Trans Joy Zine
This zine is a compilation of various transgender artists’ interpretations of transgender joy and experience.
Submissions were compiled in 2021 and published in 2023.
This zine is a resource that exists with Marginal’s publication- How it is and how it should be- Shaping a future for trans young people- to help further illustrate the wider experiences of gender diverse people across the UK.
Each artist submitted their artwork with the hopes that they will move, inspire and connect with people. We believe that every single piece does exactly that.
Support gender diverse creatives!
People who are transgender often face huge amounts of policing when it comes to their bodies.
They are told they have to dress a certain way, look a certain way and all of these rules are often emposed by cisgender people who do not feel comfortable with any ‘blurred lines’ when it comes to gender.
But everybody is allowed to exist in a way that feels safe and fun for them! All bodies are beautiful and deserve to be celebrated.
Sometimes gender diverse people feel as though they are drowing amongst the fears other people project onto them, but in time, gender diverse people learn to swim and become who they are destined to be, freely!
In a society full of inequity, we have to fight for our rights to be heard, seen and valued. For gender diverse people- this fight is every single day.
We ask you to educate yourself, educate your peers and stay on a journey of learning when you support gender diverse people. There are so many ways to do this!
You can follow LGBTQIA+ educators, borrow literature written by transgender people from your local library, reach out to online forums that are dedicated to educating allies- you could even ask if your employer or education space can host organisations to come in and do workshops around gender and allyship.
You are not expected to know everything, but you do have to be open to supporting your gender queer community whenever you can.
Supporting others is life saving !
Joy and comfort can be found in so many different ways! Whether it is connecting with people who love you, wearing a top that makes you feel fancy or doing small acts of kindness for others that makes you feel all fuzzy inside.
You can find joy in a whole host of spaces, in a whole host of ways.
Everybody should seek joy and hold onto it. Joy is not something to be earned, or deserved, it is your right to feel happy with who you are and how you spend your time.
This is easier said than done, but try to spend a few minutes everyday seeking joy. Maybe get that treat from the shop you’ve been eyeing up, why not go and visit your friend you haven’t seen in a while? Or maybe you can take some time alone to reflect on what you are grateful for today.
There is so much wonder in this world, you just have to try your hardest to find it.
In a world that tries to impose so many rules and fit us into so many boxes, the most radical thing you can do is to be entirely yourself.
Here are some examples of people’s journeys with gender, self expression and finding peace within who they are.
Artist Zac Cook documented their journey of self-expression using makeup across 12 days.
25TH NOV
Today is a few days after Trans Day of Remembrance and I have been mourning and experiencing a lot of dysphoria and today especially.
26TH NOV
Today I woke up without time to get ready and I was mentally drained from the recent dysphoria, so I didn’t use any makeup.
27TH NOV
Today was neutral I felt a small amount of dysphoria and had time to apply makeup.
28TH NOV
Today I felt a bit of dysphoria but not as much as yesterday.
29TH NOV
I’ve had a good few days and didn’t experience any dysphoria today. I could have worn makeup, but I decided to give myself today to like my naked face.
30TH NOV
I did experience a small amount of dysphoria but wanted the challenge of loving myself even when I don’t feel the best.
1ST DEC
Today I had a day off work, and I took my time getting ready. I didn’t experience much dysphoria today, but I like the way I can express myself in makeup, hence the brighter colours and bolder shapes.
2ND DEC
This is a drag look I did the night of the 2nd. I’ve included it because it was this look that made me realise how much I use drag makeup to alleviate my facial dysphoria and how it has helped me realise and express myself, at first in private, then later in public.
3RD DEC
My face was a bit tender from the drag makeup the night before, so I gave it a break. I experienced a small amount of dysphoria today.
4TH DEC
I didn’t feel much dysphoria today, but my outfit was blue, so I did a blue eyeliner to match.
5TH DEC
I did something to celebrate my birthday today so much like the 1st of December I let myself run with my makeup. I also was feeling quite dysphoric, and the party was very intimate, so I felt comfortable wearing whatever makeup I felt I needed to.
6TH DEC
Today I was just pottering around the house so didn’t feel the need to apply makeup. I also didn’t feel much dysphoria.
Artists credits. Listed in order of appearance.
Ghost Dandy Mi, Instagram & Twitter: @sushiroll_cat
Hornwyrm
All socials: @hornwyrm
Aodh O Riagain / Oreganillo,
Linktree: linktr.ee/Oreganillo
Instagram: @oreganilloartworks
Farone Kahuya, Instagram: @koopacake
Twitter: @Koopa_cake
Tumblr: @Koopa-arts
Mischeif Teller Studios, All socials: @mischeifteller
Emily Burke, Instagram: @emilyburkeart
Zac Cook, Instagram: @r_ooskie
Kat Hoang, Instagram: @dwangmistress
Max Burks, Instagram: @lolsies_funzies
Artists credits.
Listed in order of appearance.
Jake Mc
All socials: @jay_a_art
Taran Draws
Eli Moore
Sofft Punk
All Socials: @sofftpunk
We share special thanks to the incredible artists within this zine. It has been a part of a HUGE project and their patience, love and passion for the arts is unmatched,
Please do check them out and support their work.
Each artist is a specialist in their own craft, and experiences, so we are honoured to share their pieces with you.
Comics Youth was founded in 2015 and is a creative community organisation led by young people, for young people. We offer a range of services designed to support and amplify the often diminished voices of marginalised young people aged 8 - 30. From zine creation and comic book workshops to youth-led publishing hubs and social campaigns, we believe young people deserve to have their voices discovered, distributed, and elevated.
We thrive within our community thanks to generous donations, sales from our books and the wonderful funders around the UK who invest in our mission of putting marginalised young people at the forefront of their own decisions and lives.
We thank everybody who supports us despite the challenges we all face dayto-day. This publication is just a snippet of what we do to fight for a more equitable world.
If you’d like to learn more about us, head to comicsyouth.co.uk or email us on hi@ comicsyouth.co.uk for any media/collaboration requests.
Marginal is a revolution in publishing, founded by Comics Youth CIC in 2019. Marginal is the first youth-led publisher of its kind in the UK. With it, we hope to not just change the landscape of young people’s reading in the UK, we also strive to use Marginal as a platform with which to nurture marginalised talent and express a diverse set of voices and experiences which are currently going unheard. Marginal aims to publish a diverse collection of books which reflect the various identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives of marginalised young people.
We’re committed to publishing stories that platform the untold and the underrepresented. As such, we’re especially committed to working with marginalised young people across the Liverpool City Region with voices that are currently misrepresented in print media.
If you’d like to learn about us, head to marginalpublishing.co.uk or emails us on hi@ comicsyouth.co.uk for any media/collaboration requests.
Thank you for supporting Transgender, Non-Binary and Gender Diverse young people across the UK.
If you would like to learn more about the trans experience, head to marginalpublishing.co.uk/ store to purchase our trans-led guidebook called ‘How it is and how it should be- shaping a future for trans young people’.
Every penny spent goes back into our work of supporting marginalised young people across the UK using arts and creativity.
