Queering Death: Identity and Care for the LGBTQ+ Community in End-of-Life Doula Work

This study explores end-of-life doulas who serve queer individuals through the dying process. While research on end-of-life doulas has grown, little has examined the nuanced dying experiences for marginalized populations. This article contributes to the growing body of research by exploring how queer end-of-life doulas who serve LGBTQ + communities engage in and conceptualize their work. The following article draws on fifteen qualitative interviews with end-of-life doulas in the United States and Canada. Results highlight some of the unique challenges for queer individuals navigating the dying process, including lingering systemic discrimination and the need for specialized care and cultural competence. The concept of queering death as a way to disrupt the medicalized and institutionalized experience of dying is also explored.