The Poetry Project

Elizabeth Purchell

Elizabeth Purchell, a white trans woman with brown hair, is outside. She's wearing a yellow hat, orange cami, and clear-framed glasses.
© K.J. Shepherd

Elizabeth Purchell is a queer film historian and programmer. She is the creator of Ask Any Buddy, a multimedia project that explores the history of the gay adult film industry and its role in the development of queer cinema and the spread of gay male visual culture. The project consists of an Instagram feed, a feature-length mashup film that was selected to play nearly two-dozen international film festivals, and a companion podcast. Recently, she has appeared on home video releases by Altered Innocence, the American Genre Film Archive, and Vinegar Syndrome, and programs and hosts the monthly Queer Cinema: Lost and Found screening series at Austin Film Society. Her work has been covered in publications such as Artforum and The New York Times.