ABSTRACT
A local drag queen and fashion designer serves as the center of the final chapter. Dusty is a whirlwind, whose stream-of-consciousness and effervescence make traditional ethnographic reporting impossible. Dusty enables readers to see a larger-than-life triumph emerge in contrast to and despite the rampant discrimination experienced by queer peers. Dusty is, above all, a chapter for other queer youth who simply need a tale of a “genderfucking” queer, partially Native American, partially Latino, working-class, working girl making it in the world of Persimmon University. And doing it with panache. Benjamin weaves his own messiness into Dusty’s haphazard comedy to demonstrate a broader scope of queer possibilities, including the bumps, bruises, and misfires. Dusty’s is a closing tale of redemption and an optimistic look forward for the field of queer studies.
