Last year, the author and his students received word that their beloved professor of queer and American ethnic studies was going on terminal leave. He and his students were suddenly thrown into the position of making the case for queer studies to the broader campus community. In this article, the author shares how their professor's departure--and of the need to engage in campus-wide dialogue about the importance and legitimacy of interdisciplinarity and local studies--testified to the stark reality that these fields continue to struggle for a place in academy. He also discusses that interdisciplinary and intersectional scholarship has to do with challenging foundational norms of sexuality and gender, as well as of race, class, and liberal political economy.