Why Weird?

Naming a thing is a powerful act. It sets a course for the future, and may decide what other parts of the universe will gravitate or repel themselves in relation to the named thing.

In 1994, when a newly formed group of  "publishing sisters" came together to keep the magazine Lesbians In Colorado going, we were slightly puzzled about what name to give our "parent" publishing company. We had only a few days to come up with a new name for the legal paperwork and someone suggested "Weird Sisters INK." Not thinking too long or hard about it, the name stuck. But the magazine name would remain Lesbians In Colorado.

A few years later, our then-expanded pool of WSW publishing sisters realized the magazine itself needed a new name. "Lesbians" still described the majority of our readership, but it failed to include the fastest growing segments of new readership: bisexual women, gender-queer young people, transsexual women and men. And something else was happening in the mid-90s. Mainstream America was starting to tune in to queer/feminist culture as never before, and picking up our little magazine and wondering what to make of it.

We'd outgrown our old name, and suddenly, the parent company name, Weird Sisters, seemed perfect for the baby, too. And because the magazine had also grown more regional in its popularity, with subscribers in every Western state, we added "West."
 
As it turns out, Weird Sisters West is a pretty AWESOME name for a forward-looking publication that wants to play its part in re-shaping the western world for the better.

Indulging in a bit of research, you'll discover that the name Weird Sisters is intimately tied to older ways of knowing and, specifically, to female wisdom. The three "Wyrd Sisters of Fate" (don't be fooled by their most unflattering role as the three witches in Shakespeare's play MacBeth) were once revered goddesses. "The Three Fates" appear in Greek and Roman mythology and reappear in Celtic lore as the "Wyrd Sisters."

But wyrd/weird is one of those words that got a bad rap due to its association with the mysteries of intuitive knowledge and feminine power. Nowadays, "weird" is often a putdown. Weird equals different, freakish, confusing. But weird also retains a blush of the old meaning. Weird can be wonderful, engaging, spooky, cool.

And, hey, it's fun.

Once upon a time, there were the three "Wyrd Sisters of Fate" who wielded awesome power -- most clearly displayed in their ability to foresee and to shape the future.

Now there are the new Weird Sisters of the West. This magazine does its best to anticipate emerging cultural and political trends -- and to encourage a benevolent grassroots movement to flourish.