Alex Locust/Glamputee: Queering Art Through Disability Justice

Join the Department of Culture and Community for a powerful night of deep discussions and drag performance with disability justice artist and activist Alex Locust/“Glamputee” and professor, therapist, and moderator Dr. Rana Yaghmaian. Together, they’ll tap into their connection as chosen family, long-time professional peers, and queer people of color to reflect on the complex magic of queering art through disability justice, drawing on Alex’s lived experience as a disabled artist and activist. 
As a proud producer and avid consumer of queer art, Alex revels in refining their practice by imbuing their experiences with the wisdom of disability justice champions like Sins Invalid. This process of upending assumptions of normative artistic practices is at the core of Alex’s efforts and informs how they show up as a public intellectual, spreading the word about disability justice’s role in more liberatory work and community organizing. 
In this moderated talk, Alex will share how centering access in the creation process elevates the work for performers and audiences alike; how celebrating multiply marginalized QTBIPOC disabled artists as collaborators openly defies reductive assumptions about what talent looks like in artistic communities; and how disability justice principles are essential to queer liberation. 
Whether you’re a nightlife producer looking to be more intentional about how you model inclusion beyond the bare minimum or you’re a disabled diva looking for connection with other values-aligned co-conspirators, this evening is equal parts playful spectacle and passionate exploration. 
The event will open with a drag performance from Alex’s drag persona, “Glamputee.”