We are very excited to announce that in honour of National Grief Awareness Week 2020 we are hosting a panel discussion on individual and collective grief within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Grief and bereavement is experienced by so many and yet so very rarely discussed, particularly in a queer space. This discussion is a chance to open the conversation up around bereavement to learn how grief is articulated, how to support those grieving and also how we can understand the impact of collective grief such as those caused by COVID19, the impact of AIDS/HIV as well as the collective mourning and collective action of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Who are we?
The Grief Network - A community run by and for bereaved young people (teens/20s/30s) who hold regular meet ups and events in London. https://linktr.ee/griefnetwork
Queer Culture Club - A collective for queer women and GNC folx in London. We run weekly events including life drawing, 'Let it Draw', ‘Make and Mingle’, a book club, comedy nights, fitness sessions and a discussion club. https://lnk.bio/cslw/
We are so excited to have some incredible panellists lined up for the event.
Ana Matronic - Author, DJ and member of the Scissor Sisters, Ana Matronic has previously spoken about her father, Robert, who died of AIDS when she was a teenager alongside friends she has lost along the way. We are so excited she will be sharing her story on the panel.
Jack Rooke - Comedian and author, Jack's comedy deals with humour and sensitivity on loss, bereavement and mental health. His shows have been to the Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre and Latitude. He has also released his brilliant book Cheer The F**ck Up earlier this year, commemorating his late father, his friend Ollie and his nan.
Raihan - Misery’s social media manager and workshop facilitator for their grief series. Misery is a mental health collective and club night centring healing for queer and/or trans BIPOC. Raihan has a particular interest in thinking around mental health, disability, gender, race and abolition.
Leo Herrera - Self-taught visual artist, activist and writer. Leo’s work focuses on the American queer experience, and explores politics, race, Covid19 and HIV. His short viral films have been seen by millions and have featured in global media outlets and museum exhibits. Leo’s current project 'Fathers Project' is a multimedia LGBTQIA+ history project which imagines the world if AIDS never existed. Weaving real life events, survivor histories and fictionalised events, the Fathers Project creates a surreal vision of an alternative universe.
Tickets
Tickets are all donation based, starting at £5 which will be split equally between The Grief Network and Misery Party, who are a mental health collective and sober club night centring healing for queer/trans/nb BPOC. https://instabio.cc/misery
Free tickets are also available for those not able to offer a monetary donation at the moment. If the free tickets are sold out, please feel free to message queercultureclub.london@gmail.com and we will provide a free ticket no questions asked.
Resources
For more information, support and resources around grief and bereavement, please see The Good Grief Trust website https://www.thegoodgrieftrust.org. A further resource list will be sent out to all those signed up for the event.
Please note that all QCC events are inclusive safe spaces and our safe space & inclusion policy must be adhered to at all times. Please familiarise yourself with this before attending.
It can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I7mBhMhvNB8UwoHPzFwZVEm_8Ml1ARIVdIXBRd2o9ao/edit?usp=sharing