Jean Luc Romero

Biography

Jean-Luc Romero was born in Bethune in the Pas-de-Calais region (France) on June 30, 1959. His father was a Spaniard and his mother French of Spanish descent.

He has many activities in the field of politics as well as in the world of non-profitable organizations. They are all targeting one and the same goal : the human being.

He is the first and the only French politician to have revealed his HIV-infection in May 2002 in a book called “Virus de Vie” (Virus of life).

Political career

In May 2002, Jean-Luc Romero became the first French politician who revealed having AIDS.

He is a former national Secretary of UMP about AIDS. He joined Socialist Party in December 2009 and was elected with Anne Hidalgo in Jean-Paul Huchon's campaign.

He is a regional councillor of the Ile-de- France region (with close ties to the socialist party) since 1998.

He is deputy-mayor of Paris 12th in charge of culture and turism since may 2014.

Fight for a dignified death

He is president of ADMD (association pour le Droit de Mourir dans la Dignite) which is a Right-To-Die-society, created in 1980 and reaching nearly 60.000 members today. ADMD is fighting for the right of every human being to decide when and how to die from the moment he/ she is about to lose his/her dignity according to his/her own perception. ADMD has brought about significant changes in the current end-of-life legislation. Its ultimate goal however is to achieve the legalization of euthanasia. He is a former member of the board of the World Federation of right to die societies (WFRtDS) who co-organized the 17th world conference about euthanasia in Paris. He is the founder of the International Day for the Right to Die with Dignity on November 2.

Fight against AIDS

For over 20 years, Jean-Luc Romero is an activist in the fight against AIDS. In May 2002, Jean-Luc Romero became the first French politician who revealed having AIDS.; He is president and founder of the ELCS Association (Local Elected against Aids : 13.000 local elected in this society), President of the Crips Ile-de-France (an organization which aims at fighting aids in the Ile-de-France region and educating high school students). The Crips Ile-de-France coordinates the stand of France during the international conferences about AIDS. He is also a member of the National Council AIDS.

In 2004, he convinced the Prime Minister to declare AIDS as a national priority and became president of the group responsible for managing this year.

Since 2006, Jean-Luc Romero began a great movement against restrictions on freedom of movement and settlement imposed by many states of the United Nations for people living with HIV / AIDS in 2014, 41 countries impose such discrimination. A first success is achieved in January 2010 with the change of legislation in the United States. This development was followed by another equally important: China now allows people living with HIV to enter its territory.

Fight for equal rights

He fought vigorously to have homophobic remarks as severely punished as racist ones. He wrote the books « On m’ a vole ma verite » (my truth was stolen from me) and « Homopoliticus, comme ils disent » (Homopoliticus, as they say) about this issue. As president of Crips Ile-de–France, he fights homophobia and hiv-aids phobia amongst the young. He is elected gay of the year 2011 by the readers of Yagg.fr. He fought also for the legalization of marriage for all and He married Christophe Michel, 27 September 2013 at the town hall of the 12th arrondissement of Paris. The ceremony was presided over by the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe.

Books

Movies

Homopoliticus, written with Aleksandar Dzerdz, INA editions 2013

Distinctions

He is chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Honour Legion), de l’ordre National du Merite (of the National Order of Merit) and des Arts et Lettres (Fine Arts) Elected politician of the year 2001 by the readers of VSD. Gay of the year (2011) by the readers of yagg.fr. MDV Awards 2012 for his involvement in the fight against aids.