POZIAM - West Hollywood Mayor John Duran

Mayor Duran was elected to the West Hollywood City Council on March 6, 2001. Throughout his legal career he has worked to defend human rights, including the prominent legal case Kolcum v. L.A. County, where he successfully sued Los Angeles County for denying medication to inmates with HIV/AIDS. Mayor Duran was identified as one of the 20 most influential members of the gay community by "In Los Angeles Magazine." Besides leading the effort for marriage equality in California, he also serves as a role model for HIV positive people as one of four HIV-positive elected officials in the United States. Mayor Duran has been a gay activist since 1985 and is currently writing a history of the gay rights movement in Southern California.