Alex Locust

Alex Locust is a Black biracial, queer, disability justice educator, activist, and "Glamputee" who celebrates the harmony of his identities to help create the world they want to see.

Born disabled (above-the knee-amputee), Locust learned to navigate an ableist world that told him and other disabled people harmful, violent, and reductive ideas around which bodies are worthy and which bodies are beautiful. Armed with bombastic charm, whimsical humor, and a sharp wit, Locust synthesizes his lived experience with professional insight to educate others on how to adopt a disability justice framework that builds community and empowers fellow disabled folks.

Locust offers a series of workshops and lectures that foster empathy and are grounded in cultural humility and intersectionality. He creates spaces that model comfort and ease while exploring complex topics such as disability justice, microaggressions, harm reduction, and cross-movement solidarity.

With an MS in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, his approach highlights those who have been silenced and invisibilized while also activating those with privilege and power to recognize how to disrupt oppression and promote cultural shifts. Locust creates an environment that is both engaging and comfortable, adapting to the audience so they leave with newfound knowledge and awareness.

While earning his Masters of Science degree, Locust was honored with the Peggy H. Smith Distinguished Graduate Student award and named Graduate Student of the Year from the National Council on Rehabilitation Education.