Grieving Queer
intro to
An Introduction to Transgender and Queer Death, Dying, and Grief
Co-taught by:
Melissa Delizia (Doctor of Social Work & Educator focused on human rights and social justice)
& Lauren Carroll (Funeral Director & End-of-life Educator)
JUNE 28 at 10am MT | Recording Available
COST: $22
Or, FREE with Membership
Death doesn't discriminate, but our culture, our laws, and our grief systems do.
Queer individuals live lifetimes of grief – facing isolation and harassment from their communities, receiving punitive treatment from oppressive systems, and living with the constant threat of violence – an unescapable, lost sense of safety and peace. Even in death, LGBTQ+ are dismissed, invalidated, and scrutinized.
Despite this reality, there is a lack of Queer and Trans inclusive education in grief and death care, leaving us underprepared to support this population and the unique needs their lived-experience brings.
This 1-hour, introductory class will explore the reality of Queer death, dying, and grief, and support you in understanding the depths of working with and advocating for transgender and LGBTQ+.
a look into:
01.
what makes lgbtq+ grief unique
Queer grief often includes layers that straight, cisgender people don’t recognize. What are those layers and what do they look like in action?
02.
systems of oppression & layers of loss
Historical and ongoing marginalization create additional grief burdens that shape how queer people experience loss.
03.
disenfranchised grief
What does disenfranchised grief looks like in LGBTQ+ communities? And why recognition matters for healing.
04.
tools for affirming practice
Language choices, intake forms, family dynamics navigation, and practical approaches that honor the LGBTQ+ experience.
intro to grieving queer
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intro to grieving queer
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intro to grieving queer • intro to grieving queer •
“And in death, trans women have become intrinsically associated with grief, yet with the kind of grief that objectifies and exploits us publicly while silencing our voices.”
– Kai Cheng Thom,
Your Grief is my Grave
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La Mort / L’amour
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Deathwork
griefwork
sacred story
psilocybin
devotional business
ancestors
Earth Mother
Legacy Art
Creative Comradery
Deathwork griefwork sacred story psilocybin devotional business ancestors Earth Mother Legacy Art Creative Comradery
Advance Your Knowledge. Dimish Fear.
Whether you're just beginning to understand these issues, looking to be seen in your own experience of queer grief, or looking to deepen your existing knowledge, this class is for you. Join us for an hour that could change your approach to grief, allyship, and advocacy.
1 hour class | recording available
COST: $22
Or, FREE with Membership
Melissa
Your teacher
Melissa Delizia, MSW, LSW, DSW (she/they) is a death doula, educator, professional coach and social worker whose work lives at the intersection of sacred care, transformative education, and social justice. With a Doctorate in Social Work, with a focus on Human Rights and Doctoral work focused on incorporating Queer and Trans Death, Dying, and Grief content into educational spaces. They also hold certifications in grief companionship, deathcare, and sacred ceremony, Melissa brings both clinical insight and spiritual depth to their offerings.
Their practice is rooted in ancestral connection, mediumship, and energy work, with a focus on holding space for queer and trans individuals navigating death, dying, and grief. Melissa approaches this work with reverence, tending to the liminal with embodied presence and a belief in the healing power of collective care and ritual.
As an educator and adjunct professor, they are dedicated to reshaping how death is taught and understood—centering marginalized experiences, challenging systems of harm, and cultivating spaces where grief and identity are honored in all their complexity. Whether teaching or learning, Melissa holds a deep commitment to equitable deathwork and heart-centered education.
Lauren
Your teacher
Lauren Carroll, co-founder of La Mort, is a Death Educator & Holistic Funeral Director who is passionate about weaving community and family back into the death space. Her work centers around re-aligning our culture with Mother Earth and helping humans remember how to love one another. She is a former board member for the National Home Funeral Alliance and co-founded The Deathwives. She lives on an urban farm at the base of a mountain where she tends to her animals, raises her two children, and dances around bonfires on the full moon with friends while listening to Nick Cave.
Our Teaching / Learning / Creating Style at La Mort
We leave behind the polished, gate-keepy approach to education. We teach in ways that carry story and experience. We listen. We laugh (a lot). We go off-script sometimes. We cry (with you)(for those you’ve loved)(for those we’ve loved). We like science and studies and logical frameworks, but also mysticism and poetry and all that stuff. We really love to honor history and those who came before. We move through some serious curricula, but don’t take anything too seriously. We dedicate ourselves to seeing you, and want you to feel seen. We deeply honor our intuition and yours. We lead with integrity (always). And we welcome the odd-balls and misfits, because it takes one to know one.