Our first available CE course is Death Queerious Course 1.
Stay tuned for more Death Curious continuing education courses soon!
This CE course helps funeral professionals understand why the LGBTQIA+ community needs special consideration in death care. The session presents data and research, practical information, tools, vocabulary, and resources for providing equitable queer-inclusive funeral services. Accredited by APFSP.
About Death Queerious Course 1:
Many societal factors contribute to the tangible threat of violence and death in the lives of queer and trans people. When combined with the widespread problem of death avoidance that exists in American culture, it’s clear that the LGBTQIA+ community needs special consideration and attention when it comes to death care.
This course provides practical information, data, tools, vocabulary, and resources for providing equitable and queer-inclusive funeral services. The course will include research that reveals why the queer community needs specialized death care, useful information about protecting trans identities after death, an explanation of queer-inclusive language, and tools for how to be an ally at work.
The knowledge gained from this course will help the LGBTQIA+ families you work with feel safer and more comfortable in your care, and will strengthen your funeral home’s relationship with your local LGBTQIA+ community.
Watch the trailer to learn more about Death Queerious Course 1…
Testimonials
Mel Bennet (she/her), Co-Founder at The Life Forest
“Death Curious broaches so many topics and explores the death care industry through the eyes, ears, and heart of Aries Jo. Their approachability and vulnerability interlaced with their deathcare knowledge make them the perfect host to shine a light through the prisms of deathcare. What makes Aries Jo’s approach to interviews and insights so impactful is the fact that, underneath their knowledge and experience as a deathcare professional, is a genuine person who allows their own tragic deathcare experience be the guide for their gentle expression and care for their guests. Without a doubt, the offerings of Death Curious will enhance knowledge through compassion and poignant insight throughout so many facets of the death care industry. I look forward to the continued positivity, curiosity, and the education that Death Curious offers through the eyes of the artist that is Aries Jo.”
Chase Downs (he/him),
Head of Sales and Marketing at Gather
“The work that Aries is doing with Death Curious is incredibly important and a game-changer in the deathcare profession – not only for professionals but also for the families they serve. Death Curious is officially opening the door that should’ve been opened 20+ years ago… the door that allows for open, important discussions that better connect funeral service professionals to the general public. Here’s my best advice: you’re going to want to pay attention to what Aries and the guests on Death Curious have to say – it will change your outlook on life (and deathcare) for the better.”
What You’ll Learn in Death Queerious Course 1…
The LGBTQIA+ Community Needs Specialized Funeral Care
Since the LGBTQIA+ community already faces social challenges like discrimination, prejudice, and difficulty accessing proper healthcare among other things, it’s even more important that funeral professionals are equipped with the knowledge to care for and support queer people in death care. We will cover the history of traumatic death in the LGBTQIA+ community including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, data about queer discrimination in healthcare, and the tragic reality of contemporary trans femicide.
Queer-Inclusive Language
This Course teaches important terminology to know when working with queer families, starting with the full LGBTQIA2S+ acronym. The course defines what “inclusive language” means for the queer community, and how to begin incorporating queer inclusive language into your funeral home. We’ll learn the importance of pronouns, and how to avoid misgendering.
How to be an Ally
This course will introduce basic pointers for making all funeral homes more inclusive spaces. This includes tips for how to be an ally to the queer community at work, and how to make the queer families you serve feel more at ease. Everyone will come away from the session understanding exactly why queer folks have specific needs in death care, and how to better support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community with respectful, inclusive funeral care.
Meet your instructor
Aries Jo
Aries Jo (they/them) is the Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone and the voice behind the Death Curious education platform. They hold an MFA, are a certified celebrant, and are working towards their Thanatology certification. Aries is a first-generation deathcare professional with four years of experience creating forward-thinking content and research for the funeral profession. They produce and host the Death Curious podcast and have written for many industry publications including Connecting Directors, the NFDA Blog, CANA’s Cremation Logs Blog, and American Cemetery and Cremation magazine. Aries also gives continuing education lectures on innovation in the funeral profession at death care conferences around the country and offers peer-support coaching, grief, and relationship mentoring with the Intrepid Therapy Collective. To keep up with Aries Jo and Death Curious, sign up for the Death Curious Newsletter.