Wussy magazine’s new moves

The queer publication adds an office space, print publication, and more collaborations

Queer culture website Wussy Mag was born of a need to help keep the city from becoming engulfed in sameness. The publication’s founders wanted to create an outlet for marginalized voices within the already marginalized LGBT community.

“As a transwoman, there aren’t many avenues through expression, and your opinions aren’t validated or considered pertinent to the development of projects, ideas, and relationships,” says Zaida Jones-Sanchez, Wussy’s features editor. “Wussy changed that for me. I consider that an important message: Opportunities exist for you, even if you’re queer. It’s why we are submission-based, as silence is a defining feature of queer voices.”

Wussy’s mission is to be an outlet for Southern queer expression. “We celebrate our differences instead of shoving them under the rug,” says Editor-in-Chief Jon Dean. “Look at the covers of mainstream gay rags, and it’s clear that our culture is becoming more and more homogenized. The idea of tolerance can be so toxic in a way because to me it insinuates indifference. Our queerness is not something for you to tolerate, it’s something that should be respected and celebrated.”

Since its inception in 2015, Wussy has celebrated Southern queer culture by pushing boundaries through words and events. Wussy has presented drag showcases and club nights around town, such as the monthly dance party Powder Room. “Nightlife is essentially what birthed us,” Jones-Sanchez says.

The publication includes everything from profiles on organizations such as Lost-n-Found, a local nonprofit serving LGBT homeless youth, to a recent criticism of Todrick Hall’s viral videos and a look into the world of gay manga.

“We created Wussy Mag to document and promote events that were more underground or ‘queer,’ like Southern Fried Queer Pride and the Radical Faeries, that homonormative Midtown nightlife publications didn’t cover,” Arts Editor Sunni Johnson says.

The Wussy team embraces the unconventional — bringing art to bars and nightclubs, for instance — in an effort to be as inclusive as possible.

“There’s this idea that queer nightlife is all about hyper-masculinity and cruising culture, but for us it’s just about expression and empowerment. I don’t want to party in a room full of people who look exactly like me,” Dean says.

As the events grew in popularity, Wussy started to give back to the queer community. Most recently, it raised more than $5,000 for Lost-n-Found at February’s Anti-Valentine’s Day dance party and drag showcase.

“As things got bigger, relationships grew more complex and our responsibilities to our community became more serious. It became necessary to create a sort of conduit for queer opinion and expression,” Jones-Sanchez says. “I would say that we have done quite a bit in terms of forming bridges between the gay community and the queer community — trust me, they are not the same — by providing regular spaces for both worlds to freely express themselves.”

Wussy writer Julian Modugno said “Fuck These Rainbow Crosswalks” in reference to the 2015 fundraising campaign to paint temporary rainbow crosswalks at Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street. Modugno questioned its purpose and discussed how the $44,000 could be better spent assisting Atlanta’s at-risk queer youth. Now, after getting their footing as an online publication, Wussy is expanding with an upcoming print issue and tape compilation. Wussy is partnering with Murmur Media at the end of the year as part of the DIY space’s 1/4 guest curation program. The tape compilation, called Culottes, will include various wymyn and queer musicians from Atlanta and Athens. Each tape comes with a zine and a download code and proceeds will benefit Murmur.

“As a musician, I love music made in people’s bedrooms and makeshift home studios, shows in people’s living rooms, basements, and small venues,” Johnson says. “One side of the tape is electronic and experimental, including some internet girl rap as well as more ethereal ambient works by solo artists.”

The compilation includes songs from acts such as Warehouse, Coco and Clair Clair, Femignome, and SoBrite. “It’s cool how accessible bedroom pop has become, though it may be out of necessity,” Johnson says. “There’s barely any affordable practice spaces left now with all the new lofts popping up. People have found ways to create regardless of spatial, financial, and time limitations. On the flip side, or I should say B-side, we have a ton of indie bands, mostly within sub-genres like dream pop, shoegaze, art punk, and twee pop.”

Wussy also plans to expand its headquarters in a partnership with the Goat Farm Arts Center. As part of the Beacons project, the Goat Farm’s efforts to help spark an arts district in South Downtown, Wussy will join Mammal Gallery and Downtown Player’s Club in a space on South Broad Street.

After they finalize the lease, the space will serve as the magazine’s headquarters. “It will include an event space for nightlife and community programs, a gallery dedicated to showcasing queer art, a cafe, and artist studios,” Dean says.

Dean says Wussy’s print edition will include more artwork and personal essays, less timely content modeled after publications such as Momma Tried Magazine and Gayletter.

“The print magazine will come out seasonally and will be sold on our website. Something nice and heavy that you will want to hold on to,” he says.

The first issue is tentatively slated to come out this summer/fall and is currently accepting written and visual submissions.

The magazine hopes to continue exploring what it means to be Southern and queer and to expand Wussy’s readership beyond Atlanta into the Southeast.

“For me, being Southern and queer is escaping small towns and toxic church environments that would prefer you to stay silent. It’s dealing with the scars left by family members, pastors, teachers, and schoolmates,” Dean says. “If one queer person can read Wussy and feel witnessed and validated, then our job is done.”