Él Martinez (they/elle pronouns) is a 23-year-old community organizer, liberatory harm reductionist, multi-disciplinary artist, and youth worker. Él is passionate about identity development in youth, harm reduction drug education, and capacity building through local organizing and mutual aid. They describe themself as a mixed-race trans butch lesbian and non-binary person of color. Él is Boricua (Puerto Rican) and several years into reconnecting to their indigenous Taíno Arawak ancestry. They are fluent in English and proficient in Spanish. Él holds a BA with honors in Community, Youth, and Education Studies from Clark University.

   In their early teens, Él's activism emerged out of the need for district-wide training in their public school system. Since then, their audiences have included youth, parents, teachers, nurses, politicians, non-profits, and corporate entities. Él has spoken on panels, delivered speeches, hosted trainings, and more on a variety of topics, from LGBTQ+ inclusivity to carceral abolition. Él has spent years using these skills for legislative advocacy in the state of Massachusetts on behalf of the "Gender X," "No New Women's Prison," "Healthy Youth Act," and "Overdose Prevention Center" initiatives.

   A notable through-line in Él's life and career is their involvement with LGBTQ+ programs and organizations. In youth, peer, and adult roles, they have participated in building community for queer youth of color for almost half their life. This foundation combined with Él's interest in youth wellbeing and the social determinants of health has led to their most recent projects: providing racial identity development for white youth and sex education for queer youth with focuses on HIV/AIDS, consent and boundaries, and harm reduction.

In their spare time, Él enjoys contributing to local mutual aid groups, customizing their clothes, going social dancing, and watching horror movies.