Las Vegas is where Desiree found her activism roots. Had it not been for the feminists she was so fortunate to meet immediately upon arrival, she would not have been able to develop the queer identity she lives by in a conservative, rural Tennessee community. Which surprisingly has an underground queer/trans/faerie Qmmunity deep within the hollows of Tennessee’s rolling hills.

I will be discussing how because of these friendships I was able to navigate being one of the lone 20-something self-identified queer person of color voice in mostly white, homonormative spaces that center around a culture dominated by cis-men of a certain socio-economic status. In return, I made a point to mesh these two worlds when possible in order inspire each group to gain appreciation for how each other sees and navigates the world. And most of this was done through the magic of dance parties (“ARTrageous Vegas,” “Getting Wet with WEN,” as well as personal themed house parties).