Fagzine

A Fagzine (alternatively queer zine or gay fanzine ) is an at least temporarily, regularly published, independent publication from the alternative gay culture . The most influential fagzines appear as printed magazines ; further fagzines are produced as e-zines .

In terms of content and aesthetics , fagzines deliberately set themselves apart from the gay mainstream, which is perceived as uniform , and are often countercultural , e.g. B. punk or queer theory . Although fagzines have long been assigned to the aesthetic underground , many later well-known and leading journalists and photographers emerged from the fagzine scene.

The term fagzine is a suitcase word that was formed from the contraction of parts of the English words fagot (derogatory for gay people) and magazine (magazine) and based on the older suitcase word fanzine .

history

The New York underground magazine Straight to Hell Magazine: The Manhattan Review of Unnatural Acts (STH) founded in 1971 by Boyd McDonald (1925–1993 ) is considered the first fagzine. In the 1970s, STH stood out for its unpretentious layout , pornographic aesthetic, and radical political views. McDonald published numerous sexual experiences of its readers under partly serious, partly ironic headings.

Other early fagzines are the short-lived Folsom by Jim Moss , published in San Francisco in 1980, and the Paris magazine by Didier Lestrade and Misti Gris , published from 1980 to 1987 . The layout and typography of the magazine are now considered to be groundbreaking for many later mainstream magazines. The later established photographers Pierre & Gilles and Walter Pfeiffer published early works here; Lestrade was able to win numerous well-known artists for contributions or interviews, so u. a. Paul Morrissey , Edmund White , Tom of Finland , David Hockney , Divine , Keith Haring or Paul Bowles .

Aided by the inexpensive copying and offset technology, numerous, now forgotten and punk-oriented fagzines appeared in the 1980s. One of the most prominent representatives was u. a. by Bruce LaBruce with published JD from Toronto (1985 to 1991), which govern the Queercore was.

Many fagzines disappeared in the 1990s. Only with the publication of the Dutch magazine Butt in 2001 did fagzines experience a renaissance.

present

Despite the dominance of the internet and successful digital fagzines - e.g. B. East Village Boys - most of today's fagzines appear as printed magazines. Important publications are Butt ( Amsterdam , since 2001), They Shoot Homos. Don't they? (New York, since 2005), Kink ( Barcelona , since 2006), Kaiserin (Paris, since 2006), Handbook (San Francisco, since 2007), Pisszine ( Milan , since 2007) or Pinups (New York, since 2007). As before, the content of most fagzines is characterized by a combination of sexually explicit to pornographic contributions and artistic standards. Political content has taken a back seat.

reception

The Queer Zine Archive Project has been collecting and digitizing old and new publications since 2003 . As early as 2006, the Cologne-based Taschen-Verlag published an anthology with photographs and texts by the five-year-old Fagzines Butt . 2008 first extensive monograph published to the development of Fagzines and 2010 dedicated the Parisian gallery 12Mail the magazine Magazine , a solo exhibition.

Web links

• The Queer Zine Archive Project

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Boyd McDonald: Sex: True Homosexual Experiences from STH Writers. Gay Sunshine Press, San Francisco 1982, ISBN 978-0-91734-298-1 .
2. ↑ Suleman anaya. Department of Back Issues. Magazines. New York Times Style Magazine, May 5, 2010.
3. ^ Adam Block: In Search of the Homo-core Underground. (PDF; 1.6 MB) The Advocate, October 10, 1988, p. 52.
4. ^ Dennis Cooper: Homocore rules: gay zine makers bust a move. (PDF; 2.6 MB) Village Voice, September 4, 1990, pp. 92–93.
5. ↑ Wolfgang Tillmans, Jop Van Bennekom, Gert Jonkers, Bruce LaBruce: Butt Book . Taschen, Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-82283-021-5 .
6. ^ Philip Aarons, AA Bronson: Queer Zines. Printed Matter, New York 2008, ISBN 978-0-89439-039-5 .
7. ↑ Gallery 12Mail: Magazine. Un fanzine underground (1980-1987). ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed December 13, 2010.