Just inside the entrance of New Yorks new refuge for transgender and queer people an initiative from the Ali Forney Center (AFC), an organization devoted to housing queer and trans youth a mantle honoring one of the groups biggest supporters bears the words travesti, puta, bendita (transvestite, whore, and blessed).These were terms of power for Cecilia Gentili, the late trans and queer rights legend, who died of a fentanyl-laced drug overdose in 2024. Related Catholic archdiocese condemns funeral for trans woman held in its cathedral The trans Argentine American artist and community organizer moved to New York in 2003, where she fought for the decriminalization of sex work, pushed the passage of New York States Gender Non-Discrimination Act, and raised her profile nationally on the FX series Pose.She also worked for years with the Ali Forney Center on the project that now bears her name: Casa Cecilia. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Located in a century-old mansion on 153rd Street in Harlem, Casa Cecilia provides 20 unhoused queer and trans people at a time with six months of shelter and care in a supportive LGBTQ+-centered setting.Its almost poetic that this house resembles so much of Gentilis life and so much of what she lived for that well be able to honor her legacy and pay tribute to her in this way, Alexander Roque, president and executive director of AFC, told the Huffington Post.Many unhoused individuals, because of a lack of shelter, will spend their nights awake for safety and their days in and out of support and care, he said. Casa Cecilia offers a reprieve from life on the streets, and a bridge to a better life for its residents. Its part of the Ali Forney Centers ambitious program for supporting at-risk community members, in honor of both Gentili and the centers namesake, Ali Forney, a gender-nonconforming activist known for aggressively advocating for the investigation of murders of other homeless queer youth theyd befriended.Forney was murdered when they were just 22 years old.Casa Cecilia, the second shelter established by the center, is all the more remarkable for opening as the government has slashed funding for similar organizations.AFC cobbled Casa Cecilias budget together from earlier public grants and private donations from foundations, individuals, and corporations. The lack of government support in Donald Trumps second term is reminiscent of earlier funding struggles for the queer community, said AFCs Roque.We cared for ourselves at a time when the government turned its back on us during the AIDS crisis, we built pathways, we built health care systems, and we defined chosen family, he said.At Casa Cecilias official ribbon-cutting ceremony in October, staff and supporters gathered on the brownstone mansions steps to celebrate the opening and Gentilis legacy, chanting Cecilia! Cecilia! Cecilia! It was reminiscent of the activists funeral at St. Patricks Cathedral in Manhattan in 2024, where an overflow crowd of 1,400 trans and queer people celebrated Gentilis exuberantly in the aisles.The activists enthusiasm scandalized the Catholic hierarchy, with one church official calling for an exorcism of the church. The officials reaction, and the chants during the opening of the Casa Cecilia, would have likely delighted Gentili herself.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.