LGBTQ people face additional challenges at the end of life. And yet few LGBTQ individuals have made advance directives or are aware of the potential need for a Hospital Visitation Authorization. Until recently, the partners of LGBTQ patients were routinely not allowed to participate in the medical treatment of their loved ones or even to visit them in Washington hospitals. The Washington Domestic Partnership Act will end that agony for qualifying couples, but it does not apply to every LGBTQ person in a relationship, carries no authority beyond Washington's borders, and does not eliminate the need for careful end-of-life planning.

C&C Has a long record of advocacy in the LGBTQ community and is part of the safety net of services that individuals can rely on. C&C creates an atmosphere free from judgment where LGBTQ people can talk about, and come to terms with, the difficult issues surrounding death and dying. Unlike most end-of-life organizations, we are not a religious organization; nor do we promote one ethical or belief system. We honor all people as individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, race, or any other category.

For more information call C&C at 206.256.1636 or see the Seattle LGBT website for more information about community resources for LGBTQ people.

Our Record of LGBTQ Advocacy

• C&C began providing client services in 1993, at the peak of the AIDS crisis, and many of C&C’s first clients were people with HIV/AIDS. One of C&C’s founders was Susan Dunshee, longtime director of the Dunshee House (formerly known as Seattle Aids Support Group).
• C&C has provided free client services to hundreds of people with HIV/AIDS, as well as LGBTQ individuals facing terminal illnesses such as cancer or heart disease.
• From the beginning, LGBTQ individuals have served on C&C’s staff, board, advisory committee and case management team. Many of C&C’s board members and case managers have deep roots in the LGBTQ community.
• In 2003, with support from the Pride Foundation, C&C created the LGBTQ End-of-Life Advice & Hospital Visitation Authorization brochure, the first brochure of its kind in the United States.
• C&C submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of equal marriage rights at the end of life for the 2005 Washington State Supreme Court gay marriage case, Anderson/Castle v. Washington. We will continue our efforts to expand rights at the end of life for LGBTQ people.