For Calvin Ecker (he/him), discovering queer zines and discovering trans community happened almost simultaneously.
At the same time he was beginning to understand queerness in the adult world, through friendship, relationships, and online spaces, he also encountered the phrase “T4T,” shorthand for “trans for trans,” often used to describe trans people intentionally building relationships and community with one another.
That idea stayed with him.
In this episode of Then to Now to When, Calvin reflects on how that concept eventually evolved into T4T Magazine, a collaborative publication featuring visual art, poetry, writing, and creative work by trans artists from across the United States.
“I wasn’t seeing a lot of media created by trans people for trans people,” he says.
What began as a simple Instagram account and an open call for submissions quickly expanded beyond what he expected. The first issue came together through deeply hands-on, DIY labor, printing submissions, spreading pages across the floor of Hillman Library, and physically arranging the magazine by hand.
For Calvin, the project combines several things he cares deeply about, including archives, art, and the trans community.
Now, after releasing two issues, T4T Magazine is preparing for its next chapter. Calvin plans to open submissions for a third issue later this year, potentially inspired by themes of queer ecology and the relationship between trans identity and the natural world.
At its core, T4T Magazine remains grounded in the simple idea of trans people creating space for one another.