Jan Jones Blackhurst to be honored for pioneering LGBTQ advocacy in Las Vegas

By Grace Da Rocha (contact)

Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025 | 2 a.m.

When Jan Jones Blackhurst first spoke with the Lambda Business Association, she was greeted with a bouquet of flowers — and a startling realization: Nobody had been “giving voice to this extraordinary part of our community,” she said.

The association was one of the era’s most prominent LGBTQ+ organizations for working professionals. In the 1990s, Jones Blackhurst became the first Las Vegas mayor to forge a relationship with the group. During her tenure through 1999, she also became the first mayor to serve as grand marshal of the Gay Pride Parade and participated in the AIDS Walk, even at a time when such actions risked intense public scrutiny.

On Wednesday, Silver State Equality will honor Jones Blackhurst for her support of the LGBTQ+ community and work in fighting for gender equality.

“When I was first elected mayor, there really wasn’t an LGBT community — there was, but they were invisible,” Jones Blackhurst recalled in an interview. “During the ’90s, we really worked together to find a voice; to find a presence; to find a collaboration and a community; and to really work for LGBTQ rights, roles and visibility. Because when you believe in humanity and the basic goodness of humanity, you have the privilege and the obligation to make sure you give them voice. And sometimes, having a title gives them voice because if you’re not afraid, then others won’t be afraid.”

Jones Blackhurst grew up in Southern California and later moved to Las Vegas and started making a name for herself locally as a spokesperson for her family’s car dealership. She made history as the first woman to serve as Las Vegas mayor in 1991, when she was elected to succeed Ron Lurie as the 20th person to hold the office.

It was a dare that pushed Jones Blackhurst, then only known as Jan Jones, into the city’s highest role for not one but two terms, she said. Jones Blackhurst’s popularity was clear in 1995, when voters reelected her with 72% of the vote.

While mayor, Jones Blackhurst oversaw the explosive growth of Las Vegas along with the redevelopment of Fremont Street, including the 1995 opening of the Fremont Street Experience.

But Jones Blackhurst might be known most for her work with communities that were historically ignored by city government.

The housing and outreach plan she drafted on behalf of the homeless community has been used as a model in cities around the United States.

She also constantly stood in support of LGBTQ residents, even in the face of agitators rallying against equality acts and discussions on legalizing same sex marriage, said André Wade, state director of Silver State Equality, Nevada’s LGBTQ+ civil rights organization.

Wade added that having Jones Blackhurst’s unwavering support gave hope to the LGBTQ+ community.

“She was up front standing out as an elected official, pushing back against those who were not supportive by being fearless, by being exemplary as to what it shows to be a leader when it’s tough,” Wade said. “In times like this, we continue to need people to be supportive even when the sort of political or social environment may have changed slightly, and she has not wavered in her support of those who are minorities.”

Jones Blackhurst decided not to seek a third term in 1999 and was succeeded by Oscar Goodman.

Since then, two other women have been elected mayor of Las Vegas: Carolyn Goodman and current Mayor Shelley Berkley, a friend of Jones Blackhurst.

Berkley described Jones Blackhurst as someone who “really brought the city into the 20th century,” drew all eyes to her when she walked into a room and could leave a lasting impression on everyone who spoke to her.

While serving as a regent in the Nevada System of Higher Education about 30 years ago, Berkley was attending an event with Jones Blackhurst — who was still mayor at the time — appearing as a guest speaker.

Coming from “the old-school background” where women leaned more toward conservatism, Berkley said her breath was taken away upon seeing Jones Blackhurst, who walked in wearing vibrant gold shoes.

The impression Jones Blackhurst left on her, Berkley said, caused her to immediately shorten her skirts and buy a similar pair of shoes.

“It’s not the shoe that is the important part of the story, it was that she was such a groundbreaker and so different that she made an impression on, certainly me, but I believe everybody else in Las Vegas,” Berkley said. “Those of us that came after her have a great deal to thank her for changing the way the city of Las Vegas was perceived and how we did business.”

Jones Blackhurst, now executive director of UNLV’s Black Fire Leadership Initiative, continues her groundbreaking work and charity.

While executive vice president of public policy and corporate responsibility at Caesars Entertainment, Jones Blackhurst developed the industry’s first responsible gaming practices and increased employee diversity in management positions. During her tenure at Caesars, according to Forbes, employee diversity rose to the point where 41% of management roles were held by women and 57% of employees came from diverse backgrounds.

She also was one of the first women to be inducted into the American Gaming Association Gaming Hall of Fame and currently sits in leadership roles on a number of organizational boards.

Wade noted that Jones Blackhurst was instrumental in helping raise $1 million for The Center’s $4 million building downtown, which was named in honor of her late friend and Las Vegas businessman Robert Forbuss — another staunch supporter of the LGBTQ resource center.

Jones Blackhurst’s long résumé of achievements and work for the community will be recognized with the Ally Leadership award Wednesday at Silver State Equality’s annual award ceremony at the Palms.

“The fact that Nevada was the first majority-woman legislature; the fact that we have such diverse representation in all of our cities and counties and states; the fact that Silver State Equality has such a voice; the fact that, when I meet young people who say, ‘You came and spoke to me when I was young and made me believe I could be anything’ — sometimes you can’t be what you can’t see,” Jones Blackhurst said about her impact. “It’s important to remember: Use your voice, use your image, use your words, stand for something and you’ll find people will follow.”

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