Now he reminisces about the first time he ever told someone. Shamed by the stigma in his community and fear of what his loved ones would think of him, he kept his secret to himself. 'It was a more difficult world to navigate for young people.' 'Thinking back, you know, to see classmates of mine who eventually came out and just reliving what it was like with them,' Lopez said. He went to an all-boys catholic school, which he says made it not so easy for boys who were hiding their true identity. 'I think is an extraordinary testament to how far we've come in this city and in this country,' Lopez said.īut growing up gay was more like living a secret life.

If elected, Lopez would be the first openly gay man and Latino mayor for the windy city. Now he’s one of two openly gay candidates running for mayor of Chicago. Lopez came out more than 20 years ago to his Latino family and friends. 'I remember being in high school and being in the closet,' Lopez said. But for people like Chicago’s 15th ward alderman Raymond Lopez, it was. Many say that coming out as gay shouldn’t be that big of a deal.