Compassion & Choices is proud of our historic relationship with the LGBTQ+ community that spans decades. Many LGBTQ+ activists were early advocates for expanded end-of-life options in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic and that advocacy continues to this day.
We recognize that the end of life can be more difficult for queer and trans people and their chosen families due to continued violence and discrimination. That’s why we create resources and conduct outreach to the LGBTQ+ community.
Leadership Council
The Compassion & Choices LGBTQ+ Leadership Council is committed to raising awareness around the healthcare disparities and barriers that the LGBTQ+ community faces. We created the LGBTQ+ Leadership Council to build partnerships with LGBTQ+ leaders and organizations to help educate and empower LGBTQ+ people to chart their own end-of-life care journey. If you or someone you know is a perfect fit for this council, nominate them by emailing Osha at [email protected]
LGBTQ+ Storytellers
Compassion & Choices is dedicated to sharing diverse perspectives on end-of-life options and planning. Over the years, we’ve shared many stories from LGBTQ activists and supporters.
Click Here to Read Their Stories
Resources
Our LGBTQ+ Outreach toolkit explains important aspects of Pride and end-of-life planning for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families.
- Advance Directives and End-of-Life Planning
- An advance healthcare directive is a legal document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity. Every American adult has the right to create an advance healthcare directive, and it is the obligation of every hospital to honor these documents.
- Without an advance healthcare directive, end-of-life care decisions are often left for spouses or close family members to determine and administer. For patients in same-sex relationships, the state in which they reside may or may not recognize their marriage or unmarried partner as fitting one of those categories, even after the Supreme Court of the United States of America recognized same-sex marriage as a constitutional right guaranteed to all Americans. Some states have possibly not yet amended statutes that address healthcare decision making in relation to same-sex marriages.
- Access your state-specific advance directive by visiting: CompassionAndChoices.org/end-of-life-planning/plan/advance-directives
- Hospital Visitation Form
- The hospital visitation form gives unmarried couples hospital visitation authorization for their partner. Download: CompassionAndChoices.org/resource/hospital-visitation-authorization-form/
LGBTQ+ Advance Care Planning
Dive deeper into LGBTQ+ Advance Care Planning and learn more about the intertwined influence Queer and Trans advocates have had on the End-of-Life Movement in the video below
National & Local Partners
Building strong connections within the LGBTQ+ already active and thriving communities is how we flourish and reach more people with this valuable information. Below are a few of the relationships Compassion and Choices has been able to create.
| Organization | More Information |
|---|---|
 | Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists: A community of psychiatrists that educates and advocates on LGBTQ mental-health issues. AGLP.org |
 | CenterLink: Community of LGBT Centers; exists to support the development of strong, sustainable LGBT community centers and to build a unified center movement. lgbtcenters.org |
 | Equality Federation: A movement builder and strategic partner to state-based organizations advocating for LGBTQ people. equalityfederation.org |
 | GLAA: Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance; GLAA is an all-volunteer, nonpartisan, nonprofit political organization that defends the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the nation’s capital. GLAA.org |
 | GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality (previously known as the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association); The world's largest and oldest association of LGBTQ healthcare professionals. The GLMA adopted a supportive stance on medical aid in dying as an end-of-life option in 2015. GLMA.org |
 | HRC: Human Resources Campaign; A civil rights organization working to achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans HRC.org |
 | Morehouse College has been a long-standing partner, developing a space for LGBTQ+ adults to commune together during the Thanksgiving season. Read More Here |
 | National LGBTQ Task Force: Advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. TheTaskForce.org |
 | NBJC: National Black Justice Coalition; The country’s leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of LGBTQ and same gender loving (SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ/SGL bias and stigma. nbjc.org |
 | Newark LGBTQ Center: A volunteer-run, community-based organization committed to providing safe space, programs, and services that support the well-being of the LGBTQ community and our allies in the Newark, New Jersey area. NewarkLGBTQCenter.org |
 | SAGE: Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders. Compassion & Choices has secured the endorsement of SAGE, the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to LGBT elders. sageusa.org |
 | Victory Fund: The only national organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ people who can further equality at all levels of government. VictoryFund.org |
Public Education Campaigns
Compassion & Choices has raised visibility through digital ads, direct mail, print ads, and video development. This visibility expands further than solely end-of-life planning, it’s a reminder of our history, our community losses, and our moments of celebration. We will continue to uplift LGBTQ+ voices and the need for change.
Outreach
Compassion & Choices has participated in local Pride events for many years. We’ve created specific outreach materials, handed them out at tables and on floats, held workshops and overall, demonstrated PRIDE in our communities.
Pride & Purpose
How can we celebrate Pride all year?
- Volunteer with Compassion & Choices at CompassionAndChoices.org/volunteer
- Become a storyteller at CompassionAndChoices.org/stories
- Write a blog, letter to the editor or op-ed! Do you have a story to tell? Share it with us!
- Coordinate activities with allied organizations, learn more by emailing Osha at [email protected]
Support LGBTQ+ Efforts - Donate Today!
Recent Blogs
Check out more stories about healthcare experiences and more from staff experiences here
Medium.com/@CompassionandChoices
