Revolution Begins Here
The rise of “zines”, self-published short magazines that are often released online, has been hard to miss. From fashion to love to sex, zines are like a portal into the author’s own life- they often feel more like a carefully curated journal than a snobbish high-fashion magazine. Luckily for us, a corner of this zine revolution has been dedicated to publications seeking to give frank and reliable information on sexual health- often written by badass women of color and queer folk.
Bold lettering, doodles, and hand drawn female anatomy adorn the handmade pages of the Revolution Begins Here zine, self-described as “A Revolutionary Sexual Health Zine for Youth”. Created by the Cascade AIDS project, this zine is committed to providing a judgment free, open-resource way for youth to learn about their bodies. It’s a refreshing contrast from black and white pamphlets in the doctor’s office or the outdated (and cringe-y) videos on pregnancy my 7th grade football coach had to show us in health class. Flipping through the adorable pages of Revolution Begins Here, everything from body image to communication to gender roles are explored in a matter of a few paragraphs. It’s easily digestible, fun to look at, and best of all, radical and inclusive. It summarizes why, in my humble opinion, zines and other creative takes on sexual health are the future- and they’re here just in time.
A creative approach to teaching sexual health is essential in an era when our government has made it all too clear that inclusive information about women’s sexual health is not a priority (ICYMI, Trump cut funding for teen pregnancy prevention education by nearly $214 million in July). And the education that is put in place in public schools isn’t always quality. What’s missing from a lot of traditional health classes that you may have experienced is that they so often fail to be intersectional. Art and storytelling driven approaches to teaching young people about their bodies often provide a more inclusive experience for those marginalized by traditional sex ed. How inspiring is it that women who don’t fit the mold the world has created (whether that means they are non-binary, queer, asexual, etc.) are taking control and creating content that will empower so many young people searching for advice??
Take Black Fly zine as another example: the creator of the publication, Nana Adae-Amoakoh, was inspired to compile essays, poetry, and photography on sexual health after noticing that black and brown girls were often left out or put down by mainstream attitudes towards sexual health. Now, she’s empowering women like her to take power over their sexuality through art, and firmly believes that stories of emotion are just as important as the science of sexual health.
The final pillar of the zine revolution is that their online presence makes them free from the rules and regulations of a classroom. The fact that zines are open-source and can easily be printed, shared, tweeted, or emailed, makes them the perfect device for dissemination in our internet-obsessed generation. You can spread feminist, intersectional sexual health zines with your community simply by pressing “share” while you sit in your bed and ignore your homework. Seriously, you know you want to. Text them, print them out, leave them in public bathrooms for others to find. Happy radical reading!