John Duran is a longtime West Hollywood City Council member and the city’s current mayor. He’s currently fielding a PR nightmare after making racist remarks to the media about an Asian-American man.
It all started when the Los Angeles Times reported the 59-year-old mayor, who also serves as a longtime board chairman of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, was accused of behaving inappropriately towards three current and former chorus members.
One chorus member, 23-year-old Jason Tong, told the newspaper that he quit the chorus after Duran allegedly slipped his hand inside the waistband of his underwear before a show.
When asked about Tong in an interview with WeHo Times last week, Duran said he’d “never heard of him” prior to the complaint.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“I looked him up on Facebook and, of course, he’s a skinny Korean kid with pimples on his cheek,” he said. “Look at this guy. It’s just not happening. It’s not credible.”
Evidently, in Duran’s mind, being skinny, Asian, and/or having pimples diminishes a person’s credibility in the world.
The comment prompted API Equality-LA, an Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ rights organization, to put out a statement calling Duran’s remarks racist, which they were. Meanwhile, Tong put out a statement clarifying that he’s not Korean, he’s Chinese, and accusing Duran of body-shaming.
Now, Duran says he’s sorry for those racist remarks, which he says weren’t actually racist, or at least they weren’t meant to be racist, even though they totally were.
In a recent statement posted to Facebook, Duran writes:
“It seems to me that the current angst has been created by things I have said– one comment sounding to some as racist–and other comments as sexually inappropriate and beneath the dignity of an elected official.”
(Mr. Duran, if you’re reading, using a person’s race or ethnicity to make a disparaging remark about them doesn’t “sound to some as racist”. It is racist. In fact, it’s the very definition of racism.)
Duran continues:
The comment I made about an Asian-American man who made accusations against me recently in the Los Angeles Times, was not meant to single out his race. It was a rude and hurtful comment about someone’s appearance and for that I owe him and the community an apology.
(Again, Mr. Duran, regardless of what you “meant”, when you specifically mention a person’s race when criticizing them, you’re singling out their race.)
Oh, but it gets better:
Some of you know that my family is composed of mixed Latino and Asian heritages. My sister married a Filipino-American and my nephews and niece are beautiful mixed race Latino and Asian. My nephew married a Korean-American woman who is presently pregnant with their first son who will be mixed Asian, Latino, and white.
(In other words: “I can’t be racist! I have friends/family who are [insert any racial group here]!”)
Duran goes on to insist that he doesn’t harbor “any racist feelings towards my own immediate family or anyone else” and says that his words were “spoken in anger and haste.”
“I am truly sorry and I would like to apologize to anyone I may have offended,” he says.
Duran concludes his lengthy statement by calling for “a little less heat and a little more light” and urging people to fight against “the rule of the mob over justice.”
Related: Mayor denies sexually harassing man because “he’s a skinny Korean kid with pimples on his cheek”
Polaro
The mayor seems to be a moron. How racist he is is not clear.
@DmitriyR
Dont be so cruel
Polaro
I’m a mean vixen, can’t help it.
Vince
Queerty is desperately trying to make this into something it isn’t as usual. I guess since the Jussie story turned up nothing they have to find it somewhere else. He said something stupid but no where did I sense any racism.
Brian
I think it was a variation of No Fems, No Fats, No Asians. Seems like he’s showing himself to be more of a superficial twit than a racist.
And with that face, he really REALLY shouldn’t be calling others ugly.
brettOK
Slow news day Queerty? I used to read you with a sense of pride, no longer.
I have known John Duran for 30 years, and you try to turn him into a bigot with one poorly written story.
Pure crap; those of us who know him know that he is an honorable man who has always given and supported others, especially the LGBTQ community, and that he is better than those who seek to convince the public otherwise. Shame on you, your advocacy for the LGBTQ community is a sham, you should be advocating for all of us, not attempting to slander the name of one good, if imperfect, man whose entire life has been in advocacy to our community.
Shutting you off for good.
iamru2
Well said sir!
Heywood Jablowme
If only the mayor had just left “Korean” out of his remark.
Then he would only need to apologize to the Skinny Community for his weightist comment, and apologize to the Pimply Community for his dermatonormist comment.
Chrisk
I thought the kid was Chinese or something.
Heywood Jablowme
@ChrisK: He is Chinese but Mayor Duran Duran guessed Korean by looking at pix. Therefore: both racist AND factually incorrect! If the mayor had merely said Chinese that would still have been racist.
Chrisk
Now wait just a second there. So that means if I make the mistake of calling a Chinese a Korean that makes me a racist now? Yes some are obvious but others might be mixed or something.
I liken it to a just using it as a description. Like if I asked you did you meet anybody last night. What if the guy was say Hawaiian. Isn’t that something you would bring up?
Bob LaBlah
This mayor is not fooling me. He looks like some one left over from the days of old West Hollywood such as Arthur J’s (Santa Monica and Highland back in the late 1970’s and 80’s), The Spotlight and Selma Blvd. Hey, I used to party too and this guy hasn’t quit. Trust me, I remember the look. He looks sauced/drugged up in each pic.
moorebd2001
Just try NOT to speak…
PinkoOfTheGange
Wow way to read something, really wrong by the way, into a throw away comment. He mis-nationalized (?) someone that he wouldn’t be attracted to, is now outright racism?
It is obvious that his statement on credibility, is that he wouldn’t hit on an slender young Asian with acne.
This is just getting down to trolling the reader that isn’t in a constant search of outrage.
Blackceo
I don’t know I’m going to go as far as to say that his comment was racist, but it was very ignorant. What does the “of course” mean when he described the young man, and then said its not credible. Too often someone’s intent to them may not seem to be racist, but it is. Or, it is stoked in race based stereotyped, which doesn’t necessarily make you racist, but someone who generalizes based on race. Your intention may be one thing but how I receive it may be another.
I think offensive may be the word here as opposed to racist. People make these kinds of mistakes with Asians a lot because of laziness and feeling as though it isn’t important enough to appreciate the differences of the Asian culture. I would need evidence of some other comments or actions to deem him a racist.
ingyaom
I thought he was saying: Of course I didn’t do it because just look at the guy – he’s Asian & pimply… implying he was unattractive and there fore undeserving of being molested. Now, if he hadn’t been white & handsome, he’d be someone I might assault. We’ve seen this argument before made by Trump – I only grab them by the p*$$y when they’re hot!
Pete le meat
Didn’t Duran give some award to that sleaze Stormy Daniels? Nuff said.
iamru2
Wait he touched some guys waist and the guy went running and screaming for the hills? Yea sure Jan we believe that!