This just in: The mayor of West Hollywood is a racist.
It all started earlier this month when John Duran, who, in addition to being West Hollywood’s mayor is also a longtime board chairman of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, was accused of sexual misconduct by several men belonging to the chorus.
The Los Angeles Times interviewed three current and former chorus members who said Duran behaved inappropriately towards them. They say when they reported the actions to the chorus membership committee, leadership sat on their hands.
One chorus member, 23-year-old Jason Tong said he quit the chorus after Duran allegedly slipped his hand inside the waistband of his underwear before a show, which Tong says was “a traumatic and shocking experience.”
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Duran has denied the allegations, along with a slew of other sexual misconduct allegations lodged against him by members of the City Council.
When asked about Tong in an interview with WeHo Times, 59-year-old Duran said he’d “never heard of him” prior to the complaint.
“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.”
Say what?!
He continued: “I want to meet this guy Jason Tong and I want him to look me in the eye and accuse me of what he’s saying, because it’s really awful what he’s saying.”
It’s really awful what he’s saying?!
API Equality-LA, an Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ rights organization, quickly put out a statement condemning Duran for “victim-blaming and racist statements,” adding, “Asian men have long been discriminated against in gay communities.”
Asian men have long been discriminated against in gay communities; for example, gay clubs in West Hollywood used to require three forms of photo identification from anyone they perceived as Asian. This anti-Asian racism continues today in the form of sexual discrimination, racial discrimination and lack of representation of queer and trans APIs within the broader LGBTQ community.
Meanwhile, Tong said he felt he was being “body shamed” by the mayor, but that it was nothing new for him since, “like every skinny, queer person of color who happens to be relatively young, it’s not like I haven’t been victimized like this before.”
Then he added: “I’m not Korean; I’m Chinese.”
Many are now calling for Duran, who has been an elected member of the City Council since 2001, to resign. But, so far, he is refusing. He tells the Los Angeles Times he’s just “bawdy” and if people have a problem with that, too bad.
“There’s a culture clash going on,” Duran says. “If somebody expresses himself or herself sexually, that doesn’t make it harassment, per se. People are thinking that anything sexual is harassment because somebody feels it is unwelcome, but you have to open your mouth and say, ‘No, I don’t want this.’”
Meanwhile, Tong tells the paper he doesn’t buy Duran trying to blame generational differences on how he behaves and that he “knows lots of older gay men who definitely understand the idea of consent.”
“No matter how old you are,” he said, “it’s very easy to ask first.”
Related: Allegations of sexual misconduct at the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
Brian
Well, I guess that’s one way to defend yourself. Choices.
Bob LaBlah
I never met the man before but I do get the feeling that he is drugged up in the pic. He looks like something you would stumble across over on xtube by accident.
LostMyClothesAgain
Your description of Duran is quite possibly the best I have ever read describing a smarmy character type.
Bob LaBlah
I never heard that word before (smarmy). I actually had to look it up. Learn something everyday.
Billy Budd
People in positions of power very often lose their sense of self-restraint.
Vince
Oh god. Traumatic and shocking experience. Is this a millennial thing? Lol Sounds like Duran definitely overstepped the boundaries though.
Brian
Not everyone can be as stellar a representative of the Asian community as you. That’s like asking all paintings to be the Mona Lisa.
Billy Budd
OMG, the amount of saarcasm in Brian’s reply was off the charts!
markinwashington
Cuz you’re a troll dawg…
1898
the mayor is in no position to critique anyone else’s appearance. just look at him.
his response to the allegation makes him seem like a bully and it’s exactly the kind of thing people like Trump say when they’re accused. it just makes him look even more guilty. it’s also extremely unprofessional and totally unbecoming of an elected official. he could have simply said “the allegations are false” but instead he went on a nasty tirade about the person’s appearance, and managed to make it a racial issue as well. SAD!
Roccos Brother
Sounds like a page out of the Trump handbook for dealing with accusers of sexual assault, even worse that Duran felt the need to bring up the issue of race. We must not tolerate this in our own community.
piriblue
I believe and have had experienced that if you are in a gay oriented group and as men we are all pigs. (yes we are) at times we can get frisky. I have always made sure to push the hand away and they simply understood. You should have established boundaries with this person. When he tried to grab you. Then you should have voiced it very loudly so that everyone can hear. It will stop. I assure you it will stop. It is sad that we had to deal with this kind of treatment. This happens everyday. i have seen people groping on Subways.
I might say that they were both enjoying the groping and the grabbing. When you say nothing it keeps on happening. Learn to speak up and spread it around. People need to be shamed in order to act accordingly.
AnthonyS23
This is victim blaming. The mayor shouldn’t need to have his behavior policed in order to act like a respectable member of the public, let alone a respectable elected leader of a community. And the fact that you’ve seen people groping people on subways doesn’t somehow make that conduct acceptable or even remotely normal. Give me a break!
IAMBROWN
Fuk*d on so many levels. Smh.
Heywood Jablowme
Oh dear, which is worse? Typical wealthy white Boomer racial-ist entitlement, versus typical Gen Z mopey victimhood weenie-ness?
Truly “a traumatic and shocking experience” just reading about it! I think we should all take the rest of the day off, to recover.
zxcv
Thanks for letting us know you enjoy sexual assault. Never have children please
MrKWalker68
Bye Felatio. Your time as major and pervert in Chief is over. Maybe you should join Drumpfs party as you’ve got his creepy looks and ideals.
AnthonyS23
How is this fugly mayor commenting on some else’s appearance? He’s got the damaged face/eyes of a raging alcoholic meth addict…
Morrisson
LIterally a week after Graham Gremore writes an article on Jussie Gremore without critical thinking and accuses 60 million people of being racists and homophobes. He is at it again opening an article with the line ‘The mayor of west Hollywood is a racist’. Sexual preference is not racism. Please learn a lesson first Corvington then Jussie now this.
zxcv
And you must be Harvey Weinstein’s friend
calpoidog
You shouldn’t have to defend yourself and say “no” from someone shoving their hands down your underwear…When I was younger, that shit often happened to me in bars and I hated it…as if someone is going to find that sexy. It was always ugly old trolls like this mayor who obviously can’t get anyone to actually consent to have sex with them so have to get their kicks in another way. He tries to excuse himself as “bawdy” – no dude, you’re a washed up troll that no one wants anything to do with.
And yes, @Morrison it IS racist the way the mayor said it, as if no one in their right mind could be into “skinny Korean kid” He is not saying “I never would have done that to him because I’m not into Asians.”
PoetDaddy
Actually, you don’t sound any better than this Duran pig.