Research Question

Why did zines catch on so well in queer communities?

Research Proposal Zine

Annotated Bibliography

Jennings, T. (1988, September). HOMOCORE Issue #1. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://www.sensitiveresearch.com/Archive/HOMOCORE/HTML/1/1.html 

The first issue of HOMOCORE, written by Tom Jennings. This issue introduces the series and sets the tone for the rest of the series. It only has one letter, seeing as it wasn't announced beforehand. It also has a list of other good zines, some news, and a couple articles written by various people.

Jones, G. (1985). J.D.s Issue #1. https://web.archive.org/web/20110104183520/http://www.qzap.org/v6/index.php?option=com_g2bridge&view=gallery&Itemid=41&g2_itemId=1333 

The first issue of J.D.s, a major inspiration for the Queercore movement and for the HOMOCORE zine. This is pretty similar to HOMOCORE, but a bit more explicit.

Galvan, M. (2024, July 26). Decidedly Non-Commercial: Zines, Zinesters and Queer Community — GLBT historical society. GLBT Historical Society. https://www.glbthistory.org/newsletter-articles/10-queer-zines 

This is an interview with Margaret Galvan in which she talks about zines in the queer community. She focuses on Queer Zine Explosion, a series of zines by Larry-Bob Roberts which reviewed queer zines.

The full version of my annotated bibliography is on the back of the zine when unfolded.

Abstract

Zines were very common in the queer community in the late 20th century. This paper looks at why zines were used so widely in queer communities, especially before the broader usage of the internet. It looks at two particularly popular magazine-style zines, HOMOCORE and J.D.s, both of which ran from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. It looks at letters from HOMOCORE to find examples of the extreme isolation experienced by queer people at the time and infighting in the queer community. The three main reasons found for zines being so popular are that: zines are easy to produce, they can be relatively discreet, and they helped people communicate directly. This paper also came to the conclusion that the feeling of isolation was crushing for queer people at the time.

Methods

I read zines published by queer people around the 80s & 90s. I specifically focused on HOMOCORE, because it has a bunch of content and several issues. It also has letters from readers, which are great for looking at the state of the queer community at the time. My discipline was history.

Primary Sources

+ HOMOCORE

+ J.D.s

+ I'm Queer. You're Straight.

Secondary Sources

+ Decidedly Non-Commercial: Zines, Zinesters and Queer Community

+ Fagazine: the Queer history of zine culture.

Conclusion

I want people to take away that zines were a massively helpful force for the queer community, to connect people and to fight isolation and loneliness.

 RESEARCH

What kinds of research have you done?

-- Primary: Accounts from queer people who made zines and the zines that they made.

-- Secondary: Articles about queer history and zines

-- What is your method/approach to your story? I will be finding zines at libraries that have them and people writing about what it was like at the time and using those.

-- Who do you want to read your research paper? Queer people and people who know a bit about queer history and would like to learn more.

Research Interests:

I'm curious about how queer people used and use zines, how they were distributed, and how they navigated criminalization when it was illegal.

I think they fit into the idea of hidden histories because: queer people were a lot less visible during the 1970s and 80s, and zines were relatively hidden, because they're not public.

Precedents: What has influenced my interest in this question?

Being queer myself, as well as being interested in how people make queer friends when it's dangerous to be out and how distribution of zines works.

Research Methods

I used X & Y archives:

-- Papercut Zine Library

-- QZAP Zine Archive

These archives tended to have X & Y materials:

-- Zines

Research Question

How did queer people in the mid-late 1900s share information using zines?

STORIES:

I could use my current research to tell the story like this:

I could talk about how zines and the easy ability to share information have shaped queer culture

I could use my current research to tell the story like this:

I could talk about how the ability to have very local and interconnected communities helps people find a sense of belonging

I could use my current research to tell the story like this:

I could talk about how zines can help marginalized people connect when it's dangerous to be open

Writing Plan (What am I doing next)

I need to do more research into actual zines, rather than just reading articles

I want people to take away more knowledge about how zines work and how they have shaped the queer community

I'm going to present my research in a research paper

EXAMPLES OF THE FORM THAT I LIKE AND WANT TO EMULATE:

1) If my overall concept is too broad or too narrow, and if it should be adjusted

2) What should I focus on in my research paper?

3) Are there any other topics or parts to this topic that I should cover?

Seeking feedback on: