Pocket Change Collective: The New Queer Conscience

Ages 12 And Up, Grades 7 And Up

Pocket Change Collective was born out of a need for space. Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us.

“The new manifesto for how we as queer people could and should navigate the world. It’s the holding hand I never had—but wish I did.”—Troye Sivan, Golden Globe nominated-singer, songwriter, and actor

“With the persistence of queerphobia all around the world, this book is absolutely necessary, even vital.”—Édouard Louis, internationally bestselling author of History of Violence

“To Eli’s credit, all of the rules are rooted in considerations of conscience and kindness and, if observed, will make a

better world—as will this book.”—Booklist, starred review

“Small but mighty necessary reading.”—Kirkus Reviews

In The New Queer Conscience, LGBTQIA+ activist Adam Eli argues the urgent need for queer responsibility—that queers anywhere are responsible for queers everywhere.

Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today’s leading activists and artists. In this installment, The New Queer Conscience, Voices4 Founder and LGBTQIA+ activist Adam Eli offers a candid and compassionate introduction to queer responsibility. Eli calls on his Jewish faith to underline how kindness and support within the queer community can lead to a stronger global consciousness. More importantly, he reassures us that we’re not alone. In fact, we never were. Because if you mess with one queer, you mess with us all.

Series Overview: Artists and activists from around the globe share stories, guidance, and candid advice in this nonfiction anthology series for young adults

About the Author

Adam Eli is a community organizer and writer in New York City. He is the founder of Voices4, a nonviolent direct-action activist group committed to advancing global queer liberation and was included in Out Magazine’s100 most influential queer people of 2018. He believes that when you mess with one queer, you mess with us all.

Author Residence: New York, NY

Author Hometown: Westchester, New York

Ashley Lukashevsky is an illustrator and visual artist born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, currently based in Los Angeles. Ashley uses illustration and art as tools to strengthen social movements against systemic racism, sexism, and anti-immigrant policy. She aims to tear down these systems of oppression through first envisioning and drawing a world without them. Her clients include Refinery29, Broadly, The Washington Post, Planned Parenthood, Girls Who Code, GOOD Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, ACLU, Red Bull, Snapchat, Air Jordan, and Logo TV.

Illustrator Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Illustrator Hometown: Honolulu, HI