A huge funeral was held Thursday inside Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral for transgender activist and atheist Cecilia Gentili of Brooklyn, who died February 6.
Gentili was 52 when he died of unknown causes at home, the Daily Mail reported Friday, noting that about 1,000 friends and fans of Gentili filled the church pews during the service.
The outlet described the scene:
A picture near the altar showed a haloed Ms. Gentili surrounded by the Spanish words for ‘transvestite,’ ‘whore,’ ‘blessed’ and ‘mother’ above the text of Psalm 25.
A mourner upstaged the priest at one point by singing ‘Ave Maria’ – but changing the lyrics to ‘Ave Cecilia’ before dancing through the aisles.
Even though Gentili said he was an atheist, funeral organizer Ceyenne Doroshow planned for the service to be held at the large church.
According to Time, organizers believe Gentili is the first transgender woman to have a funeral inside the iconic cathedral.
Gentili was originally from Argentina and later came to America as an illegal immigrant, CBS New York reported Thursday, adding that he was homeless and forced into prostitution for a time.
A neighbor reportedly sexually abused Gentili when he was a child in Argentina. He later came out as gay when he was 12 years old.
Police arrested Gentili in 2009 regarding drug possession charges. Officials held him at Rikers but later freed Gentili, who was wearing an ankle bracelet, once authorities determined “she could not live safely with men or women,” the Mail report said, noting Gentili became a U.S. citizen in 2022.
“Cecilia is an atheist, but God won’t give up on her. Unfortunately, neither will the Devil,” a video advertising Gentili’s off-Broadway show called Red Ink stated:
It is important to note that St. Patrick’s Cathedral is led by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. To read Breitbart News coverage of Dolan, please click here.