At the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT), we recognise that grief, remembrance, and connection to place are deeply personal and shaped by many intersecting identities and experiences.
We know that for some LGBTQIA+ community members, experiences with death, memorialisation, and family decision-making have not always felt inclusive or affirming.
That’s why we’re engaging directly with LGBTQIA+ communities to understand what matters most, ensuring our cemeteries, services, and spaces reflect and respect the identities, relationships, and legacies of all people. Your voices are essential in helping us build places that truly belong to everyone.
Earlier this year, we met with around 10 LGBTQIA+ community members and people with lived experience to explore how GMCT can better serve and support the community. The group shared valuable insights into what feels affirming, what gets in the way, and what would make future experiences more inclusive and meaningful.
What works well:
Personalised, authentic services that include chosen family and create opportunities for shared reflection help build connection and belonging
Main barriers:
Many participants expressed concerns about identity erasure after death, particularly for transgender people, and shared experiences where unsupportive family members or limited documentation compromised their wishes.
Opportunities for improvement:
Training all GMCT staff in LGBTQIA+ inclusion, creating reflective spaces that acknowledge LGBTQIA+ history, offering practical resources on end-of-life planning, and providing visible signals of allyship and inclusion across our sites.
The ideal experience:
Recognition of chosen family as legitimate decision-makers, consistent affirmation of names and pronouns, and welcoming, nature-connected memorial spaces that visibly celebrate LGBTQIA+ lives.
The insights from this session are helping shape future initiatives, staff training, and inclusive design approaches across our sites.
Our work with the LGBTQIA+ community is already shaping real change within GMCT.
- Training staff: We’ve filmed members of our LGBTQIA+ Focus Group who generously shared their stories and perspectives. The final video aims to deepen staff understanding and foster empathy and will become part of GMCT’s new staff onboarding.
- Special event: We’re hosting our inaugural Trans Awareness Week event in partnership with Transgender Victoria, creating a space to reflect, connect, and imagine what truly inclusive memorial spaces could look like.
We invite you to join the conversation to create memorial spaces that honour every identity, in life and beyond.
Have your say
Our engagement with the LGBTQIA+ community is ongoing, and we invite you to continue sharing your ideas, stories, and experiences. Your feedback helps us understand what inclusion looks like in practice and how we can keep improving.
