John Laird
John Laird came to UCSC in 1968, and graduated in 1972. In 1983, Laird was elected mayor of Santa Cruz, and became the first openly gay mayor in the United States. He was also a founding member of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project (SCAP). In 2002, Laird was elected to the California State Legislature as one of two of the first openly gay men to be elected to the Assembly. Laird was interviewed on September 13, 2001 in his office at the Santa Cruz County building. The timing of this interview was significant because it took place two days after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Date of Interview
Interviewer
2001-09-13
Irene Reti
Project
Program/Repository
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Sometimes, I think people look at me and think I’m callous about certain losses. But I’m thinking, damn, got close on that one! I never would have thought it. We’re going to get there.