Digital Transgender Archive

Geleni Fontaine Oral History

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Geleni Fontaine is an acupuncturist, RN and healer based on Brooklyn. In this interview, they share on their growing up in a working class Cuban family in Park Slope, Brooklyn, prior to the neighborhood's gentrification. Geleni politicized as a feminist through Brooklyn Women's Martial Arts, which later became the Center for Anti-violence Education. Through organizing there, Geleni became involved in the early NYC trans group the Metropolitan Gender Network, where they were inspired by Les Feinberg, Sylvia Rivera and Imani Henry. The interview emphasizes the spiritual dimension of their upbringing, healing work, and trans community.

Item Information:

Identifier
pv63g046g
Collection
Oral Histories with People of Color
Institution
NYC Trans Oral History Project
Creator(s)
Fontaine, Geleni
Contributor(s)
Wolf, Kamryn
Publisher
New York Public Library
Date Created
Feb. 5, 2019
Genre
Oral Histories
Subject(s)
Brooklyn Women's Martial Arts
Center for Anti-violence Education
Imani Henry
Leslie Feinberg
Metropolitan Gender Network
Sylvia Rivera
Places
New York
New York > Kings County > Brooklyn
Topic(s)
Alternative medicine
Gentrification
Martial arts
Transgender community
Transgender people
Working class
Resource Type
Audio
Language
English
Rights
Copyright undetermined
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