Mentor Background

What is your area of expertise?

How did you become interested in this area?

Sarah knew she was Queer since seventeen years old. She grew up in a conservative town and wanted to find a community. Very quickly it became obvious to her that there is normalised harm within Queer communities and normalised abuse. Therefore, Sarah wanted to study these entanglements and the complications that come with it and hopefully create change.

What was your career path to get here?

Sarah completed her undergraduate at Michigan state university majoring in English and History with a minor in LGBTQ+ studies. Simultaneously, Sarah was working with an organisation known as Beyond the Bomb. Her roles and responsibilities included blogging. Sarah was very much interested in the sexualization of nuclear weapons and therefore, worked on a project that revolved around this. Currently, Sarah is studying Queer theory in the women, gender and sexuality studies track, this is the title of the masters degree she enrolled in post working in political consulting.

Why should the public care?

The public should care due to the seriousness of nuclear weapons. It should be viewed as a human rights issue.National security is presented and framed in a way that illustrates those with intense expertise in the area are the only people who can contribute to this discussion. Individuals who are not in a government position are often given this impression that they cannot comment . However, this needs changing and people need to be aware of the amount of money invested in nuclear weapons, their opinions matter even if they are not an expert. Raising concerns and speaking to representatives could make a difference.

What is a current issue or trend that concerns you?

A current issue or trend that concerns Sarah is the rise of fascism globally. There is a noticeable shift towards a right discourse, specifically, in the USA. Additionally, the rise of fake news and the notion of eco-chambers. It is sad to see that the value of facts are not the same anymore.

More generally, what Sarah views as concerning is the justification of harm that is often overlooked and is dismissed. This is often seen as too idealistic or ridiculous. 

Sarah states she knew she was Queer since the age of seventeen. She grew up in a small conservative town. Finding a community was always important to her. It quickly became noticeable to her