LGBTQ zines collection

This collection is made up of LGBT-related zines produced from the 1990s through the current day, most from the late 2000s. Subjects covered in the collection include many topics within the LGBT category and range widely. Topics include gender identity, sexuality, coming out, mental health, activism, community-building, oppression, race, and art. The collection includes many genres and forms, including personal essays, poetry, short stories, comics, photography, collages, activist essays, and educational information. The majority of the collection is nonfiction. Mixed media is often incorporated into zines, with photos and text combined alongside one another or collaged together. For the most part, serial publications are not included. Other periodicals, such as journals, magazines, and anthologies are not included but can instead be found in the Archives' periodicals collection. Most of the zines within this collection were produced individually and self-published on a "Do it Yourself" basis, as is the nature of zines. Also included are zines by small indie presses and collectives. Some have multiple authors and contributors. Many of the authors and collectives are from the Philadelphia area, but works from greater geographical areas in the United States are also represented. Some titles exist in more than one copy. They are arranged alphabetically by the title of the work. There is one file at the beginning, titled "General Zine-Related Material," which includes business cards, other identifying information about the zine-makers, and anthologies from Philadelphia's annual Zine Fest. This collection continues to grow.