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A Look at the Program from2 Special Thank You to This program was made possible by a grant from Tacoma Creates. Thank you to the people of Tacoma for supporting the arts and allowing Tacoma Creates to make our city more rich with culture. Visit TacomaCreates.org and see all the special programming happening around the city.3 Table of Contents About Queer Journalism About the Course Article: More Than a Haircut Article: Nobody Has Erased Me Like Queer Culture Never Silenced! OUT NW’s Focus on Queer Journalism and Queer Journalists Part 1: 1st Amendment Part 2: Don Lemon Interview Part 3: Q&A with Queer Journalists Queer Africa Article: Dating As a Gay Man Article: Broken Life: A Tale of My Conversion Therapy Article: I Love Nigeria Article: The Story Behind The Anti-LGBTQ Atmosphere In Africa Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 17 Page 21 Page 22 Page 26 Page 33 Page 43 Page 44 Page 46 Page48 Page 514 Queer journalism plays an indispensable role in contemporary media, offering unique perspectives and driving social change. It encompasses reporting, analysis, and commentary produced by and for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others) individuals, addressing issues relevant to the community. The significance of queer journalism lies in its capacity to provide accurate representation, challenge dominant narratives, foster community, and advocate for equality. First and foremost, queer journalism is crucial for ensuring accurate and authentic representation of LGBTQ+ people. Historically, mainstream media has often marginalized or misrepresented queer individuals, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and erasing their diverse experiences. Queer journalists, intimately familiar with the community’s nuances, can offer nuanced and complex portrayals that challenge these harmful narratives. By sharing stories of resilience, love, and triumph, they can counterbalance negative portrayals and provide a more comprehensive understanding of queer lives. Furthermore, queer journalism challenges dominant narratives and broadens the scope of public discourse. Mainstream media often reflects heteronormative and cisnormative biases, limiting the range of perspectives presented. Queer journalists, however, can offer alternative viewpoints that challenge these assumptions and disrupt the status quo. They can shed light on issues often overlooked or misrepresented, such as the unique challenges faced by transgender individuals, the intersectionality of queerness with race and class, or the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in different cultural contexts. By expanding the range of voices and perspectives, queer journalism enriches public discourse and fosters a more inclusive society. Moreover, queer journalism serves as a vital platform for community building and empowerment. LGBTQ+ individuals often face isolation and discrimination, and queer media can provide a sense of belonging and connection. By sharing stories that resonate with their experiences, queer journalism can create a virtual space where individuals feel seen, heard, and understood. It can also serve as a source of information and resources, connecting people with support networks and advocacy groups. By fostering a sense of community and empowering individuals to embrace their identities, queer journalism contributes to the well-being and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community. Finally, queer journalism plays a crucial role in advocating for equality and social justice. By highlighting the discrimination and injustices faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, queer journalists can raise awareness and mobilize support for change. They can expose discriminatory practices, challenge discriminatory laws, and advocate for policies that protect and promote the rights of queer people. Through investigative reporting, personal essays, and opinion pieces, queer journalists can spark conversations, influence public opinion, and push for systemic change. In conclusion, queer journalism is of paramount importance in contemporary media. It provides accurate representation, challenges dominant narratives, fosters community, and advocates for equality. By amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ individuals and shedding light on their diverse experiences, queer journalism enriches public discourse, promotes understanding, and drives social change. As society continues to grapple with issues of diversity and inclusion, queer journalism remains a vital force for progress, ensuring that the stories and perspectives of LGBTQ+ individuals are heard and valued. Queer Journalism: A Vital Voice for Representation and Social Change 5 Anthony Polimeni Queer Publishing Publisher and Creative Director Polly Straub-Cook University of Washington Associate Professor Instructors Queer Journalism is a program of Queer Life aka Queer Northwest. It was developed to help preserve the news about the LGBTQ+ community in response to some effort happening in the nation to erase or sensor our voices. Since the creation, Queer Journalism taught over 25 students either in-person or virtually. Originally meant to be for students in the Tacoma, Washington area, Queer Journalism reached around the world with students taking the class from Alaska, New York, and Africa. We are proud that this course has helped over 10 students from Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana learn to document their lives and help make change for the LGBTQ+ community there. With the completion of the year long program, we are now taking the information and making it into a free online class for anyone in the world to take. This program will keep developing more as resources become available. Here are the instructors responsible for teaching Queer Journalism.More Than a Haircut A Profile Interview with The Barber Collective By Jen Spivey7 TACOMA, Wash. - The wooden floor creaks upon entry to the empty wine bar and event space on Sixth Avenue at the edge of downtown Tacoma. Particles dance in the hazy early afternoon sun casting a gentle light over the mismatched sofa and chairs and bottles of wine displayed against the wall. Beyond a smattering of tables and the grand piano, a curtained doorway opens to the black and white checked floorspace of a barbershop. Progress pride flags, a Black Lives Matter poster, trans-affirming stickers, and bunting reading “be kind” and “cultivate empathy” pepper the walls as part of an eclectic art collection inviting clients to enter. A former social worker and self-proclaimed introvert, Georgette Watje, founder and owner of The Barber Collective, knows all too well the power of a space to bolster or break her clients. “I couldn’t control the conversations being had around me,” she said regarding previous shops at which she worked, “and if I’m going to be a safe space for somebody, I need the entire space to be safe not just my chair.” No stranger to life changes, Watje first began her work as a barber in Tacoma after she and her wife, Jayla, relocated from Baltimore by way of Denver. Having transitioned to transportation logistics, she found herself craving creativity and connection in her work without the personal toll that can come with social services. Seeking input from her wife and friends, it quickly became clear that barbering fit the bill, allowing Watje to blend her love for art, her creativity, and her enjoyment of one-to-one connections. Owning her own shop was a less obvious goal. “I had so much fun cutting hair that I didn’t want to ruin the fun by owning a business,” she said, adding that she was concerned “that would suck the joy right out of me being creative.” That mindset shifted after hearing people in the shops where she worked say harmful things one too many times around clients. “I was tired of having to be a barber and a bouncer,” she said. So, she began looking at studio spaces to rent in late 2019. While cleaning out the garage during early quarantine, More Than a Haircut: Building Community Through a Barbershop By Jen Spivey December 17, 2023 Page 2 Top – Watje’s barber chair that inspired her to open her shop during quarantine. (OUTNW Photo/Jen Spivey)the idea for opening The Barber Collective from that space began to grow, along with its mission of supporting the queer community. “I want to be able to be, yes, a barber, but also an ear, a sounding board, and an advocate for the community as much as I can without burning myself out,” she said. Watje’s reach extends beyond Tacoma. Through social media posts and word of mouth, clients from all over the Puget Sound have found a home with The Barber Collective. Watje also endeavors to build connections when she travels, supporting local queer-owned businesses she locates through the Everywhere is Queer website and providing free haircuts to the local queer community when she and her wife visit their condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. “Some people say, ‘it’s just a haircut,’ but it’s more than that,” she said. Believing that hair has no gender, and yet recognizing it is also deeply personal, Watje takes her role in helping others find joy in their gender expression seriously. “I think just like coming out is a process, your hair journey is a process,” she said. As someone who has gone from hiding her hair to reveling in it after “the Big Chop,” she understands well the emotional and mental toll her clients sometimes experience and wants each one to feel Page 3 Top Right – A photo of The Barber Collective’s original space in Watje’s garage in Hilltop. (OUTNW Photo/Jen Spivey) Page 3 Top Left – The barber shop sign from the original shop hangs in the new space. (OUTNW Photo/Jen Spivey) Page 3 Bottom – A sign replicating one from the original shop space identifies the location as The Barber Collective, established in 2020. (OUTNW Photo/Jen Spivey)comfortable every step of the way. “What I try to remind the people in the chair is that you don’t have to do a big chop the first time around, and maybe you won’t even really love your first cut. You will be happy that you made the jump… It doesn’t matter if we nail it on the first try or it takes us four. We’re gonna get you there. You’ll figure it out.” Building community is a priority for Watje beyond her shop. She and her wife were instrumental in starting the Tacoma Queer City Sports league, in part due to their experiences forming deep friendships through similar leagues in both Baltimore and Denver. At any given Queer City Sports event you can find both of them making their way through the crowd, hugging attendees and laughing. Her face lights up as she describes the meaning she and others have found in it. Regardless of whether people play or simply attend to cheer on others, “you’re gonna meet your people. It’s a beautiful thing to watch,” she said. Even prior to opening her own shop, Watje’s community- focused mindset extended to local small businesses. “It was the way that small businesses in Tacoma found a way to help each other out and support each other,” she said, describing several local businesses that inspired her approach to ownership, including her first barber job in a combined barbershop and taphouse. “You can put yourself on an island and look at everybody else as competition, or you can work together to support each other and grow. So, when I started The Barber Collective, it was from the jump always kind of my mission that if I ever grew it, I would partner with another business in some way.” The Barber Collective underwent rapid expansion over a few months during the late spring and summer, adding another barber, a stylist/colorist, and moving into the back of The Mill by Jack + Adeline. Watje also collaborated with Megan Rapinoe in partnership with the Rainbow Center and Oasis Youth Center to provide transformational cuts. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel real. I don’t know. I’m just trying to take it a day at a time,” she said regarding the quick growth. The gratitude Watje feels for what her shop has become is something she hopes extends to Next >