The 44-year-old transgender man, from Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, drew up a living will with the cautious hope that when he dies, his body would be treated with dignity.
As the death care industry grapples with changing cultural attitudes and how to respectfully lay to rest those who identify as trans or nonbinary, a South Side-based LGBTQ community center is set to launch the final portion of its Dignity Project.
When Chicago resident Aron Marie came out as queer several years ago, reading books centering queer stories helped him understand who he was. But up until a year ago, Marie had never read a book featuring a transgender character. He had watched movies and television shows telling trans stories, but said those portrayals felt “very.