More than 1,000 people flocked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday to pay tribute to Cecilia Gentili, a renowned trans activist and award-winning author and actor.
The site of the funeral marked a remarkable choice. In 1989, thousands stormed the Manhattan cathedral in opposition to the Catholic Church’s policies on homosexuality, HIV/AIDS and abortion.
“Seeing all the people at the funeral services, and all the love I’ve received from people in her community all over the world, is a testament of how awesome Cecilia was,” said Gentili’s partner, Peter Scotto. “I’m so grateful for them all. She was an angel, an icon, a mother, an educator, a leader, and so much to so many people.”
Catholics have long excluded queer and transgender people, and the national conference of Catholic bishops in the U.S. rejects the concept of gender transition.
However, the Vatican announced in October the church would allow trans people to be baptized and serve as godparents under some circumstances.
“How do we articulate the gravity of this loss?” said Adam Eli, an organizer and friend of Gentili’s who helped to put together the funeral. “I do think that having the funeral there, in a space that is so historic and such a heavy-hitter, really positions her as the saint that she was.”
Gentili, a trans woman, cemented her status as a major LGBTQ+ activist through her work to improve access to gender-affirming healthcare, HIV treatment, sex workers rights, housing and immigration legal help.
Río Sofia, who lived on a shared property with Gentili and looked up to her as a mother figure, wore a red dress with flowers made of $100 bills to the funeral.
“She was an absolute icon, a revolutionary and she will live forever in our hearts,” Sofia said of Gentili.
Sofia recounted how Gentili gave her away at her wedding — to date, one of her fondest life memories.
“She gave me a gift that I never thought that I could have: A wedding to another trans person in a room full of trans people,” Sofia, a visual artist and organizer, said. “And she knew that it’s something that we deserved.”
Gentili was a Catholic who attended Catholic services, as well as Baptist services, during her life. The funeral arrangements were announced at a memorial service for the activist last week.
“There was definitely a gay gasp in the room, but in the best way possible, a very excited murmur through the crowd,” Eli said of the announcement.
Every Catholic in the Archdiocese is entitled to a Catholic funeral, said Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the Archdiocese of New York.
Kymm Savage, 29, was also in attendance. Savage, a trans woman, migrated from Jamaica to New York with her family of four. Gentili was an inspiration and beacon of kindness and comfort as Savage was sorting out her immigration status, she said.
“She’s everything to the community in terms of who we think a savior should look like,” said Savage, a human rights activist. “And I think that’s why everyone is referring to her as a saint, because she really did show up for you. And people will remember her showing up forever and overcoming all the obstacles.”
Gentili founded Trans Equity Consulting, a New York City-based firm that offers guidance to the LGBTQ community and has a healthcare clinic at Callen Lorde, a center for LGBTQ+ healthcare. Previously, she was director of policy at Gay Men’s Health Crisis.
Gentili frequently shared her life story as she sought to empower others.
She was born in Argentina and came to the United States in 2000, seeking to to make a new start after being sexually abused throughout her childhood. Undocumented, she turned to sex work to make a living.
Gentili was homeless, addicted to heroin and was arrested repeatedly for prostitution — before accessing recovery services and eventually gaining legal status as an asylum seeker.
She released her first book in 2022 and performed an autobiographical Off-Broadway show called “Red Ink” in 2023.
