Ron Oden | |
---|---|
19th Mayor of Palm Springs | |
In office December 1, 2003 –December 5, 2007 | |
Preceded by | Will Kleindienst |
Succeeded by | Steve Pougnet |
Member of the College of the Desert Board of Trustee District 3 [1] [2] | |
Assumed office May 19,2022 | |
Preceded by | Fred E. Jandt |
Personal details | |
Born | March 21,1950 |
Political party | Democratic |
Children | 2 |
Ron Oden (born March 21,1950) is an American politician. In November 2003,he was elected the first gay African-American mayor of Palm Springs,California,after serving eight years on the city council. He became the first Black openly gay man to be a mayor of a U.S. city. [3] [4] [5] [6] He was also "the first gay African-American elected to lead a California city." [upper-alpha 1] In December 2017,Palm Springs elected "America's first all-LGBTQ city council." [4] [6] [8]
Oden was born on March 21,1950,in Detroit,Michigan,and grew up in Los Angeles,California. He attended Oakwood University in Huntsville,Alabama,earning a Bachelor of Arts in History,Sociology,and Theology. He also went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Theology at Andrews University in Berrien Springs,Michigan,as well as a Master of Arts Degree in Ethnic Studies at the University at Albany,SUNY. [9] He is an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister,who resigned shortly before entering politics. [10]
In 1990,Oden moved to Palm Springs,California,to begin teaching at the College of the Desert as an adjunct Sociology instructor. Concern about educational and social issues motivated Oden to enter politics,and in 1995,he was elected to the Palm Springs City Council. [9]
In 2000,Oden ran for Congress on a limited budget,capturing 38% of the vote. [11]
In 2003,Oden was elected Mayor of Palm Springs. As the first openly gay African American mayor elected in California,Oden's election made global news headlines. [11] Oden's tenure as mayor was notable for his work promoting organizations focused on diversity,including the Palm Springs Human Rights Task Force,the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission,and the Palm Springs branch of the NAACP. [12] Oden also brought in the Palm Springs City Council's first gay majority. [13]
Palm Springs saw historic growth during Oden's tenure,with the city's budget doubling during his term. Oden saw success in building Palm Springs as a destination resort city,helped by a new concourse being added to the Palm Springs International Airport in 2007 and new amenities like the Palm Springs Skatepark,considered one of California's best skateparks. [14] [15]
In June 2006,he ran for [16] and lost in the Democratic primary for a seat in the California State Assembly by less than 100 votes. [17]
In 2007,he was honored with a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. [18]
In 2015,eight years after the completion of his initial stint as mayor,Oden once again ran for mayor of Palm Springs. [19] [20] He campaigned on a platform calling for governmental transparency and restoration of trust and faith in city leadership. He wanted elected officials to disclose their income and its sources,a response to allegations of "conflict of interest between the current mayor Steve Pougnet and a private developer." Oden wanted to restore the proper course of conduct to investors and entrepreneurs:"Businessmen are investors in our city. They’re not bad people but I think people get stirred and go the wrong way.”Oden also wanted to assuage the “eroding relationship”with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and address the status of a west campus for College of the Desert. He used to teach there,and it disappeared without much discussion. Finally,Oden acknoweledged that he had been out of politics for several years,and said he "hopes to channel Frank Bogert," the city's first directly elected mayor,who successfully "came back for seconds" almost three decades later. [21]
Oden lost the election to Robert Moon. [22]
Oden is openly gay and is the father of two daughters,Brooke and Brittany Oden. He is also the grandfather of two granddaughters and two grandsons. [11]
In recognition of his role in the Palm Springs community as the first openly gay African American elected as mayor of a California city,and 30 year of public service,Oden was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Great Palm Springs Pride at the 2019 Pride Honors Awards. [7] [23]
The Coachella Valley is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley may also be referred to as Greater Palm Springs and the Palm Springs Area due to the prominence of the city of Palm Springs and disagreement over the name Coachella. The valley extends approximately 45 mi (72 km) southeast from the San Gorgonio Pass to the northern shore of the Salton Sea and the neighboring Imperial Valley,and is approximately 15 mi (24 km) wide along most of its length. It is bounded on the northeast by the San Bernardino and Little San Bernardino Mountains,and on the southwest by the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains.
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund,commonly shortened to Victory Fund,is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of out LGBTQ+ public officials in the United States. Victory Fund is the largest LGBTQ+ political action committee in the United States and one of the nation's largest non-connected PACs.
Palm Springs is a desert resort city in Riverside County,California,United States,within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately 94 square miles (240 km2),making it the largest city in Riverside County by land area. With multiple plots in checkerboard pattern,more than 10% of the city is part of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians reservation land and is the administrative capital of the most populated reservation in California.
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian,gay,bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Canada. For a broad overview of LGBT history in Canada see LGBT history in Canada.
Frank Mitchell Bogert was an American cowboy,professional rodeo announcer,author,and politician best known as the longtime mayor of Palm Springs,California.
The first English-language use of the word "bisexual" to refer to sexual orientation occurred in 1892.
Ron Shalom Galperin is an American politician who served as the 19th Los Angeles City Controller from 2013 to 2022. He took office on July 1,2013 and won re-election in 2017. A member of the Democratic Party,Galperin is the first openly gay official and first neighborhood councilmember to be elected to citywide office in Los Angeles.
The David Bohnett Foundation is a private foundation that gives grants to organizations that focus on its core giving areas –primarily Los Angeles area programs and LGBT rights in the United States,as well as leadership initiatives and voter education,gun violence prevention,and animal language research. As of 2022,the foundation has donated $125 million to nonprofit organizations and initiatives.
New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem,and is home to one of the world's largest LGBTQ populations and the most prominent. Brian Silverman,the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest,loudest,and most powerful LGBT communities",and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs,high-rise buildings,and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states,"The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth,and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically,"Anyways,not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something,if you can make it here,then you must be queer."
Throughout Dallas–Fort Worth,there is a large lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender community. Since 2005,DFW has constituted one of the largest LGBT communities in Texas.
LGBTQ+ conservatism in the United States is a social and political ideology within the LGBTQ+ community that largely aligns with the American conservative movement. LGBTQ+ conservatism is generally more moderate on social issues than social conservatism,instead emphasizing values associated with fiscal conservatism,libertarian conservatism,and neoconservatism.
Peter Daut is an American journalist who has been an anchor and investigative reporter at KESQ-TV in Palm Springs,California,since February 2020.
The following is a timeline of lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) history in the 21st century.
Lisa Middleton is an American politician,who served as the Mayor of Palm Springs from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party,Middleton has served on the Palm Springs City Council since 2017,and is the first openly transgender person elected in California for a non-judicial position.
The National LGBTQ Wall of Honor is an American memorial wall in Greenwich Village,Lower Manhattan,New York City,dedicated to LGBTQ "pioneers,trailblazers,and heroes". The wall is located inside of the Stonewall Inn and is a part of the Stonewall National Monument,the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history. The first fifty nominees were announced in June 2019,and the wall was unveiled on June 27,2019,as a part of the Stonewall 50 –WorldPride NYC 2019 events. Each year five additional names will be added.
Following Oden's historic election 17 years ago, the Palm Spring City Council made history once again: In December 2017, it became America's first all-LGBTQ city council.
Greater Palm Springs Pride has announced the recipients of the 2019 Pride Honors Awards. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Ron Oden, who served as mayor of Palm Springs from 2003 to 2007. Oden was the first openly gay mayor to be elected in Palm Springs, and also the first gay African-American elected to lead a California city.
In celebration of Black History Month, we honor black LGBTQ pioneers of the past and the present and celebrate their oft-forgotten contributions.