A Catholic cathedral in New York City reportedly hosted a funeral Thursday for a deceased transgender activist, who went by the name Cecilia Gentili.
Gentili’s funeral is believed to be the first hosted at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a person who identified as transgender, funeral organizers said, according to Time.
Hundreds of mourners attended the service honoring Gentili, a man who identified as a woman. Some guests arrived in unusual attire like crocheted crop tops while others drew hearts on their cheeks, according to the outlet. Others reportedly wore thongs and fishnet stockings.
Yesterday, St. Patrick’s Cathedral hosted the funeral of Cecilia Gentili, a transgender, atheist prostitute. Funeral was attended by hundreds of trans activists in thongs/fishnet/halter tops/fur. They celebrated the dead prostitute by mocking St. Cecilia, saying: “This whore.… pic.twitter.com/qMeUA0rfhK
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) February 16, 2024
Oscar Diaz, who says Gentili was his mother, despite the two having no genetic relations, said that pearls and tulle worn at the funeral were the best way to commemorate the transgender activist’s “fabulous” legacy, according to the outlet.
“It felt appropriate to send her off in the way, to give her ‘sainthood,'” Diaz said.
Gentili was memorialized by actor Billy Porter, who sang the song “This Day,” Time reported. Father Edward Douglas administered the service, reportedly saying that “Cecilia died with Christ.”
Gentili developed a drug addiction as a sex worker after entering the United States as an illegal immigrant from Argentina in 2004, according to the outlet. The transgender activist was reportedly granted asylum eight years later. (RELATED: REPORT: Trans Muslim Who Strangled Baby Sues Prison Chaplain For Allegedly Denying Him Hijab)
Active in New York politics, Gentili reportedly lobbied for pro-transgender legislation at the state level. The LGBT advocate worked on two bills, one about transgender loitering and another on trafficking victims, Time reported. Gentili was also reportedly the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding medical care surrounding gender transitions in 2020.
The rector of the cathedral, Fr. Enrique Salvo, released a statement following the outrage expressed by many Christians.
UPDATE: Statement from St. Patrick’s pastor, Rev. Enrique Salvo, calling the funeral a “scandal.”
“The Cathedral only knew that family and friends were requesting a funeral Mass for a Catholic, and had no idea our welcome and prayer would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and… pic.twitter.com/P5UB9oNju6
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) February 17, 2024