Glen Maxey

Background Info:

Glen Maxey has had the kind of historic career in politics that many only dream of. He first taught migrant students in Navasota, Texas, before becoming involved in Democratic politics. In 1982, Maxey joined the staff of Democratic State Senator Oscar Mauzy, quickly becoming his chief legislative aide, a position from which he was extremely active on gay rights and AIDS issues. He then was elected to the position of state representative, becoming the first openly gay legislator in either chamber of the Texas state legislature. Maxey served from 1991 to 2003, acquiring a reputation as an enormously productive legislator with political courage. He was instrumental in passing the landmark Children’s Health Insurance Program bill, and also worked on improving access to Medicare and conditions for disabled children, among a host of other issues.

Today Glen Maxey paid us a visit at the Campaign Academy. After academy student Sam Brothers introduced him to the rest of us, he had a few stories to tell us about what he called the "good ole days" back when he was just novice politician working for the State Senate as a legislative aid. He then proceeded to tell us some stories from the rough draft of his auto-biography, that according to him will be released in the Spring of 2012. After telling us some "risque" stories about himself as he served as a State Representative, one of them involving a humorous encounter with former president and then governor George W. Bush, he proceeded to answer questions from us Academy students. As he talked about his struggles as a politician and more importantly as a person, we were awed by his perseverance in the face of adversity. We would like to thank Glen Maxey for taking the time to talk us today, not only because of his stature as a Texan politician, but as a person who is an inspiration to us all.