Aysen Gerlach harnesses several levels of queer experience from her own and others’ lives in her Just Lookin’ publication. Strategically designed to celebrate alternative and queer-leaning subtexts in popular culture, Just Lookin’ humorously engages with media archetypes that are overlooked by some and heralded as icons by others.

Issue four of Just Lookin’ centers on the curious case of Sufjan Stevens, a figure within the contemporary music industry whose presentation of his identity and penchant for symbolic lyricism provides fodder for speculation by queer fans everywhere. Influenced by a popular meme group on Facebook with the same title, Is This Sufjan Stevens Song Gay or Just About God? fleshes out the arguments for and against Stevens’ proposed orientation. The truth is secondary to the fight itself; Gerlach includes statements from both sides of the discussion to ascertain the levels of microaggression, self-aggrandizement, and internalized homophobia that leads certain participants to dismiss Stevens’ subtextual hints.