Glen Maxey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Glen Maxey (1952- ) is an American state politician who was the first openly gay person elected to the Texas Legislature. Active in the fight for gay rights, Maxey was a central figure in the establishment of facilities for the education and care of HIV-infected individuals, especially the AIDS Project of Austin (AAP).

Tommy Glen Maxey was born February 23, 1952, in Harris County, Tex., the son of Byron Hale Maxey and Mary Ursula Ocker. His family ran a traveling rodeo. He was educated at Sam Houston State University and Texas A&M University. He first entered politics in 1968 as a volunteer on the Texas primary campaign of Eugene McCarthy.

While teaching school, Maxey continued to volunteer for local, state and Federal campaigns. In 1980, Maxey signed on to help Kent Caperton, a young Bryan attorney who was seeking to unseat the legendary "Bull of the Brazos," William T. (Bill) Moore. Moore had held the Senate seat centered around Bryan for 32 years before Caperton sent him home in the Democratic primary that year. After running Caperton's November campaign, Maxey went to Austin in 1981 as one of Caperton's legislative aides. Maxey returned to Bryan the next year to run against House Appropriations Chairman Bill Presnal in the Democratic primary; he lost that race. State Senator Oscar Mauzy hired Maxey for his Austin office.

Maxey left Mauzy in 1987 to work as the first executive director of the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas. In 1991, Glen was elected to the Texas House from the Austin seat held by Lena Guerrero, who had been appointed by Richards to the Texas Railroad Commission.

Serving from 1991-2003, Maxey passed hundreds of bills and substantive amendments and played a leading role in passing the Children's Health Insurance Program. Since retiring from office, he has worked as a lobbyist and public affairs adviser, running the Travis County Democratic Party's highly successful 2004 and 2006 Coordinated Campaign, among others.