Art Is How We Keep Going

Dear Readers,

The five months since the launch of Tulip Wolf Journal have delivered serious challenges for LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide. Restrictive laws have tightened, Pride events have been banned, queer literature and education have faced censorship. The UK Supreme Court ruling on what constitutes a 'woman' triggered a powerful rollback in trans rights protections and political backlash is on the rise. The orange gremlin and the TERF-who-shall-not-be-named have reached new all-time lows. The list goes on...

How do we keep going in the face of the growing darkness? I can think of two ways...

1) Take the wins where we can and celebrate them loudly. Same-sex marriage rights expanding in Southeast Asia. Free pop-up wedding ceremonies in Austin, USA. Multiple countries lifting long-standing bans on blood donations from men who have sex with men. The largest trans pride march to date with over 100,000 people filling the streets of London. King of Drag, the new reality TV series that is chock-full of heart and talent.

2) Art. Make it. Engage with it. Share it. Art is how we keep going. Art is how we connect. Art is how we resist. Art is how we build community. Art is where we can put all the messy. Art is how we ground ourselves. Art is how we turn shit into fertiliser and bloom anyway.

Our second volume is a testament to the power of art. We have burlesque and drag. Kings and queens. Poets and performers. Artists from mainstream platforms and artists from the fringes. We have art born of joy and struggle and transformation. Dysphoria and euphoria. Breakthroughs and breakdowns. Resistance. Calls to action. Feminine rage. Healing.

Two people are posing together and smiling. The person in front has long dark hair, bold makeup, The person behind has glasses and a relaxed smile. Text identifies them as JJ Loveday (Founding Editor) and Piper Loveday (Deputy Editor) at the official launch of Tulip Wolf Journal.

Whoever you are and whatever you are living with now, I hope you find something in these pieces that nourishes you. I hope you feel a sense of connection. If something impacts you, I hope you share it. And in the words of Jaylene Tyme, drag icon, I say, find the people who allow you to be fabulous, allow you to be vulnerable, allow you to be frustrated, allow you to be weird. Find those people, because that's going to be your strength...

BLOOM ANYWAY.

JJ (Founding Editor) x