Caption: Tania Cross and friend, Nicco Beretta, embrace at Larry Sparkman’s memorial. (Photo by Yessenia Moreno)

More than 55,000 people have died of COVID in the state of New York since the beginning of the pandemic nearly 2 years ago. For the queer community, this time of death and mourning has highlighted how complicated things can get at the end of someone’s life. This is the story of one New York woman’s fight for the right to become her best friend’s health care proxy after he was hospitalized for COVID-19. 

Reported by Yessenia Moreno 

Audio Credits: 

Music: Aaron Tremper 

Memorial Speech Audio: Barry Marino Youtube Channel

Bushwig Speech Audio: Sickening DRAG Performances Youtube Channel