Cecilia Gentili (1972–2024), Pose actress and LGBTQ+ activist
by
by
2 min readCecilia Gentili was an author, actress known for playing Miss Orlando on “Pose,” and an LGBTQ+ rights activist who advocated for health and wellness among the community.
- Died:b7February 6, 2024 (Who else died on February 6?c2)
- Details of death:b7Died in New York at the age of 52.
- We invite you to share condolencesb7for Cecilia Gentili in ourb7Guest Book.c2
Cecilia Gentili’s legacy
Born in Argentina, Gentili faced discrimination, verbal abuse, and violence throughout her youth, only finding peace when she moved to the city of Rosario to attend college and met a transgender person who became a mentor. Gentili moved to the United States at 26, first to Miami, then to New York City, but her early difficulties continued. She faced legal troubles, both for sex work and drug possession.
Eventually, Gentili went into recovery and created the advocacy group Trans Equity Consulting to help others in a similar position. She also created Cecilia’s Occupational Inclusion Network, which provides no-cost health services to sex workers. She became Director of Policy at GMHC, a non-profit devoted to HIV/AIDS prevention, and worked with such organizations and causes as the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, the LGBT Community Center, supported the DecrimNY campaign, and many others.
When not devoting her time advocating for LGBTQ+ people and sex workers, Gentili was an author, penning “Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist.” In 2018, she joined the cast of “Pose,” a show about New York’s LGBTQ subculture of the ‘70s and ‘80s, as shady plastic surgeon Miss Orlando. Gentili also put on a one-woman show, “The Knife Cuts Both Ways,” in 2017, telling funny stories about her life. In 2023, she created Transmissions Fest, the first all-trans music festival in New York City.
Notable quote
“Some people believe that in respecting my rights, they will lose some of their own. But equality is an endless cake. The more who eat from it, the more there is to share.”—from a 2021 interview for The New York Times
Tributes to Cecilia Gentili
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporterc2
TAGS
