The contested space of lesbian funerals: the lesbian / straight negotiation and the implications for funeral industry practice

Abstract

My thesis began in 1999 when an ex-lover and friend Loretta Mullin took her life. On the 9th October 1999 I attended Loretta's funeral. After the funeral I was left with many questions. So in 2000 as part of my Honours year at Waikato University I conducted a Directed study on homosexuality and funerals. From here I narrowed my thesis down to specifically look at the contested space of lesbian funerals, the lesbian/straight negotiation and the implications for funeral industry practice. This then is my thesis and tribute to Loretta Mullin. kia kaha Loretta Through the use of qualitative methods I weave the experiences of seven respondents stories with my theoretical and methodological approach. By utilising post structuralism, feminism and queer theory I attempt to offer the reader, lesbians and the funeral industry suggestions on ways lesbian mourners can enhance their opportunity to experience the therapeutic effects of legitimate public grieving, in the face of potential exclusion on the grounds of sexuality during funerals.