LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY & BELONGING
Ilma López and Portland’s LGBTQ+ Community
ILMA SUPPORTED THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY FOR YEARS
Everyone belongs in Portland
Portland should be a place where everyone can feel safe, respected, and proud to call this city home.
My support for Portland’s LGBTQ+ community did not begin when I decided to run for City Council. It has been part of my life, my businesses, and my community work for years.
This is personal to me. People I love, including family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors, are part of the LGBTQ+ community. They deserve exactly what every one of us deserves: to live openly, safely, and equally in the city they call home.
I was raised to believe that people should be judged by how they treat others, how they contribute to their community, and the kindness they bring into the lives around them. That belief has followed me from Venezuela to Portland, and it has shaped how I raise my children, how we operate our businesses, and how I try to show up for this city.
Supporting Portland’s LGBTQ+ Community Before Politics
I don't believe inclusion begins with a campaign.
For years, my husband Damian and I have used our two Portland small businesses, Chaval and Ugly Duckling, as places where people can gather, celebrate, and simply be themselves.
Ugly Duckling publicly describes itself as a safe and inclusive space for every guest and employee, with “everyone welcome” as part of the business itself. The restaurant has also hosted recurring RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing parties, including weekly events documented as far back as 2025. Ugly Duckling
That matters to me because belonging isn't something we should talk about once a year during Pride.
It should be part of everyday life in Portland.
Pride, Drag, and Creating Space for Joy
Some of that support has been joyful and very visible.
Ugly Duckling has hosted Drag Race viewing parties and queer community events, while Chaval hosted a Pride Drag Brunch in June 2026 featuring New England drag performers during Portland’s Pride season. Maine Public independently listed that event. Maine Public
For me, events like these are not simply entertainment.
They create a table where people can meet, laugh, celebrate who they are, and feel welcomed in their own community.
And sometimes, they can also be a way to give back.
Working With the Equality Community Center
In October 2026, Chaval partnered directly with Portland’s Equality Community Center for its Halloween Drag Brunch.
The fundraiser gives guests opportunities to support ECC, including a raffle where 100% of proceeds benefit the Equality Community Center and direct donation opportunities at the event. CHAVAL
The Equality Community Center is an LGBTQ+ community center in downtown Portland and houses organizations including EqualityMaine, MaineTransNet, PFLAG, and Pride Portland. Its mission includes creating a welcoming space and connecting community members with services and organizations that support them. Equality Community Center
For me, that is what community partnership should look like: businesses, nonprofits, and neighbors finding ways to support one another.
Supporting the Organizations Doing This Work Every Day
Portland is fortunate to have organizations that have spent years building community, advocating for equality, and creating safer spaces.
Pride Portland is a volunteer-run nonprofit responsible for Portland’s annual Pride parade and festival and works to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion, accessibility, and solidarity. PRIDE PORTLAND!
EqualityMaine works statewide to protect and advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Mainers through community building, education, engagement, collaboration, and political action.
A Pride Crosswalk for Portland’s West End
In September 2026, Portland’s West End received its first Pride crosswalk, directly outside Ugly Duckling on Danforth Street.
Public coverage identifies it as the first Pride crosswalk in the West End and one of a small number across Portland. Podscan
For me, seeing those colors outside our family’s business means something much bigger than paint on a street.
It says: you are part of this neighborhood. You are seen here. You belong here.
Symbols alone don't solve the challenges LGBTQ+ people face. But visibility matters, especially when it reminds a young person, a family, a neighbor, or an employee that their city has room for them exactly as they are.
That is the Portland I want my children to grow up in.
This Work Didn't Start With a Campaign
I am not coming to public service from a career in politics.
I am coming to it as a mom, an immigrant, a small business owner, an employer, and someone who has spent years asking a very simple question:
How can we help?
Sometimes that has meant opening our businesses for community events. Sometimes it has meant fundraising. Sometimes it has meant creating space for people to celebrate. Sometimes it has meant supporting nonprofit organizations doing work we believe in.
My belief is simple: Portland belongs to all of us.
No matter where you were born, the color of your skin, who you love, or how you identify, you deserve to feel safe, respected, and welcome here.
That belief existed long before I became a candidate.
It will continue long after Election Day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQs.
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Ilma believes Portland should be a safe and welcoming city where LGBTQ+ residents are treated with dignity and respect and can participate fully in community life. Her support for LGBTQ+ inclusion has also been reflected in events and community activities connected to her Portland businesses.
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Ilma and her businesses have supported LGBTQ+ community events before her City Council campaign, including recurring RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing parties at Ugly Duckling. A Season 17 viewing series was publicly listed in early 2025.
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Ugly Duckling identifies itself as an inclusive space for guests and employees and has hosted recurring drag-related community events. Chaval hosted a Pride Drag Brunch in June 2026 and later partnered with the Equality Community Center for a Halloween Drag Brunch fundraiser benefiting ECC.
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A Pride crosswalk was installed outside Ugly Duckling on Danforth Street in September 2026. Public reporting identifies it as the first Pride crosswalk in Portland’s West End and one of a small number across the city.
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Ilma says LGBTQ+ inclusion is personal because people she loves, including family, friends, coworkers and neighbors, are members of the community. Her belief is that Portland should be a place where people are treated with dignity regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, background or where they were born.
