The LGBT-affirming Metropolitan Community Church of Philadelphia has joined forces with health facility Mazzoni Center to offer LGBT individuals legal guidance so they can ensure their loved ones are included in their emergency or end-of-life care.
Staff from Mazzoni Center’s legal department will stage a workshop from 9:30 a.m.-noon March 27 and a clinic March 31, with both events taking place at MCCP’s space at University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, 3637 Chestnut St. The time for the second event will be determined after the completion of the first day’s activities.
The event is the first quarterly Day of Action of MCCP’s new One Church campaign, which mobilizes community members on different social-justice issues.
MCC pastor Jeffrey Jordan-Pickett said he approached Mazzoni Center about offering a legal workshop after seeing numerous members of his church community impacted by homophobia in their time of need.
“Over the years as a minister, I’ve seen many different individuals who, when faced with their partners’ sickness or death, have been completely left out of their affairs,” Jordan-Pickett said.
He relayed several instances, such as one in which the family of a church member who was in a coma had a woman pose as the individual’s wife and prevented his actual male partner from seeing him. Recently, another church member’s partner died, and the woman’s family refused to name the partner in the obituary or funeral materials, instead listing the woman’s ex-husband.
“This woman had been sick with cancer for two or three years, and her partner was the one taking care of her. But the family completely ignored that relationship and it was just so sad,” Jordan-Pickett said. “Ideally, families should work with a surviving LGBT lover, but they don’t always handle it that way, so our community needs to be able to do something.”
Amara Chaudhry, director of Mazzoni’s legal department, said the legalities intertwined with end-of-life issues for LGBT people often affect seniors, but few seek out the department’s services to protect themselves from discrimination.
“One of the unfortunate things about LGBT seniors is that they’re somewhat of a hidden subset of the community, so it actually doesn’t come up that often with them,” Chaudhry said. “Younger couples have become more aware of these issues and are voluntarily coming to us and seeking out our services, but the senior community really is an elusive population.”
Jordan-Pickett said he hopes the legal workshop and clinic attracts LGBTs of all ages and backgrounds, as he noted all individuals should be prepared for emergency situations.
On the first day of the event, Katrina Mendoza, a volunteer attorney with Mazzoni’s legal department, will give a presentation on the myriad legal issues that LGBTs could face and outline the documents that can safeguard one’s wishes, such as wills, powers of attorney, living wills and advanced-care directives. Participants will receive copies of such forms and given instructions on how to fill them out, and can deliver them at Wednesday’s event.
Chaudhry said she and several other legal department staffers will be on hand on the second day to answer questions and work with community members on their individual plans.
“I really hope that people will realize the importance of creating these documents. They’re really the best way to protect their loved ones and make sure their wishes are fulfilled after they’re no longer here,” she said. “Different-sex couples are able to get legally married and then have these inheritance rights that they get automatically, but same-sex couples need to learn that even if their rights aren’t given automatically, there are still ways to ensure that they exist. People assume that the law doesn’t care about same-sex couples and won’t protect you, but there is a means to achieve that end.”
“I think people will become empowered by this,” Jordan-Pickett said. “The law may not protect our relationships in the GLBT community, but there are ways we can protect ourselves and the ones we love.”
For more information, contact Jordan-Pickett at (215) 873-5719 or [email protected].
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].