Curve articles from January 2008

Curve archives from January 2008

How to get a girl: it's no coincidence that our annual sex issue has featured the lovely ladies of The L Word for three years running.(Frankly speaking)(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... Nor only is The L Word the most popular lesbian show on earth, but it also examines topics our community faces in the bedroom and out on the streets. To some, Bette and Tina might be considered television's premier lesbian couple. They've dealt...

What type of lesbian are you?(Letters)
January 1, 2008... You know that you've made a mark in the world when you're the inspiration for an online quiz (see "Fifteen Types of Lesbians," Vol.15 #3). We found this little gem, "How Much of a Lesbian Are You," by "nogoodgirl" on QuizFarm.com and just...

Local vacations are greener.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I was pleased to see CURVE encouraging us readers to "go green" [Vol. 17 #9]. However, I would have liked to see you take the concept of "green" further than you did. Some of the most environmentally friendly choices a person can make involve...

Recycle, reduce, reuse.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... Loved the emphasis on going green in your last issue! I'm so glad to see CURVE paying attention to this important topic. Along those same lines, have you thought of switching to printing your magazine on recycled paper? I've read that lots of...

No room for prudery.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... Regarding the letter from Kim Ann Callan in the September 2007 [Vol. 17 #7] issue. Shame on you, Kim Ann Callan, for trying to shame us about our own sexuality! There is no room in a lesbian magazine for prudery, and the fact that you're also a...

Hurray for new subscribers.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I just bought my first issue of CURVE and I really love your mag. I especially enjoyed reading the piece "A Camcorder Revolution" [Vol. 17 #8]. It was the best article I've read in a long time and I wish it were longer. I hope to read more from...

A publication disconnection?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I do not understand why men and women who are able to become editors and publishers of gay/lesbian publications do not seem to want to communicate with each other. I suggest that they all glance at an issue of Lesbian Connections and see what I...

We reach the comic fans.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I'm just too excited about the "Top Ten Reasons We Love Paige Braddock." [Vol. 17 #8]. I must have been in the literary closet to not know about Ms. Braddock. I love to read and I have a whole library of books in my home. I worshiped Charles...

Margaret Murray.(Out in Front)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... It's all about the power of art for Margaret Murray. "I'm as optimistic about the life-changing potential of art today as I was when I was a teenager," says Murray, executive director of One in Ten, the parent organization of Reel Affirmations,...

Brittany Hoffman.(Out in Front)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Brittany Hoffman says she first became an LGBT advocate just after her senior year in high school. "I think I became an activist when my mother discovered I was queer and I refused to apologize for it," says Hoffman. "I cried, I yelled, I...

Tammy Bruce.(Out in Front)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... She calls herself an openly gay, pro-choice, gun-owning, pro-death penalty, voted-for-President-Bush authentic feminist. At 27 years old she was elected president of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW, the youngest to ever attain that position....

Corey Aughtry.(Open Studio)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Corey Aughtry is hoping to take photography to a whole new level by bringing androgyny out of the closet. Aughtry, a 29-year-old New York photographer, wants to let gender-bending, genderqueer and old school androgynous folks know they're not...

7 Questions for Sonya Kitchell.(Curvatures)(Interview)
January 1, 2008... SONYA KITCHELL is an 18-year-old singer-songwriter from Northampton, Mass., (sonyakitchell.com). While she is accustomed to performing acoustic folk-rock, her voice also seems to channel an older energy from another space and time. CURVE...

Not Your Mother's soda pop.(Curvatures)(Dry Soda Co.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Dry Soda Co. offers nonalcoholic alternatives for culinary pairing. Founder and CEO Sharelle Klaus wanted to give moms-to-be and anyone else who isn't hitting the bottle an alternative to booze at dinner. The lightly flavored sodas come in four...

Kids' stuff with a twist.(WHAT'S HOT)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Subvert the patriarchy with Coloring Outside the Lines, a kid-friendly collection of drawings and bios of historic and contemporary feminist icons from Susan B. Anthony to Angela Davis and Alix Olson. $15, riotgrrrlink.com--MC Take the...

Does a girl good.(Curvatures)(Grandma's Chicken Soup)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Nothing warms a body, cures a cold or mends a broken heart better than chicken soup. If you aren't lucky enough to have a grandmother who makes you homemade soup, then call on the company Grandma's Chicken Soup to act as a surrogate in your...

Did your Christmas suck, too?(Curvatures)(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2008... Did Santa fail to deliver the goods this year? Return those festive socks and get these great gifts instead. Become a Film Director Featuring sharper image quality, the JVC Everio Hard Drive Camcorders are the perfect tool to master...

Get organized: yeah, yeah, new year, new you--we've heard it all before. Instead of spending a grand on a new gym membership that you'll never use, why not plunk down some cash on things that'll actually help you work all year long. Don't wait for spring cleaning. Get yourself organized now.(Curvatures)(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2008... First Stop: KangaRooM Storage This is the wet dream of storage boutiques, with a bevy of functional, fashion-forward solutions for tidying up your home and office. There's a hot Phone/PDA Charging Station that will recharge all your gear...

Here's a story of some lovely ladies: find out the latest celebrity rumors, myths and reality.(Lesbofile)
January 1, 2008... Long-held lesbian rumors are laid to rest, and straight guys hit on gay girls (with mixed results)--just another month in our part of town. Reality, Baby Adrianne, Yoanna, Eva, Naima: Any of these names ring a bell? No? Maybe it's...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.(IN THE NEWS)
January 1, 2008... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation giving property tax relief to surviving domestic partners.

Ellen DeGeneres received the Trevor Life Award from the Trevor Project.(IN THE NEWS)
January 1, 2008... Ellen DeGeneres received the Trevor Life Award from the Trevor Project. For more information visit thetrevor-project.org.

Blue Gay-La.(IN THE NEWS)
January 1, 2008... Don't miss the lesbian and gay ski week event Blue Gay-La (bluelaketahoe.com/ski) at South Shore, Lake Tahoe, Calif./Nev., Jan. 23-27.

Friends of the Festival, Inc.(IN THE NEWS)
January 1, 2008... Friends of the Festival, Inc. changed the name of the annual Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival to the Clip Film Festival.

Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... An estimated $75,000 worth of furniture, arcade games and supplies from the McGinnis Mansion in Beaverton, Ore., was donated to the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center in Portland.

Six states, Alaska, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina and West Virginia.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Six states, Alaska, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina and West Virginia, have no openly gay elected officials at any level of government, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.(IN THE NEWS)
January 1, 2008... Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen disowned his adopted lesbian daughter for marrying a woman.

You can build your nest and give to charity, too.(Curvatures)(Nest)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Here is an easy way to save the world by doing something you would do anyway: decorating your home or yourself with beautiful handmade goods from around the world. Nest (buildanest.com) is a nonprofit online retailer that sells clothing,...

Scene.(Brief article)(Photograph)
January 1, 2008... 1 The ladies of Dante's Cove at the premier party in L.A. 2 Twin Cities HRC Dinner attendees (from right) Leslie Sandberg Amy Johnson and Ann DeGroot 3 ALRP Lawyer of the Year award recepient Alma Soongi Beck (in pink) is joined by CURVE'S...

Flirting with disaster.(Lipstick & Dipstick)(Column)
January 1, 2008... Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I'm out at work and met a woman who seemed interested in me. Soon it became clear she is probably closeted, although her interest in me seemed genuine. I'm in a band and she's come to a number of my shows, and we...

Blow her mind.(Ask Fairy Butch)(Column)
January 1, 2008... Dear Fairy Butch: My partner and I have been together for almost 10 years, which seems incredible since we're both in our early 30s. We have a very satisfying sex life, but I have one issue. My partner has a fantasy that she'd like me to...

New year, new career.(Astro Grrl)
January 1, 2008... Capricorn (December 23-January 20) Sex: Reach out and touch someone new. You make an excellent first impression, which gives you the chance for further impressions... and indentations. Career: Steel yourself and plan to deliver your spiel...

Come on baby, light my fire: a few tips on how to get that spark back.(Relationships)
January 1, 2008... You used to light her fire in the bedroom, but now your twilight playground is about as combustible as a swimming pool during a rainstorm. Lesbian Bed Death (LBD) can happen to anyone, and while the factors for her carnal boycott may vary,...

How long is too long to wait? The best part of being queer is the sex, unless, of course, you aren't getting any.(Dyke Drama)(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2008... I am a homo-sex-ual. We homosexuals like to have sex with people of the same gender. We don't necessarily like them better than we like the other gender; we'd just rather have sex with them. Isn't it ironic that we get into relationships...

My resolution revolution: make a plan to change the world in 2008.(Politics)(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2008... The New Year always seares me. So much promise, so many good intentions. How to make the promise and the good intentions come to fruition? This year, with the first likely woman candidate for president in U.S. history, possibilities look...

Couple sues over twins.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... In a story that's rattling everyone's cage, a lesbian couple in Australia is suing their Canberra gynecologist after he allegedly botched an in vitro fertilization procedure and implanted two embryos instead of one, resulting in the birth of...

Gays decline on broadcast TV, increase on cable.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Last TV season, there were fewer LGBT characters on network TV but lots more on scripted cable shows, according to a study by GLAAD. The study found that in the 2007-08 season there will be seven regularly appearing LGBT characters in...

Study proves lesbian parents are as good or better.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Finally, there is scientific evidence to prove what we knew all along--children raised by lesbian parents are as well-adjusted as children raised by heterosexuals, and that our parenting skills may even be better than theirs. The results...

Republican mayor changes his stance on gay marriage.(IN THE NEWS)(Jerry Sanders )(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... In an emotional press conference, Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego publicly reversed his opposition to gay marriage and vowed to sign a resolution in support of it. The Republican mayor said that like many Americans, his "position has...

Naughty new gifts: panting after that dream gal just got a lot easier. These 27 gifts are sure to make her sit up and listen. Or lay down and do other things for Valenine's day.(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2008... IF SANTA WAS STINGY There's still time to get her Babeland's Come Together Holiday Kit, a sexy package with Massage Spray Oil, Laya Spot, Petal Ring and Babeland Toy Cleaner. Pair it up with Babeland's own Massage Bars (which come in a...

Into the mystic: Sedona changes this desert nonbeliever one vortex at a time.
January 1, 2008... I'D NEVER WANTED to see the desert. All that hot sand and prickly cacti--yuck. Furthermore, I am skeptical about most things mystical. That's probably why I won a seven-night luxury stay in Sedona, Ariz., spiritual-tourism destination of the...

Another day in Paradise: Hollywood's new quadruple threat just happens to be a lesbian. Hurrah.(Michelle Paradise)(Interview)
January 1, 2008... It'd be a mistake to take Michelle Paradise at face value. The comic actor who created and starred in The Ten Rules, the lesbian short film about dating and exes that became an underground hit years ago, looks like the ultimate lesbian girl...

Spit, Sisters! Last spring, 10 years after they first started taking punk poetry across the country, the women of Sister Spit launched their Next Generation Tour. If you missed the whole thing, here's the lowdown on the major players in this edgy poetry group.(Brief biography)
January 1, 2008... Name: Nomy Lamm Tour: 1999. Astrological fate: Virgo with Cancer moon, Leo rising. What did you want to be when you grew up? A bunny. Favorite memory from the tour: Deliriously laughing and making up fake musicals with Anna...

The next generation: author Michelle Tea chats about the future of Sister Spit.(Interview)
January 1, 2008... I, like other writer dykes of my generation, have a mild Michelle Tea obsession. She's contributed to dozens of anthologies and has edited a handful, most recently It's So You: 35 Women Write About Personal Expression Through Fashion and Style,...

Wonder Quin power: they've gone from teenage folkies to bona fide indie rock stars, but Sara Quin, of Tegan and Sara, says they still love their lesbian fans.(Interview)
January 1, 2008... Following So Jealous, the lovesick, heartbroken and utterly apolitical 2004 album that thrust the Quin twins out of the lez-rock closet and into the larger indie rock canon, Tegan and Sara bring back the politics with their latest album, The...

Now it's my turn: when The L Word returns to Showtime this month, viewers are going to get a whole different side of Laurel Holloman's character.(Interview)
January 1, 2008... In person, there is something savagely sweet about actor Laurel Holloman, a beguiling blonde who plays working mom Tina Kennard on Showtime's The L Word. It's been there all along, of course, and even viewers of her magnificent 1995 debut as...

All bettes are off: it's season five of The L Word and resident power babe Jennifer Beals is ready for a road trip.(Interview)
January 1, 2008... It's easy to imagine Jennifer Beals rolling through the Hollywood Hills on her way to The L Word set, navigating traffic and deflecting questions with such skill that I almost forget I'm actually trying to get the woman to divulge something new...

Playing like the boys: a lesbian's experience at a bathhouse.
January 1, 2008... A few years ago, my girlfriend and I settled on a don't-ask, don't-tell arrangement for out-of-town flings. But I haven't slept around. I've been too nervous about putting my relationship in jeopardy, and the offers I've received have reeked of...

Sexy Sapphic Sin-ema.
January 1, 2008... So I sat down to watch a little porn. It was either do that or clean my apartment. Of course I'm going to pick the porn. My first choice was The Bi-Apple, which begins with Simone in search of the Fuck House, a place where this sexual...

Last butch standing: times have changed. Were stone butches left behind?
January 1, 2008... There have been seismic shifts for lesbians since the 1960s, when bar culture was portrayed so compellingly in Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues. Many dykes have long since discarded butch-femme identity for a dizzying array of gender...

Sexy. Sultry. Sapphic. Move over, Pussycat Dolls, the Pin Up Girls are our dream girls.(Interview)
January 1, 2008... Hailing from New York City, the Pin Up Girls' founder, Julia, aka Vixen, is full of Big Apple attitude and moxie. Out and proud, this saucy, sexy vamp has mixed the glamour of old Hollywood and the glitz of modern-day Los Angeles to create the...

Two queer girls in love.(Ashley and Kisha: Finding the Right Fit)
January 1, 2008... Two women smile shyly into the camera. They are young. They are black. They sit entwined as only lovers do, talking about sex and being black. Then the camera cuts to them having sex. Ashley and Kisha: Finding the Right Fit is a documentary...

Do pickup lines ever work? Two lesbians put the classics and the cliches to the test.
January 1, 2008... Like me, my friends are reclusive, pimply faced, teenage geeks, which probably explains why we're single and spend our weekends playing video games, watching DVDs and knitting. The only scenario that I imagine would ever get us girl-friends is...

Rocking our vision.
January 1, 2008... Dana Dane was tired of watching straight porn, filmed by straight men, portraying fake lesbians in a high school boy's wet dream. Frustrated and fed up, she launched her own series of erotic films she calls Erocktavision. Created by a lesbian,...

The pinup comeback: a former Playboy centerfold brings the classic sexy photos back.(Susan Bernard)
January 1, 2008... Starting her own mini-empire with help from her father's work wasn't what Susan Bernard had in mind when she founded Bernard of Hollywood. Bernard, daughter of Bruno Bernard, Hollywood's celebrated pinup photographer, began her career as a...

The alt to the alt: SuicideGirls took the world by storm, but No Fauxxx's the one pushing the edge.
January 1, 2008... Unless you've been living in a convent for the past six years, chances are you've heard at least something about the SuicideGirls, the punk rock soft-core porn site turned multimedia conglomerate. Started in September 2001 by then-couple Selena...

I was a middle-aged pinup.
January 1, 2008... It's a rare warm, sunny day in San Francisco and I'm trotting down to South of Market with a suitcase full of clothes that can only charitably be called "slutty." I'm a die-hard power femme but by no means a real girlie girl. (Bulldagger I've...

It's me or the dog: can a pooch ruin your love life? One lesbian finds out.
January 1, 2008... "I'm looking for sanitary pads and strap-on harnesses with belts, if you have that for a dog," I ask the clerk at the pet store. I have come here on a mission. Our new dog Pookie, a miniature bull terrier, which we acquired during the lunacy of...

Uncovering the Stonewall Lesbian: Storme DeLarverie was there that infamous night. Now she's coming clean about it all.(Stonewall Veterans Association)
January 1, 2008... At a downstairs bar in the heart of Manhattan's Chelsea District, Storme DeLarverie appears almost nightly. She almost never discards the floppy-brim hat that covers a torrent of cotton-ball hair or the burgundy glasses that shield half her...

10 powerful lesbian doctors: they've taken the Hippocratic Oath--or some modern version of it--and these lesbian doctors make it their business to lead the way in providing the best in research and medical care for the lesbian and transgender communities.(List)
January 1, 2008... 1 CHRISTY ISLER As an associate professor of perinatology and the residency program director in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine in Greenville, N.C., Isler is a busy woman....

Cable's guilty pleasures: delightfully, bombastically naughty TV is here.(Television program review)
January 1, 2008... Thoroughly "bad" TV is a naughty, guilty pleasure and one that is made more irresistibly watchable lately by the folks at here! TV. If you haven't DVR'd these queer shows, you need to host a DVD party to enjoy some of this fare. It's simply too...

Guinevere Turner.(Q+A)(Interview)
January 1, 2008... Screenwriter Guinevere Turner has won awards for The Notorious Bettie Page and worked on mainstream films like American Psycho and BloodRayne. We got the skinny on her new projects. You've worked with many of the same people repeatedly,...

Ruth Perkinson.(Q+A)(Interview)
January 1, 2008... A conservative Republican woman in the South who is "in love with her own repression" is not someone you would want to date. However, after you get over that initial concept, Ruth Perkinson's first book, Vera's Still Point, will take you on one...

Super sultry sounds: solo sirens who separate themselves from the pack.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2008... When it comes to sexy music, opinions vary widely. Some people like hard-driving house music. Others prefer sensual, vocal jazz. Or maybe a sweet-talking singer-songwriter crooning straight from the heart. Me, well, my tastes are kind of...

Allison Miller.(Q+A)(Interview)
January 1, 2008... Drummer Allison Miller's career has been punctuated by the crash of the cymbal and sizzle of the snare. From idolizing the work of Terri Lyne Carrington on the Arsenio Hall Show to banging on toms for Ani DiFranco, there's no doubt that she's...

Yoga grooves: dreamy New Age albums that will get you in the mood for a little downward-facing dog.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Sure, you hate New Age music--or so you tell your friends until you're at the spa wondering how to pocket that CD that got you so in the mood for a little afternoon delight. Don't worry, dear. Here are a few CDs that'll get you in the groove...

My inner stripper: one queer girl discovers that pole dancing is as hot as it looks.
January 1, 2008... I've always been a big fan of strip clubs; the combo of top-40 remixes, the ubiquitous scent of vanilla body spray and the small army of half-naked, long-legged stilettoed college girls brings me helplessly to my knees every time. But you know...

A spark for your Valentine: items sure to please the hard-wired honey in your life.(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2008... Admittedly, these probably aren't the electronics that first come to mind when you think about lesbian love, but nontraditional gifts can be the quickest way to a true geek's heart. For the girl who gets turned on tinkering with hardware or...

Top ten: reasons we love Chave Alexander.
January 1, 2008... Ever since she was a preschooler in a little tutu, performing has been Chave Alexander's passion. After years of struggling with her body image, she's grown into a gloriously curvaceous gal who shimmies across the stage in her burlesque show....