THING Weeds the Cultural Diversity Code

the Cultural Diversity Code

Heike Catherina Mertens

and writings

historical—converge at the focal point where we can fix the image of the surfer and the shark

with a critical facility informed by over forty years of activity on and off the bandstand

THING Weeds the Cultural Diversity CodeStarted in 1989 by designer and writer Robert Ford, THING magazine was the voice of the queer Black music and art scene in the early 1990s. Ford and his editors were part of the burgeoning House music scene, which originated in Chicagos queer underground, and some of the top DJs and musicians from that time were featured in the magazine, including Frankie Knuckles, Gemini, Larry Fingers, Rupaul, and Deee Lite. THING published ten issues from 1989