Gil Cuadros

Gil Cuadros (1962–1996) was a trailblazing queer Chicanx author whose work explored the intersections of sexuality, race, and spirituality. Diagnosed as HIV positive in 1987, Cuadros channeled his experiences into his acclaimed collection, CITY OF GOD (1994), which captured the raw emotions of living with a life-threatening illness. His lyrical intensity, vivid imagery, and unflinching honesty shined a light on marginalized communities, challenging societal norms. He was awarded the 1991 Brody Literature Fellowship and was one of the first recipients of the PEN Center USA/West grant to writers with HIV. He was a resident of West Hollywood, Calif., at the time of his death at age 34.

Despite his untimely death, Cuadros’s work continues to inspire. In 2024, a new manuscript by Gil Cuadros, discovered among his archived papers, was published by City Lights. Titled MY BODY IS PAPER, it comprises uncollected works of poetry and fiction. Its subject is the life of a queer Chicanx man in the last stages of HIV-related illness. It encompasses the narrator’s evolving attitudes toward living with a fatal illness and other concerns, such as the life and death of his partner, his relationship with his family, and his spiritual outlook. My Body Is Paper emphasizes the pathos of the writer’s final years of life and his continued creativity right up to the end. Its scope/intent is to give voice to a marginalized community of gay men of color living with and, finally, dying of, the multiple illnesses comprising AIDS.

Photograph by Laura Aguilar © The Trust of Laura Aguilar of 2016