Making Our Own Way: 10 Queer and Trans Zines for Building a Freer World
10 queer and trans zines to inspire resistance, spark queer joy, and imagine and build liberated futures.
Hi Friends,
Recently Queer Archive Fever reached 5,000 subscribers and I’m filled with deep gratitude to every single one of you <3 Thank you for being here. For opening and reading these emails. For believing in the quiet, radical potential of memory work. I’m excited for whats to come ✨
In todays newsletter we’re focusing on radical queer zines of the past, from campy satire to militant manifestos, zines have long been a lifeline for queer and trans communities seeking connection, survival, and transformation. This list gathers 10 standout zines that rejected respectability and reimagined what queer life could look like on our own terms. They remind us that when systems fail us, we make our own way. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.
Have a zine you’d like to recommend? Drop them in the comments — I’m building a list 🗒️
Announcements!
Read the first installment of Queer Pages!, titled “Gay Flames: Igniting the Homofire Movement”, where I explore how radical queer publishing helped spark new forms of resistance, visibility, and connection. This series is all about honoring the printed page as a site of queer memory and power, and this first issue explores how print culture became a vital tool for liberation in the early gay liberation movement and beyond. More soon!
Mark your calendars for the Black Zine Fair on May 3rd in Brooklyn, NYC! Whether you’re a zine maker, collector, educator, or just zine-curious, this is a chance to gather, share, and uplift Black voices in DIY publishing. The fair is free and open to the public, with spaces to trade, sell, and connect.
I’d also like to share that I’ve launched a Ko-fi page to help sustain Queer Archive Fever! If you love what I do and want to support, a small contribution helps keep this newsletter going. Additionally, I will be enabling paid subscriptions sometime this week so that you can support in this way if you are able to. This is never requires, but extremely appreciated and helps to sustain and grow this project. Regardless, I’m happy you’re here!
— Queer Archivist
In a time of rising censorship, political backlash, and corporate co-optation, zines remain vital tools for queer and trans communities. As efforts to erase our histories and silence our voices continue, these DIY publications offer something powerful: truth-telling, resource-sharing, and a refusal to disappear.
Self-published, handmade, and unapologetically political, zines have always been part of how we make our own way. They offer us space to grieve, to organize, to dish, to dream, and to remember. They reject polished narratives and instead speak in the raw, urgent language of queer survival and joy. Below is a list of 10 zines that offer not just critique, but visions, strategies, and blueprints for collective liberation:
1. Queers Read This (1990)
Originally distributed anonymously at the 1990 New York Pride March, Queers Read This is a manifesto of queer rage, urgency, and survival. It opens with a chilling call to action: “How can I convince you, brother, sister, that your life is in danger?”—a line that still resonates more than three decades later.
The zine served as a rallying cry for radical queer visibility and resistance. It rejects assimilation and respectability politics, and insisting that queerness must be public and revolutionary. The zine calls out systemic violence, straight privilege, and the commodification of queer identity, asserting that queer existence is inherently political.
Queers Read This has since become a foundational text in queer activism and theory, influencing generations of activists and scholars. Its unapologetic tone and radical vision continue to inspire those fighting for queer liberation today.
Read it here: Against Equality
2. Dykatude: A Journal of Dyke Dissent (1996-1998)
Dykatude was a radical feminist zine published between 1996 and 1998, emerging from the fervent activism of the 1990s. Crafted by members of the Boston Dyke March Committee, it served as a platform for challenging societal norms and advocating for lesbian visibility and rights. The zine's content included personal narratives, political commentary, and creative expressions, all aimed at fostering solidarity and radical change within the lesbian and queer communities.
Read the first issues here: Boston Dyke March Archive
3. Yes, Ms. Davis (1994)
Created by Vaginal Davis, a pioneering figure in the queercore movement, Yes, Ms. Davis is a zine that embodies the spirit of DIY queer punk culture. Published in Los Angeles in 1994, this zine is a testament to Davis's multifaceted artistry and her commitment to challenging societal norms through satire and performance. The zine's content reflects a unique blend of punk aesthetics and queer activism, featuring collages, articles, and advertisements that critique mainstream culture while celebrating queer identities.
Read this issue here: QZAP Archive
4. YELL Zine (1994 - 1999)
YELL (Youth Education Life Line) was established in 1989 as the youth arm of ACT UP, focusing on AIDS education and activism among young people. In response to the public education system's failure to adequately address HIV/AIDS, YELL produced the first YELL Zine in 1994, a publication that blended candid safer sex information with the rebellious spirit of youth activism. The zine's pages were filled with humor, pop culture references, and practical guides on topics like condom use and harm reduction, reflecting the urgent need for peer-led education at the time. Through its engaging content and grassroots distribution, YELL Zine empowered young activists to take control of their sexual health and advocate for systemic change in HIV/AIDS education and policy.
Explore this zine series here: QZAP Archive
5. Shotgun Seamstress (2006-2015)
Shotgun Seamstress was a DIY punk fanzine created by Osa Atoe, born from her experience as one of the few Black individuals in predominantly white punk scenes. Launched in 2006, the zine served as a platform for Black punks, queers, feminists, and outsiders, celebrating their contributions to punk culture and challenging monolithic representations of Black identity. Each issue featured hand-cut-and-pasted layouts with interviews, essays, scene reports, and artwork, highlighting figures like Poly Styrene, Mick Collins, and Vaginal Davis. The zine emphasized joy and community over anger, aiming to empower readers by showcasing the diversity and creativity within Black punk communities. In 2022, all eight issues were compiled into an anthology published by Soft Skull Press, preserving its legacy and continuing to inspire new generations.
Explore issue one here + purchase the anthology here
6. Tranarchy by Ed Kronfeld (Radical Paper Press, 2019)
Tranarchy is a radical zine that explores the intrinsic connection between trans identity and anarchist struggle. Ed Kronfeld delves into the historical and contemporary intersections of trans liberation and anarchism, tracing a lineage from the Stonewall uprising to the actions of groups like Bash Back! The zine critiques the state's role in perpetuating transphobia and argues for anarchism as a framework for resistance and liberation. Through essays, personal narratives, and critical analysis, Tranarchy emphasizes the importance of dismantling oppressive systems and building autonomous, affirming communities. It serves as both a call to action and a resource for those seeking to understand the synergy between trans experiences and anarchist principles.
Explore the zine here: The Internet Archive
7. My Comrade & Sister! (1987–1994)
My Comrade was a campy, radical, and unapologetically queer underground magazine that captured the vibrant energy of New York City's downtown scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Founded by drag queen Linda Simpson in 1987 amidst the AIDS crisis, the zine offered humor, resistance, and a sense of community to its readers. Through imaginative photo spreads, interviews, and satirical takes on gay culture, My Comrade spotlighted nightlife personalities, drag queens, and the broader queer community, including figures like RuPaul, Lady Bunny, and Lipsynka. Later issues introduced Sister!, a lesbian-focused counterpart that shared the same irreverent tone and commitment to showcasing lesbian culture and activism. Together, My Comrade and Sister! documented a pivotal moment in queer history, providing a platform for voices that were often marginalized in mainstream media.
More info about the zine here: My Comrade Website
8. Militant Queer Insurrection! (2010)
Militant Queer Insurrection! is an anonymous zine from 2010 that channels the radical spirit of queer resistance into a 16-page manifesto. The zine critiques assimilationist tendencies within the LGBTQ+ movement and calls for a return to militant activism. It challenges the normalization of queer identities within capitalist structures, urging readers to reject the state's attempts to domesticate queer rebellion. With references to dystopian works like Dune and Nineteen Eighty-Four, the zine situates queer struggle within a broader fight against systemic oppression. Through its unapologetic tone and call to action, Militant Queer Insurrection! serves as a rallying cry for those seeking to reignite the flames of queer resistance.
Read the zine here: QZAP Archive
9. Sex Panic!(1997)
Sex Panic! was a 40-page digest zine produced in 1997 by the activist collective of the same name in New York City. Emerging during a period of intensified scrutiny over queer sexual expression, the zine served as a radical response to assimilationist narratives within the LGBTQ+ community. It confronted issues such as AIDS, morality, the policing of gay culture, and the marginalization of sex workers, advocating for sexual liberation and challenging the mainstream push towards same-sex marriage as the pinnacle of queer rights.
Through essays, critiques, and manifestos, Sex Panic! called for a reinvigoration of queer activism that embraced the complexities of sexuality and resisted the sanitization of queer identities. The zine's unapologetic stance made it a pivotal voice in the discourse on queer politics and sexual freedom.
Read the zine here: QZAP Archive
10. Queer Action Figures (1996)
This is the third installment of a zine series created by Audra Farrell, Tom Hill, and Charlie Welch in 1996. Produced in New York City, this issue continues the series' exploration of gender, the queer community, and sexual freedom through a collection of collages and writings. The zine delves into topics such as gay and lesbian liberation, gender expression, and LGBTQ+ activism, reflecting the vibrant and rebellious spirit of the queer zine culture of the 1990s. By combining visual art with critical discourse, Queer Action Figures offers a snapshot of the era's grassroots efforts to challenge societal norms and celebrate queer identities.
Read the zine here: Digital Transgender Archive
These zines offer not only histories of resistance and practical strategies for survival, but also moments of queer joy, desire, creativity, and bold visions of liberation. They remind us that building a freer world requires both struggle and celebration — and that our stories, in all their messiness and brilliance, deserve to be shared.
I hope they inspire you to create your own zines, whether to share your voice with trusted friends or anonymously distribute vital information to your communities. In a world that tries to silence us, zines are how we speak, document, and imagine on our own terms.
As a 1990s zine publisher, I love this so much. Publishing a zine and hearing back from readers around the country -- even if it was only 4 or 5 of them -- was such a wonderful thing.
i still have my whole zine collection from the early 90s. i treasure it.