what counts as a queer zine to me?
there's a variety of definitions on this. i'm not any kind of librarian!
i personally consider a zine queer if there's at least one page that discusses something queer (including but not limited to: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender / transsexual / trans, nonbinary, pansexual, asexual, aromantic, intersex (if the zine calls itself queer / is within queer context)). this is more restrictive than some other definitions. however this narrows down what i collect to zines that are likely to interest me personally.
what do i prioritise acquiring in my queer zine collection?
- history
- relative position in society
- analysis of representation (in media and by trans people about themselves)
- then vs now
- interrogations
- the purposes of the systems that we navigate (and fail to successfully navigate)
- intersectional zines / those made by people that are multiply marginalised (queer + person of colour, disabled, imprisoned (in the past or present), subject to ageism, asylum seeker, impoverished)
- rural / isolated / not primarily english speaking places + peoples + cultures / global majority / otherwise underrepresented in UK society
- zines translated into english / bilingual zines
- cheap ¹
- active / past projects that achieved something (finished product / project, attitude change, community, improved mental health)
- bringing past into the future
- older zines (pre 2010)
- zines by disabled authors
- topics i don't already have zines about / gaps in my collection ²
- surgery zines (except for chest masculinisation, as i have quite a lot)
- zines made by under 18s
- zines made by over 40s
- i have very few aspec zines and would like to collect more
- zines by d/Deaf / hard of hearing authors
- zines by blind / visually impaired authors
- zines by physically and/or intellectually disabled authors
- zines by those that have been transitioning (medically and/or socially) for over 15 years at time of writing
- drug use / addiction
- sex work
- make up / cosmetics
- breast forms
- breastfeeding / chestfeeding
- hiv / aids
- navigating how to pay for care (gender affirming / fertility / etc)
- IVF
¹ ideally i collect zines between the £0 to £5 price range. except for exceptional circumstances i won't buy zines above £15 and i hesistate with ones above £10 unless they look quite cool.
² this list cannot be exhaustive; if i knew everything i was missing i'd probably be missing a lot less than i am now + have a lot more zines! some of these topics i do have a couple zines about but would like more of to have a wider representation of the subject
