Last week Bryan McNutt was featured in an article in Gay San Diego newspaper. Bryan is the Director of Family and Support Services for Silverado Hospice – San Diego and his recent recognition is due to his work with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered community. He facilitates a support group that meets twice a month and is focused on helping the LGBT community deal with loss or caring for those who are terminally ill.
Bryan McNutt, Director of Family and Support Services, Silverado Hospice - San Diego
.
“There is no blueprint for grief,” explains McNutt. “Every grief, and its expression of mourning is individual”
This is especially true for those in the LGBT community because they face complex social hurdles that can be exacerbated when caring for a loved one in poor health. Dealing with a loss can be a traumatic experience for most people and many times those who are in mourning will turn to their community, friends, family or religious affiliations. However, for this community the mourning process is extended by what McNutt refers to as “Disenfranchised Grief.”
..
“It’s that experience of grief where the necessary social validation for the loss is missing…for the surviving partner, this adds another layer of complication… [they feel] that the loss might not be as important as that of a heterosexual relationship.”
McNutt further notes that a relationship that may be stigmatized by a person’s own family or society at large can have deeper emotional affects due. Not only are some people driven to cope in isolation, but legal complications can also start to develop. Some have had to take on legal battles when homes and assets are not under both names as well as legal issues that can arise when caring for and making medical decisions for a loved one who is no longer able to so.
McNutt has proven to be a leader and a much needed avenue of support for many in San Diego’s GLBT community. His support group meets on the first and third Monday of the month at 5:30PM, always at San Diego’s LGBT Community Center.
