Honoring the legacy of transgender activist Cecilia Gentili

since the unexpected passing of her sister Cecilia Gentili, Victoria Von Blaque, a consultant at the New York-based firm Trans Equity Consulting, hasn’t had the chance to process her grief.

“I kind of cringe when I hear her name,” they say. “It’s still so raw.”

Gentili — a beloved transgender activist, artist and founder of the consulting agency where Von Blaque currently works — passed away just four months ago and left a lasting mark on the lives of her family, who describe Gentili as “radiant.” loving”, “hot as hell” and, above all: “Mom”. “I’m still processing a world without my sister, my best friend, my everything,” says LaLa Holston-Zannell, senior campaign strategist at the ACLU. “Being a black trans woman, having someone you can share everything with without judgment, without asking me for anything, without using [their] power over me. [It] It’s a genuine love.”

See more information: Scenes from trans activist Cecilia Gentili’s funeral as mourners fill St. Patrick’s Cathedral

The grief journey of Holston-Zannell and Von Blaque, and that of many of Gentili’s loved ones, is also happening in the middle of the month-long and typically celebratory Pride season.

In her absence, many members of Gentili’s family say they have been unable to enjoy this Pride month, which can already feel distanced from the transgender and queer of color communities. “I’m old school. Pride was a protest. Pride was a manifestation. Pride wasn’t a bunch of pretty colors,” says Von Blaque. “Proud to me, it’s just a reminder of the work she did, her true legacy.” Gentili’s death also occurs amidst a epidemic of violence against trans and gender non-conforming people in the US, and broader legislative efforts to limit access to health care, sports and more.

Gentili is remembered as a spokesperson for several communities. His advocacy on the legislative front led to the repeal of Ban on “walking while trans” which prohibited vagrancy for the “purpose of prostitution”, which in practice unfairly targeted black trans women. Gentili also helped launch the Coin Clinica free health program for sex workers, and founded Transmission Fest, New York City’s first trans music festival in 2023. On June 26, during the second iteration of the festival, Ali Forney Center, a non-profit which protects LGBTQ+ youth from homelessness, announced a new home for trans youth that will be named Gentili.

“I think if Cecilia were here, she would want us to remember that the essence of Pride is in the community,” says Oscar Diaz, one of Cecilia’s daughters. “One of Cecilia’s greatest achievements… was her ability to use her voice and artistic talent as a tool for storytelling. And she used many of her experiences as a trans woman, as an immigrant, as a sex worker, as someone who used drugs to be able to build a world that was better for all of these intersectional experiences.”

TIME spoke with Holston-Zannell, Von Blaque and Diaz about their first Pride season without Gentili and how they — as well as the world — should continue to honor his work and legacy.