The QZ - An Inclusive Space

For my final project, I am expanding on my third journal idea to create an online magazine / hub for LGBTQ+ representation across all walks of life. It will be incredibly interactive, with many different pages, forums, and forms of media available for the audience to explore. It will function as an online zine, carrying the homegrown, artistically designed and chaotically curated vibes and feelings from a traditional print zine while making it more accessible to the general public. Everything included on the website is made with the central thread of queer spaces and representation. There will be written elements including articles/deep dives into different areas of queer subculture, a media hub with videos, photos, and a short 2d game made with G Develop, and a page with resources and FAQs about the queer experience. It is a platform for queer people to share what they love, and for people outside of the queer community to learn and grow within the space.

I have always loved the concept of zines. A very formative experience for me was a trip to Seattle, visiting independent bookstores and browsing their selections of hand-drawn, specially crafted works. I want to simulate this experience in an online setting, providing more people with the opportunity to experience small, independently published pieces of art.

Additionally, I play roller derby. The community is incredibly open and inclusive, with a majority of members identifying somewhere under the queer umbrella. Finding this community was life-changing for me, and I got to see what it looks like for queer people to grow up. For them to get married and have families, and continue to do the things they love. Growing up in a fairly small town built on the idea of the white-picket-fence family, joining derby and having the opportunity to see what my future may hold was invaluable. I want to give that to others.

I want to make it so clear to anyone who comes across this page that it is so okay to love. People, hobbies, things. I want this project to exude the love of people’s passions, what makes them happy, and for the viewers of the site to feel seen and heard in their own way. I want it to be fun and accessible and full of life. I want to say that it is okay to be happy or sad or uncomfortable or safe and it is okay to exist.

My intended audience is primarily the queer community, with viewers of any age or background. I want to create a space for people who may feel isolated or distant from their community to come to and be themselves. It’s designed with queer coming-of-age youth in mind, but ultimately is for anyone who needs a space to just be.

Thanks for being here. I hope you stick around.