Robert Ford published THING from 1989 through 1993, a zine that he described as a “black gay and lesbian underground arts journal and magazine kind of thing.” The Chicago-based publication foregrounded queer black and brown DJs, drag queens, artists, poets, and filmmakers. THING proudly proclaimed on its masthead “She Knows Who She Is.” In 1994, Ford died from complications related to AIDS. This typeface is dedicated to his memory. The letterforms replicate various text treatments used by Ford and his collaborators across several issues.

This font was commissioned by Earth Angel, a Milwaukee-based club night, in June of 2018. It is the first font in a Queer Year of Love Letters.