IMMIGRATION
Gay Immigrant Recalls His American Journey
Mario Chavez, 48, came to the US to fl ee anti-LGBTQ discrimination in Mexico
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Mario Chavez, an out
gay undocumented
immigrant living in
Queens, embarked
on a journey from Mexico to New
York more than 20 years ago in
hopes of fl eeing anti-LGBTQ discrimination
and fi nding a haven in
the US.
While in Mexico, Chavez experienced
homophobic bullying in
grade school, college, and from
family members. Eventually, this
bias seeped into his job search,
and after being rejected from gigs
due to rampant anti-LGBTQ discrimination,
he knew it was time
to leave his home country.
“I decided to come to the United
States to be happy, to be able to
provide for myself and escape that
violence,” Chavez said.
Chavez did fi nd acceptance for
Mario Chavez, seen here delivering remarks at a rally, hopes to see President Joe Biden deliver on his promises to immigrant communities.
his LGBTQ identity and work in
the US. Since then, he has juggled
everything from working in factories
to cafes to construction. However,
as a gay man, he still encounters
bias on the job.
“In construction, there is often
this stereotype that the job is for
people who are straight,” he said.
Meanwhile, like many essential
workers, Chavez was hit especially
hard during the pandemic. Last
year, he was hospitalized with
COVID-19 for more than a month,
lost his job, and now he is still experiencing
the long-term effects of
COVID-19.
Moving forward, he wants President
Joe Biden to step up and provide
tangible support to immigrant
communities.
“There are a lot of people, including
myself, that had been excluded
from federal and state relief,”
Chavez, 48, told Gay City News
in a phone call during his lunch
break at work. “I remember when
Joe Biden began his presidency, he
promised that he would help millions
of undocumented people have
a path toward citizenship.”
Chavez explained that he did not
have enough money to pay for rent
and had to turn to others to borrow
funds to get by. Those issues
compound the health problems he
has experienced.
“To this day, I have to continue
going to the hospital and get
checked out to make sure my left
MAKE THE ROAD NY/MARIO CHAVEZ
lung is working properly,” he said.
Research shows that undocumented
communities face an increased
risk of being exposed
and contracting COVID-19 when
compared with non-immigrant
groups.
A report published last year revealed
that undocumented people
are more vulnerable to poverty, living
in overcrowded spaces, and are
more likely to have jobs that make
physically distancing nearly impossible.
That contributed to worse
COVID-19 outcomes, according to
the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development, an international
group with folks from
37 countries focusing on social
and economic policy.
Regardless, Chavez’s ask is simple
— for the president to fulfi ll
the commitments he made to immigrants
while on the campaign
trail.
“To President Joe Biden, I want
to tell him that he should deliver
on his promise,” He added. “So that
people like me are able to stay in
this country and do not have to
fear deportation at the same time.”
Yatziri Tovar, a spokesperson
for Make the Road, an advocacy
group for immigrants and working
class communities, translated this
phone interview from Spanish to
English.
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May 20 - June 2,20 2021 | GayCityNews.com
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