INTERVIEW #28: FEATURING CHANEL J. LOPEZ

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF LGBTQ AFFAIRS

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, NEW YORK STATE

“Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres.”

Standing in the parlor at the Governor’s Mansion in Albany, I thought about that phrase. I ran my newly manicured finger over the name “Chanel J. Lopez” on the stark white business card. I learned something about Governor Hochul (fearless leader/her boss) in 30 seconds. I learned the Governor believes in innovation. On Chanel’s card, I read a title I never knew existed before “Deputy Director of LGBTQ Affairs”, with the seal of New York State, a masterpiece. Meeting Chanel was firstly a lesson about my Governor, but secondly a moment of relief for me. As a SUNY-trained policy analyst, I am always weary of homogenous voices governing all. I knew Chanel could speak for me. — And that was before I learned that Chanel was from Harlem, a place I love dearly.  

To go first in history is to be “damned if you do and damned if you do not.” It never goes perfectly. Never. Chanel J. Lopez accepted that privilege/responsibility on her first day. I am thankful for that. The voice Chanel brings to the government is one that has been, maliciously, silenced for too long.   Politically speaking, Chanel, identifying as an Afro-Latina transwoman, is an asset to our government. As a Latina political scientist, I will have greater faith in the policies emanating from Albany because Chanel is there.  Effective governance requires understanding and empathy for “the average citizen”, and RIGHT NOW, the average citizen in New York is beautifully complex. Those complexities are also opportunities if you seek to leverage them. Patriots see the most vulnerable Americans and center them in conversations and planning. I trust Chanel to do that. When you meet Chanel, you will see the light behind Chanel’s eyes. The light — that’s evidence of a person who has accepted the love of their creator and the fact they were made in the eyes of perfection.

“Rise to meet your place in history,” I tell the youth during workshops. Chanel did that; did I mention that Chanel’s from Harlem (New York City)? 

When I discovered that Chanel was Puerto Rican, I felt lucky. Supported by a family with strong values and an abuelas love.  A public-school kid and graduate of an “alternative school” and a survivor of childhood bullying, Chanel will bring stronger perspectives to government policymaking. Taught at home to always stand up for what you believe in, and in an inner-city neighborhood life is a runway and should be treated as such. The journey to the white business card (with the state seal) was not always glamorous and in fact, required finding the courage to live in the full expression of the human spirit in middle school. Many of our neighbors are lost in pain on the journey of self-discovery and for those New Yorkers, I am confident, Chanel will speak for them, too.  I crave authenticity in my leaders and so do the close to 10 million Puerto Ricans living in the United States. Puerto Ricans are among the Latinos leading the way in overall percentages of new voters, every year, in major states like ours.  Puerto Rico’s population dropped by 11.8% between 2010 and 2020 (according to the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College), and 440,000 of us left the island and took our votes with us (BIG WEPA). In hiring CHANEL, our governor has sent a message about how our state will welcome our new neighbors — with inclusion.

Join me in recognizing National Day of Silence(*), and stand up for somebody with the courage to stand up to the world, to be there, to be counted!

INTERVIEW WITH CHANEL J. LOPEZ:

How do you define an advocate and ally? How do you see the future of your advocacy growing? I define an advocate as someone who knows their community, who knows the needs and fights for the rights of their community, and someone passionate about their community. An ally in my opinion is someone who wants to be educated about the community and who is right next to us with a passion for fighting for our rights. I see my advocacy growing by running for office in the future.  

Who are you and what values were taught in your home? I am Chanel J. Lopez, an Afro-Latina transwoman, who was raised by her grandmother, grandfather, and my mom in what they called “El Barrio” which is referred to as East Harlem these days. The values I was taught at home were to always stand up for what I believed in and to always watch whom I have in my surroundings.

What was your experience as a student and your favorite learning moment growing up? The school was not the best of memories growing up for me, I was always teased and bullied for being feminine, and I was jumped two (2) times after for just being me. When I went to high school, I was in one of the most dangerous schools with nothing but gangs, so I transferred to a vocational school and obtained my diploma.

Do you see yourself as a leader? I do not see myself as a leader, I see myself as an advocate, a representative of my community, and an activist. I am much behind the scenes these days and make a difference from the inside, especially working for our governor, I get to have an input in policymaking and make decisions that would protect our community and give them equal access.

How do you define an advocate and ally? How do you see the future of your advocacy growing? I define an advocate as someone who knows their community, who knows the needs and fights for the rights of their community, and someone passionate about their community. An ally in my opinion is someone who wants to be educated about the community and who is right next to us with a passion for fighting for our rights. I see my advocacy growing by running for office in the future. 

Do you have a role model, if not, what type of role model do you hope to be for our future generation? I do have a role model, she was my Abuela. May she rest in peace with whom I lost to covid three (3) years ago, who helped raise me.  I owe her for the person I am and the person I want to become because we are always evolving and learning so much about ourselves. She will always be the role model I would love to aspire to become.

(*) National Day of Silence: Observed annually on the second Friday in April, the National Day of Silence sheds light on the disastrous effects of bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students in schools. This day students across the US take a vow of silence to illustrate the silencing effect when LGBTQ students are bullied.