QZAP - The Queer Zine Archive Project

Queers, Families and the Squat Community front cover. People standing in an open area looking at buildings

W00t! It's a new Zine of the Gay! This week Rowan takes a look at Queers, Families, and the Squat Community from 2011 Amsterdam.

gittings.qzap.org/queer-family...

We're getting ready to have this exact conversation with our writing interns tomorrow.

Yes, words have been weaponized against us. Also, those same words have contributed to us finding ourselves and each other and building communities and fighting back, too.

Flyer for the Twin Cities Zine Fest on Saturday February 7th from 10 am to 4 pm at Minneapolis Central Library. There is a fun Bug Girl illustration where she reads a zine in a fluorescent green nest. Words to the side read "Charming chatter and printed matter".

If you're near Minneapolis on Saturday, please consider coming out to the Twin Cities Zine Fest, where we'll have 80+ zinesters sharing their #zines & free workshops! tczinefest.org/tczf-2026/ #TCZF2026

If you're elsewhere, please send good vibes, we could use some fun.

Image of tote bags, rainbow flags, bracelets, and lanyards related to Southern LGBTQ and social justice organizations and causes. Text reads What can I donate to the archive? bags, flags, and merch

Who needs lions, tigers, and bears when you've got bags, flags, and merch! Do you have small items related to Southern LGBTQ history that you'd like us to preserve? Check out our website for how to contact us and let's save that history together.

The new Zine of the Gay post is up!

We've got a cohort of students who will be updating the QZAP blog this semester. They'll be exploring zines from our collections and writing about them every week or so. To start us off, Erica is taking on Some Boys Bleed

gittings.qzap.org/i-knew-a-boy...

@soljbrager.bsky.social's latest comic about watching and analyzing historic queer adult films is incredible, and seems very adjacent to some of the work we do at QZAP.

Queer Print Cultures - University of Toronto Press

Amid the chaos and pain of this week, a couple of good things:

My partner-in-crime @chrisqzap.bsky.social has a chapter in Queer Print Cultures, which came out a few days ago, and I'm incredibly happy for him and all the other authors and editors...
utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/...

[gasps] Wow! Your gay vibe is sooo BIG 🥵😵🥰

A photo of the zine "se familiariser avec le pronom iel et autres mots du genre", with an image from the Mr Men books. The cover is printed on hot pink paper and shown against a background of puffy clouds

Photo of the zine held open to its first page, titled "la langue francaise n'est pas neutre"

For anyone who struggles with gender-neutral language while speaking French, this zine will help!

Free download: sheerspite.ca/product/se-f...
Print version, $0-3: sheerspite.ca/product/se-f...

Two sides of a piece of "funny money" from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Image is of a fake $3 note with a drag nun in the center, and the text on it reads: “The sisters of Perpetual Indulgence - Holy Indulgence. You are hereby pre-forgiven for all sins committed in the next 24 hours. May pleasure be your god, lust your temple, & sex your sacrament.” “I cast responsibility for my actions into the capable lap of a fully professed member of the sisters of perpetual indulgence, so that i may fully surrender to the charms, ornaments, and wanton whims of desire. I do so with gratitude for existing high enough on evolution's ladder to enjoy the pleasures of diverse senses and opposable thumbs. I acknowledge that all pleasure is sourced in the divine, and ecstatically enter the vast and skillfully debauched company of those who have pleasured before me.”

We've got a new post up at QZAP talking about the grant that we just received from @sfsisters.bsky.social ! We're beyond thankful and honored to have been chosen as a recipient this cycle.

gittings.qzap.org/sisters-act/

Materials archived by Invisible Histories showcase the breadth of Southern queer culture, including a photo of a 1920s drag queen, a 1980s Dyke March, and a newspaper clipping about Alabama’s first Pride Parade, among other pieces.

As anti-queer backlash and state erasure intensify, citizen archivists are fighting back by saving LGBTQ+ history before it disappears.

Groups like @invisiblehistories.bsky.social and the @qzap.bsky.social show how preservation becomes resistance.

inthesetimes.com/article/figh...

Two green buttons, one larger, one smaller, that say "She/her/hers UAB"

Last week we picked up two pronoun buttons from someone who worked at a now closed university diversity office. This one hit hard as one of our founders used to work there. While it's egregious these services are being shut down, we are working to make sure their history is saved.

front cover from InStep Magazine, December 6 – 19, 1984. Volume 1, Issue 15

When thinking about queer publishing history, we place bar rags in a space adjacent to gay newspapers like The Wisconsin Light, the B.A.R. or The Blade. They seemed to be about building community through lesbian and gay capitalism. Less news, more local... literally meeting people where they gather.

A Tuneful Holiday As the holiday "party" days approach us, let's take a look at some serious partying music that you kids had better be restin' your dancin' shoes up for! Just as '84 is drawing to a close, the obvious, Sylvester, comes along with a gem to say the least. 10:15, Sylvester's current Megatone LP, is a combination of the famous "Patrick Cowley/San Francisco Sound, combined with Eurodisco. The first 12" release of Rock the Box caused some speculation that this would be more "hip-hop" but proved itself otherwise. Sylvester is in perfect voice and along with backups of Martha Wash (Weather Girls/Two Tons of Fun), Jo Carol Black and Lauren Carter (formerly the Patrick Cowley Singers, now Jo-Lo) and Lynette Hawkins Stevens with Nathaniel Best — they all work together to provide perfect harmony! Other standouts include Take Me To Heaven, Sex, Taking Love Into My Hands, and a great remake of Lovin' Is Really My Game. A great album for a major talent. - Top 10 Dance Hits Courtesy Of Tyrone (Ty) King — Ze Coet Aux Folles 1) Like A Virgin - Madonna 2) War Song - Culture Club 3) Swept Away - Diana Ross 4) I Feel For You - Chaka Kahn 5) Better Be Good To Me - Tina Turner 6) Centipede - Rebbie Jackson 7) Jungle Love - The Time 8) Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood 9) A Night With The Boys - Linda Clifford 10) Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham - Top 10 Video Hits - 1) Strut - Sheena Easton 2) Let It Blow - The Dazz Band 3) Pretty Mess - Vanity 4) I Need A Man In My Life - Katie Kissoon 5) Homecoming Queens Got A Gun - Julie Brown 6) I Just Called To Say - Stevie Wonder 7) Torture - Jackson 5 8) I Love Men - Eartha Kitt 9) Dr. Beat - Miami Sound Machine 10) I'm So Excited - Pointer Sisters - Hot Picks - 1) Sensual Sensations Lp (All Cuts)- Lime 2) Once Upon A Time - John Rocca 3) Burn For You - Inxs 4) Black Leather - Miquel Brown 5) Baja - Mascara

Competition for the top spot goes to who else but Madonna. Like A Virgin (Sire 12" and LP) is "burning up" the charts — see for yourself — the album is great. It's funny to see people in bars pack the floor to Like A Virgin — everybody has a good time, but I really wonder how many are virgins? Two faves on the album include Material Girl and the slow, searing Love Don't Live Here Anymore. Madonna's enough to make any grown man want to flirt!! Continued from page 32 Finally, some 12" records worth checking out include Back In My Arms by Hazell Dean on TSR; You Used To Hold Me So Tight by Thelma Houston on MCA; Last Call by Jo Lo on Megatone; Sensual Sensations LP by Lime on Prism; Baja by Mascara on Oh My Records; Black Leather by Miquel Brown on Radio Shack Records; and, Rain Forest by Paul Hardcastle on Profile Records. Lots of good listening listed above, and they also make nice Christmas gifts for that person who is a bona fide collector of 12" singles. Until next time — keep dancin'! K. A.

The other night we were working with our 22yo undergrad intern, and were trying to explain how "bar rags" fit into a broader view of queer publishing. We were showing them some of the copies of InStep and came across these listings of top dance music from the gay bars from this week in 1984.

Elenco Alfabetico Fanzine Anni 80 Società per la Bonifica Multimediale delle Paludi Mentali

This digital map and archive of Italian punk zines from the 1980s has been blowing my mind all day. Some of it is weird to load but it's worth the effort. Tons of energy! Some interesting art zines too. paolopalmacci.it/capitmundi/b...

"Jeff's radicalism made him fuckin' scary... ...and sexy." A one-panel comic from 1993 by Anonymous Boy. Image shows a person with a mohawk haircut wearing a tank top with a triangle jumping a barrier while at a protest. Around the central person are other figures holding signs and participating in the protest.

It's a little disjointed, but we did manage to get up our annual post about World AIDS Day.

gittings.qzap.org/world-aids-d...

Nothing is on sale :) everything is already cheap and priced on sliding scale already. why not just buy a zine regardless tho sheerspite.ca sheerspite.bigcartel.com the text is surrounded by a border of images of colourful zines sold by sheer spite, and a logo of a coiled snake.

i am not immune to the lure of a Hot Deal but the fact is, i do not build a huge margin into the prices, and already sell things on sliding scale, so i can't really do sales. however zines remain available for purchase.

sheerspite.ca
sheerspite.bigcartel.com

So apparently a conservative "journalist" attended the ZLuC over this past weekend, attended and live-streamed sessions without consent, and is trying to intimidate and dox attendees.

Here's the organizers' statement:
www.zinelibraries.info/wiki/zluc2025/

I also wrote about Gendertrash as a @qzap.bsky.social intern last summer:
gittings.qzap.org/gender-trash...

Florida folx, check this out! Our friends from @invisiblehistories.bsky.social are coming to you.

Donate to Secure BROWN RECLUSE's Future, organized by BROWN RECLUSE Secure Brown Recluse Zine Distro's Future! We are seeking funds for the project to conti… BROWN RECLUSE needs your support for Secure BROWN RECLUSE's Future

Brown Recluse zine distro is raising money to support their continued (amazing) work of supporting and sharing zines by writers and artists of colour. I want to live in a world with BRZD in it, don't you?

www.gofundme.com/f/secure-bro...

A poster for Zinedump, a new Toronto zine fair. The poster features a woman levitating above a star drawn on the earth in chalk. She is wearing a goat skull and holding a zine, which is emitting orange smoke. 3 small Toronto associated animals are gathered around in worship - A raccoon, a rat and a skunk. The information on the poster is as follows: November 9th, 12pm to 5pm Cecil Community Centre, 58 Cecil Street 12 - 1pm - Masks mandatory 1pm - 5pm - Masks encouraged 60+ vendors and programming More updates coming!

Poster for ZINEDUMP, a new Toronto zine fair! I'm one of the organizers for the event, and we are having our inaugural event on November 9th! We hope to see you there!
For updates, please check our website or follow our instagram at zinedump.fyi

Image is a psychedelic ameboid frame with purple, green and pink flowers and over a black and white image of two male sailors kissing each other.

We will be tabling at Beet Street in Milwaukee this Saturday from 1pm - 7pm-ish.

This street festival is organized and hosted by our friends at Cactus Club, and looks like it's going to be rad as fuck.

Details here:
www.visitmilwaukee.org/event/beet-s...

We're pretty sure @rachaelhouse.bsky.social donated it to the archive when she visited in 2014. 💗💜💙

Sticker depicting actor Divine holding a pistol. Text reads "Destroy Fascism - Eat Shit Nazi Scum" and has a rainbow flag and a black flag in the upper left with the words "Antihomophobe Action"

Woke up thinking about this sticker that we've got in the archive here:
archive.qzap.org/index.php/De...

Button from the 1970s from the Georgia Gay Liberation Front.

Cover of Gay Community News from September 22, 1973 with an article about the bombing of the Arch Cafe in Springfield, Massachusetts on September 11th.

Early Tuesday morning (Sept. 11) at 5AM, one of Springfield’s gay “hangouts”, the Arch Cafe was completely demolished by a bomb explosion. Owner Louis Lake had received an unusual number of obscene phone calls, as many as “12 to 15 daily prior to today’s mishap. Lake said, “You’ve got to expect a certain number of calls, mostly from straight people who object (to homosexuality.) Lake estimated damages at between eighty and ninety thousand dollars, and said that his insurance would “in no way” cover losses. State police bomb squads are said to be investigating the source of the explosion and witnesses reported the smell of flammable fuel permeating the rubble in one section of the bar. Firemen suspected bombing after they combed through the debris and found the gas main and meter servicing the building intact. A fire inspector, when asked if the blast was the work of an explosives ex-pert, said “if it wasn’t, it sure as hell was a good amateur”. Several residents of the neighboring Charles Hotel, mostly elderly people, were knocked from their beds by the blast. Authorities said that some of the occupants were shaken but there were no injuries. The bar was unoccupied at the time. GCN contacted Rep. James Boller (D., Springfield) at the State House. He remarked upon viewing the wreckage Wednesday morning, that the former Arch Cafe was “completely demolished”, and that both adjacent buildings had also experienced damage. When questioned on the perpetrator of this act and his possible exper-tise, he remarked that a pro “could not have done such a good job’. He labeled it a “fool-ish’ act done by some “wierd” person whose motivation “could have been anything, an argument or something” Boller added that they “knew what they were doing” , implying that the bomber was taking deliberate action against the gay com-munity.

NEVER FORGET!!!
On this day in 1973 the Arch Cafe in Springfield, MA was firebombed and destroyed.

Parody, Punk and ‘Terrorist Drag’: Inside the World of Vaginal Davis

A little conflicted this morning because fuck the nyt, and also hooray for Vaginal Davis!!!

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/a...

Screenshot of a comic tutorial for "assembling a quarter-letter folded zine (aka "hand pies", for Zine Bakery Homemade quarter-size zines)". Steps are: 1) Fold your paper so it's been creased in half both horizontally and vertically. 2) Fold the top half of the paper down over the bottom, such that just the back cover (left) and front cover (right) pages show. 3) Put 2 staples through the vertical center crease. 4) Use scissors to cut off the smallest possible strip of paper along the top (you're freeing those pages from being connected, while trying to lose as little of the zine design to the cut as possible). 5) Fold the back cover around to the back, so just the front cover shows.

If you want to make a smaller zine (< 1/2-sheet page size) but w/more page space than a minizine (1/8 sheet)—or just dislike not being able to get the minizine creases all perfect—1/4 size zines are another option. (HT @alienmelon.bsky.social wonderful Electric Zine Maker tool I learned this from!)

illustration of a brown and white horse standing on a hill of green grass with a blue gradient sky above. Text on the image says "I'm A Denver Zine Fest 2025 Exhibitor!!!"

It's Fall!!!!! (Almost) Anyway, we're excited to be mostly exciting the melting dome of summer, and are hitting up some events over the next couple of months.

First up, on Sept. 14 is the Denver Zine Fest!

For a full schedule, check out our post at QZAP:
gittings.qzap.org/gross-indece...