Curve articles from April 2006

Curve archives from April 2006

Fashion forward.(Editorial)
April 1, 2006... Gay men have long been considered the pinnacle of fashion and design, but today with shows like The L Word and America's Next Top Model spotlighting the lesbian angle of style, we might be on our way to equal billing as trendsetters in the...

Where are they now?(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Just finished my umpteenth viewing of Claire of the Moon and I am asking if you know what has happened to Trisha Todd? Karen Trumbo? Nicole Conn? Love your publication! --Dora Hollis, St. Paul, Minn. Editor's note: Trisha Todd went...

You like us, you really like us.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... My name is Michele, and I'm 29 years old. I'm originally from Brazil, but I've been living in Los Angeles for about nine years on and off. It's definitely easier for me to be here and out instead of in Brazil. My parents are not completely...

Gay marriage help.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Four years ago, I moved to the United Kingdom with my family and to be with my partner. Since then I have gone back to university to allow myself to stay in the country, even though my mom and relatives are British citizens. Now I am about to...

Teens read curve, too.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Although I love your magazine, I feel that it is geared toward women out of school. Since I am at the young age of 16, I do not fit this. So I feel less connected to most of your issues. Many famous people referenced or mentioned in your...

Send us your requests.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... A while back in your annual music issue (Vol. 15, #5) you did a brief note on a group called Someone's Sister. Will you have more on them in the future? I checked out their stuff, and they are pretty amazing and they sing for child abuse...

Blinded by design.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... On page 16 of the February 2006 issue (Vol. 16, #1) you have white printing on mustard yellow background. Help! My eyeballs are out on my cheeks! Whoever planned this combination should be made to read an entire page of the same print. Please...

Coming out Christian.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I was wondering if you would ever consider writing or printing an article about being gay and being a Christian. I am a gay Christian and I can tell you it's not an easy journey. However, there is one nugget of truth that had I been told in the...

You're welcome.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... First I want to congratulate you on an excellent February issue (Vol. 16, #1). Great job! Secondly, I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for including FTM and transgender issues in your magazine. I have been reading CURVE since I...

The good doctor.(Husna Baksh )
April 1, 2006... "I did not want to work with teenagers," recalls physician Husna Baksh with a laugh. It was the early 1990s, and Baksh was in the middle of her medical residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. She had "kicked and screamed"...

Who the hell are the Nellie Olesons?(curvatures)
April 1, 2006... THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE WHO COULD LIVEN UP A dinner party like I imagine the Nellie Olesons could. By dessert, I'd expect half the guests to have thrown their napkins down on their tiramisu and left in a huff. Good thing I like my dinner parties...

We wish you a merry ... SHOE Day?(curvatures)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... IF YOUR GAZE FELL UPON A PAIR of shoes hanging from a balcony or a window last month, or dangling from an electrical wire or strung onto a Pride flagpole, you might have celebrated SHOE Day. To honor the third annual International SHOE Day,...

I'm OK, you're OK.(journals)
April 1, 2006... ACTOR LYNN REDGRAVE BEGAN WRITING IN A journal when she was five years old and never stopped. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, she and her daughter, then a photography student, decided to combine their efforts and record the...

Vegan vibes.(Early to Bed, vegan friendly sex toys)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Early to Bed, a feminist sex shop based out of Chicago (early2bed.com), took the plight of the animal-loving sex toy user to heart recently by creating a vegan-friendly section of their Web site. Selling products such as casein-free condoms,...

The J-word meets the F-word.(Jewish Women and the Feminist Revolution, website)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... WHO WANTS TO SPEND HOURS ambling around a museum when one can view a vast array of progressive artwork with only a few clicks of a mouse? The Jewish Women's Archive, at jwa.org, has taken the potential of the Internet to new heights with their...

Scene.(curvatures)
April 1, 2006... 1 Producer Ilene Chaiken and Daniela Sea of The L Word celebrate CURVE's annual sex issue in San Francisco 2 The Diamond Daggers burlesque troupe helps get CURVE's party started 3 Actor and producer Honey Labrador, director Trish Dolan and...

Global gays.(lesbian magazines)
April 1, 2006... GAY PUBLICATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, from your local queer paper to CURVE, have long been handy sources for traveling queers, pointing us to small-town lesbian bars as well as giving us a heads-up on what to expect in a given locale. It's no...

The end of an era-ra-ra!(Lickity Split Radicals, lesbian organization)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THE LICKITY Split Radicals have been the consistently raised middle finger in Chicago area protest marches, guerilla-style politics and radical performance. Formed by Abby Katz (aka "Queefer Southernland") as the...

Open studio.(Gina Nash, trash artist)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... When Gina Nash climbs into a huge recycling bin--which, incidentally, makes the folks who work at the Portland Recycling Center pretty mad--she's searching for tin cans to transform into handmade lanterns. "I sell people back their own trash...

L'Amour dangereux.(murders)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... THE POSSIBILITY OF A LESBIAN love triangle being the motive behind double murder is causing the French media to go wild with speculation. The bodies of Geraldine Giraud, daughter of well-known French actor Roland Giraud, and her lover, Katia...

Bibliophiles rejoice!(Booksfree.com, online book library)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... FOR ANYONE WHO'S EVER DITCHED her library card because there was a $20 late charge for a copy of Memoirs of a Geisha that was a month overdue, Booksfree.com is for you. Established in 2000, Booksfree has since become the world's largest...

Our sexy sucker.(chaoscomics.com)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... CHAOS! COMICS (chaoscomics.com) has been resurrected and with it comes Purgatori, billed as the sexiest and most dangerous vampire to walk the earth. This uber-sexual demoness dominates the world of ancient Egypt at the time of cross-dressing...

My partner looks like a man.(lipstick & dipstick)
April 1, 2006... Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I am a 33-year-old mother of three and fell in love with my own dipstick, Louise, a few months ago. This is the first time I've been involved with a woman on more than a physical level. My oldest daughter (I'll call...

Which label fits?(ask fairy butch)
April 1, 2006... Dear Fairy Butch: I have a problem. I am 24 and I know that I am bisexual; however, I don't know what to label myself so far as butch-femme. I don't really like labels. Nonetheless, I feel like I have to have a label to be a lesbian and I would...

Before you shack up.(living together)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... WHEN IS IT TIME FOR U-HAUL? While "second date" is the punch line of Kate Clinton's joke, it's not the most prudent decision. A woman's home is her castle. There's a moat out there for a reason. 1. Get to know each other. The...

Straight: just another word for lesbian?(lesbofile)
April 1, 2006... BETWEEN TINSELTOWN AND THE city that never sleeps, straight girls can't seem to keep it straight, gay girls rumble with the law, and more straight girls can't keep it straight. And this time, nobody's blaming the water. The Rules of...

She said, she said.
April 1, 2006... "But after the Grammys, it's as if the cancer thing trumped the gay issue. It's all of a sudden OK to love a gay person now, which is fine. I'm all for it." >> Melissa Etheridge to Lavender magazine "The queer frontier looks like middle...

Swimming out in Montreal: book now for a July jam-packed with fun in Quebec.
April 1, 2006... IF YOU'VE EVER THOUGHT OF GOING TO Montreal, now that the First World Outgames and the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights will be held there this summer, you have no excuse not to visit the most European city in North America....

Out on the catwalk: could America's Next Top Model be any gayer? Just ask Kim.(Kim Stolz )
April 1, 2006... IT'S HARD NOT TO ADMIRE A GIRL WHO unapologetically eats a Big Mac three times a week despite its artery-clogging composition and questionable meat sources. It's nearly impossible when that girl is also a model. Kim Stolz is the latest...

The clothes that make the wo/man: Rigged OUT/fitters diva Parisa Parnian takes fashion way past gender.(FASHION DESIGN)
April 1, 2006... Versace, Armani, Calvin Klein--you can't rummage through a Bergdorf women's rack without flipping past a dozen frocks envisioned by a queer eye. The clothes are sensual and evocative, but their aesthetic almost always conforms perfectly to the...

Get Studded: the lesbian fashionistas at Chocolate Baby Designs make men's clothes tailored for women--and create positive social change while they're at it.(FASHION DESIGN)
April 1, 2006... Six or seven years ago, I stumbled across a lingerie catalog called Apres Noir that featured everything from frilly corsets to lacey panties--only instead of nubile, leggy women wearing the garments, the models were fit, well-built men. Yes,...

Funky as she wants to be: lesbian designer Lala brings glam to the girls.(Lala Lowe)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Lala Lowe, one half of the duo behind Funky LaLa Productions--with business partner Michelle Alleyne--is one hot babe who describes herself as "a biz ultrafemme fashion powerhouse L Word chick come to life but in New York City." Phew. I'm...

Baby got bush: from an anti-bush tee springs a career for designer Periel Aschenbrand.(FASHION DESIGN)
April 1, 2006... Periel Aschenbrand may have become a designer by accident, but the T-shirts she has been churning out for her company, Body as Billboard, have attracted the attention of everyone from urban teens to celebs like Betsey Johnson, Susan Sarandon...

Slave to (online) fashion: Alternative Outfitters and Culture Junkie have what you need online.(FASHION DESIGN)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... If spending an afternoon browsing in a mall sounds only slightly more desirable than going to the gynecologist, then online shopping is your answer. Online storefronts have come a long way in providing unique wares created with a socially...

Playing secretary: DIY Mafioso Jennifer Perkins.(Naughty Secretary Club, jewelry)
April 1, 2006... If achieving personal celebrity is the goal, then Jennifer Perkins still has a way to go. "I definitely get the occasional, 'Hey, you're the naughty secretary,'" the 31-year-old founder of DIY jewelry business Naughty Secretary Club says. "I...

Dressing down: a Q & A with conscious clothier Carly Miller.(FASHION DESIGN)(Interview)
April 1, 2006... Born in 2004 amid discontent spawned by the war in Iraq, Clothing of the American Mind (cotam.org) has been outfitting the politically disgruntled around the globe ever since. Specializing in clever protest wear, such as "Peace" T-shirts for...

Dykes Livin' large: two lesbian companies make tees tops.(Dykesinthecity, Liv'n Out Loud! )
April 1, 2006... Two up-and-coming, lesbian-owned fashion labels are changing the face of queer women's fashion and giving us comfortable, affirming and cool clothing options. Dykesinthecity caters to the younger, urban dyke crowd, while Liv'n Out Loud! makes...

Shane's sense of style: talking fashion, sex and politics with the L Word's resident stylist Cynthia Summers.(FASHION DESIGN)(Interview)
April 1, 2006... I met L Word stylist Cynthia Summers during Los Angeles Fashion Week where you check out the people as much as you do the fashion. Summers had a definitive style with her vibrant red Bettie Page bangs, vintage-look dresses and incredible sense...

The itch to stitch: DIY dykes like me give it our all.(Stitch Lounge )
April 1, 2006... Like everyone else swept up in the current DIY crafting craze, dykes are doing it themselves in droves, with lesbian-owned and friendly businesses running the gamut from traditional brick-and-mortar stores and craft-themed venues to online...

Hats off to you.(Cassel Goorin, hat maker)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... When Cassel Goorin started his hat-making boutique in 1895, he probably never thought that lesbians and Hollywood celebrities would one day be sporting his hats. But dykes do indeed dig the headgear at Goorin (goorin.com), and we know why:...

DIY on the down low: need help getting started? Start here.
April 1, 2006... As with most daunting activities (cooking, job-hunting and relationships come to mind), we wish there were a beginner's manual to help us navigate a new trade. The hobby world is no exception. Whether it's beading or bedding, scrapbooking or...

It's all about me: from toadstools to tinkkoo, designs for the rest of us.(Evil Needles, Tinkkoo, Sol Moscot, Made With Love by Hannah, Size Queen, fashion for lesbians)
April 1, 2006... "Fashionable lesbian" used to be an oxymoron and I understand why. A whole lot of "fashion" isn't exactly aimed at us. But a few great designers--many of them queer girls--offer an in-your-face attitude and togs that, fortunately, you can't...

Make your dwelling eco-friendly: new trends in home design help you create an earth-friendly living space.
April 1, 2006... It seems like everybody is thinking green these days. From the rising popularity of hybrid cars to the organic foods movement to all-natural cosmetics, almost everyone has jumped on the reduce, reuse, recycle bandwagon. So if you want to apply...

Extreme home makeover, lesbian style: some seriously cool dyke decor is as close as your keyboard.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Try as you might to continue living like you did (or do) at 20--when futons, cinder block bookshelves and beer can pyramids are still boho enough to be charming--sometimes a girl just has to nest. And whether you're 18 or 82 or somewere in...

Substance and style: she's a gonzo filmmaker, a biodiesel fuels nut, a Hollywood sexpot and a human rights activist. Is there anything Daryl Hannah can't do?(Interview)(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... YOU MAY THINK YOU KNOW DARYL HANNAH, the blond bombshell who made box-office dreams come true in the '80s playing a mermaid (Splash), a power player (Wall Street), a performance artist (Legal Eagles) and, perhaps most famously, an android...

The tables have turned.(Imagine Me and You)(Robin's Hood)(Nine to Five: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical, Bigot Edition)(The L Word)(Brokeback Mountain)(The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)(Mrs. Henderson Presents)(Movie review)(Television program review)(Video recording review)
April 1, 2006... TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, WHEN LILY TOMLIN AND Dolly Parton cracked us up in their corporate (and closeted feminist) comedy 9 to 5, the idea of a lesbian romantic comedy in which a woman leaves her man for a hot chick was nothing but a daydream....

Uppity women.(The Uppity Blues Women)(The Breakthrough)(Vertically Challenged)(Romantic Energy)(The L Word: Season 3 Soundtrack)(Face Time With Son)(Trouble From the Start)(Baby)(Take a Good Look)(The Sound of You and Me)(Change It All)(Timeless)(The Pomegranate Seed)(Singles and Sessions 1979-1981)(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... THOUGH AN ARGUMENT COULD BE made that there's a continuum of distinctly African-American-rooted genres of music represented in this month's column (from blues to soul to rap), the more obvious theme between the sassy blues of Saffire: The...

Breaking up is hard to do.(dyke drama)
April 1, 2006... CONSIDER THIS SITUATION: YOU want to take your date home with you, but there is already someone in your bed. Your ex-lover has been in your bed, sleeping with you--yes, just sleeping--for several months now. You don't know when she is leaving;...

Fighting rape on campus.(Column)
April 1, 2006... THERE'S AN OLD SAYING THAT in springtime a young man's thoughts turn to love. But this is a lesbian magazine--so who cares? I do and so should you: Love is a euphemism for sex, and sex between men and women is not always consensual....

TV to turn you on.
April 1, 2006... DOES THE IDEA OF CURLING UP ON your couch in front of a mesmerizing widescreen flat-panel TV turn you on? Well, you're not alone. Now that flat-screen TVs are all the rage, there are more options than ever--and more confusion. Here are some...

Top ten: reasons we love Dana Goldberg.
April 1, 2006... COMEDIAN DANA GOLDBERG IS on the verge of something big. She's been touring the country, competing in festivals and making people laugh from here to Scotland. Born and raised in New Mexico, this bartender with a dream finally decided to follow...