Ron Oden was born on March 21, 1950, and is an American politician. In November 2003, he was elected the first African-American mayor of Palm Springs, California, after serving eight years on the city council.

When Oden was elected mayor of Palm Springs, California, in 2003, he made history by becoming the first openly gay African-American man elected mayor of an American city, according to The Advocate. Following Oden’s historic election 15 years ago, the Palm Spring City Council made history once again: In December 2017, it became America’s first all-LGBTQ city council.

In 2007, he was honored with a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. He is the father of two daughters, Brooke and Brittany. He is also the grandfather of two granddaughters and two grandsons.