Queering Death

Queering Death was an intergenerational community learning group for exploring beyond the stigmas, stereotypes, and taboos of the inevitable end of our lives. Together, we collectively learned from unique visions of end-of-life practices, shared desires around aging and dying, held space for our own grief, and illuminated the unique relationships LGBTQIA+ peoples have to death and memorializing.

Two rounds of the Queering Death cohort took place between 2020-2021. Members participated in a three-month practice period marked by biweekly virtual meetings, opportunities for community sharing, and a co-created culmination project. In Spring 2020, Queering Death was selected as one of NAVEL LA’s Assemblies program, a platform that funds community-led learning groups around a theme, practice, project or experiment over a seasonal period. In Winter 2021, Queering Death lived within virtual care lab, a platform for creative experiments in remote connection that seeks to create opportunities for genuine presence, purposeful online/offline connection and collaboration, and digital well-being. Queering Death was developed and facilitated by Ari Simon.

QUEERING DEATH: An Anthology of Questions is a workbook featuring questions compiled from the first Queering Death cohort.

Use this anthology of questions as prompts for journaling, in conversations with loved ones, as an edgy ice-breaker, as demands to elected officials, in affinity groups, or however you see fit. Click here to download and flip your way through the workbook below:


Other queer death, dying, loss, and grief resources:

Each Queering Death cohort assembled a list of resources – articles, books, movies/shows, podcasts, works of art, etc. – that acted as a reading and viewing list for our practice. We’ve made these lists available to anyone looking for support, care, and/or learning.