The oldest of seven children, Carmen Vázquez was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico and raised in Harlem.

Attended the City University of New York, earning a bachelor's degree in English and a masters in education.

[1] After graduating, Vázquez moved to San Francisco where she lived and worked for almost two decades, becoming a leading activist in causes ranging from immigrant rights to lesbian health.

While in San Francisco, Vázquez co-founded The Women's Building, became the executive director of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and then the Coordinator of Lesbian and Gay Health Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

[1] Vázquez returned to New York City in 1994 where she continued her activist work as Director of Public Policy for the LGBT Community Center (1994–2003), as deputy director for Empire State Pride Agenda[2] (2003–2007) and in her post as Coordinator of the LGBT Health and Human Services Unit of the AIDS Institute, New York Department of Health.