Queer Archives Zine launch

The event summarized here is the Queer Archives Zine launch hosted at the National Library of New Zealand on October 2, 2020. During this event, the collaborative zine "The Archive is Alive" was introduced. It is a product of a deep dive into the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand (LAGANZ) by a dozen individuals who explored historical materials relating to LGBTQI+ lives and culture in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The zine contains reproductions of posters, leaflets, photos, and other ephemera and serves as a reflection on the value of local queer history.

The zine launch included discussions on the significance of preserving and learning from queer history. This significance was underlined by acknowledgments of how history can provide a sense of belonging, pride, and empowerment, especially when it includes narratives of queer struggle, joy, and resistance. The creation of the zine was also seen as a response to challenges in accessibility, as archives and historical materials can often seem intimidating and unwelcoming to the uninitiated.

This event further included health and safety briefings and remarks by participants, reflecting on their experiences of engaging with the archives and the process of compiling the zine. Contributors shared their personal accounts, highlighting reclaiming past queer joy, the importance of celebrating queer lives beyond narratives of suffering, and the affirmation found through the act of documenting one's own contemporaneous queer history.

Specifically, participants spoke to the themes of being queer, trans representation, reclaiming symbols like the pink triangle, and the broader sociopolitical discussion found in past queer publications. Experiences of transition, body acceptance, and familial support in the context of the queer community were also shared, with a focus on the participants' emotional connections and the importance of visibility in historical narratives.

Following the personal stories, the event closed with an official handover of the zine to the National Library of New Zealand. In this formal submission, the speakers reflected on the archival project as a living entity aimed at creating positive changes, highlighting that the act of archiving is inherently activist and transformative.

The recording of this event, while focusing on the 2020s, captures the history and continuity of queer community efforts, with the zine serving as a bridge between past activism, present experiences, and future remembrance. The audio from the event is available as a free PDF digital download, ensuring wider access to the contents of the zine.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Ailish Wallace-Buckland Caitlin Lynch Ciara O'Callaghan Compass Wilts-Ramsay Kiefer Hunt Roger Swanson Will Hansen

2020s, access, accessibility, ailish wallace-buckland, alexander turnbull library, archives, arson, bitches witches and dykes (magazine), caitlin lynch, ciara o'callaghan, compass wilts-ramsay, devotion festival (wellington), digital archive, digitisation, hannah benbow, hidden history, history, joan of arc, joyfulness, kiefer hunt, lesbian and gay archives of new zealand (laganz), national library of new zealand, pink triangle (magazine), pink triangle (symbol), pride, roger swanson, sappho, stickers, the archive is alive (zine), tiriti o waitangi / treaty of waitangi, wellington zine fest, will hansen, youth, zines

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