Pitches

CALL FOR PITCHES: I’m curating a series on Queer Tattooing for Xtra later this summer, and am looking to commission a few reported pieces that look at the intersection of queerness, transness and tattooing.

I am looking specifically for reported features and essays with multiple sources that dive into a specific area of queer/trans tattooing. I’ll only be commissioning 3-5 pieces, so being specific and coming in with some sense of your access to sources is appreciated

Some topics I’m particularly interested in hearing pitches for:

gender-affirming tattooing/medical insurance coverage

queer iconography and storytelling through tattoos

queer-owned shops and teaching -trans and BIPOC perspectives to the front!

What I’m not looking for:

personal essays on what your tattoo means to you/how it made you queer

profiles of artists (unless they’re really unique)

people talking about their queer tattoos (covered elsewhere in series)

We accept pitches from writers around the world, but keep in mind we have a largely Canadian/U.S. audience. Rates vary based on story, but for something like this start around $400 CAD. We pay on publication.

I'm setting a deadline for pitches of Friday July 28. I am looking to publish in late August/early September. Send a few paragraphs outlining your pitch, sources, and prospective word count (along with a few clips if we haven’t worked together before!) to mel.woods@xtramagazine.com