Curve articles from July 2007

Curve archives from July 2007

Rockin' in the free world.(Frankly Speaking)(Editorial)
July 1, 2007... Music has always been a big part of lesbian culture. In the '70s, when Olivia produced records instead of cruises, lesbians recorded their own albums under the banner of "women's music." The cassettes were sold at almost-all-female concerts and...

Wedding belles.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Thank you for your article, "Going to the Chapel" (Vol. 17, #4). You gave an excellent smattering of couples from many different states; however, I was wondering why a couple from Massachusetts was not among those featured. Being that my wife...

The closet controversy.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... I am writing in response to the article outing Michelle Rodriquez. As a lesbian, I find it absolutely despicable that your publication would do this to another human being without asking permission. It sets us back. We are human beings first....

The Revolution will (not) be breastfed.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Are Rebecca Walker's sentiments revolutionary ("The Mommy Track," Vol. 17, #4)? The feminist movement doesn't need to place a high premium on "women raising perfectly healthy daughters." The rest of the world already does that. Oh, and the...

Just say no.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Regarding the advice Lipstick gave Tense Terry regarding Denise (Lipstick & Dipstick, Vol. 17, #4): this is a very delicate situation. Never advise, "Now light that fucker and take a hit" and never advise taking a drink. This is very, very bad...

Photo most foul.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... I was just reading the latest issue and am stunned by the tasteless and unneccesary photo of fake blood around a bathtub drain that accompanies the disturbing news piece on the murder of Priscilla Pimentel ("Murder Most Foul," Vol. 17, #3)....

Corrections.(Correction notice)
July 1, 2007... In our May issue (Vol. 17, #4), we misspelled the following Web address: thesimplyweddingscompany.co.uk. In "Going to the Chapel" (Vol. 17, # 4), Carla Pfeffer is from Belleville, Mich., and J.C. Ransom is from Traverse City, Mich; Pfeffer...

She walks the walk.(OutinFront)(Jennifer Schumaker)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... You should never underestimate the power of a soccer mom. Ironically, Jennifer Schumaker's four children are involved with little league, swim team and band practice, but none have ever played soccer. "I lifted that handle for myself...

Lesbian life coach.(OutinFront)(Paula Gregorowicz )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... For almost two decades, she re-engineered business processes and implemented company-wide Web technology solutions for the Fortune 500. Today, Paula Gregorowicz is a personal coach. Through one-on-one consultations, Gregorowicz assigns work...

Sex and death.(OutinFront)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Performance artist Pandora Scooter calls herself a "queermamasapien." "It means I'm queer--dyke, bi, omni, pan, hetero, trisexual, all of the above--I'm a mom, and I'm a human," she explains, "and that's what you need to know about me to...

The hottest lesbian kiss.(Curvatures)
July 1, 2007... From Bound to Buffy, lesbian kisses in media have always piqued our interest. Now that Courtney Cox Arquette has become the latest Arquette to garner a Sapphic smooch (albeit a boring one), who ranks among your hottest lesbian kiss? ...

Is the Michigan debate over?(Curvatures)(Michigan Womyn's Music Festival)
July 1, 2007... Inclusion of transgender women at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival has been a hotly debated issue for more than 15 years. Last year signaled a step toward resolution. First, a brief history: In 1991, a woman named Nancy Jean Burkholder...

All about Michigan Womyn's Music Fest.(Curvatures)
July 1, 2007... Despite the trans controversy, Michigan Womyn's Music Festival (MichFest to attendees) has been a preeminent women's gathering, offering community, safety and solidarity (and rocking music) since 1976, when it was founded by then 19-year-old...

Fighting for her family.(Curvatures)(Marina Gatto )
July 1, 2007... If you think a nine-time world champion kickboxer fights a tough fight, you should meet the daughter of one. Raised by her champion mother, Ramona, and her mother's partner, Arzu, Marina Gatto had to deal with not only general societal...

She said, she said.(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... "First thing would have to be a really hot woman! Someone very physically fit with big luscious lips and a nice ass. A female version of MacGyver would be hot." >> Kristanna Loken, on what she would want if stranded on a desert island, to...

Erika Brodie: glass artist.(OpenStudio)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Erika Brodie has electric rainbows flowing through her blood. A self-trained glass artist, Brodie, 29, discovered her passion for color after dyeing her sister's and brother's hair while growing up in Monroe, Mich. "After coloring hair and...

Babes kicking balls.(Curvatures)(lesbian soccer players)
July 1, 2007... Imagine a gathering of 300 queer women who play soccer by day, dance together at night and, through it all, celebrate each other and sportsmanship. We live in a time when many lesbians still stay closeted just to make a sports team, when NCAA...

Babe basics.(Curvatures)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... An annual seven-on-seven soccer festival held by lesbians for lesbians over Labor Day weekend, FOB features an opening ceremony, teams bedecked in costumes, nightly dance parties and kudos for acting FOBly (fun-loving). An example of FOBliness...

The stars come out to play: this summer a few new players join our team--or confess past membership.(Lesbofile)
July 1, 2007... News of public outings, secret rendezvous and nymphomania abounds! Gay, straight, let's call the whole thing off. Role Call Trouble's been brewing on the set of Grey's Anatomy. The upheaval started when Isaiah Washington called co-star...

More GLAAD tidings.(Curvatures)(Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Real lesbians (as opposed to women who play lesbians on TV) were few and far between at the 18th annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco on April 28. Emcee Kim Coles, while stunning, went on at length about how she'd love for all the...

Fuzzy wuzzy was a lesbian.(Curvatures)(Fandomania: Characters & Cosplay, a book on dressing up on costumes)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2007... Remember dressing up as your favorite character and forgetting that it was make-believe--or hell, even knowing it wasn't make-believe? From Japan to the States, the pop-culture phenomenon of "cosplay"--a blend of the words "costume" and...

Never fear, Superles is here!(Curvatures)(comic strip character)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... It's not a bird, a plane or even that bastion of heroism, Superman. Nope, it's Superles, the Spanish-tongued lesbo-femme from the hilarious premiere issue of *7717, a collage of comic strip illustrations, historic LGBT facts and realistically...

Las Vegas lesbians.(Curvatures)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... If you don't have plans for the weekend after July 4, or you're already thinking of taking your own Vegas vacation, a group of queer Las Vegas travel promoters has the answer: Gay Days & Nights Las Vegas, a series of events happening July 4 to...

Shane speaks up for youth: the L Word's Katherine Moennig talks about teen homelessness.(Curvatures)(television program)
July 1, 2007... When the new social-networking site OurChart.com was launched by a handful of powerful women from The L Word (including creator Ilene Chaiken and actor Leisha Hailey), some expected it to be merely another place for fans to gather and discuss...

Scene.(Brief article)(Photograph)
July 1, 2007... 1 Former CURVE cover girl Megan Morris (left) and friend Courtney get comfy at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center Women's Night in April 2 Ladies enjoy the Center's Women's Night bash 3 A bevy of beauties at Women's Night 4 Burlesque troupe...

Start from scratch.(Ask Fairy Butch)
July 1, 2007... Dear Fairy Butch: I've recently become interested in vaginal fisting. My lover has been trying to get her entire fist in me, but she can only manage to get four fingers and part of her thumb inside. We're using Comfort brand lube and a glove. I...

Am I still gay if I do a boy?(Lipstick & Dipstick)
July 1, 2007... Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I am a 23-year-old lesbian who has never been with a man. My problem is that my best friend, a guy, recently confessed that he has feelings for me and asked if anything could ever happen between us. While initially I...

Summertime stargazing.(Astro Grrl)
July 1, 2007... Thoughts of love and lust need to be expressed this month, birthday girls. Speak from the heart and she will hear. But will she respond? Cancer (June 22-July 23) Sex: Thoughts of love and lust need to be expressed. Speak from the heart...

Dykes playing dirty; Listen up, lezzies: stop being so freakin' mean to each other.(Dyke Drama)(lesbians)(Viewpoint essay)
July 1, 2007... For a time, I was the co-host of a gay radio program in Portland, Ore. It was several years ago, long before it became cool to be gay in the Pacific Northwest. (My sister claims it is pretty cool now, but I will have to take her word for it, as...

Excuse me, I am not your 'ho': the language of misogyny and ownership still runs rampant in popular music.(Politics)
July 1, 2007... Ah, summer. I hate it. It's not just the hot weather, nor is it the aesthetics--I've always thought that almost everyone looks ghastly in the summer. No, it's the music. Music isn't different in the summer than at other times of the year....

East Coast swing.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Same-sex marriage advocates are gaining momentum on the East Coast. According to Seattle Gay News, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch wrote in a Feb. 20 memo that married same-sex employees of the state should be allowed benefits...

"Don't ask, don't tell" under fire.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... With the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, Congressman Marty Meehan, D-Mass., is looking to repeal the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, calling it "outdated and discriminatory," according to CNN.com. In addition to closeting...

Coach Portland gone for good?(IN THE NEWS)(Rene Portland)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Penn State female basketball players no longer face the homophobia of women's coach Rene Portland. Although Portland's contract doesn't end for another two years, she announced her resignation on March 21, Penn State Live reported. Known for a...

Missing woman's body found in car trunk.(IN THE NEWS)(Rebecca Klein)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Nicole Abusharif and her coworker Robert Edwards face charges in connection with a bizarre homicide case spurring much speculation but few real answers. ABC7.com reported that 26-year-old Abusharif allegedly suffocated her partner of seven...

Study sullies same-sex adoption.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... According to Dr. Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute, gays and lesbians who are married live shorter lives than married heterosexuals. His report, "Federal Distortion of Homosexual Footprint (Ignoring Early Gay Death?)," states that...

Why lesbians love La Lucha.
July 1, 2007... Imagine awakening to the realization that your government is so out of touch with the needs of your community that it's become a farce of the democratic process. Imagine deciding this renders your government illegitimate, and in response, you...

Fiji delight: an extra 3,000 miles from Hawaii is Fiji's unspoiled paradise.
July 1, 2007... It was Britney Spears' fault that we couldn't get pina coladas. Our remote, native-run accommodation was just a jet ski ride away from her five-star resort on Turtle Island, and her proximity upset everything. Because of the diva's security...

Where do we draw the line? How lesbians can travel safely and ethically and still have fun.
July 1, 2007... "Lovely lesbian ladies, come to my shop!" chanted the merchants at the Grand Bazaar, all beckoning to the women of the Olivia cruise tour. It was the summer of 1999, and the group was traveling through Turkey and Greece, post-Kosovo war....

What a girl wants: CURVE's annual music issue.(SPECIAL MUSIC SECTION)(Interview)
July 1, 2007... Oops, we did it again. We put together our biggest music issue ever, and surprisingly, there is nobody in it named Britney. It's all about what a girl wants and what a girl needs in her iPod these days, and we hope with our cacophony of musical...

10 powerful lesbians in music: they produce artists, oversee publishing, sign hot new acts, engineer enormous music festivals, place songs in award-winning movies and secure radio play for emerging new talent. In a male-dominated business, these women, lesbians and music industry moguls exemplify girl power.(SPECIAL MUSIC SECTION)
July 1, 2007... 1 SHELLY BUNGE In 2002, Bunge was named executive vice president of Sony Pictures Entertainment's music business and legal affairs group, where she heads a department that oversees legal, administration, publishing and licensing for...

Babes of the British invasion: the British are coming!(British women artists' albums)(Sound recording review)
July 1, 2007... Young, white, British female singers seem to be dominating the headlines this year. And while three of our featured artists this month--U.K. "it" girls Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Joss Stone--are often mentioned in the same breath, each has...

Heather Janiga: Troubador, Gayby.(Q+A)(Interview)
July 1, 2007... Singer-songwriter Heather Janiga's been rocking the San Diego coffee shop circuit for years now as half of alt-country act Podunk Nowhere. The bluesrock-tinged duo released their first album this year and has plans for another late this summer...

Simply seeking sweet revenge: three great new films on fighting back.(Movie review)
July 1, 2007... Got a grudge? These new indie flicks are about women who get angry, then get even. A girl gang ridicules hetero-patriarchy, one woman invests herself in another woman's life (and heart) in order to exact revenge and a documentary provides a...

Su Friedrich: feminist filmmaker.(Q+A)(Interview)
July 1, 2007... Lesbian filmmaker and activist Su Friedrich's first works in the late '70s still retain their revolutionary edge. Now an instructor of film production at Princeton University, Friedrich lives in New York with her companion of many years in a...

Dorian Solot: author, sex educator.(Q+A)(Interview)
July 1, 2007... "As a sex educator, at this point it's pretty hard to shock me with sex questions," says sexpert Dorian Solot, co-author of I Love Female Orgasm. I tried anyway, but to no avail. Along with her partner, Marshall Miller (both bisexual), Solot...

Someone's in the kitchen.(cookbooks)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2007... I believe cookbooks are a lesbian dirty secret. When was the last time you admitted to owning, or even reading, one? I have about 25, but admittedly, they're hidden, not displayed prominently alongside Joan Nestle and Lee Lynch. These new...

Untether your tunes: Walkman? Boombox? Music is more portable than ever.(Tech Girl)(Buyers guide)
July 1, 2007... Words may be lyrical but they aren't really musical, and reading about songs is never as good as listening to them (although a few obsessive lyric bloggers might tell you otherwise). There are loads of ladies for your ears to love this issue,...

Moving in circles: I expected exhibitionism but wound up with introspection.(I Tried It)
July 1, 2007... They called it hoop boot camp. "This is going to be hilarious!! Who's in?" read the e-mail from my friend Francesca, a top-notch connector and organizer of adventures. The invitation was for introductory hula hoop classes at the Women's...

Top ten: reasons we love Michelle Bolong.
July 1, 2007... With its classic Beatles tunes and lesbian dance captains, what's not to love about LOVE? Cirque du Soleil's newest Las Vegas show features beautiful Michelle Bolong, a veteran performer and Bay Area-bred out lesbian. Here are the top 10...