Hosted by Martín Plot, this debate will focus not just on the upcoming US presidential election but on how to advance the cause of equality during such an election. Participants include Nancy L. Cohen and West Hollywood’s own John Duran.
Nancy L. Cohen is an author, historian, civic leader and political commentator who is recognized as one of the leading voices in the debate currently raging on women and women’s issues in American politics. Her recently published book Delirium has won widespread acclaim and earned her appearances on cable television including MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan and Up with Chris Hayes, C-SPAN BookTV, and the History Channel. She has been published in top publications including the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, the Huffington Post, and RollingStone.com. Delirium has been featured in Salon.com, Le Figaro, the Washington Post, the London Observer, and the Los Angeles Times. As a historian, she wrote a highly regarded book about the U.S. during the rise of corporate capitalism, The Reconstruction of American Liberalism.
John Duran, a West Hollywood councilmember and native Angeleno, has been involved in LGBT politics for over 25 years. He has been a gay rights attorney since 1987, with cases including ACT UP, medical marijuana, and needle exchange. As the former co-chair of LIFE AIDS lobby (1987-1992) and Equality California (2000-2008), he has been involved in political issues related to HIV as well as marriage equality battles. He is the co-founder of ANGLE--Access Now for Gay/Lesbian Equality (1989-1999), which propelled him into federal politics, and he co-chaired WESTPAC's reapportionment project for the LGBT community.
Martín Plot (PhD 2004, New School for Social Research, Alfred Schutz Memorial Award in Philosophy and Sociology) teaches at the CalArts’ School of Critical Studies and its Graduate Program in Aesthetics and Politics. He has published El kitsch político (2003), La carne de lo social (2008), and Indivisible (2011). He has also edited several books and published in many journals and reviews, including Constellations, Continental Philosophy Review, Theory and Event, International Journal of Communication, Umbrales, Punto de Vista, and Le monde diplomatique.
