The 10 most powerful lesbians: when "you're fired!" becomes the country's favorite catchphrase, you know you're in trouble. Curve comes to the rescue with this handy and, dare we say, comprehensive guide for working girls everywhere.(First Annual Careers Special)

SURELY YOU'VE HEARD OF THE REALLY BIG power lesbians, like Hilary Rosen (the former chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America who took down Napster) and Megan Smith (the former CEO of PlanetOut who currently works at Google). But what about other sisters in business, government and industry who excel in their careers and give some of their success back to the community? From gals who've been in the boardroom forever to some up-and-coming working women, these lesbians give 9 to 5 a good name, which is why we anoint them (in no certain order) to our annual 10 Most Powerful Lesbians list.

1 Finally, a Bush we can identify with: Linda Bush, founder and former CEO of SafeRent, the first credit-profiling model in the country, recently became chief operating officer at the Gill Foundation, a Colorado-based…