With RED INK at Edinburgh, Chiquitita and Sara Ramirez honour the enduring spirit of Cecilia Gentili, a trans icon and visionary storyteller.
WORDS BY JOSEPH FREDERICK ALLEN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HUNTER ABRAMS
“We’re not sensitive, non-funny snowflakes. Some of the funniest people I know are trans,” says Chiquitita, simultaneously blending the blush on her cheek. “Because some of the funniest people in the world have experienced some of the hardest things.”
She’s getting stage-ready for her triumphant performance in Cecilia Gentili’s RED INK, the one-woman show by the late trans icon and activist Cecilia Gentili, which is currently making waves at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (just ask superfan Rosie O’Donnell). Part stand-up, part camp, RED INK is Gentili’s autobiographical search for faith in 1970s Argentina.
Alongside her advocacy for immigrants and sex workers, Gentili performed the show twice Off-Broadway. Since her passing, Gentili’s own chosen daughter (and Brooklyn nightlife star), Chiquitita, has taken up the mantle to portray the power of being a trans Latina, a sex worker, and also–hilarious.
In a transatlantic Zoom call, Chiquitita met with Tony Award winner Sara Ramirez (one of RED INK’s producers) to discuss bringing the show to a global audience, Cecilia’s lasting impact, and what not to eat in Scotland.
Sara: Hi, Chiquitita! I have the honour and the pleasure of speaking with Chiquitita, who’s currently starring in Cecilia Gentili’s RED INK at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh? Am I pronouncing that correctly?
Chiquitita: EdinBR-UH. They hate it when you call it “Edin-bor-ough.” They hate that!
Sara: Between a bro and a bra. Got it!
Chiquitita: The food here is quite something. It is quite something.
Sara: Do tell.
Chiquitita: I don’t understand how these people are walking and alive and have nutrition in their body, because all they eat is chips!
Photo: Joseph Frederick Allen
Sara: What has your experience been like in Edinburgh, Scotland?
Chiquitita: There’s a line in RED INK where I say, “We should always terrorise cisgender people. It’s not that hard. Sometimes all you have to do is just show up.” When it comes to flyering and getting people to come to the show, I get to show them a little bit of my personality. Any time I flyer, I’ll wave it on my butt and be like, ‘Take it! Take it or you’re transphobic!’, or I’ll just roll it up and put it in someone’s bag. Little shit where they can be like, ‘Oh, okay, this person’s a clown. And they’re safe.’
Sara: Have you found any of our people out there?
Chiquitita: Oh, yes, of course. I’ve advertised the show on the Grindr grid. It’s there every day. Refreshing the page, so that it shows up for everybody.
Sara: What does starring in RED INK mean to you, and why do you think it’s an important work to share with the world right now?
Chiquitita: I get to teach anyone that didn’t already know about Cecilia about her work, her legacy and her advocacy. She was an undocumented sex worker. She was from Argentina. She advocated for people with HIV and homeless people. She had such a way of bringing people in with humour and showing you that you’re allowed to as well. She’s making fun of herself before you even get a chance. I don’t know if that’s a Latin quality or if that’s a coping mechanism or both.
Sara: Maybe both. I remember hearing from folks close to Cecilia that she saw herself in you, and I’m just so grateful for you and the ways that you are carrying her legacy forward.
Chiquitita: Cecilia’s life is an exact representation of what happens when you run towards the light. I try to be a fraction of that. Any time I’m on that stage, my goal is clear, right? My goal is to embody her, be a conduit for Cecilia to shine through. Of course, no one person could ever encapsulate everything that she was. So the little bit of her legacy that I do carry on, I know that it’s through performance. I know it’s through people feeling a little bit of faith in a way that I felt when I would look at Cecilia.
Sara: I am here for it. Artivism! You’re named in RED INK twice. Do you remember seeing that? How’d that land for you?
Chiquitita: She says, “And I’m always asking God for Chiquititia to fall off the stage.” I didn’t know it was going to be there. I was completely shocked. I remember hearing that and I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so trippy that she does this every time.’ It’s so crazy.
Sara: Do you remember the first time that you saw Cecilia in RED INK? What was that like?
Chiquitita: I remember being so transfixed by it from start to finish. I do remember I had one note: I thought she could have sped it up a little bit. I’m sure Nic would agree with me on that.
Sara: Nic Cory is our director and co-creator of RED INK with Ceci. Shout out to Nic and Joseph Frederick Allen, our associate director and producer.
Photo: Joseph Frederick Allen
Chiquitita: Yes! But she was old. She was dealing with a lot! I remember that day, I was just feeling really down. I went to see RED INK because I promised her, and it obviously lifted my spirits right away. And she drove me home. She was like, ‘How are you?’ And when she would ask you, she was really asking. She was looking at you in the eyes. And I try to do that in my life as well.
Sara: Is there any wisdom Cecilia imparted on you that carries you forward at this moment in time?
Chiquitita: Even genuinely asking someone, ‘How are you doing? How can I help you in this moment that we have together?’ can go a really long way for people. I believe in karma. I don’t know if Cecilia did, but I believe in karma, and I never want to treat someone poorly before I get a chance to actually know them. Unless they treat me poorly first and I’m like, ‘Oh, bitch, I’m going to read you down.’ A lot of people just need love and to be held. Show them that you’re here for them.
Sara: A couple days ago was your birthday. Again, happy birthday. I know we were celebrating you that day locally and from across the pond.
Chiquitita: You sent me a little voice note, and it was so sweet. Thank you for the birthday wishes.
Sara: Of course. What was it like to do RED INK on your birthday?
Chiquitita: It was beautiful, actually. I think that was the most packed house that we had, and I learned that walking around and telling people that it’s my birthday actually really works. So maybe I’ll just do that again today.
Sara: Yeah, just tell them that every day.
Six shows remain for RED INK, playing Underbelly at Briso Square until 25 August. Visit here for tickets.
The post Chiquitita in conversation with Sara Ramirez: RED INK and the legacy of Cecilia Gentili appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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