The magazine giving Banbury pride

Jason Kattenhorn, who has lived in Banbury for most of his life, is the creator of Sassify Magazine but has taken an unlikely route into publishing.

Jason said: “I have been doing it for about three years but this is the biggest so far and the one I have been promoting the most. I always produce it in print but the first three or four were digital as well.

“I have a degree in policing and criminal investigation but I work in printing and illustrate on the side. My friends said, ‘You need to make a magazine’ so three years ago I did.”

Jason went to Banbury School and then later Staffordshire University and from childhood was comfortable with his sexuality.

Jason said: “I’m just really comfortable with who I am really and the magazine has helped give me a voice and after meeting other people from the community I’ve become a bit more open about it.”

He added: “I always refer as queer, it’s quite an umbrella term. I’m just trying to reclaim the word as it has negative connotations to it so by using it more often I want to re-brand it almost into a more positive thing.”

Sassify, a perfect bound, glossy magazine has also given Jason the platform to showcase his creative side.

Jason said: “When it started it was a bit of a platform to showcase my artwork and the artwork of other queer artists.

“It has snowballed from there so I am interviewing drag queens, drag kings, people from the trans and non-binary community, it’s been amazing.”

Growing up as openly gay Jason was never the subject of bigotry or homophobia and now sees the beginnings of a burgeoning LGBTQ community growing within Banbury.

Jason said: “I didn’t know there was gay community here but at the moment Banbury Pride is happening and I’m on the committee for that.

“I’ve been doing this for three years and I thought there’s nothing in Banbury so I’ll create something but these guys have been planning pride since last October, so I connected with them.

“Now there’s loads of people who have been quite quiet but now Banbury is a bit more open and accepting.”

Sassify is beginning to have a global reach with regular contributors from as far afield as America and Japan but the single aim is to demystify the LGBTQ community.

Jason said: “For me I just want people to be nicer to each other. Queer issues shouldn’t be up for debate, we’re here and we exist.”

To get your copy of Sassify visit www.sassifyzine.com or the Sassifyzine Facebook page.