2010 Milwaukee Zine Fest: Queer zines and their bad-ass authors

I promised a follow-up to my first piece on the 2010 Milwaukee Zine Fest.  You’ve obviously been dying for it, so here it is in all its queer, same-sex lovin’ glory:

Wandering around the festival I noticed a lot of tables with queer zines.  The first specifically queer table I stopped at belonged to Kelly, who represented his zine Kelly Shortandqueer.

Kelly is a trans man and zine maker in his late twenties.  He has made 15 zines in his shortandqueer series, most of which are autobiographical.  I purchased the eighth issue (it was $2) which deals with his process of coming out as trans, wrestling with a genderqueer identity, and finding earlier writings in his journal that foreshadow his impending sexual/gender confusion.

Did I mention these are actual journal entries?  Yeah.  Kelly combed through his journal and compiled some of the most poignant, sad, and exultant personal writing from the darkest and most difficult times of his life, then put it on paper for anyone to read.  And they all deal with a topic that is incredibly sensitive and delicate.

Seriously?  Who has the fortitude to publish their own journal, let alone publishing content from the most fragile parts of their life?  Not me, that’s for sure.  I almost cringe thinking about what it must have been like for Kelly to do something so bold.  The fact that he did it, though, is super rad.

Kelly’s zine has reached and helped people all over the country – people struggling with gender expression, trans identities, or the myriad crises that come with a sexual or gender transition in our society.

Just by writing his zine Kelly is able to foster a dialogue with trans folks or confused genderqueers that live far, far away.  They are able to share their own experiences through DIY print and build a sort of community and space for dialogue without an actual physical space.  His contact info and picture are prominently displayed on the front and back covers for any curious readers who’d like to get in touch with him.

My heart practically swelled, exploded, and busted its tiny frame, Grinch style, when I read this part of his epilogue to shortandqueer #8:

“But I do want to talk.  I want to hear your process.  I want to know if you had similar thoughts and feelings.  Please get in touch and let me know what I’ve triggered for you.  Tell me your pitfalls and successes.  I want to create community that knows how to heal and forgive.  I want that same community to know how to set limits and maintain healthy boundaries.  I want a community that knows how to be honest and vulnerable.  I also want that community to have integrity.  Next time you see me, give me a hug.  I probably need one.”

Gah!  So much freaking compassion from one person.  He is definitely my new hero.

When asked what the zines did for him, Kelly said “[I could] see myself reflected, name my experience.”  His zines then, in turn, affected others and assured them that “[We are] not alone.”

The idea of naming ones experience is essential to the existence of queer zines, which have long been a way to transmit information that runs counter to the dominant, mainstream LGBT media.  Think about it: the average representation of queerness in the media is some muscular white dude who’s really fucking fashionable.  Kelly is offering a different and necessary queer perspective.

The co-founder of Milwaukee’s own spectacular Queer Zine Archive Project, Christoper Wilde continued the conversation about the importance of a queer sensibility in contemporary LGBT discourse.

“Queer zines are the media that are able to offer viewpoints that the mainstream LGBT media don’t present.  They let other people know we exist, that our identities are just as valid.”  Wilde refers to viewpoints such as those of radical genderqueers, trans people, sex workers, men in same-sex intergenerational relationships, etc.

They become a way for folks to validate their identity when, often times, the dominant LGBT discourse does no such thing.

These zinesters are intrepid academics, queer activists, and just plain bad-ass.  They are not afraid to start difficult conversations or tackle important topics.

What’s really amazing, though, is that they prove that anyone can do this.  Anyone can write their own story, fire up the photocopier at the local library, and go to town.  So, go to it, y’all.  And give Kelly a shout-out – after all, he said he could use a hug.

Craving more queerness?  Check out these seminal queer zines: Homocore, J.D.s, and Straight to Hell.  And, although no longer a zine, BUTT Magazine is certainly queer enough to make this veritable who’s who list of queer-as-hell zines.