Sheila Lopez
Sheila Lopez (born c. 1974) is an American electrical engineer and LGBT rights advocate. She cofounded and serves as president of the Native American PFLAG chapter in Phoenix, Arizona.
Life
[edit]Lopez was born c. 1974 in Winslow, Arizona to a Navajo mother from Greasewood, Arizona and a Mexican father from Winslow.[1][2] Her maternal grandfather was a medicine man.[1] Lopez was pregnant in high school before starting college.[3] She completed an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Northern Arizona University.[3] After graduation, Lopez joined HP Inc. as a manufacturing engineer.[3] She worked in software testing, validation, and semiconductor fabrication.[3] She joined Intel where she serves as the veterans and LGBTQ program manager.[3]
Lopez joined PFLAG in 2009 after her two oldest children, Samantha and Emanuel came out.[4] In June 2011, she cofounded and serves as president of the Native PFLAG group supporting tribes in the Arizona area.[4] In 2015, Lopez received a VH1 Trailblazer Honor for her LGBT rights activism.[5] In 2019, she organized the first pow wow for the Phoenix Native LGBT and two-spirit community.[6] She won the 2019 American Indian Science and Engineering Society Blazing Fame award.[3]
In 2020, the Native PFLAG Chapter was closed, with Lopez citing insufficient funds and available staff as reasons for its closure.[7] Before its closure, the Native PFLAG Chapter made a donation of $14,000 to the Phoenix Indian Center to allow pow wows to continue to be held.[7]
At the 2023 pow wow, Lopez was still considered to be an avid and dedicated supporter for the Native LGBTQ+ people by the Indigenous advocate present at the event.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Bencomo Lobaco, Julia (2022). "Sheila Lopez Becomes LGBTQ Advocate in Navajo Community". AARP. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ Davis-Young, Katherine (2019-03-30). "For many Native Americans, embracing LGBT members is a return to the past". Alton Telegraph. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ a b c d e f Warren, Chris (October 9, 2019). "Sheila Lopez: 2019 Blazing Flame Awardee / Navajo". Winds of Change. American Indian Science and Engineering Society. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ a b Philip, KJ (October 20, 2016). "Sheila Lopez Inducted Into Echo Magazine's Hall of Fame". Echo Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-05-18.
- ^ "Dennis And Judy Shepard, PFLAG Parents, Accept Honor At Logo Trailblazer Honors". NewNowNext. June 23, 2015. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ Curtis, Chelsea (February 29, 2020). "'It's just easier to tell your truth and to dance your truth': 2nd annual Two Spirit Powwow in Phoenix a haven for Native LGBTQ community". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ a b Carruth, Sydney. "'We're celebrating the community to heal it': Phoenix Indian Center's Two Spirit Powwow returns since pandemic". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ^ Bradley, Chad (2023-04-28). "'Everybody likes a little sparkle and shine': Two-Spirit Powwow returns after two-year hiatus". AZ Luminaria. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- Living people
- 1970s births
- People from Winslow, Arizona
- American people of Navajo descent
- American people of Mexican descent
- 21st-century American engineers
- American electrical engineers
- Women electrical engineers
- American LGBTQ rights activists
- Hispanic and Latino American scientists
- Intel people
- Hewlett-Packard people
- Activists from Arizona
- Northern Arizona University alumni
- 21st-century American women engineers
- Hispanic and Latino American women scientists
- Native American engineers
- Native American women engineers
- Native American women activists
- Native American activists
- American women activists