Houston Mayor Annise Parker and
longtime partner Kathy Hubbard are preparing to marry next month in
Palm Springs, California, one of the 18 states where gay and lesbian
couples are allowed to marry.
According to CultureMap
Houston, Parker and Hubbard are planning to tie the knot in a
low-key ceremony.
Parker's press secretary, Janice Evans,
would not confirm the plans: “The mayor very much appreciates the
interest in the 23-year relationship she has shared with her life
partner, First Lady Kathy Hubbard. However, marriage is a private
matter and she has no announcements she wishes to make at this time.
If that changes, we will let you know.”
Parker, who begins her third and final
term as mayor in January, has previously stated that she would wait
to marry in Texas. However, during a recent National Press Club
address, Parker softened her stance.
“I am in a 23 year domestic partner
relationship and I've been looking forward to the opportunity in the
state of Texas to marry her,” Parker said. “May get tired of
waiting, if it goes on too long. I want to be young enough to
actually know who I'm marrying when I do it.”
Parker and Hubbard have two adopted
daughters, Daniela and Marquitta, and one foster son, Jovon Tyler.