Helena Brown

The city funding for four Houston nonprofits providing housing to at-risk populations living with HIV/AIDS survived a challenge from city council member Helena Brown last Wednesday. Under consideration by the council were ordinances to dispense almost $2.5 million in federal funds managed by the city to the SRO Housing Corporation, Bering Omega Community Services, Catholic Charities and SEARCH Homeless services.

Brown initially used a parliamentary procedure known as a “tag” to delay the funding for the Houston SRO Housing Corporation and Bering Omega. Any council member may tag an item under consideration, delaying the vote on the item for one week. Brown explained that she objected to government funding of charitable entities:

“I spoke last week on this very issue on grant funds and the idea that we are, you know, fighting with other entities and other governments for grant funds that really isn’t there. The federal government is in a worse condition than the city of Houston and to continue to try to milk the system where there’s no milk, is just, I mean, we’re fighting with our brothers, as I said last week, to get credit for who is going to push a friend over the cliff… We need to continue to look at the private sector and the business sector. Because even, I attended this event where this wonderful speaker was talking about the generosity of Americans and 80% of donations to nonprofits come from private individuals, not even corporations, and we need to continue to rely on that right now because the government right now, we’re broke – we need to face that reality.”

Other council members spoke passionately of the need for continued funding, arguing that by assisting people living with HIV/AIDS in achieving independence, particularly those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness,  the programs added to the tax based and help insure long-term stability.

“We don’t live in a perfect a world,” said freshman council member Mike Laster (the first out gay man to serve on the Houston City Council). “These organizations do their very best to raise money to care for the people among us, but they still need to reach out to entities that have that kind of capital, and by the grace of God this city and this government as an entity has some of that capitol, and I’m very proud that we’re able to provide those kind of services to some of my community members.”

Council member Wanda Adams, who serves as chair of the council’s Housing and Community Development Committee, also spoke in favor of continuing funding. Council member Ellen Cohen, whose district contains both SRO Housing and Bering Omega, spoke of how her life had personally been touched by AIDS:

“One of the first young men to pass away in New York City was a cousin of mine of something [then] called a very rare form on pneumonia… which we now realize was not. So I understand the need for these kinds of services. On a personal note I worked with Bering and I know all the fine work that they do, I’m addressing all the items but I’m particularly addressing [the Bering Omega funding] and feel it’s absolutely critical that we provide the kind of funding items, and that we are, in fact, our brother’s and our sister’s keepers.

After Laster asked Mayor Annise Parker the procedure for overriding a tag Brown removed her tag, but raised a new concern about HIV/AIDS housing, saying that her office had requested a list of the owners of apartment units where those receiving rental assistance lived. City Attorney David Feldman explained to Brown that federal law prohibits making public information that could be used to identify people receiving assistance through the housing program. Feldman said that, in his legal opinion, revealing the names of the owners of the apartments would violate federal law. Brown said that she was concerned that their might be a “conflict of interest” with apartment owners that needed to be investigated, claiming that as the reason for her tag.

Brown eventually removed her tag, rather than have it overturned. All four ordinances providing funding passed with only Brown voting “nay.”

The book is the narrative of Maxey’s research, assisted by a journalist from a national media outlet. Like almost every character in the book other than Maxey and Perry himself, “the Journalist” is referred to only as a pseudonym. Maxey and the Journalist begin their search for proof in June 2011 as rumors of Perry’s impending presidential bid are widely circulating. Immediately the pair find that almost every gay man in Austin has a friend who has a friend who claims to have slept with Perry. For the next three months they track those leads and come excruciatingly close to breaking the story.

In their investigation Maxey and the Journalist meet:

• “James” – who claims to have answered a Craigslist “casual encounters” ad by Perry and come face to face with his armed Department of Public Service escort,

• A “Former Legislator” rumored to have had a sexual relationship with Perry who told a friend he knew for a fact Perry was gay,

• Multiple people who claimed detailed knowledge of Perry’s alleged trysts with former Secretary of State Geoff Conner, none willing to go on the record. (The section where Maxey and the Journalist confront Conner at his Bastrop home is particularly thrilling),

• A gay Republican staffer who claims to have lost his job in the Governor’s office after rumors of the Perry/Conner affair broke and the office was purged of anyone who was gay, or seemed to be,

• A jogger who claims that Perry hit on him,

• A New York political operative with stories of Perry “disappearing” with a New York City policeman during a reception, and

• “Joey the Hustler,” who claims Perry hired him several times.

The story of Joey the Hustler takes up half the book, as Maxey alternates between an avuncular desire to protect Joey from the national spotlight telling his story will create and his thirst to get to the root of the Perry rumors.

Much of the book is direct transcripts of text messages, e-mails and Facebook messages between Maxey, the Journalist and their various contacts. Those who know Glen Maxey only as a venerable political figure may be surprised by the saucy language and frank sexuality of Head Figure Head‘s unvarnished conversations. In person Maxey comes across as comfortably frumpy, the human equivalent of a Snuggie (the blanket with arms!). In Head Figure Head Maxey emerges as a tireless gumshoe with a heart of gold, a modern day Sam Spade, torn between his quest for the truth and his concern for those involved, particularly Joey the Hustler, who Maxey describes as “shockingly naive.”

What emerges is less the story of a hypocritical closeted politician and more a question of the role of the media and the ethics of “outing.” Maxey eventually fails to persuade Joey the Hustler to go on the record and the Journalist’s publisher will not print the article without Joey’s affidavit. At the same time news of Perry’s fellow Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain’s multiple alleged infidelities begins to break. The early Cain allegations were based solely on anonymous sources, leaving Maxey, and the reader, to wonder why the burden of proof for same-sex dalliances is higher than for opposite-sex.

Maxey hopes his book will encourage more investigation of Perry’s life: “This was the teaser,” says Maxey. “Someone in the lame stream media will maybe report now.”

“Head Figure Head: The Search for the Hidden Life of Rick Perry” is available for the kindle through Amazon.com.

Pride Band Artistic Director Skip Martin

1. The Houston Pride Band presents “Guilty Pleasures,” a concert featuring the favorite guilty pleasures of the Pride Band members, tonight at 7:30 at the Hobby Center.  The concert marks the premier of the Pride Band’s new artistic Director, Skip Martin.  Martin chose the feature favorite’s from the bands 30-year history. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased from the Hobby Center.
2. The “Haute Boys of Fall II” gather at James Craig Furniture (4500 Washington Avenue), since their founding in 2010 the Haute Boys (which includes quite a few girls) have raised over $15,000 for area AIDS charities.  Tonight’s event features complimentary signature cocktails by Harmonie, an array of neighborhood bites, elements of design and fashion, music and more. Admission is an unwrapped toy, gift card or $20 donation for Houstonians in need.
3.  Voter turnout held steady for the ninth day of early voting in Harris County.  So far 34,329 people have voted, only 80% of the 42,968 who had voted by this point during the 2009 municipal elections.  Montrose’s own Multi Service Center on West Gray broke 400 voters for the first time since voting began on Oct 24. Early voting continues through November 4.  Election day is Nov 8. A list of all early voting locations and sample ballots  are available at harrisvotes.org.

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