John Heilman
Encyclopedia
John Heilman is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 municipal politician and frequent mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...

.

A native of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, Heilman moved to Southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 to attend the University of Southern California Law School
University of Southern California Law School
The University of Southern California Law School , located in Los Angeles, California, is a law school within the University of Southern California...

.

Heilman was active in the incorporation of the City of West Hollywood. He was elected to the City's first City Council in November 1984 and has served continuously since then. John Heilman was chosen as the City's second Mayor in 1985, and also served as Mayor in 1990, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2006. He began his most recent turn as Mayor in April 2010.

Since his earliest days on the City Council, one of Heilman's main concerns has been domestic partner rights. Heilman was instrumental in the establishment of West Hollywood's domestic partnership
Domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...

 registration program that permitted city employee partners to register and obtain domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples and seniors, regardless of gender, who are at least 62.5 years old and living together.

Heilman is a past board member of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...

 of Southern California.

Openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

, Heilman is also the past president of the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Local Officials Group and past co-chair of the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials. His 2007 re-election campaign has won the support of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials in US political life.The Victory Fund was founded in 1991...

. He holds an active membership of the Stonewall
Stonewall
The word Stonewall may refer to* a stone wall* a verb meaning "to refuse to cooperate, especially in supplying information" -Games and entertainment:* "Stonewall structure" of pawns in the chess opening theory:** Stonewall Attack...

 Democratic Club. Heilman is also a member of the Coalition for Economic Survival.

As a result of Heilman's leadership on the issue of AIDS, he received the U.S. Conference of Mayor's Award in 1990.

John Heilman is an avid runner and was responsible for bringing Frontrunners
Frontrunners
International Front Runners is an umbrella organization of LGBT running and walking clubs around the world. There are over 100 Frontrunners clubs worldwide, about half of which are in the United States.-Activities:...

 Annual 5k/10k Pride Run to West Hollywood as part of the city's annual Christopher Street West/CSW
CSW
The acronym CSW may refer to:organisations* Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a United Kingdom-based human rights organisation, specialising in religious freedom...

 Pride event held in June of each year.

John Heilman currently teaches law at both Whittier Law School
Whittier Law School
Whittier Law School is a law school in Costa Mesa, California. Founded in 1966, it is a fully accredited ABA law school in Orange County, California. A private university, it is part of Whittier College.-History:...

 and the University of Southern California Law School
University of Southern California Law School
The University of Southern California Law School , located in Los Angeles, California, is a law school within the University of Southern California...

.

External links

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