Curve articles from January 2007

Curve archives from January 2007

We're on the L Word: you know how people always pontificate on who they'd like to play them on TV? I'd pick Hilary Swank but my editor picks lesbian actor Heather Matarazzo and--guess what--her wish is coming true this month.(Frankly Speaking)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Showtime's The L Word is back for season four and CURVE is thrilled to be on the set as part of a pretty exciting story line. That's right, tune in for episode two this season and check us out as the drama unfolds. I can't give away all the...

Sweet Enola gay.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Some Australian friends gave us CURVE magazine. You are such cool people. The gay women's community in Romania is not well known. So, last year we decided to make our own magazine. It's hard to obtain financial support and we're struggling...

Dante's cover.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I recently saw your cover for the November issue (Vol. 16, #9), and I love it. It is sexy and strong: something that many do not think that a woman can possess and exude simultaneously. Keep up the good work. --Ashanti White, via e-mail ...

We have a dream.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... My partner and I read your article on Cecilia Thompson in this month's CURVE (Vol. 16, #9). I am 36 years old and my partner is 33 years old. It gave us hope in the younger generation. Her efforts and accomplishments should be recognized and...

Vegan eatin'.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I have been subscribing to your magazine for years. After reading about Tofu A Go-Go ("For Vegans Everywhere," Vol. 16, #9), I'm eager to travel to Provincetown, Mass., for a yummy vegan meal. The food sounds scrumptious, and I'd love to meet...

Hooray for Haven.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I was very much pleased after reading the article written about Haven Herrin and Right to Serve (Vol. 16, #10). It was a pleasure meeting Herrin over the summer during the 2006 Soulforce Equality Ride, and I am looking forward to the future of...

Cashing out of the closet.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... When I first heard the news of Sheryl Swoopes coming out months ago, I was thrilled... then my next question was why? Olivia. Of course, it couldn't be because she was sick of lying, hiding, deceiving and wanting to be true to herself and the...

Happy birthday to you.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... After three years, I had decided to drop my subscription to CURVE because the magazine is so youth-oriented it seemed to have nothing much to offer to me. Then I saw a notation in the September issue (Vol. 16, #7) that a TV play called The War...

Goodbye, girlfriends.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I am disturbed that CURVE made no mention of the closing of Girlfriends magazine. The lesbian community is extremely underserved in terms of publications. I subscribed to both your magazine and Girlfriends. I was excited to see who would get...

Still can't see.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... When I got my last magazine and turned to the page with the letters, the first thing I thought was, "Fuck, I have to get my reading glasses." I was really aggravated when the letter I was able to finally read was about the un-readability of the...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... In our November 2006 issue (Vol. 16, #9) we did not give the names of the models who appeared in the article "Diesel Femmes." From the left, the models are Zoe, Stacy Bias and Ejiria, with model Kaia in the background. Also, Sossity Chiricuzio...

The doctor is in.(OutinFrout)(Lisa Capaldini )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... From her office in the middle of San Francisco, Dr. Lisa Capaldini calls herself a "country, small town doc." An internist, she has been in private practice in the city's Castro District for almost 20 years. With a small office and a staff of...

International activist.(OutinFrout)(Dana Beyer)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Her medical credentials alone are impressive, but coupled with her activism, Dr. Dana Beyer has certainly helped better our world. After studying at Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, Beyer interned at the George...

Progressive professor.(OutinFront)(Jackie Taylor )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... When her daughter once asked her if she was a "wesbian," Jackie Taylor quickly assured her that she was. "She had some trouble with 'L's back then," explains Taylor, 55, associate vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of...

Why straight chicks dig lesbian sex, too.(Curvatures)
January 1, 2007... It's a forgone conclusion that Angelina Jolie cuts across all sex and gender norms. Decades from now, scientists will study the feral beauty for inspiring even gay men and straight women to loll their tongues out of their mouths while watching...

Five sure-fire ways to score.(Curvatures)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... So, winter is here and you are thinking that there is no reason to go cold one more night, right? Fear not, oh fruitless one, for you will soon be loved, and adored, in bed. To get the grrl (or boi) of your dreams into the sack, there are...

Come out, come out!(Curvatures)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... 83% of those who identify as gay or lesbian consider themselves out. No. 1 reason for not coming out: fear of being a victim of a hate crime. Who are you most likely to come out to? Close friends 92% Parents 78% Siblings...

Hot for teacher?(Curvatures)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Curvemag.com asked readers about last year's popular but controversial lesbian film Loving Annabelle (now on DVD), a movie in which a teacher and her 17-year-old student fall in love (and make love). The poll caused a much-heated debate on our...

Hooking up in cyberspace.(Curvatures)
January 1, 2007... Interested in Internet dating but don't know where to start? Here are a few options. Craigslist.org: The women-seeking-women section of Craigslist is a hotbed of dyke drama, gossip, party announcements and, yes, personal ads. If you don't...

Opie takes over Santa Fe.(Curvatures)(Catherine Opie)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Santa Fe, N.M., is a gorgeous place--ever the more-so because the work of renowned lesbian photographer Catherine Opie, one of 13 artists featured in Site Santa Fe's sixth international biennial, "Still Points of the Turning World," (on exhibit...

What her Valentine's gift really says.
January 1, 2007... Have you ever received an offbeat Valentine's Day gift? A puke-green knitted sweater? A gift certificate for electrolysis? A ceramic bean character that reads, "Nurses make the best friends," except you're a financial planner? The art of...

She said, she said.
January 1, 2007... "I never felt like there was an unconscious part of me around that woke up or that came out of the closet; there wasn't a struggle, there wasn't an attempt to suppress.... I met this woman, I fell in love with her, and I'm a public figure."...

Chris Carraher: painter, activist and randy dandy.(OpenStudio)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Working-class painter Chris Carraher isn't your mother's artist. Er, or your father's. Carraher, better known as Jack Dandy, came of age in the 1960s in the working-class suburbs of east Los Angeles and is largely self-educated in art. But that...

Lesbian may get death penalty.(Curvatures)(Daphne Wright)
January 1, 2007... In one of the most bizarre and heinous crimes to hit newsstands in late 2005, a deaf lesbian stands accused of murdering another (allegedly heterosexual) deaf woman in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The victim's body parts were found in different...

Which L Word characters did you miss last fall?(Curvatures)
January 1, 2007... Dana 37% Shane 27% Alice 16% Bette 11% The new girl 5% Jenny 3% Max/Moira 1% From a Curvemag.com poll in October 2006

Brangelina's got our back: are Brad and Angelina really on our side or just a little commitment phobic?(Lesbofile)(Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt )
January 1, 2007... Miss Cleo's out of the closet, while Annie Leibovitz has one foot in and one. out. Who knows who's gay these days? Pitt Falls of Marriage With three babies already in tow, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have the world wondering (and the...

Lisa Whitehead's forbidden fantasy.(Curvatures)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... "Photography is a big part of me; it helps me to express myself," says 20-year-old Lisa Whitehead, whose work has appeared in Digital Photo, The Guardian and several other publications in her native England. "You will see some pieces of my work...

Scene.
January 1, 2007... 1 Mary Liddel (left) from Options for Sexual Health and Melissa Egan from YouthCo AIDS Society at Vancouver, B.C.'s Aquired Taste, a YouthCo fundraiser 2 Ellen Huang (left), the Wau Wau Sisters and comic Scott Thompson at Queer Lounge Toronto 3...

The Parade of Babes begins.(Ask Fairy Butch)
January 1, 2007... Dear Fairy Butch: My ex-girlfriend is now my roommate. We were living together as lovers for two and a half years and doing okay--until she cheated on me with her ex-girlfriend. She confessed to it, but only at the point where the ex was...

Gee, I think my daughter is gay.(Lipstick & Dipstick)
January 1, 2007... Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: After catching his ex-wife in bed with a woman years ago, my Dad's a bit homophobic. He won't allow my bisexual half-sister to bring her girlfriend to the house. For years I've tried to keep the peace between them,...

Testing new waters.(Astro Grrl)
January 1, 2007... Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Sex: Girlfriends get you into all sorts of mischief this January. Aqueerians should dip a toe into new social pools. Heck, why not just dive in and get wet? Career: Money comes and money goes. How far will it go?...

The heart of Harbin: we're two demanding, high-strung lesbians from San Francisco. She's a social worker here to unwind from an overwhelming caseload; I'm an anxious writer looking to serenely celebrate my birthday. We've brought a gym bag full of sex toys, and we're desperate to relax. But can we?
January 1, 2007... Sure, Harbin Hot Springs, located atop a hill in the arid region just north of California's Napa Valley, has all the trappings of a dyke oasis. It boasts a large vegetarian kitchen for the crafting of communal meals, an organic restaurant,...

Ten powerful lesbians in the South: the times they are a-changing in the South, and these powerhouse Southern dykes are just the tip of the iceberg.
January 1, 2007... MANDY CARTER, NORTH CAROLINA She may have been born in Albany, N.Y., but there's very little northerner left in Mandy Carter, a nationally acclaimed social justice activist who has spent the past 23 years in Durham, N.C., fighting...

31 super sexy V-Day gifts: forget diamonds--why not get your girlfriend something you'll both enjoy?(Valentines Day)(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2007... Put It on, Let Her Take It Off Do it like the Pussycat Dolls: don one of Shirley of Hollywood's super seductive corsets, bustiers, robes and more. Our faves are a vintage-looking Stretch Pink Stripe Bustier, Incredibly Soft and Fluffy...

Queer femme follies: these queer burlesque dancers are fighting their own sexual revolution, where dykes are proud to be flirty and feminine in fishnet.
January 1, 2007... Queer women's events are being taken over by fishnets, feathers and follies. Everywhere you turn there are round rumps shaking, beautiful breasts twirling and luscious ladies dancing. Not that I'm complaining; it's about time the queer world...

Penny for her thoughts: brilliant feminist, erotic pioneer and possible megalomaniac, Penny Arcade doesn't hold back anything.
January 1, 2007... Internationally recognized for her theater production Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!, performance artist and feminist erotic dancer Penny Arcade knows burlesque history. While celebrating the 15th anniversary of her famous show, she proved an...

Five dating lessons from Hollywood: stop listening to your friends. Take your cues from film and TV and score big with your dream girl.
January 1, 2007... Right now, as you read this, there is a gay woman somewhere obsessing about how to meet, date and bed her the girl of her dreams. But, alas, it perpetually appears that many of the community's most gorgeous, desirable hotties have been swept...

The Pleasures of polyamory: one-woman wonder Wendy-O-Matik tackles polyamory for us girls.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Wendy-O-Matik is a one-woman revolutionary who has devoted her (young) life to helping people learn to love freely and responsibly. She has taught over 40 workshops on radical love and alternative relationship models that eschew patriarchal...

How to meet a girl: looking for true love this year? Here's how to get into the game.
January 1, 2007... I'll never forget Valentine's Day in 2003. I went downstairs to pick up the mail that afternoon and found a Priority Mail envelope with my ex's return address on it. Inside, I found a packet of poems I had sent her a couple of weeks...

Strange bedfellows: polygamy and same-sex marriage get uncomfortable close.
January 1, 2007... On the first episode of HBO cult hit Big Love, a bratty fast food fry girl discovers that her co-worker Sarah's family is a little unusual." Oh my god, Sarah has three mommies!" she cries in horror. The line makes a cute reference to...

Why fat chicks rock: the not-so-secret subculture of fat dykes and the women who love them.
January 1, 2007... You probably know of gay male "Bears" and may have heard of Girth & Mirth, a gay size-acceptance group where big men and their admirers meet and greet. Well, move over Papi, here comes Big Mama: Queer women have a subculture of fat chicks and...

My lovely bearded lady: it would take more than facial hair to make this woman a man.
January 1, 2007... It would be hypocritical of me to tell you that confusing my girlfriend for a man is a mistake I never made. A mutual friend introduced me to Teri on several different occasions: I'd say hello, take in the medium build, the pretty, light...

The Skye is the limit: America's bad girl, adult performer Skye Blue, is on our side. Sexually, at least.
January 1, 2007... Skye Blue just might be the ultimate bad girl. A high-profile former adult actor, Blue, an out lesbian, has been featured in almost every major men's magazine in the world. That's right: the world. She was featured in Boogie Nights, was once...

Girls are Smitten: winters are long, but toys are plentiful in Minneapolis.(Smitten Kitten)
January 1, 2007... At Smitten Kitten, a feminist-owned sex toy shop in Minneapolis, the owners' philosophy is twofold: They want to put the Midwest on the map when it comes to sex, and they want to "put our pussy where our politics are." Opened in 2003 in...

If you wanna be my lover ... Take it from the Spice Girls, you new sweetie's got to get in with your friends. The author of Married Women Who Love Women explains.
January 1, 2007... We in the lesbian community tend to want women we are attracted to as friends, and our friendships can easily go over the line, blurring the distinction between friend and lover. No one is immune from becoming romantically involved with a...

Helena of troy: with a sexy affair and a new, nice-girl attitude, The L Word's Rachel Shelley took us all by surprise.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... First she was the reserved rich Brit, the pent-up babe we loved to hate all the more when she stole Tina from Bette. But when season three of Showtime's The L Word rolled around, Helena Peabody was a whole new person: sexy, sultry, nice. When...

It's the eve of season four, and The L Word has a lot to prove.
January 1, 2007... Statistically, Showtime's hit lesbian series is on a roll. Following a 2005 nomination, The L Word snagged a win at the 2006 GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Drama Series. The show has garnered accolades for addressing complex issues...

A twist of Limon: from lesbian on Buffy the Vampire Slayer to unabashed bisexual in real life, actor Iyari Limon still gives us warm, fuzzy feelings.
January 1, 2007... As we speak, Iyari Limon is trucking toward Black Rock Desert, Nev., at 10 p.m., nine friends crammed into vans on the way to Burning Man. "I've been wanting to go for many, many years," the 30-year-old actor enthuses. "I'm very excited." And...

Powder puff girls: how I learned smelling sweet isn't always the best thing.
January 1, 2007... It began at birth, my well-meaning mother powdering my bottom after every diaper change. That it continued until well into my 30s--the powdering, not the diapering--is the problem. Everyone's powdered as a baby. Not everyone powders herself...

Get the shot: the HPV vaccine isn't just for straight girls. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo tells us why.(human papillomavirus)
January 1, 2007... HPV vaccine? Aren't you already immune simply because you don't have sex with men? Not so fast. Research shows that queer women are just as likely to have HPV as other women. There are about 100 strains of HPV, and about 10 of those...

Pirates and wenches, oh my! Three new DVDs tackle interesting queer girl territory.(Video recording review)
January 1, 2007... Mainstream pop culture appears to be coming to terms with lesbian characters on the small screen, and with Tony Award-winning actors kissing their girlfriends on their way to the winner's podium on national television. But dyed-in-the-wool...

Joyce Draganosky: writer and director.(Q+A)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Brooklyn filmmaker Joyce Draganosky understands love. She and partner Laureen Callo have been charming audiences all year with their quirky lesbian romantic short, The Science of Love. Draganosky is an Emmy Award-winning writer, director and...

Mona E.: author.(Q+A)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Mona E. was set to be an immigrant success story: educated with a master's degree from NYU and making strides as a successful public relations consultant in Los Angeles. But after a severe back surgery, being laid off and an introduction to...

Fresh faces for the new year: these up-and-coming artists are sure to turn heads in 2007.(Chris Pureka, Nervous but Excited, Arthur Loves Plastic featuring Lisa Moscatiello)
January 1, 2007... While none of the artists I mention below are newcomers to the music world by any means, they might have slipped under your radar, and it's my job to make sure you take notice. Chris Pureka, Nervous but Excited, and Arthur Loves Plastic...

Androgyny: singer-songwriter.(Q+A)(Interview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... With a sexy shaved head and velvety vocals, gender-bending diva Androgyny will surely become a dyke favorite in no time, especially with her upcoming L Word appearance. The Nigerian-born singer-songwriter blends gospel, jazz and soulful pop...

Tools to make 2007 easier: from kitties to computers, let's simplify.(Tech Girl)(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2007... Sure, DVD players and digital camcorders are fun but will they make your life any more efficient this year? No. But, these handy gadgets, tools and Web sites certainly will. Skip the Keyboard With Dragon Naturally Speaking you can send...

The passion of the Lesbos: are our politics getting in the way of our sex lives?(Politics)(Essay)
January 1, 2007... The midst of winter and the approach of Valentine's Day always lead me to thoughts of cuddling. Thoughts of cuddling lead me to think about women. And relationships. That's when politics tend to subsume emotion. How very lesbian feminist of me....

Heart-shaped boxes: one dyke deciphers the dying art of romance.(Dyke Drama)
January 1, 2007... Writing a love letter with candy conversation hearts seemed like a wonderfully romantic holiday gesture. You'd think it would be easy to write a sappy poem with those blasted tiny confection hearts, but have you ever really read what they say?...

Top ten: reasons we love Erin Ridle.
January 1, 2007... Onstage she's known as mustachioed cowboy Aaron Idahomo or retro, spectacled chanteuse Gladys Mumford, but in real life Erin Ridle is a badass white-water rafter and gender-bending superhero. With hilarious stories that make her life sound like...