“If someone can't respect another person's gender identity, pronouns, or other aspect of their identity or sexuality, a safe, healthy environment where consent can be comfortably given is not possible. Respecting someone's gender identity, whatever it may be, is key to a healthy relationship.” – www.speakaboutit.com

I love having conversations that challenge my perspective, open my mind all the while educating and stretching the boundaries of my understanding, compassion, and empathy. One such conversation topic is that of identity. According to my latest Google search, identity is defined as the unique set of characteristics that can be used to identify a person as themself and no one else. The word identity can be used in different ways in different contexts. On a personal level, identity often refers to a person's sense of self, meaning how they view themself as compared to other people.

In this episode of The Death & Grief Talk Podcast, I participate in a beautiful exchange with my death care colleague Alexandra Joabout the nuances of identity while exploring the manners in which we can respect autonomy, properly use gender affirming language, and how remaining curious impacts the way we honor one another’s identity and humanity not only in life but also in death.

Alexandra (they/them) is the Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone and is a Certified Celebrant through InSight Institute. They are a first-generation deathcare professional who is passionately death-curious with over three years of experience researching and creating forward-thinking content for the funeral profession. They produce and host the Deathcare Decoded podcast and write regularly for Connecting Directors and other industry publications. Alexandra also gives continuing education lectures on innovation in the funeral profession at death care conferences around the country.

One of the biggest takeaways from my conversation with Alexandra and lessons that I have learned over the past few years through serving as a vessel for conversations about race and death is that it is okay to make mistakes when operating with the intention of learning and growing. It creates safety and allows for exchange free of judgement, criticism and most importantly fosters our instinctual need and desire for curiosity.

Connect with Alexandra Jo Online

Listen to the Death Care Decoded / Death Curious Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/5EZljk9bSoPDfjhIbS2kU4?mc_cid=c422c02322&mc_eid=697d0c0a3e

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deathcurious/?hl=en

Follow on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@deathcurious?lang=en

Visit the Website https://partingstone.com/

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