Saffron: An LGBTQ+ SWANA Archive is a collecting project by this summer’s Creative Endeavors Resident Caitlin (kt) Abadir-Mullally. The archive documents, preserves, and shares access to celebration, stories, and moments of joy by diasporic, queer Southwest Asian and North African artists and creators. Saffron is home to dozens of publications, photographs, prints, artworks, t-shirts, posters, and writing.

kt writes:
Saffron is inspired by the intersections of my identity as a Coptic Egyptian Lesbian and the resources and reflections I searched for as a young person. Over the years and many delicious meals, I have found and developed relationships with artists and creators who share my identities. I watched as dance parties, art collectives, exhibitions, and activist groups grew in cities and virtually across the United States. In queerness, there is a pressure to shed your culture for comfort and a version of queer freedom. I admire and join the missions of so many creators who refuse to deny themselves their culture because they have been told their queer identity has no place there. I dance to Arabic music and cook mahshi with my fellow Queer Copts. In Saffron, I document the work of my community.

In the LGBTQ+ Archives I have worked with and explored, representation of SWANA people is minimal and representation of SWANA lesbians, transgender people, and women is rare. Saffron is dedicated to showing there are more than just cisgender gay men and there are many ethnic minorities in the SWANA region. Most importantly, Saffron gives control of the LGBTQ+ SWANA narrative to LGBTQ+ SWANA people.

In building Saffron, I established an appraisal criteria to distinguish whether or not records should be included in the archive. All records in Saffron fit the following criteria.

Criteria 1: Relating to the experiences of individuals of Southwest Asian and North African origin or descent, either by identity of the author, creator, or contributor. Southwest Asia and North Africa are loosely defined as the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Criteria 2: Relating to the experiences of individuals in the LGBTQ+ community, either by identity of the author, creator, or contributor. The LGBTQ+ community is described as anyone who experiences gender or sexuality outside of the cisgender and heterosexual experience.

Criteria 3: Expresses an expansive point of view inspired by lived experience. The purpose of the Saffron Archives is to empower LGBTQ+ SWANA people and voices. Therefore, we rarely collect stories that are written from voyeuristic perspectives.

All at Sinister Wisdom are sad to report that Elana Dykewomon, who struggled with cancer over the past year, has passed. Throughout this journey, she has been surrounded by loving family, friends, and comrades who have been aiding her and shining lights in her life and on her work. Sinister Wisdom will co-host a celebration of Elana Dykewomon’s life and work with her lesbian cousin, Jennie Brier. The celebration will be on zoom on Sunday, September 18, 2022, at 4 P.M. PT (7 P.M. ET). Sinister Wisdom is also planning a special tribute to Dykewomon in the journal. All are invited to submit writing, art, and poetry that celebrates Dykewomon. Send your tributes to Julie@SinisterWisdom.org by Friday, September 9. After that date, submit through the general Sinister Wisdom submittable system available at sinisterwisdom.org/submit. 

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Curated with community, history, and an understanding that every present moment is a nexus of many pasts. May these stories of queer culture inspire, enthuse, and rouse you to lesbian actions. We hope you've enjoyed the fourteenth installment of Sinister Snapshot! Have a lovely weekend.