[1][2] As one of the first openly gay men with AIDS to be portrayed in popular media,[3] Zamora brought international attention to HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ issues and prejudices through his appearance on MTV's reality television series The Real World: San Francisco.

[1][2] Zamora's romantic relationship with Sean Sasser was also documented on the show; their relationship was later nominated by MTV viewers for "Favorite Love Story" award,[4] and the broadcast of their commitment ceremony in 1994, in which they exchanged vows, was the first such same-sex ceremony in television history, and is considered a landmark in the history of the medium.

[5][6] U.S. President Bill Clinton credited Zamora with personalizing and humanizing those living with HIV—especially to Latino communities—with his activism, including his testimony before Congress.

[7][8] Zamora's personal struggle with AIDS, and his conflict with housemate David "Puck" Rainey is credited with helping to make The Real World a hit show, for which Time ranked it #7 on its list of "32 Epic Moments in Reality-TV History".

Zamora and his parents, his sister Mily, and his brother Jesús left in a boat filled with 250 people that had been built for half that number.

According to Judd Winick's Pedro and Me, AIDS and its victims were characterized by the doctor as "deviants, drug addicts, prostitutes".

[21] In 1991, his work came to national attention when Eric Morganthaler wrote a front-page article about him for the Wall Street Journal.

The publicity resulted in invitations to talk show interviews by Geraldo Rivera, Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey.

"[10][23] Zamora attended the 1993 Lesbian and Gay March on Washington, where he met Sean Sasser, also an AIDS educator, who would eventually become his partner.

[24] Zamora sent an audition tape for the show, thinking that he could reach more people simply by the national exposure than by constant travel.

[21] Zamora and his castmates (Mohammed Bilal, Rachel Campos, Pam Ling, Cory Murphy, David "Puck" Rainey, and Judd Winick) moved into the house at 953 Lombard Street on Russian Hill on February 12, 1994.

[28] In later episodes, Winick, Ling, and Murphy often attended Zamora's lectures at schools in the Bay Area, wanting to learn more about HIV and AIDS.

Sasser eventually proposed to Zamora, and the two exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony held in the Real World house.

[9] Zamora was able to participate in activities like parasailing during the cast's trip to Hawaii, giving viewers the impression that he was healthier than he actually was.

[10][32] On August 17, Zamora checked into St. Vincent's Hospital and was diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, a condition that causes brain lesions, fatigue, headaches and confusion.

Further tests revealed he had progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML),[32][24] a very rare and usually fatal viral inflammation of the brain that disrupts the electrical impulses of the nervous system.

[32] On September 3, about three weeks after checking into St. Vincent's, Zamora was flown to Mercy Hospital in Miami, and his family gathered around him.

This resulted in Alonso R. del Portillo, Attorney General Janet Reno, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, and Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen forming an agreement with Cuba that would admit 20,000 Cubans per year to the United States.

Surrounded by his family, longtime friend Alex Escarano, Sasser, Winick, and Ling, Zamora died at 4:40 a.m. EST on November 11, 1994, at the age of 22, hours after the final episode of The Real World: San Francisco aired.

[36] After his death, Zamora was publicly praised by President Clinton and Donna Shalala for his leadership and work in educating high school students, saying that through his appearance on The Real World, Pedro had become a part of viewers' families, and that all people who watched the show could now say that they knew someone who had lived with AIDS.

[37] Pedro's partner, Sean Sasser, continued his activism for LGBT issues, and his work as an HIV educator.

In 1995, he spoke at the inaugural White House AIDS conference, and was appointed by President Clinton to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

[25] In June 2013 Sasser married Michael Kaplan,[6][50][51] whom he had dated off and on after Zamora's death, and with whom he had moved in six months prior.

In 2008, Bunim-Murray Productions produced a film, Pedro, directed by Nick Oceano, dramatizing Zamora's life.

Every August, the scholarship program gives awards ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to high school seniors and college students who are actively fighting HIV/AIDS through public service and leadership.

[55][56] The SNM is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history,[57] while The Wall's unveiling was timed to take place during the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.