Although many students at Barnard College, Columbia University select the elite, women's liberal arts college because of its feminist legacy, students often report that their understanding of gender and sexuality evolves during their time on campus as they become more knowledgeable of feminist discourse and queer theory. As a result, courses open to all academic years of study often house a diverse range of voices regarding feminism, sexuality, and gender identity. It therefore becomes important to design lesson plans that respect the plurality of voices in the room while providing students with the empirical tools to scientifically engage the complex relationships among personality psychology, social norms, and sexual/gender identity development. For some time now, psychologists (e.g., Vygotsky) have found that integrated knowledge structures are best acquired through meaningful activities--in which case, the educator's task is to empower students to analytically explore a discipline's relevance to their world. Building upon this premise, this article reviews the process of how students' empirical skill development and zine engagement led to a transformative learning experience. Zines are self-published, often autobiographical narratives that offer opportunities for authors to make meaning of contentious and challenging issues such as LGBTQ identity, heteronormativity, and sexual minority stress. The article describes how one professor uses Barnard College's extensive collection of zines to engage students in a discussion of the power dynamics involved in social science research and highlight the sociopolitical context of the zine movement while exposing students to the importance of empirical rigor.