Meet Your Zine Maker #16: Homos in Herstory
Homos in Herstory is a queer history comics series produced by Elvis Bakaitis. There have been countless gay figures in American history, but these are easily forgotten over time: can you name the country's first gay President, or tell which famous lesbian is featured on a US coin? Homos in Herstory uncovers these, and many more secret tales, in an appealing, illustrated booklet. Each edition of the series covers a different decade of the 20th century.
What was your very first zine and when was it made?
When I was eight, I made a small comic called Scum Guy in which a piece of radioactive pond scum is hit by lightning - then comes to life! Scum Guy had cute googly-eyes and a furry, scum-like exterior. I sold these to my dad's tax clients for 25 cents apiece, and eventually made $20!
You are also a co-organizer of the Feminist Zine Fest, to be held in February. What have been some of the challenges and rewards (so far) of putting together a zine fest?
It's been super positive - things have come together easily, which I think indicates the energy out there for a feminist zinefest. So many deeply outrageous things happen in the world (the DSK scandal, the abuse of women by soldiers in Egypt, the sex workers murdered on Long Island by a serial killer, etc.) that for me personally, and I think for others too, it feels essential to have an outlet for personal and political reactions. A feminist zinefest is just one way for like-minded people to connect and build an artistic community around such issues. 
Tell us about a place in your neighborhood that inspires you.
Happily, I live only four blocks from the amazing Lesbian Herstory Archives, the largest such archive in the entire world. I was so excited when I discovered it a few years ago; it's in a beautiful, cozy brownstone, and fosters such a uniquely queer perspective - a rare and complex sense of history that you can't find anywhere else.
Did you have difficulty researching for Homos in Herstory? Were any of the subjects guarded about their private lives?
The idea that gay people have always been guarded about their private lives is actually a popular myth: in the 19th century, being gay and female-bodied was a-ok! Women weren't at all guarded, and in fact wrote and spoke openly about their love. To me, this is mind-blowing news that everyone should know.
If you could work with anyone (alive or dead) on a collaborative zine, who would that person be and what would the zine be about?
I'm currently fascinated by Jeanne Bonnet, who was born in 1849, female-assigned at birth, and lived as a man in San Francisco. Bonnet visited brothels and then teamed up with sex workers to form a gang - they quit the brothels, lived independently, and worked as a team of pickpockets.
So I'd love to chat with Bonnet and learn more about the gang's queer 19th century lifestyle; the zine would come with a free, manly pocket square.
