Elizabeth Handschy
Biography
This dissertation is based on ethnographic fieldwork with three queer-led activist organizations in Maine that worked on progressive drug policy, workers' rights, and grassroots capacity-building. I attend to what about queer leadership matters for how activism is conducted across different issues. I found that a queer ethic of celebrating difference was at the center of this activism. This allowed people with vastly different lived experiences to work together to build effective and lasting activist communities.