BEHIND THE ISSUE – AUTUMN 2026
From the ashes of KrugerAfterDark, arise the AfterDark zine. Some of you may remember the KrugerAfterDark (KAD) community journal on Instagram, which valiantly attempted to bring magazine style publishing to that platform. Despite the time and energy spent (over 100 queer-fet community journal posts over two years!) I nevertheless eased it into early retirement last year. Why? Well for a start the platform limitations were too restrictive – a 1000 word article in a Comment box? No, it will need multiple posts! While some remember KAD with fondness, the art and photography and lifestyle journal nevertheless felt unloved, underappreciated and largely remained unrecognised.
The final nail in the coffin towards its end was the morale destroying impact of the enforcement of META’s community guidelines. For the fet-queer communities specifically, violations seem to happen far too frequent, and are very often shrouded in opaque, inconsistent and sometimes absurd logic, Perpetual shadow banning, or months-long collaboration bans, hangs over every LGBTQ+ creative, as does a risk of account suspension. While I was attempting to build an artistic and lifestyle informed community, META appeared to do its absolute best to eradicate LGBTQ+ communities.
As a break from the KAD retirement blues, searching for purpose in life again, I had a brief foray into creative concept delivery, collaborating with the incredible fine art photographer Colin Davis. I conceived a concept named FXCK, a photography-based community initiative, which aimed to highlight the need for greater cohesion and inclusion between cis and trans leather dykes and leathermen in London. Instagram, the platform chosen to exhibit the project, rewarded the project with 14 community guideline violations.
It has become clear that the social media tech companies are increasingly harnessing creative and identity expression, unless diluted and sanitised to within an inch of its life. But we know that is not how art works. Art jars, it disrupts, it holds a mirror to those who perhaps choose not to see their own moral corruption, in an increasingly prevalent social authoritarian societies. Art is meant to be experienced the way creatives intended it to, warts and all. Creative freedom means not having to fear the punitive loss of a social media account – a significant loss as accounts are often livelihood-linked, the only shopwindow to artists’ creative output – in other words their rightful attempt at existence, erased through suspension.
Whilst brooding over the social injustice of it all, the gorgeous and talented Ig:@danydeeart flippantly suggested I create a zine. Suddenly everything ‘clicked’ into place – here was an opportunity to redress the imbalance of power between tech bros, and creatives and creators. Create a zine to showcase astounding art, photography, and the words and voices of incredible resilient queer cis and trans men and women. Create a zine which places creatives in charge, not tech bros with opaque ‘community’ guidelines, or sanctions which erase real communities and livelihoods.
I wryly realised that the two years spent ‘publishing’ the KAD journal on Insta was merely a dress rehearsal, honing skills to publish something far more meaningful and impactful. Building an unfettered algorithm-free platform. Upcycling fabulous historic legacy features and content, buried deep in the KAD archives – DARK MATTERS, KR\EATIV and FOTO\GRAAF. By utilising a social contacts network built up during KAD, of incredibly gifted and talented people, I was able to bring the pieces of the jigsaw together that ia building a analog creative community, free from decency crawlers, biased algorithms and AI slop. The AfterDark zine is a small act of rebellion, but more than that, it has as aim to protect creatives: real human artists, photographers and writers, and their extraordinary skills and talent, from AI.
The last few weeks have been frenetic: liaising with 25 creatives and creators in sourcing content, learning new design software and layout principles, acquiring hitherto unknown production skills, and liaising with stockists, printers, and web hosts. I have relied so much on the support of friends, including Ig @danydeeart and @loganfetishartist with design and layout, and @dickysdisco and @old_equipment for production advice.. And then last, but not least, a shoutout to the incredibly talented creatives and creators whose work shines like diamonds on the pages of this zine. Real people with real emotions, expressed as real art – our main driving force in the fightback against tech algorithms, censorship and AI slop. And that fightback starts right now, and right here – please join and support the small act of rebellion against tech giants, that is AfterDark. Please join our movement and help protect our creators and creatives from AI, This zine with its incredible content, brimming with emotion, self-expression and talent, will only survive with your help.
KrugerAfterDark
Editor
Ig: @krugerafterdark
