Interview Of Cecilia Gentili

NYC Trans Oral History Project

Cecilia Gentili is the Director of Policy at Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). In this wide-ranging interview, she reflects on the relationships and experiences that inform her story of struggle, resilience, and joy. Cecilia recounts her childhood and adolescence in Gálvez, Argentina, describing complex family dynamics and early experiences with gender nonconformity and transphobia. She also shares her memories of the military dictatorship, and the effects of this legacy of violence, trauma and fear on her own family and Argentine society. She chronicles later life in the city of Rosario, where she discovered a trans community as a student, sex worker and performer. Cecilia’s journey also includes years in Miami and New York City facing addiction, homelessness, incarceration, and life under threat of deportation as an undocumented immigrant. Finally, she considers her professional success today as an organizer and advocate for the trans community and beyond. Summary by Justine Ambrose. Photo by Leah James.