Ron Oden, American minister and politician, 19th Mayor of Palm Springs
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. His ground breaking election opened a door and: he was also "the first gay African-American elected to lead a California city." The community's outlook and fortune was transformed. The Palm Spring City Council made history once again: in December 2017, Palm Springs elected "America's first all-LGBTQ city council."