Queer

Death

Club

queer & trans folks making space for death, dying, and grief in the NC Triangle

queer hands on queer bodies.

QDC is weaving a queer deathcare network so we can care for each other in life and in death.

Befriending Death

Death is essential.

Being in right relationship with the Earth and our more-than-human kin begins with honoring our place in the cycle. Like all things we will die. Humans are no exception.

Death helps us access the fullness of what it means to be alive. Grief helps us remember what it means to love and be loved.

QDC makes space for death, dying, and grief through connection, ritual, and resource sharing.

Grief Holding

elana june margolis says “Grief threatens Empire.” Our grief is a spell that has the power to break the societal curses that keep us from slowing down and experiencing the fullness of our lives.
When we grieve, we give our attention to the things, beings, and places that are worthy of our care.
Turning towards grief is a courageous act of love. By making space to grieve, we can honor what we have lost instead of continuing to move on.
QDC invites folks to touch into the rivers of grief flowing inside of us. By breaking open we can come closer to becoming whole.

Earth Honoring

The Earth is our home. The Earth nourishes us for our entire lives. In death, by giving ourselves to the ground, we can begin to repair the rupture between humankind and our more-than-human kin. We are not separate from nature. Death is a reminder of this truth.
May we remember how to speak to the soil. May we remember how to sing to the trees. May we remember how to hold our dead. May we remember how to grieve. May our tears and our bodies be offerings to the water and soil of this Earth.

Corpse Tending

The way we care for corpses in some ways mirrors how we care for the Earth. The body is sacred and a dead body is deserving of reverence, tenderness, and love.
Anything can be made sacred with intention, attention, and emotion.
For example, washing a dead body can go from being a dissociated task to a ritual that brings comfort and closure to a loved one. Death is a portal in time. How can we adorn this portal? What rituals can we do to make death beautiful? How can we experience more love and connection by caring for our Dead?