ago and adopted a policy barring discrimination against gays in hiring. It also has adopted an ordinance against discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing and public accommodations.
The Washington-based Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which supports homosexual candidates, pledged to raise $100,000 for Oakley's campaign and has raised about $80,000 to date, spokesman Denis Dison said.

The group's Web site casts the race as both historic and symbolic.

"Winning this mayoral race will not only make history for our community," the fundraising plea states, "it will send a message to every American that we can win — even in George Bush's backyard."

thomas.korosec@chron.com

 

well following the crime quote i can understand where he's going. I don't know if black churches are more homophobic than any other churches, but I guess there's supposed to be some irony in black churches, the foundation of the civil rights movement, being anti-gay.

I personally have no problem with gay people, but I do have a problem when people try to make an analogy between black people fighting for civil rights, and the gay rights movement.

 

what's bizarre, its pretty straight forward, I think its two separate issues.

 

its pretty ridiculous to even compare the two. black people were brought here as slaves, and continued to be discriminated against by laws by back by the freakin gov't. the fact that people compare the two is not only bizarre, its pretty damn ridiculous.