Gender Inferno
Jo Castanon
Drag is an art form that has become wildly popularized and mainstreamed within the last few years and is finally being recognized for helping influence pop culture, fashion and entertainment for decades. While some shows may characterize drag as being only gay men doing female illusion, the drag community is a much broader spectrum of gender identities, sexual orientations, and experiences. Beyond its obvious aesthetic appeal to those who view it, actually doing drag offers a look into the performativity of gender and provides a space that allows for creative gender expression and exploration.
Gender Inferno is a zine created by Jo Disco that visualizes this intersection of drag and gender identity, specifically within the Brooklyn queer community. Drawing inspiration from the punk, underground drag zine Pansy Beat (1989–90), Gender Inferno tackles the complex identity and experiences of a gender non-binary drag queen through photography, writings, typography, and design. In line with the lo-fi, laser-copied quality of most hand-made zines, Gender Inferno consists of 40 black and white pages, with a hot pink cover and various small inserts. With the first addition of fifty zines being distributed at Brooklyn queer spaces like 3DB and The Rosemont, the zine can reach local queens that may find enjoyment in a zine that reflects the true power of drag only known to those brave enough to try it.