About Duke
James Duke Mason (born April 27, 1992) is an American writer, advocate and commentator in West Hollywood, California. The only child of singer Belinda Carlisle and film producer/former White House official Morgan Mason, he is also the only grandchild of the late British actor James Mason and his wife, media personality Pamela Mason.
Born in Los Angeles, Mason moved to Europe with his parents as a child. Mason is openly gay and came out to his family and friends at the age of 14 in 2006. He served as the first openly gay president of his international high school's student council in Mougins, France. He was appointed to serve as a Page in the United States House of Representatives during the summer of 2008. After graduating from high school in July 2010, Mason moved back to the U.S. to study political science at California Lutheran University. After a year he moved to West Hollywood, California to pursue his passion for grassroots advocacy.
He had a small acting role in the film "What Happens Next", which screened as part of the Hollywood Film Festival. In 2010, The Advocate listed Mason as one of the most influential young LGBT Americans in their "Forty Under 40" issue. He was named in OUT magazine's 2011 "Out 100" issue as one of the 100 most influential LGBT people in the world. He has appeared on TV shows such as Dr. Phil, Nancy Grace, and Politicking with Larry King to discuss LGBTQ issues. He served as an official surrogate for the campaigns of Barack Obama in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election and Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. He served on the Board of Directors of Outfest from January 2012 to January 2015, making him the youngest Board Member in the organization's history. He was a candidate for the West Hollywood City Council in the March 3, 2015 election, and was subsequently appointed by Mayor Lindsey Horvath to her newly created 21st Century Leaders Task Force. In May 2015 he was selected to serve as Special Guest Grand Marshal of the Sacramento Pride Parade. He served on the Board of the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation from 2015 to 2017.
From October 2015 to November 2020 he served on the West Hollywood LGBTQ+ Advisory Board (then called the Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board), where he also served as Co-Chair from 2017 to 2018. He once again ran for West Hollywood City Council in the March 5, 2019 election; he placed 5th (top 3 won) in a crowded field of 11 candidates. He was endorsed by longtime West Hollywood City Councilmember John Heilman, U.S. Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (Co-Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus) and the prominent LGBTQ organization Equality California.
He has continued to be a leader in support of the boycott of the Beverly Hills Hotel and other Dorchester Collection properties due to their owner, the Sultan of Brunei's policies against the LGBTQ community. He was a prominent voice in the media calling out the past anti-gay votes and hypocrisy of former Republican Congressman Aaron Schock. For more than a decade he has been a freelance writer for various major publications, including The Huffington Post, The Advocate, OUT Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Queerty, Billboard, and is currently a regular contributor to LGBTQ Nation. Since March 2020 he has hosted an interview series on his Instagram account called "Duke's Download", where he has talked to celebrities and politicians. In 2022 he was named a Special Advisor to Rick Caruso's campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles, with an emphasis on the LGBTQ+ community.