Lena Chipman: Leading Out Loud

by Vaniel Simmons

Lena Chipman, they/she, is a bisexual, transgender woman currently running for Shelby County Commission District 13. Having lived throughout Memphis and Shelby County for most of her life, she has fallen in love with the city and developed a passion for changing it for the better. While she recognizes that the city is far from perfect, it is home, and it is a place that matters enough to make a difference.

Lena Chipman has always been involved in their community, being a part of her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance and stirring up some good trouble as far back as high school. In recent years, Lena has remained a fierce and active part of the LGBTQ+ community in Memphis, actively engaging with the MidSouth LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Mid-South TransNation, and OUTMemphis. They actively participated in events such as the annual Day on the Hills, a statewide day of advocacy at the Capitol in Nashville, where LGBTQ+ individuals could speak directly with state representatives about the issues they face in their community.

While they have had political and advocacy desires for years and identified as bisexual for much of their life, her gender transition in her most recent years opened her eyes to the disparities of privilege. Lena recounted a moment during her transition when she began entering boardrooms to host meetings she had hosted for years, only to have her expertise and experience questioned and discredited by men in the room with much less qualification than she had. “I have to establish credibility where I did not have to before,” they reflect, and while she had experienced discrimination and micro-aggressions previously, it was this moment of white male privilege being thrust in her face that further radicalized her, solidifying her political goals. These gender inequities lead to real-world economic inequities as well, as seen in the greater difficulty it is for a woman to get a job in the tech world, even with qualified experience. And these economic inequities are felt by everyone and are prevalently seen in Memphis. “That shared pain, that shared suffering we have, really drives me to fight injustice and fight inequities.” Lena points to our elected officials as the ones who have the duty to step in and fight against these systematic forms of oppression, and when they saw no one taking the stand, Lena began to consider it for herself.

Beyond her past advocacy, Lena cites her experience with the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute as the turning point that truly inspired her to run for office. The Victory Institute is a national organization that supports LGBTQ+ individuals in becoming more involved in the political sphere, specifically empowering them to run for public office at the local and national levels. After attending a local Leadership Training in Memphis, Lena became connected with the network and others passionate about serving the MidSouth LGBTQ+ community. Throughout the training, the Victory Institute covered the basics of what it means to run for public office, how to fundraise and campaign, and common barriers and setbacks faced by LGBTQ+ candidates. At the end of the training, Lena was shocked when the Victory Institute’s Executive Director, Elliot Ims, asked her when she would run, saying it typically took an individual being asked five times before they were ready to commit to a public office. And from there, she set on her path to running for County Commissioner for District 13.

Lena started by taking a closer look at the elected officials around her, disappointed to find they were serving money, power, and themselves, rather than the constituents they were elected to represent. “We as a people deserve better, and I plan to be that better person.” From that moment on, Lena began to craft their campaign and strategize running for public office, even in the face of “low-level terror that [she] constantly feels all of the time.” Safety is a major concern for Lena, because while she does feel protected by some privileges, she understands that her identity as a transwoman will likely be publicly used against her. Even after training, the stress of running for office wears on a person, and that is before factoring in the bigotry her opponents face. She also adds that, due to her recent transition, part of her campaigning includes coming out to people she had not spoken to in years.

One of the main issues that Lena is passionate about investing time and energy into is the public transit system. Through her personal experience, Lena found the MATA system to be incredibly difficult and confusing. Beginning her journey with MATA, she found that the buses accepted only cash and, even further, required exact change. In her experience, she had to first go to the ATM and withdraw cash, then break a $20 bill to give exact change. Then she spent well over an hour waiting for the bus to arrive, after the first one passed her by and the second was delayed. These issues Lena personally faces reflect the broader crisis in public transportation across the Memphis community, motivating her to make it a main pillar of her campaign.

Aside from political pursuits, Lena is passionate and devoted to investing time and energy into joy, especially for the transgender community. Outside her campaign efforts, Lena has shared heartfelt interactions with her community by hosting events such as the TRANScendent Community Dinners and Splash Pad Parties. She recounts one especially beautiful moment at a recent community dinner, where the group had brought clothing racks and hosted a community clothes exchange during the dinner. Seeing people trying on new outfits and looks, sharing laughter, fabric, and food, warmed her heart and inspired her to continue being the activist and campaigner she has always been at heart.

The Three Pillars of Lena’s Campaign:

1. Transform Power into Progress:
Accountability, access, and smart investments move us forward.

2. Translate Ideas into Impact:
Ideas received through community input become real outcomes for our neighborhoods.

3. Transfer Privilege into Shared Prosperity:
Everyone deserves a fair shot—no matter ZIP code, identity, or income.

Scan the QR or got to lenachipman.com to learn more