Curve articles from April 2007

Curve archives from April 2007

We've got style.(Frankly Speaking)
April 1, 2007... Historically, lesbians have not been widely known for being great fashionistas. In fact, we've pretty much been the linchpins of the flannel and fleece industries. But times are changing, and our community is quickly carving a place in the...

Bi the way.(Letters)(bisexual)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... L Word actor Kristanna Loken (above left) made the news this year by coming out as a bisexual woman with plenty of female and male lovers. Curvemag.com asked readers if you've ever dated a bisexual woman. The response shows that biphobia may be...

Battling biphobia.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I have to be honest--seeing that poll on your Web site (see sidebar, left) was disappointing. I'm a bisexual woman, and have been active and political for and with the queer community for a long time. I think a quiz on the front page of your...

Print killed the TV star.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I was so glad to see that even in the fictional world of television you have enough taste and God-given good sense to denounce Jenny's book on the Jan. 14 episode of The L Word. I can't think of any other character on TV who is as insufferable...

Backstabbing feminists?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... Out of curiousity, I wonder who wrote the subhead of the article on me: "Brilliant feminist, erotic pioneer and possible megalomaniac" (Vol. 17, #1). I find it distressing that even in a feminist lesbian magazine, if a woman sets the record...

Back off, polygamists.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... In the recent article about the potential similarities of feminist and queer communities with polygamist communities ("Strange Bedfellows," Vol. 17, #1), I think there was one significant fact that was not sufficiently highlighted. The issue...

Fifty times More ... With Feeling.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I couldn't agree more with Margaret Coble's review of Nervous but Excited's new release, Once More... With Feeling (Vol. 17, #1). I was lucky enough to attend a small but packed concert last November in Albany, N.Y. Since then, the CD has...

Oops, we goofed.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... CURVE is to be commended for recognizing the efforts for equality being made by lesbians on behalf of the LGBT population in the South! I am very honored to be included in the list of "Ten Powerful Lesbians in the South" in the January/February...

Cash, who cares?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... In response to Deb Ferrell from Chicago ("Letters," Vol. 17, #1) I would just like to say who cares why Sheryl Swoopes came out of the closet? Swoopes being in the public eye is a positive for our community regardless of her motivation for...

We love you too, Kathy!(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... Hi, my name is Kathy, and I live here in the beautiful state of North Carolina. I just wanted to send you an e-mail of thanks for everything you do, and the magazine is great! I am a 35-year-old lesbian living in the Bible Belt, and sometimes...

Attention advertisers.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I love your magazine. The articles are great, the supportive, friendly and "aha!" feeling while reading it can't be beat. The only thing that is disappointing to me is that like every other women's magazine, the models in the ads are thin and...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
April 1, 2007... In the article "Queer Femme Follies" (Vol. 17, #1), the photo of Dottie Lux in clown drag was taken by Paul Saviano. The photo with the blue fans was also of Dottie Lux, and was taken by Ted D'ottavio. In the article "Ten Powerful Lesbians in...

Laying down the law.(OutinFront)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... It's easy to list recent key civil rights gains for the LGBT community, but a lot harder to name the faces behind the dramas. For almost 20 years, Mary Bonauto, staff attorney with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, has been involved...

Family ties.(OutinFront)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... As with so many in the military, Valerie Larabee learned how to be out to herself while still in the closet. Her 10-year career in the Air Force was both a blessing and a curse, she says. "I experienced wonderful growth, professionally, and...

Sapphic sisters.(OutinFront)(lesbian sorority)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... She may have entered school a few years later than your traditional freshman, but when Natasha Burnett came to University of Memphis in 2004 at age 26, she wanted to join a sorority all the same. Still, those long-established chick cliques...

Cracked for a cause.(Curvatures)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... In December, a bevy of stars--openly gay, straight, bisexual and, well, unlabeled--smiled and sparkled in the holiday smog outside Los Angeles' the Wiltern to display their support of the Trevor Project (named for the Oscar-winning short film...

Hello? Equality calling.(Curvatures)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... OK, movers and shakers, it's time for LGBT civil rights advocates to convene at the 2007 Equality Forum Symposium, in Philadelphia, April 30 to May 6. Highlights include a dinner with tennis great Martina Navratilova and a panel conversation...

Literary lesbians.(Curvatures)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Lit-minded lesbians will be heading in droves to New Orleans' Fifth Annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, May 11 to 13, to celebrate LGBT prose and poetry. Held in the famed French Quarter, Sinners boasts notable queer speakers including...

My L Word diary.(Curvatures)(The L Word television program)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... What do you get when you cross 140 lesbians from 37 states with comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer (above), singer Steff Mahan, prizes, dancing, go karts and the Amish for 72 hours? Fun, of course. My partner, Darlene, and I have, for two years now,...

Creating Change.(Curvatures)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A resounding round of applause is in order for six LGBT rights activists honored at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's 19th Annual Creating Change Conference held in Kansas City last fall. Now in its 27th year, The Task Force's mission...

Tale of two dinahs.(Curvatures)(Dinah Shore)(Table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Since 2006's infamous lesbian promoter split, the rumored 25,000 lesbian visitors to Dinah Shore in Palm Springs have had to pick a camp and stick with it. Even we can't stay on top of who's on what side, so for more comprehensive info, see...

Murder most foul.(Curvatures)(Priscilla Pimentel)
April 1, 2007... In one of the most heinous, underreported crimes of our times, 24-year-old Priscilla Pimentel (nicknamed Peaches) was found stabbed to death in the bathtub of her Queens, N.Y., apartment the Friday after Thanksgiving. Pimentel's Jack Russell...

She said, she said.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... "Some girls... looked like boys. Some had mustaches and beards. I'd be walking and be like, how'd that boy get in here? And it was a girl. They'd want to have lunch with me, like a lunch date." >> Martha Stewart on getting asked out by...

Althea Keaton: comic book wonder.(OpenStudio)
April 1, 2007... Just 22 years old, emerging artist Althea Keaton boldly creates comics with lesbian overtones. Her work is based on manga, the Japanese comic book tradition that began around World War II and is characterized by black and white images, often...

Batty for BETTY.(Curvatures)(Betty rock group)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Talking, laughing, loving, breathing, fighting, fucking, crying, drinking. These lyrics from The L Word's much-discussed theme song put rocker babes BETTY on the mainstream map. Still going strong after 20 years together, the femme-fronted...

Skip the shock Jocks.(Curvatures)(Heather Smith)
April 1, 2007... "All girls, all the time" is the mantra of Rubyfruit Radio, a weekly podcast radio show, that Atlanta's Heather Smith has been airing since 2005. Rubyfruit's music policy is all encompassing--well, all encompassing as long as women perform...

Tats for your tits.(Curvatures)(Intimate Art's breast tattoos)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... What's the newest underground trend to hit the fairer sex? Loving your body with tattoos. It may sound counter-intuitive, but these decals are pain-free. Intimate Art Tattoos--which come in numerous designs from tribal art to intricate...

Girls Gone Wild: Margaret Cho's got the hottest employee discount in town.(Lesbofile)
April 1, 2007... Beauty queens, politicians' daughters, rock stars and racy comedians--one things for sure: It's been a busy month! Cho Me Those Good Vibes Margaret Cho, probably best known for her lewd and unforgiving stand-up shticks, has just added...

April showers bring may love.(Astro Grrl)
April 1, 2007... Aries, you think you're in full control. But very soon the tables are turned and you just might end up lassoed, hogtied and branded. Will you ultimately wind up on the menu? Aries (March 21-April 20) Sex: Charming Lambda Rams think...

Taking the girlfriend home.(Ask the Sexperts)
April 1, 2007... Bringing your partner to your parents' house can be a daunting task. The question inevitably will arise: "Is it OK to share a room with my girlfriend when visiting my folks?" Now, of course, you could pose this question to your parents...

Straight chicks? Steer clear.(Lipstick & Dipstick)
April 1, 2007... Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I'm a 34-year-old soft butch, and I've been friends with a straight married chick for three years. Her husband has no problem with us hanging out. However, last week, she asked me to make love to her. At first I...

Scene.(Brief article)(Photograph)
April 1, 2007... 1 From left: The L Word's Pam Grier, Katherine Moennig, Leisha Hailey, Ilene Chaiken and CURVE executive editor Diane Anderson-Minshall at CURVE'S L Word bash in January at the W Hotel, San Francisco 2 Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer (second from...

Mexico's Isle of women: on the idyllic Isla Mujeres, every night is ladies' night.
April 1, 2007... During the holidays, my partner and I did not want to negotiate family politics around either the Christmas tree or the menorah. I don't know when we turned into such scrooges, but there we were, bah humbugging and oy veying all over the place....

Evelicious: supermodel Eve Salvail comes out.(FASHION SPECIAL)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Sexy, androgynous Eve Salvail is more than Evelicious, she's a top model, popular actor and accomplished musician who just came out as a lesbian on The Tyra Banks Show. Born in Canada, this New Yorker has graced magazine covers and fashion ads....

Too hot to handle: at age 24, handbag designer Nicole Valeri shatters stereotypes about lesbian fashion.(FASHION SPECIAL)
April 1, 2007... "I really hate the stereotypes that are still around about lesbians not having fashion sense, and not caring about their image," says queer fashionista Nicole Valeri (pictured left), who's spent the past two years smashing that stereotype with...

Made for studs: one hip designer proves that butches need hot clothes, too.(FASHION SPECIAL)(lesbian Schquay Brignac)
April 1, 2007... One Los Angeles-based fashion designer is rocking the fashion design world hard, and that's 23-year-old Schquay Brignac. Lead designer of Studs Clothing, Brignac makes clothing just for studs, and lesbians can't seem to get enough of the...

Dinah Shore style: March 28 is just around the corner. What will you be wearing?(FASHION SPECIAL)(Dinah Shore Week, a lesbian community special event )
April 1, 2007... Poolside fashion gets taken to a whole new level when lesbians across the nation flock to the annual Dinah Shore celebration, a weekend long lesbian lovefest in sunny Palm Springs, Calif. Sure, there's a women's golf tournament--the original...

Urban chic: for city dykes, couture jeans, hand-crafted shoes and funky statement tees never go out of style.(FASHION SPECIAL)(lesbians)(Brief article)(Photograph)
April 1, 2007... Jennifer, far left, wears the Boris hat by Goorin Bros., "Don't Assume That We Prefer Men" T-Shirt by Dyke Tees, Habitual 'Loft Little Sister in the City' jeans, 'Sande' Snapboots with Rolled Toecap by Tamera Lindsay. Krista, center, is in a...

Fashion fetish: inspired by BDSM, queer politics and raw sexuality, designer Liz Collins can make a set of knitting needles do things your grandmother never dreamed of.(FASHION SPECIAL)(bondage & discipline, domination & submission, sadomasochism )
April 1, 2007... From 2000 to 2004, Liz Collins' name was on her clothing label. She had at least seven runway shows and was the darling of the fashion world, particularly the Japanese fashion media she has been enthralled by since she was a teenager. "I made a...

Femme fashion.(FASHION SPECIAL)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Call them retro or goth. Definitely call them sexy. Just don't accuse them of trying to look straight or, God forbid, following someone else's style. Lesbian fashion isn't just about what's popular in this month's Vogue. For these left coast...

Togs that are peachy keen: DIY diva Kingi Carpenter talks shop.(FASHION SPECIAL)(Peach Berserk swimsuit line, do-it-yourself)
April 1, 2007... Fashion designer and entrepreneur Kingi Carpenter learned early in life that she just wasn't cut out to work for the man. By age 24, she had already been fired 13 times. "I thought, if I want to keep a job, maybe I should hire myself," she...

Our top designers: fashion isn't solely the domain of L.A. girls. These hot fashionistas--many from the San Francisco Bay Area--are already queer girl faves.(FASHION SPECIAL)(Los Angeles)
April 1, 2007... BitchGear: Berkeley, Calif.-based designer Shannon Pickering's line includes a wide range of edgy, punk rock-inspired threads to suit bois and grrls alike, plus fun gifts and accessories. Even if you're not in the mood to shop, check out their...

Make it work: Jackie Warner, the muscled lesbian star of Bravo's breakout hit Work Out, dishes on the diva life.
April 1, 2007... You probably know of Jackie Warner from Bravo's reality hit Work Out. She's the ultimate personal trainer with the killer body. But she's also an entrepreneur, fashion designer, friend, daughter and lover--one with a killer body, of course....

Prime time for lesbians.(Interview)
April 1, 2007... This month marks the 10-year anniversary of Ellen DeGeneres' famed on-screen outing. A decade later, small-screen lesbians are still breaking boundaries, gaining visibility and showcasing our community's diversity. In the pre-Ellen era,...

Le$bian tax guru$: taxes are as certain as death--and sometimes just as scary--but sending your savings off to the IRS can be a little less daunting with some solid help.(Internal Revenue Service)
April 1, 2007... April 15, a day more feared than the Ides of March, is a taxing and troubled time for many of us, We scramble to find those crumpled receipts, bank statements, W2s and 1099s, then try to make sense of the 2 million words that constitute tax...

In the company of men: lesbians who aren't content in pink collar worlds.(Movie review)
April 1, 2007... Lesbians in film used to follow a pretty traditional route: a butchy girl who didn't fit in falls in (sometimes unrequited) love with another (often straight) girl and discovers (usually tragically) who she really is. Alas, things have changed...

Tamika Miller: producer.(Q+A)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Miami native Tamika Miller was just 23 when she produced her first commercial, and since has line-produced more than 60 commercials and music videos. She's directed a series of meditation and martial arts videos, the short documentary Released:...

Lisa Gray-Garcia: writer, poverty scholar.(Q+A)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... At age 11, Lisa "Tiny" Gray-Garcia was battling being homeless and helping her single mom struggle with her own childhood legacy of abuse and neglect. In her excruciating, sometimes darkly comic new memoir, Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up...

Trying on some new sound: some artists never go out of style.(Children Running Through, Voila, Fantasia)(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2007... Music, like fashion, is often about taking risks and trying something new. So while it may be a stretch to try to fit folksinger Patty Griffin's rockin' new set or '80s pop-star Belinda Carlisle's unexpected foray into French chansons into this...

Mekole Wells: singer, Survivor.(Q+A)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Mekole Wells is a woman with a mission. Her music seeks to empower her audience to be true to themselves and find time to break it down on the dance floor. The provocative and reflective quality of her voice reveals the singer as an authority...

Things that make you go hmmm: new toys and tech that you didn't actually know you needed.(Tech Girl)(Buyers guide)
April 1, 2007... We all know that capitalism is bad, simple life is good (but not in a Paris Hilton way). But occasionally new products come on the market that are just so damn fun or drool worthy that we can't wait to get our hands on them, even if it means...

Feeding the machine: space-age torture device or high tech high? I tried it so you don't have to.(I Tried It)(EPFX Biofeedback Machine)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... When my mother-in-law first suggested I hook up to the EPFX Biofeedback Machine, I was skeptical. She's a holistic health consultant who usually keeps me stocked up with antioxidants, vitamins and the latest in nutraceuticals. I simply smile...

What's on your emotional hard drive? There's always something there to remind you.(Dyke Drama)
April 1, 2007... My computer finally kicked the bucket. I was expecting it, so there weren't any tears when I picked up the tower and carted it to the trash. A few minutes later, I was dumpster diving to get it back. No, I wasn't struck with a sentimental urge...

Oops, she did it again: going without panties wasn't Britney's first mistake.(Politics)(Britney Spears)(Viewpoint essay)
April 1, 2007... Already this year there has been a flurry of media attention paid to Britney Spears. While getting out of a car one night on her way to a club, the 25-year-old pop star apparently flashed her genitalia at the cameras because her skirt was quite...

Top ten: reasons we love Kristen Becker.
April 1, 2007... When Kristen Becker hits the road with her Dykes of Hazard comedy tour this spring, you won't want to miss the show. Having toured with lesbian funnywoman Jen Kober, Becker is no freshman comic. Her attitude and style of comedy will have you...