Friendly Neighborhood Bisexuals: Mikaela Joyce

Cover of "Friendly Neighborhood Bisexuals"

For my zine project, I created “Friendly Neighborhood Bisexuals”; a zine looking at Bisexual + terminology and experiences. The audience I had in mind when creating this zine was queer and questioning adolescents. The copy and content are indented to be informative, but approachable. In a sense it offers no definitive answers; either for identifying where one falls on the spectrum, or on coming out. However, it speaks to terminology and experience that fall within the bisexual and queer community in an “entry-level” fashion. Additionally, it can be used as a resource for young people navigating questions of identity. 

The title of the zine is tongue-in-cheek. It is a reference to the “Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman” comic. Which isn’t about bisexuality; but I digress. The term “Friendly Neighborhood XYZ” gets thrown around casually on the internet a lot. It often alludes to being content in one’s identity, and an interest in the surrounding community. I chose to title my zine “Friendly Neighborhood Bisexuals” as a nod to internet culture, and also to set the tone for the piece.  

Glossary page of zine

The copy included in my zine has a glossary on relevant terminology, a quote on a bisexual experience, facts and figures, and a list of Bisexual+ representations in media. I chose to include definitions for “bisexual”, “pansexual”, and “queer”, as these are common labels people that people who are attracted to more than one gender utilize. However, given the nuance of gender and sexuality, there are certainly terms beyond these three a person might use. I also chose to feature a quote by bisexual activist and scholar Robyn Ochs. Two issues within the Bisexual+ community are gatekeeping and bisexual erasure. Och’s quote alludes to these, and asserts a sense of power and confidence identifying as bisexual. 

I chose four metric figures related to bisexual/queer experience, and grouped these under “Food for Thought”. This is the “map” component of my piece; four circles contain information, which the reader can tie back to their own experiences or apply in a wider framework. In a sense, this content is the most “negative” in my zine. It speaks to violence and discrimination. However, I believe this information is important to people within the community, as well as allies. 

Bisexuality in media

I chose to include a list of media representations of bisexuals largely because the target demographic of this zine is adolescents. Fiction can sometimes provide people with a useful “distance” to process and explore their experiences. It can also be a starting point for conversations with friends and family. This is particularly relevant for teenagers who are not in an environment where it comfortable for them to come out. Additionally, this media offers representation. The characters and media I selected span across genres and backgrounds. As an adolescent, seeing examples of people “like me” in film, television, and video games was comforting. While representation of LGBTQ people in media has a long way to go (and is sometimes ridden with problematic stereotypes), I hope this list serves as a helpful (and fun!) starting point for readers of the zine. 

Robyn Och's Quote

For the stylistic elements of the zine, I worked in a color palate of pink, purple, and blue. This is a direct reference to the Bisexual Pride flag. I was inspired by “How to be a Trans Ally: A Beginner’s Guide”, which used the colors from the Transgender Pride flag. I kept my font choices simple; as to not distract from the content. My priorities in laying out the content were readability and approachability; and I utilized alignment and hierarchy accordingly. The photographs come from Upsplash (shout out to Sydney for sharing this). I curated media that was positive and colorful, and in-line with the tone I sought to express in the zine. 

Zines have been a longstanding tradition within queer culture, and have helped address issues the LGBTQ community faces. It was truly an honor to create one; as I’ve read them for years! I created this zine largely with my teenage self in mind, and hope that it can be relatable and applicable for others. It is by no means all-encompassing, and on that note, I’d like to reference some other zine projects. Autostraddle has some great resources, and one of our cohort partners, Brain Arts also promotes local zine content. For a list of references and information included in my zine, please see my main post.