Queer Death Salon is a virtual community space for all 2SLGBTQIA+ people to come together to discuss death, dying and grief.
In her life Jackie Clark has seen the overlapping power of queer and recovery communities. Getting sober after a devastating loss and staying sober through another was one of the hardest things She's ever experienced, and it is only through deep connections with other people and a lot of truth telling that She managed.
This session is for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in recovery (however they may define it), struggling with substance use, or supporting friends and family through the same, to connect about how death and grief intersect with addiction and recovery.
Participants can expect some framing, a grounding meditation, and some prompts for peer-sharing. Participate as much as you’re comfortable (just listening is okay too)!
*A note about language and perspective:
I, Jackie, will facilitate with deep care and a concerted effort to use language as inclusively as possible. I also understand that everyone’s experiences with both addiction/substance use disorders and with grief are extremely individual. I am not an expert, but a peer with lived experience. *
Please feel free to bring your own experience to the table, and also leave behind any perspectives that do not resonate with or serve you.
Jackie Clark (she/they) is a queer person from Battersea, Ontario celebrating six years of sobriety. In her professional life she works for a non-profit and on a farm –part of that work is advocating for and building community among queer and trans farmers.
Outside of work she fills her days with fostering animals, running in the woods, and spending time with friends.
After the loss of her best friend in 2019, she worked towards harm reduction and then addiction recovery, eventually spending a year facilitating meetings for folks recovering from all types of substance use and behavioral addictions. She believes firmly in the wisdom and power of queer community to hold each other safely as we navigate grief.