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ericistired · 3 months

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Cecilia Gentili 🕊️🕊️

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ericistired · 3 months

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These last few days have been extremely difficult. I truly can’t imagine a world without Cecilia in it.

Going to her memorial yesterday and seeing a room full of people, stairways full of people, the outside packed to the brim - all with folks who had their stories, their connections to one of the most beautiful spirits I’ve ever encountered. That memory of the communities she brought together and the care she poured into trans communities will be with me forever.

At my first ever queer conference - I was freshly out and feeling ten shades of imposter syndrome. I was asked to do a panel for queer professionals of color and was nervous and scared. I was also scared of what I could share with this room full of powerful people who could fully take my job away if they wanted to. She spoke after me and with a fire, a passion, a care, and a sense of accountability I’ve never seen. I was awestruck in the moment. After that, we stood outside in the parking lot and over me smoking cigarettes, she listened to my hopes, dreams, and fears. She shared with me why I could believe in myself and ways I could do better. She cared deeply about me, saw me for who I was in the most genuine way. Cecilia did this for so many people on a scale that was only partially visible in her memorial. I heard so many people discuss how she fed them, cared for them, gave them shelter - she did this even when she didn’t have the resources for herself.

Cecilia cared about those who were forgotten about by mainstream queer organizations - the trans sex workers, the undocumented, the marginalized, the traumatized, the hopeless - it did not matter to her; she wanted to see them succeed and be able to thrive, even if only for a night.

So that people may understand her impact, I want share even some parts of what she did for our community.

From Brad Hoylman, state senator in New York:

“I'm devastated to learn of the passing of Cecilia Gentili, a pathbreaking civil rights activist, healthcare advocate, author and actress. I was honored to work with Cecilia on many issues in Albany as we passed legislation enshrining the civil rights protections for transgender New Yorkers into law, including the Gender Expression Nondiscrimination Act (GENDA), ending the so-called ban on "walking while trans," eliminating the gay and trans panic defense in our criminal statutes, making New York a safe haven for transgender youth and their parents seeking gender-affirming care, and the creation of the New York State Lorena Borjas TGNB Wellness & Equity Fund. We could not have passed the multitude of bills improving the lives of transgender New Yorkers without her help and guidance. Cecilia was a force of nature who leaves a long trailblazing legacy behind. I will miss her deeply.”

From Samantha Allen, @ them . us:

“Among her many accomplishments, Gentili was the Director of Policy at the GMHC (formerly Gay Men’s Health Crisis), a New York City-based AIDS service organization, and the founder of Trans Equity Consulting, an organizational development consulting firm that sought to center trans women of color, immigrants, sex workers, and incarcerated people….

In her organizing work, Gentili was known for bringing explosive trans joy to every project she touched. Last summer, she birthed and co-organized Transmissions Fest, the first all-trans music festival in New York City, with proceeds benefiting LGBTQ+ charities. “We are often included in Pride events, but we’re not centered,” she told Them of the rationale for the event. “And there’s a difference.” In 2020, she hosted Fierce Futures, a fundraiser supporting organizations that serve Black trans people.”

From Spectrum News:

“Gentili brought visibility to trans people both on television shows like POSE and through her community advocacy. In 2019, she founded the company Transgender Equity Consulting. That same year, she also launched Cecilia’s Operational Inclusion Network or COIN, a free health clinic for sex workers. “She had such an incredible warmth when she walked through a room. She had an incredible depth of knowledge about the issues,” said City Councilmember Erik Bottcher.”

This is but a small vignette of a story that is crucial to understanding Cecilia. She was a mother to many, she was an activist, she was funny, she was blunt, she would tell you why you were wrong then share a drink with you, she understood how to move money and people with power to support the ones she cared most about, she had a laugh that you could hear echo through a stadium and you would know it was her, she would call anyone to task in order to make a more inclusive space, she cared about sex workers in a way that no one else did. She was in every sense of the word - an icon.

If you didn’t have chance to know her or want to learn more about her - she wrote an incredible memoir called Faltas and I couldn’t recommend it more. Get to know her through the people she cared for.

She leaves a legacy of community building, caring for those who need the most help, moving with intentionality, leading with joy, and calling truth to power. I will try every day to live up to the blueprint she left for us.

Cecilia Gentili 🕊️🕊️

#cecilia gentili #trans advocate #mother to many #trans justice #lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbt #lgbt pride #gender queer #trans #queer community

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ericistired · 5 months

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I haven’t posted on here in a while but I have a new kitty to look after :)

Everyone meet Ghost!

#cat #cats of tumblr #kitty #kitten

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ericistired · 8 months

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Got some finger tattoos yesterday :)

#lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbt #lgbt pride #lgbtq community #queer #queer community #queer history #fat positive #fat positvity #tattoos #hand tattoo #finger tattoo

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ericistired · 9 months

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Transphobic people want to talk about trans/enby folks identities as some sort of phase, fad, or performance; Meanwhile those three words so accurately describe cis folks, in particular cisgender men.

Cis men have to constantly perform their gender - reinforcing it with conditioning, peer pressure, and often violent mechanisms of gender conformity. Can’t wear these shoes, can’t like that fragrance, can’t wear that hat, can’t feel that feeling, can’t say I love you to friend, can’t buy that car, can’t show that emotion - sometimes even at their own peril. They then pass these ideas down, intentionally and often not intentionally, to their children.

The real thing that these folks are mad at is that trans folks had the audacity to attempt to break that oppressive cycle and ask the question “why?”

#lgbtqia #lgbtq #lgbt #lgbt pride #lgbtq community #queer #queer community #fat positive #transgender #trans #trans people are awesome #enby #gender

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ericistired · 10 months

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Originally posted by @trivarnahariharan_poetry on instagram ❤️

#lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbt #lgbt pride #lgbtq community #queer #queer community #queer history #ocean vuong #poetry

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ericistired · 10 months

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A new tattoo :)

#lgbtq #tattoos

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ericistired · 10 months

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To every queer/trans person that is on a journey to heal from the trauma that a religious institution or practice caused you - I see you, I hope you are okay in this moment, you are wanted, and you have a community who embraces you for who you are.

Sending so much love.

#lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbt #lgbt pride #lgbtq community #queer #queer community #queer history

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ericistired · 10 months

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