Magazines and Circulars Analyzed

The magazines, periodicals, circulars, and newsletters analyzed for this work reflect the geographic and interest-based diversity of the trans communities that made use of them. All journals are primarily Western and continuities can be seen in their clientele given the similarities in the ads being sold and nature of articles. Many advertise clothes of similar quality while many articles cover similarities in content, these primarily include speaking about coming out to family, or ways to work through drama with one’s wife, or the perils of coming out at work to losing one’s job. By existing in a pre-Internet age, these periodicals and often attached conferences acted as means of trans women to speak with one another and gain valuable information on issues facing them. With Google being a click away for us, it may seem quaint to have the pages of letters to the editor filled with queries on basic aspects of makeup; however, to a community that by and large existed in the closet one can see why safety and anonymity were so prized. To give a better sense of depth to this project, here are small profiles of the various periodicals which make up this wider work.

 

The Neatline displaying these magazine bios can be found: here