Heilman, one of the Longest-Serving Openly Gay Elected Officials, is Seeking to Raise Funds to Establish a Global Emergency Fund with OutRight Action International for LGBTIQ Activists around the World.

John Heilman

For nearly two decades, City of West Hollywood Council-member John Heilman has been running marathons to support great causes. For 2018, Heilman has set his sights on running the half marathon at the upcoming Gay Games in Paris, which will take place from Saturday, August 4, 2018 to Sunday, August 12, 2018. The half marathon will take place on Saturday, August 11, 2018.

Council-member Heilman has participated in Gay Games events in the past in volleyball. The first Gay Games were held in 1982 in the United States. The games are open to all competitors, professionals or keen amateurs, and advocate respect, solidarity and equality. In total, 15,000 participants are expected to celebrate diversity around 36 different sports.

Council-member Heilman has created a Go Fund Me page at www.gofundme.com/JohnHeilman with the aim of raising $20,000 in funds to establish a Global Emergency Fund with OutRight Action International for LGBTIQ activists around the world.

«I currently serve on OutRight’s board of directors. OutRight Action International is an amazing international LGBTIQ human rights organisation dedicated to supporting human rights for LGBTIQ people throughout the world. OutRight has been doing everything possible to respond to attacks on our community», said Council-member Heilman.

«When LGBTIQ activists are under attack, OutRight is there to respond. With my help, OutRight is setting up a Global Emergency Fund for LGBTIQ human rights. While we’ve made significant progress in advancing equality for LGBTIQ people in the United States, progress has been much slower in other parts of the world. In fact, homosexuality is still a crime in over 70 countries, and in some places, it is punishable by death. It seems like every month, there is a new attack on the LGBTIQ community somewhere in the world».

Council-member Heilman was first elected to the West Hollywood City Council in 1984. Heilman is the longest serving openly gay elected official in the country. Heilman was elected to the City of West Hollywood’s first City Council in November 1984, and he was chosen as the City’s second mayor in 1985. He has served eight terms as Mayor. Council-member Heilman is also a well-known law school professor. He currently teaches at both Southwestern Law School and USC Gould School of Law. He has been an active member of various state, local, and international organizations, having served on the Board of Directors of both the National League of Cities and the League of California Cities. He is a past board member of the Local Government Commission. He is a founding member and past president of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Local Officials group and is a past co-chair of the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials.

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