ANDREW LUSH:

During the recording on the computer. And just give me a second to confirm there's a little lag today, Betsy, between the computer, but it's working well, it's just the remote connection. Okay. That's recording. One thing I forgot to ask you, is it okay if I just make your screen, blank, like this? I'll show you. That way you can focus -

ELIA CHINO:

[Inaudible] On the, on the set -

ANDREW LUSH:

That way you can focus on the interview. Okay, great. Thank you. I'm going to mute myself and I'm here. If anything goes wrong and have a wonderful interview.

ELIA CHINO:

Thank you so much for your assistance.

BETSY KALIN:

Great. So I just wanted to, before we get started, just say what a pleasure it is to be able to interview you.

BETSY KALIN:

I mean, you're a hero, so I just, I'm really excited for this interview. And thank you so much for sending the written material to Rae because that was really helpful as well.

ELIA CHINO:

You'll know all my life now.

BETSY KALIN:

It's great. You know, I'm friends with Bamby Salcedo.

ELIA CHINO:

I know. Yeah. She's my, she's my sister, you know?

BETSY KALIN:

Yeah. so I just wanted to let you know that I'm not gonna be heard on the recording. And so when I ask you a question, if you could try to keep in mind to rephase the question in your answer. So if I said to you, what did you have for breakfast today? You wouldn't just say, you know, eggs or, you know, cereal or something you would say for breakfast.

BETSY KALIN:

I had eggs or cereal. Does that make sense?

ELIA CHINO:

Yes

BETSY KALIN:

Okay, great. So let's get started. Why don't you start by giving me your date and place of birth and your full name on camera?

ELIA CHINO:

My name, well, I'm originally born in Aguablanca, Michoacan, Mexico. And my name is Elia Chino.

BETSY KALIN:

And what was the date of your birth?

ELIA CHINO:

I born on April 24, 2000 - No, April 24, 1962.

BETSY KALIN:

Great, thank you. And so you, you said that you're from Michoacan, so where did you grow up?

ELIA CHINO:

I grew up in that little village, Aguablanca, and I moved from there when I was about 14 years old to a new, bigger town calling, Uruapan Michoacan to go to high school. Then -

[crosstalk]

BETSY KALIN:

And what was, Oh, sorry, I'm sorry.

ELIA CHINO:

Then from there I moved to Mexico city when I was around 16 years old.

BETSY KALIN:

And what was your family like when you were growing up? Your parents and your siblings?

ELIA CHINO:

My parents, they just was working very hard on the field planting corn, pumpkins to survive.

ELIA CHINO:

That's the only sustained each day to planting the corns on the rain season.

BETSY KALIN:

And how many brothers and sisters did you have?

ELIA CHINO:

I have, we are nine and the family, my dad and my mother. We are eleven family members.

BETSY KALIN:

And where were you in the number of children?

ELIA CHINO:

I was number seven.

BETSY KALIN:

Great. And so what kind of relationship did you have with your parents and your siblings when you were growing up?

ELIA CHINO:

I was very attached to my mom, very, very attached. Not too much with my father, because really, I don't like to work on the fields. I hated, you know, to work on the fields because

ELIA CHINO:

the sun bothering me so much because what is very hot there. And I prefer to stay with my mom at home. I was, when I was four years old, she was so sick during those days. And I has to take care of my two siblings, the small ones. My little, the last sister, she was like about six months old.

ELIA CHINO:

And the little brother he was like about two years old. I has to do everything for them, feeding them, wash the clothes, cooking, and cooking for everybody. Because my mom on that time, I remember that she used to come home that can be evening. And the next morning , they go again to see another doctor. And during that time,

ELIA CHINO:

it stayed for about two years. And finally my mom, they find that and she has surgery because I think she had this tumor. You know, but that days they don't have a good doctors and all that kind of stuff, you know, and I have to do in helping out my family and all the necessaries. I remember that I cannot reach the chimney rock used to cook or meals and, and making the tortillas.

ELIA CHINO:

But I was doing all that things, you know, I remember I used to, I has to have that our chair, where I can reach the grill and go to the river to wash the clothes, my little sister that was baby. On those days, the baby diaper was cloth. Then I have school wash it every day.

ELIA CHINO:

I really helping a lot of parents or sign though the last time I was living there and through today.

BETSY KALIN:

That's great. That's great. So I think one of the things that really struck me was the importance of education to you in your story, talk about like all the sacrifices that your parents had to make and that you had to make to get an education

ELIA CHINO:

And the little village they used to have only to second grade, elementary second grade then has to La Huacana every day when I turned to the third grade I has to go back, go back, go back every day. I remember that I get out like about 3:30 AM in the morning and my mom too. And to helping her to take it to -

ELIA CHINO:

She was milling the corn on the stone to making tortillas in that time with salt, beans, and sometimes not in the tortillas. And that's the thing that we was taking to my older brother, and to walk every day to La Huacana, that was we used to went donkey or walking, it takes about one hour and 30 minutes.

ELIA CHINO:

I can remember we used to live from the little village around 6:00 AM to be there on time to 7:30, to walk to the school. On those days, we used to go two times per day to the school, in the morning and in the afternoon, and then in the evening we have to come back home. That was like that Monday through Friday. But when I started the middle school was a lot of homework

ELIA CHINO:

and I has to, my parents, they decided to, I have to stay in La Huacana, Monday through Friday. They look for a place over there. They have a friend that she gave me where to sleep. And also was giving my meals, but my parents, they was paying for that. It was very difficult, you know,

ELIA CHINO:

and when I finished the middle school, in La Huacana they don't have the high school. Then that's when I has to move. That's when I say my parents, well, I have to go. I want to continue with my education. And they told me, no, you cannot go because we don't have resources to continue helping you. And over there is more expenses, far away, all that kind of stuff.

ELIA CHINO:

Well I cry and I cry and I cry because for me education was important and I was one of the top students in the school. It really bothered me so much that I cannot continue the education that I want and I was like that for about two months. And then they decided, you know, what they saw that I was suffering because I cannot continue with my education.

ELIA CHINO:

And they say, well, we will continue with our support and they asked him if I can't go with here and live there and they would pay her and they can bring some, every month, some corn and some food supplies for me. Yes, I did. But you know them, she has two daughters. Was a lot of problems over there,

ELIA CHINO:

too economic problems too with her. And I cannot concentrate too much in my education because she had too many domestic violence in that house. And I asked, I told my parents, I don't want to live here. And in the meantime, I meet another family there. And I asked them if I can live with them and their house, if they can allow me to be in their house.

ELIA CHINO:

And they say, yes. I know this lady, she used to sell flowers in the market in avocados in the street. When I get up to school, I go there, I used to go there and helping out, and she buy me some avocados, or I can sell on the streets. And that's what was doing to helping a little bit my parents, you know, with expenses, for the bus, for my books,

ELIA CHINO:

for anything that I was needing, you know, then I find a job also and I mean, market there, it was very tough, but, you know, to bargain and to helping out my parents because really bothered me so much that they was giving everything for, I I can continue my education where. I stayed with that situation for about two years,

ELIA CHINO:

then my first three, two brothers and a sister, they was living over in Mexico city. And my third brother coming and visit me. And I told her, can I go with you? Can I go to Mexico city? You know? And he said, yes, just finish the year and you can move to Mexico city with me. Well, I did that,

ELIA CHINO:

but he thrown me with my brother, the oldest brother in his house, then his his father-in-law, he gave me a job to work on the streets and Mexico city. It was, oh my God, so difficult before was very hard and my mind was to go and look for better opportunities and to look for better schools,

ELIA CHINO:

and better jobs. Well, that not happened, encountered more barriers, more difficulties for me. However, and then on the weekends, my oldest brother, he stole my money, you know, that they pay me and are really, I don't have the sustain at least to buy a new cloth, nothing. It was really worse. And, and I cannot continue the way the school,

ELIA CHINO:

well finally I told my second brothers, you know, what, find me a better job, because I can no stay here. And he looked for another job for me, but in the meantime, I meet our friends there. Then I asked him for support. I asked, can I go and live in your house? And they told me, yes.

ELIA CHINO:

And that's when I was a little much better with that job and then to continue with my education. Was very tough, and I was able to go to another year and a half to the university. But I used to go to work at 3pm and get out from work at 1-2:00 AM in the morning and come back home in bus or in a taxi.

ELIA CHINO:

I arrive for like about four o'clock. And I has to be at the school at seven o'clock. But I did for almost two years, then I cannot really continue because was so difficult for me, the transportation, the hours that work that I was doing some work, it was tough, tough stuff.

BETSY KALIN:

And then how did you end up in the United States?

ELIA CHINO:

Well, I have a brother that he was studying in Tennessee, with a scholarship from the church, and one day he went to visit me and Mexico City. Then I told him, I would like to go to the United States.

ELIA CHINO:

Can you help me out to go there? And the first thing that he said, yes, I help you out to go there, but you need to get a visa first. When I'm starting to getting information and do some research, making some calls, what it was the documentation that I was needing for my visa.

ELIA CHINO:

And then I remember that I used to work in Samborns . I don't know if you familiar with Samborns. Samborns is a store that have everything in there, pharmacy, cafeteria, restaurant, everything. And I know this lady that she was the head or the president on that time,

ELIA CHINO:

and I was needing the military card a document that needs to get a passport. Then I don't have it because I have to go to the military service, you know, to get that military card. And I asked her, you know what, can you help me out with this? And she said, yes, I can help you, just bring me a picture. I brought her a picture and she said, I need your name,

ELIA CHINO:

I need your birthday and a picture, and I can get it from you. I give the information, like about about three weeks later, she brought me the document. And then I applied for the passport and they give my passport. Then I get all the documentation that the United States embassy in Mexico was requiring for a visa. Well, I submit,

ELIA CHINO:

on those times, was everything on paper and to go there, there wasn't internet on those days. And I did, you know, and they gave me the appointment and then I went to the appointment and I was so lucky that they give me my visa. And I told my brother, I have my visa. Now, can I go with you and say, yes, I and very soon.

ELIA CHINO:

And I remember that he went down there and he said, now lets go to USA. And he brought me here to Houston and I'm still here in Houston.

BETSY KALIN:

And so what was the year that you arrived in the US? I Arrived in 1984

ELIA CHINO:

Was in April 1st 1984? I think, yes.

BETSY KALIN:

Can you say that you arrived in that date?

ELIA CHINO:

Yes. I arrived in Houston in April 1st, 1984.

BETSY KALIN:

Great. And then just going back a little bit, just when, when were you aware of, you know, being different or being part of the LGBTQ community?

ELIA CHINO:

I was aware since I was four. Yes. I always liked to see boys, you know, I know that I was different, that's what I have the admiration, they attract me, you know, that's what I remember. Yes, always, I remember that. That's what I say, that the sexual orientation you born with that.

ELIA CHINO:

That is not something that somebody can transmit you or somebody can influence you to change your sexual orientation. You born like that. Nobody would decide to be on that difficult sexual orientation, you know, because it's suffering so much.

BETSY KALIN:

Did you know anyone in Mexico city who was part of the community? Did you have any awareness then?

Yes. That's the person that helped me out with housing in Mexico city. Was the first person that really opened his home for I can live there, was the first person that directed me to the first LGBTQ, this discotheque in Mexico city. Oh my God, I remember when they told me the discotheque,

ELIA CHINO:

I want to be there every day, dancing. He showed me the LGBT world and I love it. And he was very happy person. He was a person that likes good things, you know, and I liked all those kind of things. You know, he teach me from the very sophisticated things to their worst things, places.

ELIA CHINO:

And then when I remember when I left Mexico city to move to the United States, all my friends, they was crying because I was leaving. But I also, the first three years in the United States, I was missing so much Mexico. I was crying, you know, almost every weekend

ELIA CHINO:

because I miss him so much. But the reason I moved over here, because I want to, I'd say, well, emotionally I was suffering so much. Can I say, maybe I go to the United States. I want to let my sexual orientation and Mexico, and I want to change in another country, you know? That is not possible. The way that god created you, that's the way you going to be forever.

BETSY KALIN:

Yes. I mean, definitely. So when, so how did you overcome the obstacles when you moved to the U S and you arrived in Houston? What were some of the challenges that you faced?

ELIA CHINO:

Well my brother he left me and traveled to Honduras and left me with a church brother from church of Christ in Houston.

ELIA CHINO:

It really was, I liked it so much. He really was like my second father over here because my brother, he left two days after we arrived to Houston, he moved to do his Honduras, sent from America because he was studying for a theology. And he wants to have his service in a church in Honduras anyway.

ELIA CHINO:

Ed Wells from Church of Christ, I used to call him my brother. He find me a job. He take me to English school. He teach me how to drive a car. Really, I was so blessed for all the things that he did for me, you know, he really was more and more like, my father

ELIA CHINO:

because he has the sources. And then, but I have the barriers, you know, of the transportation, I have the barriers the language, the culture, the customs and all kinds of stuff, you know? And the first thing because once I tried to forget the situation in Mexico, he take me to the Church of Christ

ELIA CHINO:

and my life was church, work and English classes, that's all. For the first months of the here. But my barriers was the transportation because the job that I have, I get out like about 1 o'clock sometimes, 1:30, and it was in buses at that time. And I don't have a car. I have to walk for about one hour and a half.

ELIA CHINO:

That night, sometimes was cold, sometimes was raining, sometimes was very hard, but I has to do that. People, they just help you maybe for one week. But after that, they abandoning you. They don't take care of you anymore. They get tired. They don't give you a ride anymore where I has to find out and overcome all these barriers.

ELIA CHINO:

But I was studying in English. And then with the people that he lived, he left me with Salvadorian family. And Oh my God, they don't use to put the AC in the apartment was so hot, I had to take it like about four showers during the day to overcome the heat over here in Houston.

ELIA CHINO:

Well, now I understand because the electricity is expensive. And but I did that kind of things. And then I was working the as a bus boy in a restaurant, the manager, he said, you know what? I want to that you just memorize the menu

ELIA CHINO:

because I like the way you work, you moving, you work so hard. And I want to that you be a waiter. And I'm studying the menu, like three months later, I already was serving tables. But at the beginning I had three jobs cooking, busboy and cleaning, you know, and then after, when I started working in serving tables,

ELIA CHINO:

I left the other two jobs and concentrated in one job, But I was crying

[crosstalk] but I was crying so much because I was missing my Mexico and my friends and my family.

BETSY KALIN:

And did you find the gay community in Houston? When, when did you realize that? You know,

ELIA CHINO:

Let me tell you about how I find friends in Houston.

ELIA CHINO:

I was concentrated to church, work and school for nine months, but I was forcing my naturally I was forcing who I am And I say, no, I need to be happy. I wasn't happy. I was suffering just to satisfy the church.

ELIA CHINO:

I say, no, this is not my life. And then I remembered one day, I asked in the restaurant, can you give me one of those frozen drinks that is coming for this machine? I don't know what it was, but I was seeing that people was drinking those frozen, like ice cream. And then they were so happy. And that one night I told the manager. Did you give me a half a glass of that? And she said, yes, well, I drink that.

ELIA CHINO:

And oh my God, I was drunk. Well, that one was taken to the church. Somebody was talking to the church that I was drinking alcohol. The pastor, they meet with me and said, you know what? You are not welcome in the church because you are drinking. And I say, well, that's fine. Anyway I don't want to come anymore here because was a lot of stress.

ELIA CHINO:

They want the 10% every week or my money. And they was pushing, ÒYou need to bring two new friends every weekend,Ó you know? And then I decided to work and what with my life. And that's what I was starting to go out and meet the LGBT community, the bars in Houston.

ELIA CHINO:

When I was doing that, well, I was making more money, I rent my own apartment, one-bedroom apartment. I remember I used my first apartment. I was paying two $45, one bedroom. And I put, the apartment beautiful, you know, and I was finally living on peace.

ELIA CHINO:

And, but my life was just to go out, has some drinks come back home and to go to work the next day. Well, I did that for about 10 years. I don't see any good things from that, just working and spend money and have fun, that's it.

ELIA CHINO:

And then in 1989, my best friend in Mexico city died. Nobody say anything. They don't call me. I find out like about one month later, two weeks later, then I said, wow, nobody told me, you know, but in 1993,

ELIA CHINO:

I went back to Mexico city. By that time, I had already had the resident in the United States. And I went down there and I went to his mother and that she told me, you know what, Gustavo died from that horrible disease calling AIDS take care of yourself. And she say, my poor son died horrible,

ELIA CHINO:

because AIDS absorbed his body so bad. And he don't want nobody of his friends see his body or in the funeral, or before you get the area. That really I was in shock, you know, AIDS. Then I come back to Houston in that year,

ELIA CHINO:

my brother from Church of Christ he died also. And I find out that his wife ... I called her one day and she said, no, Ed was dying two weeks ago. And I asked her from what? Why too soon? Why you don't let me to see him anymore.

ELIA CHINO:

Because I used to call every weekend, every Sunday or Saturday, and I asked him how he's doing, and all that kind of stuff. And that day I called her and she told me, well, he died from that horrible disease that killed people called AIDS. Then I went to his house and I told her, Ed Wells died from AIDS? And I was talking about myself, Oh my God. He never told me that he was gay,

ELIA CHINO:

you know, but back those days, you know, AIDS only was for gay people. You know, that's what people were saying. It wasn't true. And those days, I don't know anything around AIDS. I know I hearing, but I never put attention. I don't know even about condoms.

ELIA CHINO:

I wasn't informed or educated about HIV/AIDS. And when I discovered that these two very important persons on my life, they died from AIDS, that when I was starting in my mind, I need to do something about it. And the meantime on those years, over here in Houston, so many people that I know they was dying, in house of friends in apartments,

ELIA CHINO:

but unless with the family, and I say, I need to do something about it. Then I went to AIDS foundation, Houston to be a volunteer. And I asked them, I want to be a volunteer, I want to helping out. They give me the list for volunteer. And I choose to go and be in the hospital,

ELIA CHINO:

that people was very sick in the hospital bed. And I choose to go there. I was there every weekend to work with the people. They provide me the list and I used to go with them. And also they provide me some snacks like sodas, water, chips, candy and I used to go

ELIA CHINO:

and visit them and spend weekends there with them. I had the opportunity to share the last breath of all these people that really was dying. And I was helping out to take it to the bathroom, to taking the food on their mouth, to reading the Bible, praying for them there for them. And the more difficult is that the next day,

ELIA CHINO:

when I used to go all in or the following weekend, they wasn't in there, they already died, other people they was waiting for a ride, or they can die in my arms. I was so blessed, you know, that I have all the god blessings and have the opportunity to hear and saw them in their last breath. It really, that motivated me to continue fighting and putting together the nonprofit organization.

ELIA CHINO:

And that's when I started putting the piece of the words for the Latin American foundation against AIDS, I don't know that will be very hard, but was another challenges and other barriers that I encounter because

BETSY KALIN:

Where gonna stop just straight there for a second, because I remember when you were mentioning before that you said that that AIDS was a taboo in the Latino culture. And that

[crosstalk]

ELIA CHINO:

Yes, AIDS was a taboo, was a fear, was discrimination and stigma on the ignorance and the taboo and the fear, the discrimination about the subject of AIDS in the Latino community.

BETSY KALIN:

And so you were kind of a substitute for the families. To a lot of these people who were at the hospital, can you name which hospital you were at?

ELIA CHINO:

The hospital where I was a volunteer was the ben-taub - Harris County hospital. What is the, whatever it is, they are people that they don't have health insurance that's the people that go there with the gold card for people

ELIA CHINO:

that they don't have, the sources that the poor people that they dying for any disease or any anything, you know, that's the hospital that they care them. Any, person. I remember that the fourth, fifth and sixth floor, all the beds was full of people with full blood of AIDS, dying.

ELIA CHINO:

Some people that he don't have any families here, people that they were LGBTQ people that already maybe lost their families, they don't know what's happening with them because the, besides the fear of AIDS,

ELIA CHINO:

they are homophobia, You know, that they never talking about that issue with a family. They was afraid there was a scare to tell their family. A lot of people, they was moving, escaping from the, from the discrimination, from the families, from their latin countries,

ELIA CHINO:

and to come in and move to to a better place than what are they find is this AIDS and die of complications of AIDS. I remember that we used to do like three, four fundraisers per week to bury people. It was so sad. That's why during this days during Covid,

ELIA CHINO:

I just remember me all that kind of things that I was dealing on those days, because on those days, they is still, there was still an investigation, how HIV can be transmitted. I remember that I used to work with gloves, with mask, with the white dress, because they don't allow to, to touch nothing.

ELIA CHINO:

And then what's the scary, you know, all these people there was alone in the hospital because they family

BETSY KALIN:

And then how did you, I'm sorry, how did you,

ELIA CHINO:

Because they, family was scared to go there, the ones they have the family.

BETSY KALIN:

And then how did you transition into doing your work to establish flap?

ELIA CHINO:

Well I remember that at the restaurant where I used to work as a waiter one of my clients, he was an accountant and I asked him, can you help me out to put together this organization and to get the necessary permits?

ELIA CHINO:

And he said, yes, come to my office. I will help you out. And that's when I started, he helped me out with a little corner of his office, to have a telephone line there. I remember that I said, can I say, can I use your address? He say, no, you cannot use my address, you open a PO box.

ELIA CHINO:

That's the first thing where I missed when start to gather that PO box for all the, all the correspondence, I will send it to the state for the payments to the IRS to come into the PO box. But he was typing all day. By that time we don't have a, I remember we don't used to have faxes, only fax, I remember. But we don't have save with DACA? Not the communication was by fax I remember,

ELIA CHINO:

and was not computers. We was typing everything bur let me tell you, I don't know how to type. I was like a chicken eating core typing like this. And I was practicing and doing all that kind of stuff. You know, I really, everything is coming. I, whatever I been living in is from the scrp

ELIA CHINO:

because I don't have the education. I don't have the skills, but I do know what I live in all of those skills, because I don't want to do school. And I continue living everyday because now technology is another issue, you know, that you have every day, you have to learn about the computers, the sales, new sales, new computers,

ELIA CHINO:

and then the name of the organization was Latin America foundation against AIDS. But you know what I never thought that was that people who will escape the war AIDS, you know, and then I went to ask for help to our another organizations. And they asked me why you want to go

ELIA CHINO:

and have another organization. We are here. Why you don't come and be a volunteer for us? And I told them, because it's a need. It's a demand. Our roll brothers and sisters are dying. They need here. They need more care. Oh no, no, we don't help you. And I am struggling with all that. And I went in open doors.

ELIA CHINO:

They came in my face, they closed a thousand doors but I went and opened, made me angry that, and I was, I was angry when they do that to me. And when I was passing out and ask permission to get to passing out HIV literature, in the Latino neighborhoods and the Latino businesses, not, we don't need that here. Over here there's no AIDS, over here nobody has sex,

ELIA CHINO:

please. Do you think you coming from the, from the street, you know, and I remember that I did the first dance to farm to raise money. You know, how many people show up to this event? Only one people. And I bought all to reservations and I put my credit cards and I put like $30,000 for that event

ELIA CHINO:

and I go and race nothing. And then my credit went back, then because of discrimination and the fear people was talking about that I was spending last because I have AIDS and the community, they punish me that I have AIDS that I was doing that because I have AIDS and they eat.

ELIA CHINO:

And everybody gives me the back. But you know what, I don't know how I should, but I continue fighting, fighting because I was, I was mad. I was devastated one day and the next day I get up and continue fighting. Only God knows my heart. And my heart,

ELIA CHINO:

from those days to now, he's the same my heart is not being changed. Everything. What I do is just for a better life for those people that they don't have resources that they die from cancer, and from other chronic diseases. And I will continue my legacy

ELIA CHINO:

and this world to the last day of my live. I went to the health department those days, and I say, can you support me with condoms in HIV literature? I want to pass it now in clubs and cantinas and bars. And they said, yes, we can help you. I remember that my apartment was like a storage for condoms and HIV literature.

ELIA CHINO:

I went to the universities and asked for help and they said, well, we help you, but you know what? We wants to write a grant. And you will be the director of Texas Southern university. And they rolled out grant for HIV prevention for youth. And then the grant was approved by that time. They have the HIV prevention center at the university.

ELIA CHINO:

But at that time, the director from the HIV prevention center, she was retired. And when she was retired, that's when the grant was approved and another person taking over her position and this person, he called me and he said, you know what? You don't want to be the project coordinator for this project,

ELIA CHINO:

you will be research assistance. But what he did, he is split up position and four positions. And I say, you know what? I take it, the position, because in my inside of me, I say, I want to gain an experience. I want to coordinate a project for my community for the Latino youth. And I accept it.

ELIA CHINO:

Three months later he was dying and I don't know, what he was dying. One of the core workers, one day, he come and tell me, you know what? He died Gerald, he died. I said, why what's happened? Oh my God, you don't know he has AIDS.

ELIA CHINO:

The Dean of college of education. She saying, now you have to do everything. You are the director of the center now, and you have to do this project. You are the top right now, I gave you this position. I did. I remember when I went to the field

ELIA CHINO:

and passing now is my heart, my passion. I remember that I pass it now, all this information and flyers and outside the schools, outside the neighborhood and libraries and churches. Recruiting youths to participate in the program. Oh my God, that day I had over 300 students that they come in to register for the classes and I said, well, what am I going to do? What I did

ELIA CHINO:

I take you all their names and the phone numbers. And I formed six groups of 30 people. I used to go and do the classes every day, every day. But the project was very success because I provided education. I think the project was the goal to provide, I think, 200 youths education per year.

ELIA CHINO:

Well, I did like about 500. The students coming to the HIV prevention classes. Then in the second year, they announcement that they want to renew the grant for the university. But at one day I was coming to I live like about seven o'clock from the university, and the last day I coming back.

ELIA CHINO:

And I saw flowers on the dean's, wherever she parked. And I ran to her office and say what happened with her? Oh, somebody killed her last night. Oh my God. So many things, you know, in my life happened. Angels, too many angels left. But I also too many Angels appear every day in my life,

ELIA CHINO:

but I never stop working in established FLAS. I was learning how to put together a grant, how to write it, how to do that budget, how to management, you know, and I learning and I continue applying every day, for the grant. And finally in 1999, I received a letter from Harris County.

ELIA CHINO:

You was approved for a grant for a hundred thousand dollars for one year. And that's when I opened FLAS offices to the community. And I need still there. I know in 2013, I had to change the name because a lot of people, they was afraid. They scared to come into our offices

ELIA CHINO:

because they don't want anybody knows that they come because they think that they have HIV and AIDS. That's why it was necessary to change it from the Latin American foundation Again AIDS, now it's continuing FLAS, but it is the Latin American foundation for social action, but it's also to be more abroad

ELIA CHINO:

to provide other services and not only HIV and HIV counseling and testing to be more all social services.

BETSY KALIN:

So what are, can you just talk a little bit about, like, what are some of the services that FLAS has provides and some of the FLAS' accomplishments, because on your I was just so impressed by all of the statistics and things. So if you could just mention those a little bit.

ELIA CHINO:

Yes. the services that we provide a FLAS we provide HIV, hepatitis C Phillies counseling and testing. But also, we provide mental health and substance abuse treatment. Besides that we are for people that are diagnosed with HIV. We helping out to linkage,

ELIA CHINO:

to care who helping out to navigate the health system. We teaching how to go to the clinic. We helping out to translate, to complete the forms. And we helping to be self efficiency, where they can navigate the system we provide the transportation.

ELIA CHINO:

Then we provide to get other social service that they may need housing, legal issues, immigration issues, everything, wherever they need, we help, we helping out on all these things. But also I work very close with the probation department. We provide the SOP and IOP counseling for people

ELIA CHINO:

that are coming from court for the Latinos. And also we provide the DWI classes also we have a food bank in the organization. And now we started last year with the pre-clinic

ELIA CHINO:

we helping out to get the medications and the medication arrive at the office that we call the clients. They come in to pick it up because in 2020 the HIV stigma is still huge. That is a big problem in the Latino culture, we still fighting to overcome the stigma.

ELIA CHINO:

So many people are still dying because of the stigma or the HIV stigma. But also besides that we have the the window of health with the collaboration of the Mexican consulate, I have outreach in coordinators that works by day in the consulate

ELIA CHINO:

to provide information about all health issues. And we helping out people to work to the, if, if somebody needs surgery, we looking for the hospital where to go to get the surgery, whatever who needs a mammogram or cancer treatment, we help them out to go and get a treatment, anything that they need,

ELIA CHINO:

we helping out to find it. But also, we provide emergency assistance for people that living with HIV and AIDS. We helping out to pay the light, the water, electricity or gas. Sometimes when we have resources, we helping out too with rent. We just need to have the clinic in FLAS,

ELIA CHINO:

the primary care clinic. And I hope that one day we can have all that, you know, but, right now is a lot of mental health problems that we are facing that we are facing around the country for the pandemic, I think this is worldwide, actually.

BETSY KALIN:

And so the work that you do is really, really impressive, and how much that you are a health advocate within your community. And so can you talk about like some of the challenges that you faced, especially like when you started to transition and how people within the organization and from the community reacted?

ELIA CHINO:

Most of the people from the organization, the people that I know forever since the first day

ELIA CHINO:

when I started FLAS, that's the people that are when - Well, my transition really, it was taking a long time because I was starting first with my eyelashes. You know, they take a little bit, you know, then to put the little makeup then to starting wearing sexy blouses, you know, and pants.

ELIA CHINO:

And then I started with little heels. That one was for about almost 20 years, my transition. It wasn't so easy. And, I'm making the decision because one day I saw an interview with Univision . And I say, wait, That is not me. And that's when I decide. And also when I used to go to the schools, I think the children, they get confused.

ELIA CHINO:

If I was a woman or I was a man. That's another thing that was an urging that I have to make the transition as soon as possible. I remember when I went, the first day, totally, with my transformation physically, well,

ELIA CHINO:

the first thing that they saw, like this, the accounting, the secretary, he told me the first, is that what happened to you? Okay. I think that happened on Monday. Well, on Wednesday, they went to my office and he said, you know what, I don't want to work in this environment anymore.

ELIA CHINO:

You disgust me. You made me sick, I leaving the office right now? But if on Monday, you don't coming back the way that was before, I don't want to work in this environment. And he left, well, the next day, the following Monday,

ELIA CHINO:

I come in more. And then I called him and I called his wife, say, come, you not what? It take me almost 45 years to be who I am. And I don't want to satisfy you because you want,

ELIA CHINO:

I not a toy to go back in the closet because you like or because you want, this is my decision. If you don't like, my decision I take, the door is open, out. I have to tell him. And he says I out, I leaving. But you know what this organization is going to be destroyed.

ELIA CHINO:

And I say, okay. And then he sent the letter, he made the calls, collaborators, founders, the board, you know, that they cannot tolerate my transition, that this is not good that this is not fair. He told me go to your fucking country.

ELIA CHINO:

Maybe you can do that there, but over here you cannot do that. I was driving so mad, my heart was suffering so bad for that transphobia, the discrimination. But you know what, I never gave it up. I was meeting in private with collaborators, with doctors, with boards,

ELIA CHINO:

with the staff outside the office. And then one day they called a meeting and they go all together and everybody say, Elia, we support you a hundred percent. Elia, we support you 150%. That means they cover their mouth and they continue their working.

ELIA CHINO:

One year later, he told me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Forgive me. And I told I forgive you already, but let me tell you, he died so fast. From that day, he just went down, down, down, down until he died.

ELIA CHINO:

And so I thought really, and I've been, seeing too many people through my journey that want to destroy me, that they don't want to see me what I've been doing. They don't want to see me, my success,

ELIA CHINO:

people that they hate me the way who I am and for my success. And I been seeing through my journey, those people, they are not here anymore. They live, they don't, I don't know where they are, but I think that, I feel that,

ELIA CHINO:

God is always with me. And I feel in that I have, thousands and thousands of angels that they protect me and they with me all times. And I believe that everything, what I've been doing all these years in benefit of the community

ELIA CHINO:

is bringing all these things in these things, what is happening right now with you in this interview, everything is happening for a reason. And I have more dreams of having a huge dream. And I know, and I talk with with God every day that he will do for that dream come through.

BETSY KALIN:

That's beautiful. I think before we get to your, to your dream, with what you want to, with what you want to see happen I just wanted to know, were you one of the first, trans woman who was in public position in Houston and how did other people come out as trans because of seeing you, like, what was the reaction from within the LGBTQ community?

ELIA CHINO:

Well the reaction, I had so much, already well known in the city of Houston because this one was the wasn't happening from one day to another day. This one was a process. And really, I was in very high risk to die because I was using hormones from the black market.

ELIA CHINO:

And I remember on my transition, I almost died because I was using for the blood market hormones. And, that's why I have the surgeries, you know, because I want the stop and I was so sick, but this process, this transition is, as I told you, it takes so many years. The community in Houston,

ELIA CHINO:

they have so much respect for me for all the things that I've been doing for all these years, but, it was already trans before me, but they don't call him trans.On that years. They used to call us transvestites was the people when,

ELIA CHINO:

when I start this movement, it wasn't trans people. That's only the transvestite people that they used to do shows at night. And the next day was dressing up like, they dressing up. It wasn't even like a woman, trans woman. They already was there,

ELIA CHINO:

but it wasn't the 24 hours like now. They have so much respect. I say, we are not a coin of gold that you will like everyone. This is the life. And I accepting that, in my position was a position that nobody give me,

ELIA CHINO:

that's a position that I created. Was a position that I fight for that position, that position, it caused me almost my life. That position is more of 25 years of suffering and fighting in a struggle in dreaming

ELIA CHINO:

that chair cost me a lot of years cost me that I lost everything, but I never give it up for whatever I want to do for my community.

BETSY KALIN:

Yes. And how, what do you see as the things that Latino LGBTQ community needs. I mean, you really filled this gap within Houston and really addressed the Latino community

ELIA CHINO:

In general, the LGBT community, they need more inclusion, inclusion across on everything, but the more important is the education. With education everything is possible.

ELIA CHINO:

But besides that, I talking on behalf of the Latino community, the Latino LGBT community, besides that they need job trainings, they need education, they need job opportunities, but we have a broken immigration reform, people that wants to work, but

ELIA CHINO:

they don't have the documentation to have it better positions in any companies, you know, and any corporations and especially the trans community is a very, very marginalized community is the community that despite the, to be a trans is not really hoped for jobs,

ELIA CHINO:

education, housing is the transphobia all over. We face it. We struggle the transphobia every second of our lives. We need protection from the law enforcement because they forget about the crimes that are arising among the Trans and across

ELIA CHINO:

the LGBTQ community in this has to stop. We need good policies in the healthcare in primary care services. We need to train those in the frontline for healthcare.

ELIA CHINO:

We need all, everything, everything across everything for the, for the LGBT we need, we need justice. We need to stop the intolerance in the society for a better quality of life, because we are a strong and we are important, and we are so many,

ELIA CHINO:

we are marginalized, but we are a huge community already that we need to be more United. And sometimes we are really unite whenever it is a need in the Latino community, in our community where unite and we put money for funerals, we put money to when somebody is very sick

ELIA CHINO:

but we need across everything, move your opportunities for, for the LGBT community. We need to be included in everything, housing, education jobs, and also we need to be treated with respect and dignity.

BETSY KALIN:

I think something that I want to get back to is because, I mean, as an activist, someone who's really dedicated their life to, you know, making lives better for people and working on social justice issues and health issues. I think one of the things that you mentioned briefly before was how,uin you experienced domestic violence in your aunt's household, but also,uI think you you've mentioned that you also experienced sexual abuse and,

BETSY KALIN:

and how did that impact you and did that have a part to play in your wanting to, you know, work as an activist for others and to make their lives better?

ELIA CHINO:

Well, I want to, because I was suffering from sexual abuse since when I was very small. It's a trauma and is thoughts of suicide in my life,

ELIA CHINO:

because for all those issues that are happened through my life too many times I was, I had thoughts of suicide, but you know what, God gave me the strength to go. And now I say forgive me God, how stupid I was that I was thinking to commit suicide for myself, forgive me.

ELIA CHINO:

What I tried to do is to provide also domestic violence education for the community to helping out, to find the sources into, to helping out to get out from those domestic violence. And also to break the silence to talking about that issues, to talking about with the love enforcements,

ELIA CHINO:

to reporting, to don't shut up, to talk about us, to ask for help, because it's so important, but it's a lot, it's a lot of fear. And a lot of people are scared to report domestic violence sexual abuse,

ELIA CHINO:

physical abuse, all that kind of stuff. And once again is because in the Latino community is because immigration issues, because so many people, they don't have the documentations. Also a lot of times is because it's their own family that is doing these, put the siblings, to the children and to the family members

BETSY KALIN:

For you, how did you heal? I mean, what was one of the ways that you healed from your experiences of sexual abuse in the past,

ELIA CHINO:

Who heals me, you know, who heals me? God. And help our community in need heal me because when I was thinking to do or have thoughts of suicide,

ELIA CHINO:

I just prayed, praying, praying. And that's when I escape of thinking of that and do good things for the community. And also the discrimination that I, all the bad things, all the negative things, and I'm doing positive things. That's why overcome all these issues to be that good person,

ELIA CHINO:

to be the better person each day and to be a hope and to give my life to God. That's what I overcome all those issues, all the trauma, all the stress.

BETSY KALIN:

And then why don't you talk now about you said that in you were diagnosed with cancer

BETSY KALIN:

and lymphoma in 2017. Can you talk about your struggle and challenges with that

ELIA CHINO:

Before the 2017, I was starting getting a lot of symptoms that I never had before. First started that some days I don't want to get up in the morning from bed. I was feeling so weak,

ELIA CHINO:

you know, but I said, well, maybe I'm tired maybe because I working too many hours, you know? And then the second step is I started to get like a flame, white flame. I was coughing and I have like a flame, white flame. And then that was taking time, you know? And then when I had the flame, I was starting to go to the doctors,

ELIA CHINO:

different doctors, and everybody, you are fine, you don't have anything, Scans, ultrasounds, MRIs, nothing, everything was fine. Until late in 2016, I have it with a bump right here in my neck.

ELIA CHINO:

That is starting in 2016 in December. Then like in February of 2017, I have another bump over here, next to my bone over here. Then in May, 2017, I was with another one but over here, then I say what's coming. But in the meantime,

ELIA CHINO:

I have it at a schedule for the hernia repair surgery and, I was already go to the surgery and I show my, the surgeons. Then you look at what is this? And he asked me, you want to take them back, or you want to have the surgery? I say, doctor do the surgery because I already cancelled three times. And then, he say, whenever you're coming back for follow up,

ELIA CHINO:

I will do the biopsy. That happened in June, 2017. Well, two weeks later, I went down there and see if he did a biopsy three days later, he called and said, I have the results can you come in and get your result. And I went down there and said, you know what? You have AIDS, and I say no.

ELIA CHINO:

And I explained, I work in a non-profit organisation and where we do, we provide HIV education and I'm not in high risk. And he say, well, if you don't have AIDS, and see how people, because we are members of the LGBT community. Yes. Whatever it is, they throw out AIDS, you know what I mean?

ELIA CHINO:

Anyway and he said, well, if you don't have AIDS, I think you have cancer. You need to work to see the oncology. I went the following day to see the oncology. And the first thing they call it, he told me, yes, you have cancer. You have lymphoma and I have to do another biopsy over here.

ELIA CHINO:

And what is the middle bone ? And he did another, because he said, I want to see if he's not being a spread already. Well, he did another biopsy and he say, he's not being spread, you're okay. But I you need to get treatment. And I say, what kind of treatment? Well, you need to come in for chemo? You need to go and have the surgeon to put you port catheter.

ELIA CHINO:

Well, I went back to the surgeon. I make an appointment said, you need to port catheter. It was a surgery over here in my shoulder. And I went down there, in the following week, I start with the chemotherapist.

ELIA CHINO:

Oh my God, that one was the worst thing in my life. Chemos are very, very strong, almost killing me. I was shaking like this, all my body, you know, but I know where the second chemo I had to one emergency hospital. I went to the emergency room because I was dying my blood pressure just went to high.

ELIA CHINO:

And I was there like about four days to regulate my blood pressure. And then they continue with the chemo. I had six months of chemo and then the doctors say, now you need to go for your radiation. I had to go for the radiation. They poke me, all my body. They put me like tattoos.

ELIA CHINO:

Then is a plan, is not easy. You know? And then I had to walk for about almost two months for the radiation. I was feeling so weak, but I you know what, the second when the doctor told me that I had cancer. I come back home. I laid down on my knees and I say, God, you already do me.

ELIA CHINO:

I just need to do whatever the doctor say, but you are my doctor. You already heal me, and I declare that cure me. And I used to go two days in a row for the chemo. And the third day, I get up and I go to the office and work, I never stopped working. That's why I think helped me out, to overcome more the cancer.

ELIA CHINO:

But when I finished the chemo, the radiation, one more later, I went to see my mom to Mexico because I don't have time when I was in treatment for cancer (Chemio and radiation) and I went down there and then I get so sick there. And I have to go the emergency hospital for surgery of my gallbladder. Oh my God. It's just so many things.

ELIA CHINO:

I'm here, I'm here and I feel so blessed. And also on March of this year I was, I think I had Covid but they don't test me because I don't have fever. And I went to the doctor and say, check me out, do all the tests. And then she say, and then the next following week, she called and said, you have diabetes.

ELIA CHINO:

I say, Oh, no. No way. Well, from there I went to the grocery store to buy vegetables for my green shakes. And I started I walking every day, I walk one hour and 30 minutes. And then on June, I went to do the, they did the test and she gave me the medication, but you know what? I never take the medication. I say, no, I don't want to take a medication,

ELIA CHINO:

I want to control the diabetes. And then I went in June, I said, stop the medication. You don't have diabetes anymore. I said oh my God, I never take the medication.

BETSY KALIN:

That's a great, I love when people are able to heal themselves by doing things, you know, like eating right and exercise and,

BETSY KALIN:

you know, doing things in a more holistic way. So one of the things that we've talked about throughout this interview is, you know, your work and how that gives you strength and, you know, it supported you through your diagnosis with cancer. And what is something that you really like to see in the future? Like, what are your plans for the organization?

BETSY KALIN:

I know, I think at one point you mentioned that, you know, the organization was like one room and really small, and then you expanded to like 6,000 square feet. Well, what else would you like to see

ELIA CHINO:

What I like to see? I know as you know, I have to fight every day. Like the first day for the funding funding is so difficult and especially the funding

ELIA CHINO:

when it's coming to funding. And especially for Latino, nonprofit organization founded by trans Latina, they just giving us the left overs. That's what I feeling. And it's another that made me hungry sometimes, you know, angry, sorry, not hungry. Angry because they give you whatever it is left over,

ELIA CHINO:

and you have to do all the work they give you that you have to do so much for the money that they give you. You have to do the hard work. But besides that, what I want to see, I want to see and have my own building for the organization, but I want that building to be like a museum.

ELIA CHINO:

The first floor, I want to be a museum of me, or whenever I leaving, I want to continue and to be an inspiration for the new generations to come and see what is possible whenever you want to do something good for the humanity that are in,

ELIA CHINO:

I know life is so difficult and nothing is easy. If it wasn't easy, everybody can do it, but I'm not. The compassion, the love, the commitment and passion to helping each other, that is going to make a difference. And that's what it's going to be a success

ELIA CHINO:

in your life in also to giving back to your community because I reading and thinking and thinking, and I come into the same point: purpose of life is to put something good for a better world, for a better future of your community.

ELIA CHINO:

That's what I want to see that building to be provide education, to provide mental health, to provide some service treatment, to provide trainings, to provide ... That is the more important to provide primary care services for the marginalized communities,

ELIA CHINO:

especially for the LGBT community, for people that don't have access to help. People that they cannot read, people that cannot write, people that maybe they cannot see, people that just don't have health insurance, people that don't have income for the poor people, poverty people.

BETSY KALIN:

And I think, I mean, you, you've talked about, you want to inspire people and talk about like the ways that you want to inspire them and what, what you want to see happen.

ELIA CHINO:

This is one of the things, okay, this interview to see what is, all the things that I went through and I never give it up. And that's a matter of what,

ELIA CHINO:

if any barriers okay, that is coming on your way, you need to break the barriers, you need to be strong. You need to believe you need to have faith. You need to know whatever you do in your life. If you don't, that's the more important pieces, for you can be able and succeed and to continue with your dreams.

ELIA CHINO:

Right here is all the inspiration, because despite that as a member of the LGBT community, to be a trans woman, to be an immigrant that doesn't speak English, you know, all those kind of things that also never, never let anybody to put you down.

ELIA CHINO:

Never. Okay. You always need to fight for your rights, that we are equal in this world, in this beautiful earth that God created for each of, for everyone. We have the rights for everything for justice, for equality equity,

ELIA CHINO:

for your beliefs, you know. Respect and to show love to everyone and to show love for everything, whatever we do for us and for everybody in the community, that is going to make a difference on the things that you want to accomplish in life.

BETSY KALIN:

And can you talk a little bit about, we didn't really get into this, but the other organizations that you served on the board of, I think you said that you're involved with the community planning group for the city of Houston, and you were, you founded the Latino HIV task force. And Can you just talk about some of your other accomplishments?

ELIA CHINO:

Well, when I was starting to getting involved with the health department, was a body that I called the CPG, that is the community planning group, the community planning group was required from CDC that each health department, they have to have these body. And they invited me to be on the community planning group

ELIA CHINO:

because they want to have a representation from the Latino LGBTQ community. And what this group does is to prioritize the the high risk populations for HIV in Houston, and also the Latino HIV task force, well, I was starting the Latino HIV task force and was with the collaboration

ELIA CHINO:

and the mission of Latino HIV task force is to bring all the Latino organizations and to find the strategies, how to reach the Latino community, encourage them to get informed about HIV and also to get tested for HIV. And also I was involved with the Ryan White planning council,

ELIA CHINO:

and Rhyan White council is also, this is similar, like CPG is to serve and prioritized the HIV high risk populations and subgroups that need HIV treatments and prevention.

BETSY KALIN:

And has the rates of HIV decreased in Houston.

ELIA CHINO:

Okay. We are getting in there. We are. I know, like about two, three years ago, we used to have over 1200 people,

ELIA CHINO:

newly diagnosed with HIV and the city of Houston now has been decreased drastically. I think right now we've had like about 700 people per year, almost half of the people that they used to be diagnosed in 2016. And we continue, especially right now with prep,

ELIA CHINO:

it's another new strategy to stop spreading HIV in the communities.

BETSY KALIN:

Great. Thank you. So another thing that I wanted to ask about that you didn't really talk about in the pre-interview is about your long-term relationships and or that you've had. Can you talk a little bit about that because we've mostly talked about work and not your personal relationship.

ELIA CHINO:

Really, my personal relationships. I really, I don't, I think, I can count it with these fingers. Okay. What I have, okay. In the last 35 years. I always was looking for permanently in a stable relationships.

ELIA CHINO:

And I know I was, unfortunately, I was I can remember my first one over here, the United States was difficult because I suffered from domestic violence, a lot of domestic violence. And that's one of the reasons that I escaped from that relationship, then I have it another one.

ELIA CHINO:

And these people that are really wants to leave double life. And that's another thing happened to me. And I discovered that wasn't a good environment and that I had to escape also to be further away from that relationship. And, the relationships that are, I just wants to see.

ELIA CHINO:

Sometimes people, they want to taking advantage of you. They wants to using you. And I overcome those issues. And I asked God, if you want to send me anybody to my life, send me somebody that is wanting to support me on whatever I do,

ELIA CHINO:

to be at least agree on my journey of life. I don't want them to support me with money or to be with me. No, but I guess to be besides me, you know, because to send me a true love. True love, these are people that will be in the bad, in the good things with you. If he is not a person like that, I don't need nobody.

ELIA CHINO:

I live in peace, I don't looking for nobody. I don't I wish that I live on peace. I just need health. If somebody appears in my life, is just to be with me in my house, we travel together, it will like a roommate, something like that, you know,

ELIA CHINO:

because I don't looking for the sexual attraction, I looking for, as a human being with love and compassion and to be in with you anywhere everywhere in any time?

BETSY KALIN:

Yeah. I mean, that's, I mean, that's kind of the intimacy. I think we all kind of look for you to know is, you know, we get to the point where we think that that that's really what's special.

ELIA CHINO:

And also I think that God healed me from that too, he heal me from the wishes, all that, because a relationship is not about sex, is not about lo... It's not about money. It's not about whatever you have, materials. It's about that piece of that is important. The true love, love, love. That's what is important?

BETSY KALIN:

And I think that's a theme that runs through this interview in your life is that, you know, you are a person who really does things for the community to help people. And that comes from a place of love.

ELIA CHINO:

And also I want to share with you, okay, all whatever I did, I never did because for money,

ELIA CHINO:

I never think for money when I start FLAS it, I wasn't thinking to have it a salary, but at the government, they train me that I have to have a salary. You know what I said, well, unfortunately money don't buy anything, but it's important, you know, but I'm only going by the health,

ELIA CHINO:

you know, and that's what I want to let you know everyone to encourage other people that are, these are important about the values and about the whatever you beliefs and the true love, and the true love is just to helping each other for we can have a better life, a better future, a better everything in this earth,

ELIA CHINO:

because life is too short and we just need to be good and to have whatever we deserve, and we deserve everything.

BETSY KALIN:

And what do you think is the biggest change today from like 50 years ago with the LGBTQ community? Like where are we today?

ELIA CHINO:

I think is more tolerance is more acceptation right now, but it's because all the social media is all the platforms that is, it's the technology is really transforming the world, you know, and also is changing the way that we was thinking 50 years ago.

ELIA CHINO:

It's really played a very important role, the technology in our lives right now people is more openly is because right now is everything in social media. And also the when children's, they see everything on social media too. That's why we have a more open mindset and moral acceptation.

ELIA CHINO:

And but we still need federal policies that are protects the LGBT community. We need people that fight for our rights, fight for a better quality of life or the LGBT community, especially when it comes to protection. We need policies that protect our lives

ELIA CHINO:

because it's a lot of discrimination, it's a lot of violence that are so many people get killed and nobody does. Nobody cares about it. You know, that's what we need. That's the more important right now that we need protection.

BETSY KALIN:

And let's say a person comes to you tomorrow and says that he or she is thinking of coming out, what advice and guidance would you give to that person?

ELIA CHINO:

I always have some families, you know, and I have some families, especially the mothers, but then they see their children different. And I say, and I sit with them and I have a long conversation. And I asked them to understand their children,

ELIA CHINO:

to giving love into them, to acceptances and to let them be free and to support them on the way they are. To be proud of who you, I always encourage. And I told them, the more important is that you have to have respect for yourself. You need to love yourself and you need to be happy.

ELIA CHINO:

This is not something bad. This is natural. This is not you like chicken. Well, nobody can change you. If you like chicken, you will like chicken forever. This is a taste, you know, whatever you like in your life, you need to be happy and to be but I also encourage them to get educated

ELIA CHINO:

because a lot, and also to talk to them about this issue too, don't keep it in themselves to talk it with the Pastor, with the parents, if they don't feel confident with their parents to go and look for, talk with their, with a teacher, look for a counselor, you know, to talk with your doctor about this issue.

ELIA CHINO:

But don't keep it to yourself because it's a lot of suicide because for the discrimination, for the fear, for the homophobia that he sees in the society, and they are scared of all the society that's what are they more scared? And sometimes it's also is a taboo and they families, they just close minds, you know, sometimes, and also the religion, the punishment from religions

ELIA CHINO:

is another issue that so many people they don't want to be open and to accept things the way they are.

BETSY KALIN:

What do you hope to see in the future?

ELIA CHINO:

You're talking about in the LGBT community.

BETSY KALIN:

Yes. Yeah. Well, would you like to see

ELIA CHINO:

What I like to see in the future for the LGBT community is to have more opportunities and to embrace them in that don't be at difference from other from other communities, from other populations that are, we need to get equality opportunities that we have all the rights, you know, justice for everything.

ELIA CHINO:

And with having that tolerance that we need to, that I want to see open society, you know, across from the top to the bottom, you know, that everybody thinks in the same way. And we don't have any more discrimination or transphobia that to be a normal life for everyone equal equity equity for everyone. That's what I want to see in the future.

BETSY KALIN:

That's great. Tell me, why is it important for you to tell your story? Why, why is this important to you?

ELIA CHINO:

For me, it's so important to tell the story because to encourage and to motivate and inspire all the people and to have more hands out there in the world

ELIA CHINO:

to helping those in need across all the world. That's why it's so important for me and also to tell the story and also for other people to fight for their rights, to be hope of life for other people to never give it up about the dreams that they have in mind,

ELIA CHINO:

that nothing is impossible. When you have the desires to do something good for, and to put a little peace for a better world on this earth, because we need more help, we need more hands on top, on all the issues, especially for the LGBT community, because there's so much need,

ELIA CHINO:

but that we need to be prepared and educated and to continue with our dreams, life and future.

BETSY KALIN:

And for OUTWORDS and since it's the first national project to capture and share our history, why do you think this is important? And can you use OUTWORDS in your answer? So OUTWORDS is important.

ELIA CHINO:

The OUTWORDS, yeah. Well OUTWORDS words is important because they will spread around the world. Not only the United States, because it's in the internet that they're going to reaching across all the world, it will change the world to think, and also to motivate all the people everywhere that you will reach thousands, millions of people to these OUTWORDS.

BETSY KALIN:

That's great. Thank you. Thank you for saying that. And I'm going to just ask Rae, Who has been here joining us if he has any questions for Elia while we're winding down, are you there? Rae?

RAE MACCARTHY:

I am curled up, curled up listening to Elia like a bedtime story. So I wanted to get myself upright. Elia, first of all, it's been so tremendous to be sitting in on this today. And I definitely got teary-eyed a few times and I just, something I keep coming back to is like, what kept you going? Like you had so many times when you were told,

RAE MACCARTHY:

no, you had so many times when the odds were against you. How did you do that? How did you keep going?

ELIA CHINO:

Only with only with the God's strengths when I had all this issues, I just coming home and lay down and pray and pray and pray and pray. And I continue praying every day,

ELIA CHINO:

every moment to overcome any difficulties in my life, any encounters I breaking down with prayers, and each day is a challenging to continue living and also doing this kind of work because it's so difficult I will say God, why you send me and to do this on this topics,

ELIA CHINO:

the more difficult topics that that is associate natural social norms to change. You know, it's so difficult, but with his help, with his love, I overcome all these barriers and all these encounters.

BETSY KALIN:

It's a beautiful, thank you. Do you have any other questions?

RAE MACCARTHY:

What brings you joy?

ELIA CHINO:

They, the people that I help people that I see flying, that I seeing that they flying, they want to be better, and like that they doing better. People that they looking to have their own businesses. People that they want to have education,

ELIA CHINO:

people that are healing, you know, for any disease, people that have success in their life, that I see them that are, they grow in all the ways that is the ones made me bring me joy in my life. That's my rewards of this kind of work in saving lives.

ELIA CHINO:

That's what it's give me joy and continue to Be happy each day and also to pray every day and feel that God is inside of me, that he is everywhere wherever I go, that he's with me there. I addicted to him because

ELIA CHINO:

I feeling that without him, nothing, I can be able to do, but I also do that. I need to be good for others. And there are all these seeds that you're planting. Eventually it's coming the fruits, you will see the fruits. And that's what I see. This is a fruit, whatever I see right now, whatever it is happening right now is a fruit, all that seeds that I've planted all these years

RAE MACCARTHY:

Time for one more question.

BETSY KALIN:

Yes.

RAE MACCARTHY:

That was so beautiful. I just want to say, I love that. Thinking about the trees with the fruit and the seeds, it's just like, yeah, thank you. UI heard a quote that said,

RAE MACCARTHY:

why did God make me trans for the same reason he made grapes, but not wine and wheat but not bread because he wanted to give me a hand in my own creation. And I think about all the cultures where we're being trans or being in a category other than the just, you know, men and women, is seen as divine? And do you, do you feel divinity in being trans?

ELIA CHINO:

Yes. I always say myself, if God makes me again or to, I has to work again, I asked to make me the same way that I am right now. Because through those things and to be the way I am, that's why I've been able to be a strong and to be wherever I am now. And I'm so proud of that.

BETSY KALIN:

And then my last question is for you Elia, do you have anything that I didn't talk to you about that you wanted to tell us for this interview

ELIA CHINO:

Until you over until everything?

BETSY KALIN:

I just let you know that this was such an inspirational interview,

ELIA CHINO:

But I just want to say, thank you for this work that you are doing is amazing, whatever you reaching, these people that are I think they have this travel the life for a better services for a better future, to given a hope,

ELIA CHINO:

all their people into reaching out the younger generations, okay. For they can do a better life. But I also want to say that this is a place. This is a place in, is this happened for a purpose. This interview is for a purpose, and God bless you and continue whatever you are doing because it's so important

ELIA CHINO:

because sometimes, and let me tell you, I don't do these in my work as I've mentioned before for money, or to get something back I do because I know humanity. I know my life. I know people and when you have that peace as important, you will make it a new world, you will make the difference in this world.

ELIA CHINO:

Once again, this is a blessed to be here with you. Thank you for taking your time. And thank you for all the questions that you asked me. Thank you for selecting me to share my story. Because sometimes a lot of people, they don't have the opportunity to share their stories.

ELIA CHINO:

They don't have the opportunity to be recognized. A lot of people they are forgetting out there and nobody said anything about them. You know, I think it's so important. And also it's another piece that motivating me to continue with this journey of my life.

BETSY KALIN:

That's great. Well, thank you. It was truly a wonderful experience For me and I gained so much from it personally. And I really, I love, I love your faith and your spiritual practice and your just your belief that things are going to be good and better for the next generation.

ELIA CHINO:

But what I also have on the last thing, what I want to share, okay. People, sometimes, they are like they accept you but they are accept you from your mouth, you know, but I'm not growing inside. You know? In my family, you know, the ones have more success. There's five, all my suffering, despite my sexual orientation.

ELIA CHINO:

And they respect me, but I, you know, why they respect me because, because what I doing and whatever I'm able to accomplish in my life and because I'd been take care my parents, I've been take care whoever who needs help, I always there for them. It doesn't matter

ELIA CHINO:

what time it is I there. Whenever somebody needs me to talk or if they need something or any information, I there for them. That is why made me unique, I think in this world.

BETSY KALIN:

Definitely. Andrew, are you there?

ANDREW LUSH:

Thank you. That was so wonderful. Are we ready to stop the recording?

BETSY KALIN:

I think so.

ANDREW LUSH:

Okay, cool. Not the meeting. Just the recording. Okay.