"be Gay, Do Crimes": The Co-Production and Activist Potential of Contemporary Fanzines

Abstract

Online creative communities are increasingly a space for marginalized groups to build solidarity and engage in activist work, encouraging the exploration and articulation of intersectionally-marginalized identities through processes of creative production. One such context for creative production includes community-driven sites such as Archive of Our Own, which by their design are intended to leverage and effectively support voices that are marginalized on other social platforms. In this paper, we build upon work on creative production and fan communities to further describe the work of fanart and fanzine collectives. We share the results of 1) an interview study with fanzine producers and 2) a two month remote co-design study where we further explored fanzine culture and the potential of future archival support. We used a range of qualitative methods to investigate themes of activism co-production in relation to the fanzine work of these producers, seeking to identify characteristic barriers and opportunities for community support as these artists seek to promote their work, encourage the co-production of work with other artists, and navigate the constantly shifting legal landscape associated with fanart. We conclude with implications for creative community support that amplify marginalized voices and facilitate archival work at the intersection of visual art, folksonomy, and legality.