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Description
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ToC It's Belfast Baby by Malinda Lo (p24); You Can Take it With You by Diane Anderson-Minshall (p26); Cover: The Women of Dante's Cove by Diane Anderson-Minshall (p42); Get out the Vote by Emma Hersh (p50); Scintillating Cynthia Nixon by Andy Wright (p52); Show Me the Money - Our Annual Careers Issue: Diesel Femme by Diane Anderson-Minshall (p28); Whip it Good by Jocelyn Voo (p29); Nevada: Not Just for Gamblers by Diane Anderson-Minshall (p30); For Vegans Everywhere by Rachel Pepper (p31); Best Lesbian Place to Work by Amy André (p32); Not Your Mother's Shrink by Angela Watrous (p35); Chain of Command by Aefa Mulholland (p36); Ten Best Companies by Catherine Plato (p38); Take my Money and Run by Diane Anderson-Minshall (p41); Cover photo by Brie Childers.
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issue
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9
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Date Issued
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November 2006
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Format
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PDF/A
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Publisher
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Frances Stevens
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Identifier
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Curve_Vol16_No9_November-2006_OCR_PDFa.pdf
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extracted text
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23 Hot Jobs
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THE BEST-SELLING LESBIAN MAGAZINE
Looking for a Dream Job:
Tired of corporate America
no matter how progressive
their policies become? These
VOLUME 16 NUMBER 9
1550 Bryant Street, Suite 510
San Francisco, California 94103
Phone 415-863-6538 Facsimile 415-863-1609
Advertising Sales 415-863-6538 or 212-446-6700
Subscription Inquiries 818-760-8983
Advertising E-mail advertising@curvemag.com
Editorial E-mail editor@curvemag.com
Letters to the Editor E-mail letters@curvemag.com
Publisher/Editor in Chief
Executive Editor
Associate Editor
Book Review Editor
Music Review Editor
Contributing Editors
women have created their
own workplace oasis. Who
knows, maybe you can create
Copy Chief
Proofreaders
the next best workplace for
Editorial Assistants
lesbians, too.
Frances Stevens Publisher/Editor in Chief
E
veryone wants to work where they feel respected and welcomed. After all, who wants to have to take
her brother to the company picnic? Most of us spend a huge chunk of our lives at work, so why not
devote your time and energy to a company that supports our community at the most fundamental levels inclusive workplace policies, a history of LGBT nonprofit donations and progressive diversity initiatives.
Art Director
Photography Editor
Production Manager
Web Producer
Catalog Manager
Ad Sales & Marketing
Marketing & PR Manager
Marketing Coordinator
Marketing Assistants
This issue of CURVE marks our third annual careers issue, highlighting our top companies for lesbians (see
page 38). We take a critical look into how Fortune 500 companies stack up for lesbian employees, giving
you the low down on who's at the top and why. We also call out a few worthy companies that didn't make
Contributing Writers
our Top 10 but deserve kudos for their forward actions. Even if you're not on the hunt for a new job, why
not reward these companies for their progressive thinking when you make your next purchase?
Tired of corporate America no matter how progressive their policies become? Our special careers section also
introduces you to a few entrepreneurs who have created their own lesbian workplace oasis. From a vegan cafe
in Provincetown, Mass., to a boutique and gallery in Reno, Nev., we hope their courageous stories inspire you
to think outside the box. Who knows, maybe you can create the next best workplace for lesbians.
In our own workplace, I'm thrilled to announce that our Executive Editor, Diane Anderson~Minshall, has
been selected to receive one of POWER UP's 10 Most Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz awards for her
work reporting about lesbians on the big and little screens. Diane penned this month's cover story on the
sexy lesbians of Dante's Cove (see page 42), the first queer, supernatural TV series, set in a mystical and
predominately queer world where hot lesbians having steamy sex are the norm (which leads to lesbian
drama, of course). Dante's Cove's openly lesbian actor, Michelle Wolff (seen recently in Veronica Mars),
calls the show "something of a cross between The OC and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed:' In our
exclusive interviews, we take you behind the scenes to meet all five of the show's main women. Some faces
may look familiar, including Thea Gill (Queer as Folk) and Tracy Scoggins (Dynasty and Babylon 5), but
the cast also features some interesting newcomers. Dante's Cove is a guilty pleasure that might just have
you coming back for another roll in the sand.
Contributing Illustrator
Amy Andre, Kathy Beige,
Carol Bryant, Gina Daggett,
Michele Fisher, Kim Fujioka,
Emma Hersh, Sheryl Kay,
Charlene Lichtenstein,
Malinda Lo, Karlyn Lotney,
Aefa Mulholland, Laurie K.
Schenden, Allison Steinberg,
Angela Watrous, Andy Wright
Katherine Streeter
Contributing Photographers Brie Childers, Danny Clinch,
Lydia Daniller, Samantha
Hamilton, Gabriela Hashun,
Dawn Lewis, Robert Millman,
Jim Mires, Maggie Parker,
Yolanda Perez, Debra St.
John, Steven Sebring,
Amy Ulen, Kina Williams,
Misty Winter
Volume 16 Issue 9 Curve (ISSN 1087-867)() is published monthly (except for
January and July) by Outspoken Enterprises, Inc., 1550 Bryant St., Ste. 510,
San Francisco, CA 94103. Subscription price: $39.95/year, $51.95 Canadian
(U.S. funds only) and $61.95 international (U.S. funds only). Returned checks
will be assessed a $25 surcharge. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco,
CA 94114 and at addttional mailing offices (USPS 0010-355). Contents of Curve
Magazine may not be reproduced in any manner, etther whole or in part, without
written permission from the publisher. Publication of the name or photograph
of any persons or organizations appearing, advertising or listing in Curve may
not be taken as an indication of the sexual orientation of that individual or
group unless specifically stated. Curve welcomes letters, queries, unsolicited
manuscripts and artwork. Include SASE for response. Lack of any representation
only signifies insufficient materials. Submissions cannot be returned unless a
self-addressed stamped envelope is included. No responsibiltty is assumed for
loss or damages. The contents do not necessarily represent the opinions of
the edttor, unless specifically stated. All magazines sent discreetly. Subscription
Inquiries: Please write to Curve, 1550 Bryant Street, Sutte 510, San Francisco,
CA 94103, e-mail shop@curvemag.com, or call 818-760-8983. Canadian
Agreement Number: 40793029. Newsstand Circulation: lndyPress Newsstand
Services 415-643-0161 or maire@indypress.com. Postmaster:Send Canadian
addresschanges to shop@curvemag.com,
Curve, PO Box 122, Niagara Falls, ON
l2E 6S8. SendU.S. addresschangesto shop@curvernag.com,
Curve,PO Box 17138,
N. Hollywood,
CA 91615-7138.Printedin the U.S.
A
21curve
Frances Stevens
Diane Anderson-Minshall
Catherine Plato
Rachel Pepper
Margaret Coble
Julia Bloch, Victoria A.
Brownworth, Gretchen Lee,
Sarah Warn
Laura K. Cucullu
Jaclyn Barcewski,
Laurie Werbner,
Jocelyn Voo
Kathryn Papanek,
Amanda Poulsen
Kas Neteler
Nathalie Peterson
Ondine Kilker
Nikki Woelk
Holly DeMaagd
Danie Belfield
Sara Jane Keskula
Rivendell Media
Bambi Weavil
Amanda Campa,
Monica Arana, Karyn Grigsby,
Tiffany Luciotti, Catrina
McQuerry, Kirsten Ott
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That's
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page 50
November 2006
24 It's Belfast Baby Who knew that Ireland could
hold so much allure for lesbians? By Malinda Lo
Volume 16#9
Show Me the Money:
Our Annual Careers Issue
28 Diesel Femme Dyke designer Sossity
26 You Can Take It With You Swag that'll
make your trip even sweeter. By Diane
Chiricuzio's line of racy, fat-friendly fashions.
By Diane Anderson-Minshall
Anderson-Minshall
29 Whip It Good Nothing says tough love like hand42 COVER: The Women of Dante's Cove Let
made S/M gear. By Jocelyn Voo
the Los Angeles babes have The L Word; the rest
of us are glued to Dante's Cove. This Buffy meets
The OC series may just be the hottest lesbian
30 Nevada: Not Just for Gamblers Queer culture
thrives in the desert. By Diane Anderson-Minshall
and gay TV show since, well, ever. By Diane
Anderson-Minshall
31 For Vegans Everywhere Yummy and healthy
eats in Provincetown. By Rachel Pepper
50 Get out the Vote The time has never been better
to get involved in the political process. Lesbian
ubercampaigner Candace Gingrich can show you
32 Best Lesbian Place to Work Sex shop
Babeland knows how to turn us on. By Amy Andre
how. By Emma Hersh
35 Not Your Mother's Shrink A mental health col52 Scintillating Cynthia Nixon She's out and
lective that makes us feel sane. By Angela Watrous
proud and still doesn't want to talk about it. But,
she does tackle lesbian shoes, sexual freedom
and Planned Parenthood in this quick, exclusive
36 Chain of Command Why we love Kimpton
Hotels. By Aefa Mulholland
interview. By Andy Wright
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38 Ten Best Companies Our top picks for dykefriendly employers. By Catherine Plato
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41 Take My Money and Run Power dykes teach
us the fine art of financial planning. By Diane
Anderson-Minshall
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Departments
November 2006
"TheCastroused
to be teeming
with hornyboys
and girlswho
wantedto have
sex with as many
otherhornyboys
and girlsas they
couldget their
collectivepaws
on. Now, every
homowants
a family."
J
page 62
2
Frankly Speaking A friendly note from
our publisher.
16 Lesbofile Ellen and Portia make news
again, and Kathy Griffin gives another
juicy quote.
8
Contributors A few words on the ladies
whom we all love.
56 In the Stacks Rachel Pepper reveals
the latest by Daphne Gottlieb and Diane
DiMassa. Plus, the fight for gay marriage,
and BUST's editor shows us all how to
18 Scene Exclusive shots from the Chicago
Stitch 'n Bitch.
Gay Games.
9
Letters You miss Dana and love us, but
wish we had more Gay Games pix.
58 Music Watch Margaret Coble tackles
20 Ask Fairy Butch This best-of column
looks at three classic lesbian queries.
11 Out in Front Quick clips on Cecilia
Thompson, Pam Spaulding and Farrah
Krenek
Jennys and everyone's favorite righteous
babe, Ani D.
21 Lipstick & Dipstick What's a baby
dyke to do when her gay mum goes
back in the closet?
12 Curvatures Out and Equal Advocates;
Web TV comes out of the closet; Norma
Valley with tool tips; fashion-forward
Jenn Lindsay (shown above), the Wailin'
60 Tech Girl 'Tis the season to get a
smashing new camera. Find out what
you need now.
22 Astro Grrl Astrologer Charlene
Lichtenstein hands out some star advice.
crutches and election news.
61 Politics History, argues Victoria A.
Brownworth, is sometimes all we have.
54 Sapphic Screen Diane Anderson14 Open Studio Photographer Marcy
Mendelson gets behind the lens.
Minshall takes on the Almodavar-worthy
El Favor. Plus, Julie Goldman, Ryna and
62 Dyke Drama Michele Fisher on the one
who (thankfully) got away.
S2'
Cold as Summer (pictured above).
i=
72 Top Ten Reasons We Love Hot-shot
lesbian rapper Kritik, of Boise, Idaho.
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Contributors
"Campaigning for a cause or candidate that you truly believe in is a civic
duty. After my first political campaign, I was hooked;' says EmmaHersh,
who penned our Candace Gingrich article (see page 50).'J\ll it took was
a little volunteer work for a candidate whose priorities matched my own,
and I had the political bug:' Inspired by her experience as Statewide
Youth Outreach Coordinator for the Texas campaign to defeat the
November 2005 marriage amendment, Hersh set out to write this piece
to encourage the LGBT community to get involved and make a
difference in the upcoming elections. Former director of a Texas political
action committee, Generation Democrat, the San Antonio~based Hersh
presently consults on campaign youth outreach.
"Working with such brilliant and strong women has been nothing short
of a blessing;' says AmandaPoulsen
(left) of her stint with us at cuRvE.
She and a fellow editorial assistant, KathrynPapanek,
recently returned
to their respective colleges, Santa Clara University and Bowdoin College,
to finish their senior years. After earning her journalism degree, Poulsen
plans to drive cross~country to New York - chinchilla, dog, lizard and
boyfriend in tow - in pursuit of her dream to publish a column on
fashion or relationships. Meanwhile, in the snowy abyss of Brunswick,
Maine, Papanek is finishing her degree in classics with an interest in
homosexuality in ancient Greek culture, while her vegan Republican
boyfriend pursues his dream of investment banking. "We're weird;' she
explains with a smile and a shrug.
• Needto getaway?
Wehavethe perfectplace.
Actually,we have9,000.
Ourguidesare packedwltti
LGBTaccommodations,
bars,
bookstores,
cafes& more,
acrossthe US,Canada,
Europe& beyond.
s Icurve
"Having never worked for a big business mysel£ I was surprised to see how
progressive some of their employee policies were;' admits Catherine
Plato,
cuRvE's new associate editor and the author of our top companies list
(see page 38)."I was especiallyhappy to see some businesses reaching out to
their transgender employees,when even the larger queer community is often
so unaccepting:' A former CURVEeditorial assistant, Plato spent the past
year working in development for the San Francisco LGBT Community
Center, but was easily lured back by the stress, glamour, and glory of
publishing. In addition to writing for and about the queer community,
Plato has published articles in parenting and vegan magazines. A native
New Yorker with a Mormon fetish, she's excited to bring her energy back
to our pages for another round.
"No matter what profession we each choose, we all stand to learn
something from the women at Psyche;' explains AngelaWatrous,
who
wrote about the mental health collective for this issue (see page 35).
"They started out by really tuning into themselves - their own unique
interests and needs - to identify not only which field would be best for
them, but also the precise approach to their field that would allow their
work to be an organic expression of themselves. It was incredibly
inspiring:' In her own attempt to tune in to herself, Watrous actively
pursues her love of writing fiction. She's also the editor of 50 Ways to
SupportLesbianand Gay Equalityand Bare Your Soul:The Thinking Girl's
Guide to Enlightenment.Visit her online at angelawatrous.com.
Letters
curve
The L wo,ds
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"[T]hankyoufor the awesomefeature
'Gender101.' I am a recentlylicensed
clinicaltherapistin Ohioand willbe using
the articlesin my work. I was enlightened
and thankfulyou guysare doingyourpartto
educateus. I evencut the articleout ... and
willbe givingit to my clientsas needed."
A Sight for Sore Eyes
I have been a subscriber to
work comes across in every event you are involved in and every
CURVE
for the last six years and have
obviously enjoyed the magazine. This is no longer the case.
Noticeably for me at least, the last two issues (Vol. 16, #6 and
#7) are too difficult for me to read. The font is way too small and
the effort is too strenuous for me. This is not an eyesight problem
on my part as I have 20/20 vision. I noticed an'J\re We Hard to
Read?" in the Letters section and see I am not the only one ... but
that is of no consequence to you. Do the rest of your readers just
go along and accept what you have given them? I am mad about
this as I truly enjoyed CURVE
-
but again, reading with a magni-
fying glass is not what I am going to do.
- SarahE. Kelly,Portland,Ore.
issue that hits the stands.
I hear so many people in the industry speak of what an amazing woman [Founder /Publisher Frances Stevens) is, and I can see
from experience that her staff is a direct reflection of her love for
the magazine and what it stands for. I look forward to working
with all of you in the future.
- Dana Goldberg,stand-upcomedianfeatured in Vol. 16, # 3
Don't Blame the Messenger
Were really disappointed that Dana got dumped from The L
Word! She was a favorite among many of us out here. It took us
a while to figure out that Alexandra Hedison (Dylan) and Kelly
Gender 101
Lynch (Ivan) were walk-ans, but to get rid of Dana while keeping
the ditzes? We know CURVE doesn't have control, but where do
I wanted to thank you for the awesome feature "Gender 101''
we complain? Do you know what's going on?
(Vol. 16, #7). I am a recently licensed clinical therapist in Ohio
(Gasp! At least it's Columbus!) and will be using the articles in
my work. No matter that I have a friend transitioning, frequently
support my local drag troupe (go Royal Renegades!), and plan
on specializing in LGBT issues in therapy, I was enlightened and
thankful you guys are doing your part to educate us. I even cut
the article out, made copies, and will be giving it to my clients as
needed. You rule.
- Amy Pfeiffer,Columbus,Ohio
Kudos for including so much coverage about transgender people
in your September issue. There are so many issues in the lesbian
community concerning acceptance of transgenders. Many believe
that FTMs are really butch lesbians who have caved in under societal pressure to mimic heterosexuals for their own gain in privilege. Then, wouldn't that would mean lesbians are female heterosexual sellouts? I think not! On the other hand, many lesbians
are suspicious of MTFs trying to get close to us or gain access
to our space. Do they honestly believe that men would give up
their families, face unimaginable scrutiny, and give up their status
and privilege in the world just to get into our special club? How
arrogant and insulting.
- JB, Nashville,Tenn.
- Anonymous,St. Paul,Minn.
Editor's Note: Ah, if only CURVE had absolutepower. Sorry, we
don't know any more than you do, but checkthe officialWeb site at
sho.com/lword.Dana is quite the hot topicon the messageboards!
Gay Games
It was really nice meeting the folks behind the magazine at this
summer's Gay Games in Chicago. We were excited to see your
next issue (Vol. 16, #7), anticipating coverage on the Games.
Why no stories or pictures? This was a really big deal for the
LGBT community. Are you planning on any press in the upcoming issues? Thanks for all your time and energy and passion for
the spirit of womyn!
- Kim Theodore,Faiifax, Va.
Editor's Note: We had suchan amazingtime in Chicagoand would
like to give it as muchpressas possible.The issueis timing.We work
monthsin advanceto assign,edit,design,print and distributeCURVE,
and the issueyou refer to was written in May. But, checkout our
Scenepagesthis issuefor morephotosfrom thegames.
Got Somethingon Your Mind?
E-mail letters@curvemag.com; write to
Go Ahead, Flatter Us
I want to send a sincere thank you to the entire staff. ... I know you
are a tight-knit family, and your cohesion and passion for your
Rabble Rousers
Aslesbian
womenin the
conservative
stateof Florida,
myfianceeandI are
settingoutona dangerous
expedition:
Wearegetting
married.
Ourceremony
willbenextspring,andwe
arebigadvocates
forgay
marriage
lawsin
Florida.
Asyoumayor may
notknow,Floridaistryingto
passa billstrictly
definingmarriage
asa
unionbetween
a mananda
woman,
whichwould
specifically
discriminate
against
thegaycommunity.
Wewerehopingthatif
ourstorywastoldit could
encourage
otherlesbians
to
dowhatwearedoing,
aswellashelpadvocate
for
gaymarriage
lawsin our
homestate.
- KristenDunnandSara
Bruning,
Jacksonville,
Fla.
CURVE
Letters, 1550
Bryant St., Ste. 510, San Francisco, CA 94103; fax to 415-8631609. Please include your name, city and state. Letters may be
edited for clarity and length. ■
November 2006
I9
OFACHIL
OSED\NIT
M: 1 in 1
Farrah Krenek
Pam Spaulding
Cecilia Thompson
Actor, model and writer FarrahKrenekmay
Grab a latte and scootch on up to the com-
still be looking for her big break, but don't say
she's waiting for it. Determined to make it to
puter screen. PamSpaulding's
got something
Just one year after her graduation from Elon
University in North Carolina, activist Cecilia
the big screen, Krenek says she does the best
she can with every role handed to her, even
if only as a background extra, and calls her
work so far, "like being a small flower in a bed
of roses:•
"Being a small character of any kind of
to say.
"I was frustrated with the endless bleating
the Executive Director of the Guilford Green
of the religious right;' says Spaulding, a 43-
Foundation, a Greensboro-based nonprofit
year-old information technology manager at
Duke University Press in Durham, N.C. In
that touches the lives of thousands of LGBT
July 2004, she finally started talking back via
her blog, pamshouseblend.com, which now
means getting to hang around with amaz-
gets 3,000 hits per day.
ing people;' Krenek says. Having worked on
jobs alongside big name celebs like Michael
Unlike many of the other biogs taking up
cyberspace, Spaulding's interactive journals
Keaton and Ethan Hawke, Krenek is happy
to pay her dues in small parts, as long as she
have resulted in tangible successes for the
LGBT community. For example, one blog
can keep doing what she loves. Her latest role
informed readers about a right-wing legal
organization that had organized a "Day of
as an extra in My Super Ex-Girlfriend helped
her earn the credits she needed to become a
member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Thompson
has made a career for herself as
Truth" in schools across America. The group
folks throughout the state.
For the past decade, the foundation has
served as.a United Way of sorts, raising and
dispersing funds for a variety of queer-related
causes. In Thompson's first year, she and 20
community partners raised over $53,000,
which was then allocated to 12 different
groups including Equality North Carolina
and Triad Health Projects.
Thompson's role is as a liaison between
the foundation, potential donors and the local
had set up a Web page for young people
to order various forms of free propaganda
LGBT community organizations. She coor-
Her resume includes the usual commercials and extra jobs that most actors hold early
in their careers, as well as the role of Melanie
equating homosexuality with sin. Under
Spaulding's encouragement, masses of her
Drag Queen Bingo nights, a holiday designer
wreath auction and a black-tie gala.
in Eating Out, an off-off-Broadway play about
a woman's struggle with anorexia and bulimia,
readers ordered the free garbage with the
hopes that eventually the material would be
produced by Shea Theater. It was a role that
Krenek says hit close to home, having suffered
all gone. So many of her readers called in
with orders that the Web page crashed in
just one day.
And by the way, she's straight.
"The funny thing is, I didn't even have a
specific tie-in with the gay community;• she
from an eating disorder hersel£
"I took the role extremely seriously
because it affects millions of women everyday;'
she says. "It was a combination of emotion,
sadness and happiness:'
With a sexy, deep voice that holds the hint
of an Eastern European accent, the 29-yearold New Yorker says, ''.Atmy age, failure is not
an option .... And no matter how big or small
the role, you should do your best:'
Krenek says her inspirations include
Hilary Swank, Angela Bassett and Chloe
Sevigny. Hopefully, we'll get lucky and see
more of this hot lesbian on-screen soon.
- Laura K. Cucullu
Another time she informed readers about
an upcoming concert in New York that aimed
to "promote" AIDS awareness and education,
despite headlining the notoriously homophobic recording artists TOK and Beenie Man.
Spaulding's readers were so outraged that they
flooded the sponsor's phone lines for days.
Eventually the concert was cancelled.
"The important thing for me is to vent;'
she says. "If I can get people to say Tm not
going to give my money to people that don't
support us; then I get satisfaction from that:'
-Sheryl
Kay
dinates several fundraising events, including
says. ''I've always had a passion for social
issues - what's the difference if its youth
rights or civil rights or LGBT rights. It's a
natural thing for me:•
Intelligent, funny and pretty, she's the
heartbreak of many a lesbian when she
informs people that she is indeed straight.
But for work, being heterosexual just
might be a benefit, she said.
"The civil rights movement may never
have happened if some white person didn't
stand up and say it's wrong to treat black
people like this;• she says. "People see I'm not
fighting for me. I'm fighting for someone else's
rights:' -Sheryl
Kay
November 2006
I 11
Curvatures
TV Comes Out of the Closet
As the largest provider
Word cast:'
of
Trent says he and the
station's staffers, includ-
original gay, lesbian, bisexual,
Thanks for Nothing
Afterwinningthe
Democratic
primaryin
Alabama,
AIDSactivist
andoutlesbianPatricia
Todd(above)
wassetto
becomethefirst openlygay
candidate
for legislature
in
thenotoriously
conservativestate.However,
the
Democratic
Party'sexecutive
committee
unceremoniously
votedto disqualifyherand
thewomanshedefeated,
Gaynell
Hendricks,
for violatinga rulethatnootherparty
candidate
hasobeyedsince
1988- notfilinga
financialdisclosure
form
withthepartychair.Were
theDemocratic
Partyto hold
upthatrule,it wouldalso
haveto disqualify
the lieutenantgovernor
andgubernatorialcandidates,
setting
thepathfor a Republican
sweepof thestate."Patricia
gotthe mostvotesin two
separate
elections,
the
primaryandtherunoff,but
partybossesdidn'tlike
theoutcome,
so nowthey
wantto simplyhand-pick
a
candidate.
Whathappened
... wasunfair,undemocratic,
un-American
andunwise,"
saidDennisDisonof theGay
andLesbian
VictoryFund.
Luckily,othersagreedand
thecommittee
reversed
the
decision
justdayslater.
transgender and queer-curious
( they call that "GLBT plus")
broadband
video
ing high profile lesbians
like Osiris Munir, direc-
program-
ming on the Internet, Out of
the Closet Television is mak-
tor of music development
ing some waves in the looking-
outreach advocate Lynn
Thomas, design video pro-
for-something-new
and sales, and community
world of
grams for lesbians and gay
television programming. Out
of the Closet distributes their
men and rely on the viewers
to direct them.
"We really take the
content through 20 different
Web sites including America
input from our viewers and
go after the stories they
want us to cover;' Trent
Online, Gay Wired.com and
LesbiaNation.com, as well as
through their own site, out
ofthecloset.tv. Dedicated to
entertaining, educating and
admits. "The No. 1 clicked-
enriching all people about the
wonderfully diverse world,
Web site is the Lesbian
Channel. The fact that
Out of the Closet uses documentaries, feature films, celeb-
the
on
page
on
Lesbian
our
video
Channel
is
the most popular channel
drives us to focus on cre-
rity interviews, feature stories
and episodic programs to enroll a worldwide audience. And, as American networks battle
for their share of viewers, Out of the Closet is growing their
ating content that lesbians
enjoy. Even though more men visit the Web site, the heavy
viewership on an international level.
this overall interest. I guess gay men find lesbian content just
interest in lesbian program gears our development to cater to
"I started the online network because I knew that the
as interesting as lesbians find lesbian content interesting .... I
GLBT community is global. It's not a local or national audience only;' founder Ted Trent says. "We have a large fan base
guess the bottom line is quality content:'
The thousands of women who watch the network are also
some of Out of the Closet's content providers. Trent says,
in countries like Iraq, Japan, all over Europe:'
A survey of the channel's viewers puts their female audience at 38 percent and, Trent, says, "Our most popular video
stream on the entire Web site is our interviews we did of The L
"Only 50 percent of the content you see on OOTC is made
by us; the rest of it is submitted by lesbians and gay men to
showcase on our sire:' -
Aefa Mulholland
Crutch Couture
"I would have never in a million years thought I would be creating designer crutches;' Laurie Johnson says. "Most people's
response is, 'designer what?"' But after surviving a 2002 plane
crash that took the lives of her husband and 2-year-old son,
Johnson was left with a broken femur, a series of surgeries and
a new pair of drab crutches that she would rely on for over
a year. Realizing that toting around ugly crutches only made
healing harder, Johnson had her crutches painted and covered
with fabric, transforming them into something lovely rather
than a bleak reminder of pain and loss.
The redesign led her to create LemonAid Crutches, an
innovative company that aims to bring fashion and comfort to
injured folks everywhere. Her crutches come in a variety of cool
121curve
themes, like red and zebra print Zaire, flowery fleece Calgary,
and sleek black leather Vegas. Best of all, a full 50 percent of
the profits are donated to Step With Hope, a charity Johnson
started to aid people who have lost more than one family member. Even though injuries are a drag, there's no longer any reason why you can't look fabulous. Visit lemonaidcrutches.com
for more info. - Kathryn Papanek
z0
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"I do rememberdating a young gal ... and this girl was
kind of coming out and she decided it was time
to call her parentsand tell them she was gay. And
she called and said, 'Mom, Dad, I'm gay, and I'm
dating a musician,and this.is what I am.' And there
was a long silenceand kind of a grumble.And she
said, 'Well, gee, I didn't think you would have such
a hard time with me being gay.' And they said, 'Oh
no, it's not that. But really,honey, a musician?"'
. >> Melissa Etheridgeat the BerkleeCollege of
Music 2006 Commencement
TradingTulle for Tools
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The average American woman is evidently a little butcher than
we thought. According to the Home Improvement Research
Institute, women made more than 23 percent of power-tool purchases in 2004, and 78 percent of women own a combination
of hand and power tools. And stop buying your girlfriend lame
birthday presents - 52 percent ofladies would rather get more
home improvement-related gear.
If you're not quite the handy type but aspire to be, get familiar
with tool-wielding hot shot Norma Valley,host of the Discovery
Home Channel's Emmy-nominated series ToolbeltDiva. Now in
its third season, Diva recently made its debut as a radio show on
Sirius satellite network. Also check out Valley's new book, Chix
Can Fix, a girls' guide to home repairs, including plumbing, electricity, walls, floors, doors, windows and pretty much anything
else you can break. The former model and fiesty Brooklyn native
always keeps things entertaining and easy to understand. Even if
you never become a DIY diva, we bet you'll pick up some good
lingo to impress that tough-looking chick at the biker bar. For
more info, go to chixcanfix.com - CatherinePlato
"Who but a homo would be so obsessedwith homos?"
>> Megan Mullally,on PresidentGeorgeW. Bush,
whilehostingthe 2006 GLAADMediaAwards
"Anyone who believesthe hatred behind this amendment is any differentthan the hatred that led to our
son's murder is fooling themselvesand doesn't
understandwhat is happening every day in our
society.">> Judy and DennisShepard, parents
of Matthew Shepard, in reactionto the Senate
debate last June on a constitutionalamendment to ban gay marriage
"Howeverwe come hereis how we were meantto be
here.On a spirituallevel,I believethat. We don't
need to cure Down syndrome.">> Actor Halle
Berry,who playsStorm in X-Men: The Last Stand
November 2006
I
13
Marcy Mendelson
I
PHOTOGRAPHER
I
With an eye for beauty in unexpected places, San Francisco~based photographer Marcy Mendelson
(left) is quickly making a name for herself in her home city and beyond. The former CURVE staffer
began her career studying sculpture, video installation and goldsmithing, but discovered her love
and talent for photography during a trip to Italy in her early 20s. Her inspiration? A political rally
on the streets of Rome. Since then, her affinity for art and exploration has taken Mendelson around
the globe, capturing people, animals and landscapes from her many diverse trips. Most recently,
Mendelson's subjects of choice are pregnant women, whose photos comprise a major portion of her
online portfolio. According to her Web site, her pregnancy series evolved "as a way of expressing the
expecting mothers' individualities and to illustrate their strength of character through transforma~
tion:' Take a look at innercamera.com. -Amanda
Poulsen
14
Icurve
Curvatures
What Do We Want? Equality!
An organization that swims
upstream, Out & Equal
Workplace Advocates battles
against the strong current of
corporate policy and makes its
way to the breeding ground,
where fair and equitable prac,
lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin,
D,Wisc., and 2006 keynote
speaker George Takei (Star
Trek's Mr. Sulu).
Organizers
are deter,
mined to keep the conference
inclusive and welcoming to all
corners of the LGBT commu,
tices are implemented for
future generations.
A workplace that func,
tions to serve workplaces, Out
& Equal thrives on uncover,
ing discriminatory corporate
environments to expose big,
otry, homophobia and other
less,positive practices. Their mission is "to educate and empower
organizations, human resource professionals, employee
resource groups and individual employees" by training them
to incorporate nondiscriminatory practices. "Employers want
that, if they want the best and brightest employees," says Out
& Equal program director Dan Tussey.
Perhaps the largest event that Out & Equal runs is their
annual summit offering three days of intense mission,focused
workshops, networking and social events. Now in its 16th
year, the conference planners expect 1,500 participants - the
highest turnout in the history of the event. Program Manager
Alisha Diego Klatt describes it as "an amazing opportunity to
connect with re,energizing and inspiring people all over the
country and the world ... and to bring together a lot of perspec,
tives for networking:'
This year's conference features a Gala Awards Dinner with
Kate Clinton. Past attendees have included major corporations
and people like Judy Shepard (mother of Matthew Shepard
and co,founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation), out
nity. "Our effort is strong to
include women, bisexual and
transgender issues as well,"
Tussey says. As the organiza,
tion has grown, so have the
needs of workers within these
lesser,represented groups. In
recent years, the organization has been especially interested in
empowering the transgender community, through the addition
of several new workshops.
"I was so amazed at what the organization was doing and
at the people involved," says Cindy Laughlin, vice president of
the Board of Directors. Laughlin was drawn to Out & Equal
by her passion for social justice and her prior experience work,
ing with a social responsibility watchdog organization. "Out &
Equal is the thought leader for workplaces. I'm really proud to
be a part of it. Building diversity is probably part of the most
important work:'
Let's Roll, Ladles
BasedinWashington,
D.C.,
theGayandLesbian
Victory
Fund,thenation'slargest
LGBTpoliticalactioncommittee,announced
inAugust
thattheywereendorsing
77 candidates
in 2006
- theirhighestnumber
ever.AmongthoseareMary
Washington
(whocould
become
thefirstopenlyLGBT
African-American
legislator
in Maryland),
PaulaAboud
(Arizona
StateSenate),
AlexisGorriaran
(Rhode
IslandStateSenate)
and
MaggieMcIntosh
(Maryland
Houseof Delegates).
Toput
yourmoneybehindthese
candidates
orto seethefull
listof endorsements,
visit
victoryfund.org.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Out & Equal has grown
exponentially over the past decade and now has affiliates in
four cities, including New York, Dallas, Denver and Chicago.
Regardless of how large the organization grows or how many
additional slices of the population they address, the mission
remains the same: to pave the way for safe, inclusive work envi,
ronments for all people. - Allison Steinberg
Two Girls, Tons of Pans and a Quarterly
Based in Portland, Ore., the edgy and irreverent 2
Gyrlz Quarterly, described as a "literary journal of
sideways arts and culture," features original articles,
- interviews, art and literature. The journal is one of
the latest projects of 2 Gyrlz Performative Arts, a
volunteer,run nonprofit that produces art in every
form imaginable.
:::J'
Despite the name, 2 Gyrlz isn't as dykey as
a:
a you'd guess. Ask them whom their intended audi,
a:
~
ence is, and you'll get, "It's for everybody. We don't
::::,
a..
:::E give a fuck what gender you are or aren't:'
0
Q.
OK, but there's still an undeniably queer edge
:::E
0
to
the
quarterly. Take"Writer's Block Theme Song,"
0
~
a
poem
exploring the age,old writer's block conun,
0
drum
from
the perspective of an MTF. Written
~
by Kevin Sampsell (founder of
be found online, with colorful
the small,press Future Tense
names like "The Red,Headed
Books), it compares a "block''
Stepchild Edition:' Also avail,
in gender transition to that fa,
able are the Special Mutant
miliar thing we all experienced
Edition I ("Bride of the Red,
when writing school papers.
Headed Stepchild") and the
Another one of our faves
Special Mutant Edition II ("The
Red, Headed Stepchild Fights
was the poetry experiment
'i\nd Sky Fucks Tobacco;'
Back''), which is so much fun to
which is every bit as weird and
say that it's totally worth it to
Lit hit 2 Gyrlz Quarterly
wonderful as its title. With text
shell out the $57. Nonmutant
in the shape of a wave, it reads like a wild adven,
back issues start at $13, and if you're a starving
ture in ADD. We guarantee you'll feel compelled
sideways artist yourself, there's still plenty of great
to read it at least five times.
content online at 2gq.org. - Amanda Poulsen
Back issues dating from January 2006 can
November 2006
I
15
Curvatures
Lesbofile
Sweet Music to Our Ears
MTV has a lesbian, but there's no more Sleater--Kinney on the tube. I ByJocelyn Yoo
Get ready for the media invasion! Whether it's on
the silver screen, TV waves or the stage, lesbians
are coming out in full force.
Public Relations
Paparazzi got up close and personal with Ellen
DeGeneres
and girlfriend Portiade Rossi,when
the two were rear-ended in their Porsche by two
photogs who'd likewise been hit from behind,
E!Online reported. DeGeneres laughed off the
minor accident in this season's first week: "It's
good to have paparazzi around when you're in a
car accident;' she joked to her audience.
And by now, the majority of the Englishspeaking world knows that DeGeneres and
de Rossi are an item. However, count de Rossi's
99-year-old grandmother as one of the few who
was out of the loop - until recently. Unable to do
it herself, de Rossi reportedly asked "my mum to
show my grandma photos of me and Ellen, to kind
of tell her for me. She went back and showed her
photos and said that we lived together:' Grandma's
reaction:' "I knew you were living with Ellen and
all this time I was thinking, I hope that lesbian isn't
hitting on my granddaughter!"
"Itwas a muchbiggerdealthan I expected.And I felt a
greatersenseof responsibility
becausetherewere kids
writingletterstellingme thiswas theirstory. ... It was
the best experienceanyonecouldask for on a soap."
.....
Laugh Lines
Comedian KathyGriffinconfirmed to Larry King
that she'll be first in line to do stand-up on Rosie
O'Donnell's cruise line, R Family Vacations. And
though the D-lister isn't turning that way, Griffin
indulged King as to who would be at the top of her
girl hit-list if she turned pink. "I do love Suzanne
Somers;' Griffin said, "I think she's delightful, you
know her, she's awesome. And Patricia Arquette I
think is really beautiful. I don't know, I think everybody's beautiful like in their way or whatever. I
mean I'm not like, hot for chicks, but I'm certainly
not putting down people who are. And if that's
your life choice Larry, I'm not here to judge you:'
playing an amnesic bulimic who is dating her halfcousin is the epitome of art.
dles with won't be Sleater-Kinney,
who, after 11 years
of rocking out together, has decided to disband.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Music to My Ears, Model for My Eyes
Art Breaker
Though Broadway thespian EdenRiegelinitially
resisted joining Susan Lucci and the rest of the All
My Children cast, she's now - one Emmy later singing a different tune. "It was _amuch bigger deal
than I expected;' she told. the Boston Globe. 'i\nd I
felt a greater sense of responsibility because there
were kids writing letters telling me this was their
story... : It was the best experience anyone could
ask for on a soap:' Well, maybe for her. I still say
MTV generation, look out! Americas Next Top
Modelfinalist and Elite model KimStolzis the newest VJ to join mtvU, a 24-hour channel aimed at
college kids. "It's still sinking in that my new job
consists of interviewing hot new bands, traveling to
college campuses across the country and being completely tapped in to the music that's going to break
big in six months;' Stolz says.
Unfortunately, one of the hot bands she canoo-
Lord, have mercy on Banksy's
soul. In his latest work, the British renegade graffiti artist has
rendered late British monarch Queen Victoria
- who passed anti-homosexual laws during her
late 19th-century reign - dressed in stockings
and suspenders and cuddled in another woman's
lap. So who better to buy it than "Dirrty" singer
ChristinaAguilera,who's been known to wear a
pair of assless chaps or two onstagei' ■
16
Icurve
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PHOTOS:
DALESTINE
1 Doria Roberts and Margaret Cho at Gay Garnes. 2 Daniela Sea at Chicago's House of Blues. 3 CuRVE events manager Sara Jane Keskula (right)
with our wonderful Gay Garnes volunteers (from left) Flo, Lavonne, and Ben. 4 Athletes at the opening ceremonies. 5 Lesbian B-ballers: the only thing
that may be hotter than beach volleyball. 6 From left: Women's Community Fund founder Alison Burgos with comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer and
her girlfriend. 7 Chix Mix Productions Julie Mosier (center) with girlfriend and Super Gurl Images' Jackie Weinberg (right). 8 Actor Honey Labrador
at the Adrenaline Party in Chicago. 9 Yesi (left) from Pandora Events with girlfriend Veronica at Adrenaline. 10 Curvette Terri (center) parties
with actors Iyari Limon (left) and Janina Gavankar at the Garnes. 11 CuRvE contributing photographer Samantha Hamilton (top left) with friends.
12 Athletes from around the world participate in the Gay Garnes opening ceremonies. 13 Pole dance duo Gravity Plays Favorites (Michelle Lindsey
and Katrina Sullivan) perform at the CURVE-sponsored Black Bra Party. 14 DJ Gray (left) and Curvette Jennie at the Garnes. 15 Between lovely views
of Lake Michigan and girls in bikinis, beach volleyball's our new favorite sport. 16 Lesbian rapper God-des performing at Adrenaline.
November 2006
I 19
Advice
NINE WAYS
TO LOSE
YOUR JOB
Looking
fortheperfectway
to change
careers?
Hereare
ninesurefireways.
Offer to assist your
vacationing boss. After
sheleavestown,boardher
kidsat thekennelandtake
herBullmastiff
to preschool.
Bring new meaning to
casual Fridays. Weara
tiny,strategically
placedPride
flaganda "LickBush"tee.
Multitask. Surfgirl-on-girl
onlineporn,updateyour"I
HateMyJob"blogandrun
youreBayofficesupplybusinessfromyourcubicle.
Take full advantage
of free alcohol at the
office holiday party.
Getextremely
drunkandtell
yourboss'swife,"I thinkit's
greathowunderstanding
you
areaboutyourhusband's
frequentaffairswithhigh
schoolcheerleaders."
Spend your workday
getting stoned on
Sharpies. Stareat your
screen-saver
uttering,
"Whoa
dude... checkthatout."
Start a rumor that
your boss spends the
company's pension
fund on hookers,
poker and crack. Send
thisinfoin ane-mailto
everyone
in thecompany.
Make out with the
boss's daughter in
the conference room.
Videotape
it andauctionthe
tapeoneBay.Inviteyour
bossto jointheonlinefun.
Come late, leave
early and take 3-hour
lunches. Bragabout
thisflexschedule
to those
takingupyourslack.Use
job interviews
asa forumfor
screening
for potential
sexual
partners;
startwith,"So,are
youa topor a bottom?"
Help the receptionist
answer phones. Have
yourboss'sphonecalls
forwarded
to you.Answer
with,"She'sbusymeeting
withherattorney
regarding
theimpending
insider-tradinglitigation.
Innocent
until
provenguilty,youknow..."
-Kate Lacey
20
I curve
Ask Fairy Butch
The Best of Fairy Butch
Most dykes know that sometimes once just isn't enough. This fall
marks the 10-year anniversary of our beloved Fairy Butch column,
so were revisiting some of our favorite questions from years past.
Fairy will be back next month answering brand-new questions.
Dear Fairy Butch: What are your thoughts on our subculture standby, Lesbian Bed Death? Any ideas on how
to deal with it? - Wistful in Washington (March 1999)
Dear Wistful: Yes, my dear, though there are scads of lesbian
couples who keep the embers burning long into their second,
third, and yes, fourth decades together, this theme does seem to
be a recurring one. Here are a few tips, which may be of use in
your efforts to jumpstart the nether regions of your relationship.
1) A word to those folks who haven't yet found /'amour:pick
a gal who really flips your blintzes in the first place - one with
whom you have a real, durable sexual rapport. While it's wonderful to have your abstinence relieved after a drought, and it's often
exciting to sleep with someone new, there is a difference between
sexual novelty and a real, solid, durable sexual chemistry.
2) Once you're in the mix, work some separation into your
pairing - set up a regular weekly solo evening with friends or take
an evening course or workshop by yoursel£ If you live together,
make sure that you are able to maintain some privacy for yourself
within your home. Part ways when getting ready for a hot night on
the town with each other; a wee retreat in the water closet goes a
but I want to be able to kiss and touch her during
the process. We've tried using a small dildo in
her ass while I am in her vagina, but before long,
it gets pushed out in all the excitement. I feel like
I need a third hand. Any suggestions? - Two
Handed in Tuscaloosa (February 2003)
long way in making your eventual time together more special.
3) Try something brand new in the boudoir: pack for a date
Dear Twosy: Darling, you don't need a third hand -
with your lover, whether it's the traditional bundle or some
need a buttplug! Buttplugs are designed for an occasion such
spicy new lingerie. Buy an erotic video, or write up instruc-
as yours. Narrow at the top and wider toward the middle, the
plug becomes markedly narrow again, and ends in a flange,
tions for a romantic date which lead her to a fancy hotel in
the middle of the week. Hire a limousine to traverse your city's
fairways and do the deed in the backseat, or have a violinist
serenade the two of you during a catered dinner at chez toi.
4) If LBD has truly taken hold and you are determined to
vanquish it, make a dramatic change in the pattern of your relationship; take a romantic, fun-filled vacation in a sumptuous new
locale. Exciting new surroundings can loosen up boundaries and
old inhibitions and get a sexless relationship out of its rut.
5) Don't allow our culture to enter your boudoir if all is
actually well with you and yours. Sexuality in general is often
reflected in terms that best reflect the needs of men; for example, frequency is often privileged over duration. If in honestly
evaluating your relationship and your happiness therein you
find that you are actually satisfied, I say frequency stats and
friends' opinions be damned.
6) If one or both of you are genuinely unhappy with the state
of affairs and tips two through four have failed,more serious action
should be taken. Consider seeing a couples counselor, sex therapist
or other sexual problem solver,tulip, and prepare to delve.
Dear Fairy Butch: My girlfriend loves to be penetrated in the ass and the vagina at the same time,
you
which prevents the toy from escaping up your tush. What
makes this toy different from other toys:' ... Why, it stays put
- hands free. You see, the sphincter muscle opens up around
the bulbous part of the plug, and then clasps around the narrow recess. This makes the plug ideal for use while simultaneously screwing, cunnilingus, visiting with the in-laws, writing
an advice column, whatever your pleasure. Plugs are available
in a variety of materials, but I hold a particular fondness for
silicone, as it can be disinfected when the party's over.
Dear Fairy Butch: I'm getting ready to visit my
girlfriend in Alabama via plane. I was wondering
if I'll manage to get past security while packing.
My harness has metal O-rings that connect to
the leather straps. Do you think it would be wise?
- Harnessed up in Honolulu (June 2005)
Dear Harnessed: Only if you fetishize getting interrogated
and felt up by ladies in uniform. Investing in a nonmetal harness, or perhaps a cyberskin packy, would be my course of
action, sugar. Try the fabulous sex-toy store Grand Opening to
enlarge your collection. ■
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Lipstick& Dipstick Advice
Long--Distance Longing
out there, Helena. And while I'm preaching, listen
turned and you've officially surpassed her sensi-
up lesbians -
quit living in fear and remember we
bility, so now you're in charge. Move Mom out of
must take risks in order to live a fulfilled life. Ask
the master bedroom and take away her allowance;
the cute girl out, leave the job you hate, go on that
trip to Belize! Besides taking risks, if you're single,
it's also important to make out with every available woman possible (operative word: available).
Throw caution
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I have a
friend, Deb, whom I met a few years
ago online. We started seeing each
other right before my ex and I got back
together. Once we fell apart again, I
contacted Deb to see if she was still
interested in giving us another shot. She
said she would but wanted to "see what
happens." Well, even though we went
on a couple platonic dates, nothing ever
did, so I moved away. But now, a thousand miles away from her, I'm wondering "what if." We still keep in touch, and
there's always this white elephant in the
room when we talk. What should I do?
- Hesitant in Helena
Lipstick: Get off the computer, pack your bags
and go pin chis woman against the wall. You
should have kissed her before you left, but whatever. Bygones. As soon as your lips touch, you'll
know if the white elephant was alive or if it was a
figment of your lonely imagination, like the dancing baby in Ally McBeal.You've got to put yourself
to
the wind and get on a plane!
Dipstick: Lipstick, you've been listening to too
many self-help tapes. Sure, Helena needs to chase
her dreams, but not a wild goose! This reminds me
of a notorious stalking incident a few years back.
Instead of buying a plane ticket and setting yourself
up for a restraining order, or worse, Helena, the next
time Deb calls, take a deep breath and let the truth
spill out. Then if she's willing to take a chance, hightail it outta here, before she changes her mind.
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I'm a high
school girl and both my mom and I are
gay. Mom's in the closet, but has been
with Sue, whom I adore, for a year.
Recently, she told me she doesn't want
to be a lesbian and that she's straight.
I want her to be happy, but I think she's
just in denial because she worries
what others think. I'm out and my mom
doesn't like it. What can I do? - Way
Beyond My Years
Dipstick: Kiddo, I totally see your point. But if
there's one thing we learn as we age, it's that you
can't control what someone else does with their life.
Apparently, Mom still needs to learn that one. Yes,
she's screwing up her life and she may come to regret
it but, unless she asks for your opinion, it's best to keep your tiny trap
dosed. About her choices that is.
Remain out and proud and true to
yourself Start having gay-straight
alliance meetings at your house.
Ask Sue to be your sponsor. The
more she's around, the harder it will
be for your mom to resist her.
Lipstick:The only thing Dipstick
got right was that you should stay
out and proud; beyond that, the
butch has it all wrong. Don't sit
back and be passive! Tell Mom
how you feel. The tables have
she's grounded for setting a bad example. But don't
get too cozy in her king-size bed, for her denial
will eventually catch up with her. Rest assured
it will manifest in one of two ways: either she'll
marry some schmuck and be miserable, or she'll
wise up and be back between a nice pair of feminine legs soon - fingers crossed they'll be Sue's.
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I've been in
a serious relationship with Wendy for six
months, but ever since the beginning
I've been really into this other friend of
mine, Julie. She and I had something
going on about a week before I met
Wendy, but she was with someone else.
Julie and her girlfriend just broke up and
there's still an intense sexual connection
between us. And she's totally my type,
whereas Wendy really isn't. What should
I do? -Confused and Crazy
Lipstick:You should listen up. Why did you even
bring poor Wendy into this mess, Confused and
Crazy? If you weren't into her, why did you bother?
Are you one of those women who can't stand being
alone? I've got good news and bad news, CC. The
bad news is you've become the butt oflesbian jokes.
See those dykes laughing in the corner? Yep.They're
laughing at you and warning their friends to steer
dear. The good news is there's time to change your
ways. Before you enter into your next "serious" relationship, I urge you to understand these are hearts
you're dealing with, not cars you can trade in. Heed·
my advice or end up broken down and deserted in
the junkyard like the other reckless drivers.
Dipstick: Yes CC, Lipstick is right. The problem
is that you jumped into something serious. Like
most lesbians, instead of just dating a girl or sleeping around, you had to get serious right away.Those
girls are snickering at you from behind their lattes,
but it's because you haven't learned "intense sexual
connection" does not equal "long-lasting relationship:' Dump Wendy, and ask Julie out. But only
for a date, not to wear your commitment ring, for
Christ's sake. ■
Ask us anything about sex, love or lesbiansonlineat
lipstickdipstick.com.
November 2006
I
21
Advice
Astro Grrl
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Do you
mean what
you say?
Hot babes
cool off
quicklyif
you don't
thinkbefore
you speak.
Evenbetter,
don't use
your mouth
for talking
at all.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Sex: You meet many new ladies even as current relationships heat up. Love the one you're with or seek
fresh pastures to graze. Is the grass greener? Career:
Sapphic Scarps need to rely on their professional wits
now. Let's hope that you're not at half-speed.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Sex: Love is found in the strangest places this
November. No surprise considering your taste in
women. Career: What or who is revving your energy
at work? Archers chink nothing of working late and
giving the extra effort. Stop or they'll expect it from
you all the time.
Capricorn (Dec. 22--Jan. 19)
Sex: Lonely? Check out a few familiar faces. Gal pals
provide the sizzle. Will you bring the steak? Don't overcook. Career: You can make merry even when you
travel for business. Hmm, who else will you make merry? Book
a ticket today!
revelation? Maybe not.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Sex: Noc only do you have your pick of the litter, you manage co
get the attention of a certain well-placed lady at work. Work your
way up ... or down. Career: Aqueerians can get love or money
on the job. Why not try for both this November, lucky girl?
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Sex: You may not know her now, but you soon will! That is, if
you can get off your couch and venture out. Career: Careers
undergo dramatic change. Some of it is your own fault, some
of it is not. It eventually gets better. But of course, "better" is a
relative term.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Sex: Do you mean what you say or are you just fanning the
air? Hot babes cool off quickly if you don't think before you
speak. Even better, don't use your mouth for talking at all...
Career: Lambda Rams rely on shock and awe for their corporate game plan. How much is up to you. Wouldn't you prefer a
quiet work environment instead?
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Sex: She loves the way you move. She loves the way you
groove. She just loves you. Whoops, she loves you not. Whew.
She's far too high-maintenance! Career: Daydreaming on the
job has its advantages. You will never be as creative as you are
now. But Sapphic Bulls should at least try to look busy.
Gemini (May 21--June 21)
Sex: The water-cooler chatter heats to a boil. Are you passing
love notes to a coworker? Just be sure that you don't hit "reply
22jcurve
all:' Career: Expect a few upheavals of your own making in
your career. Twin grrls don't know what hit them. Maybe it's a
Cancer (June 22--July 22)
Sex: November is the month for romance! Hot pink Crabs
sure know what to do to attract the ladies. But then what?
Prioritize your time and talents so you don't waste a drop.
Career: Money is tight through November. Try to find a wellendowed benefactress to see you through the hard times.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Sex: Get roasty-toasty at home rather than in faraway places.
Phone it in, accept it COD and enjoy all the wrappings. But
is it what you ordered? Career: Lionesses may suffer from a
lack of confidence but shouldn't delay any corporate mergers.
In fact, you know what to do, how to do it and whom to do it
to. So just do it.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Sex: Relationships have their assorted ups and downs. Will it
last or will it fade? Truth to tell, you have a secret admirer. Seay
tuned. Career: Yes, you deserve that promotion but you need
to do more than just ask for it. Tie up all the loose ends and
make your move. Anyone we know?
Libra (Sept. 23-0ct. 22)
Sex: Does money buy happiness this November? Oh, let's give
it a good try! Career: There are times when lesbian Libras just
don't know when enough is enough. Is November one of those
times? Perhaps you should strive for boredom on the job. ■
For more advice from the stars, visit our astrologer,Charlene
Lichtenstein,online at thestarryeye.com.
_--:..---:,,--:
..
-_..._--..
....................
...-:.._
........_..._.-.._...._--:.:
........-•·.........
- •
..._._
..----~
:- :... ______
--._:..:.:.:.
..__:.._:·
-
--
An .Irish
Metamo
On a sunny late March morning
as our tour guide drove us around Belfast, I
caught sight of climbers, suspended on ropes, scaling the Europa Hotel's 1970s-modern exterior.
During the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland,
euphemistically referred to as "the Troubles" by
locals, the Europa was bombed at least 30 times,
granting it the dubious distinction of being one
of the world's most-bombed hotels. Clearly, the
times have changed in Belfast.
"Do you see any police anywhere?" our tour
guide asked."You won't, because Belfast is so safe
now:' Indeed, since the Good Friday Agreement
between the British and Irish governments was
reached in 1998, there are few signs of the violence that plagued Northern Ireland's capital city
for so long. Streets are thronged with teenagers
and tourists now, and the Victorian city hall, with
its gilded dome and marble steps hailing back to
a period of industrial prosperity, presides over a
city brimming with enthusiasm and, well, relief
that those troublesome times are over.
Everywhere I went in Belfast, plans were afoot
for economic redevelopment that goes hand-inhand with rediscovering Belfast's pre-Troubles
ceilinged pub evokes rural Ireland in a way rarely
found in the scores of Irish pubs scattered across
the world: rough edges worn down with time, and
the hum of Gaelic a pleasant buffer to the traffic
of the outside world. And at St. George's Market,
located in a riverside warehouse on the weekends,
the local harvests spill out over stalls manned by
friendly entrepeneurs. You can taste handmade
cheeses from local farms, choose from among dozens of varieties of olives, and ogle the fishmonger's
gleaming wares - a reminder that Belfast is, after
all, a port town.
Despite all the overt plans for economic expansion and cultural development, it's perhaps inevitable that I found the city's political past to be its
most intriguing draw. During the Troubles, both
Catholic and Protestant Belfastians painted hundreds of political murals depicting IRA and loyalist
soldiers, rebels, victims and campaigns. Although
some of those murals have been painted over with
images of local football players and author C.S.
Lewis, many of them are still visible, and a tourist
industry ofblack taxi cabs has arisen to shuttle visitors through those streets to view them.
Our driver sped through the Falls Road and
IfYouGo
•••••••••••••••••
How to get there: There
are no direct flights from
the United States to
Belfast, so you'll have to
grab a connecting flight
from London, Amsterdam,
Dublin, Paris or Prague.
Where to stay: The
Malmaison offers velvet
sofas, W-style ambience
and high-speed Internet in
every room; malmaisonbelfast.com.
What to do: Sample
the traditional Guinness at
a string of historic Belfast
pubs; belfastpubtours.com.
Contact Ken McElroy
Tour Guiding Services for a
personal trip around town;
kmtgs.co.uk.
St. George's Market,
on May Street, is open
Saturdays from 10 a.m. to
elfastisinthemidstofa renaissance.
ByMalinda
Lo
4p.m.
What to eat: Nick's
Warehouse delivers
delicious, locally grown
history. Huge cranes, nicknamed Samson and
Goliath, tower over the world's largest dry dock
Shankill Road neighborhoods pointing out various murals; thankfully, he slowed down to allow
and serve as reminders of Belfast's shipping industry heritage. The Titanic was built here, in a vast,
empty pit beneath the massive aerial structures
that once lifted ships the size of monsters above
me to snap photos of a huge mural depicting the
women of the IRA. These working-class neighborhoods remain largely divided according to religion, but the guard towers that once held British
soldiers are now used only by local police.
Falls Road, which is predominantly Catholic,
and Shankill Road, which is predominantly
Protestant, are separated by an infamous barrier
known as the Peace Wall- it's 25 feet high at some
places, topped with wire mesh. Graffiti snakes over
the wall, the names of visitors signed and dated next
the ground.
Even the city's nascent gay scene bubbles with
welcome; the locals obviously want visitors to
feel at home here. At the Union Street Pub &
Restaurant, the queers mingle over strong cocktails and cigarettes, and though there isn't a large
women's scene, it's easy to find women to talk to.
One woman, a nurse, advises me that Belfast isn't
the kind of place where you want to walk down
the street hand-in-hand with your lover. Her
gay friend agrees, but later that night I see them
again at the Kremlin, Belfast's largest gay nightclub, and nobody seems too concerned about
who's holding hands with whom.
On a rainy, late afternoon tour of Belfast's historic pubs, I sampled both the Guinness and the
sense of centuries ingrained in the wooden tables
at White's Tavern, founded in 1630. The low-
to images of soldiers carrying machine guns.
I asked the driver to pull over alongside the
wall and climbed out of the car to take a few photos. The road that runs along the wall was largely
deserted that morning, and in the distance I could
see the empty guard towers, the roofs of the brick
row houses and the green hills beyond the city.
In this place, more than any other in Belfast,
there's a palpable sense of transformation:
These walls are evidence, stone by stone, of
undeniable change. ■
produce in a relaxed atmosphere; nickswarehouse.
CO.Uk.
Where to be gay: Go
to Union Street for the gay
experience; begin your
night at the Union Street
Pub & Restaurant; unionstreetpub.com. Wind up
at the destination for disco
divas, the Kremlin; kremlinbelfast.com.
For more info: Check
out gotobelfast.com.
Despite a safer'downtown,
the graffitied Peace Wall and
some lingering Troubles-era
murals stand as testament to
Belfast's turbulent history.
November 2006 j 25
YouCanTakeItWithYou
Newswagthat'llmakeyourtripevenbetter.
Luggage
You're going, it might as well be in
style. Grab any one of these hot
travel totes from World According
to Jess ($90 and up, world
accordingtojess.com) and you and your
furry friend will be chic. Our faves:
Bubby's Crossword, Doggy Day Carrier
and Something to Talk About Traveler.
For weekenders, Goorin Brothers' super
butchy Bone Daddy and the wittily
named Darwin and Dr. Watson bags ($64 and up, goorin.com) will keep you
traveling in dyke style.
If utility is more your thing, L.L. Bean's Personal Organizer ($19 and up,
llbean.com) is a durable, water-resistant toiletry hang kit with shower caddy
and unbreakable mirror.
If Sparky needs a home of his own, the lightweight and easy-to-pull
Tutto Pet on Wheels ($115 and up, tutto.com) will help both of you make it
through customs in comfort (and it works for plane and auto travel). Crunchy
girls with little ones will also adore the Sherpa New
Island Puppy Pet Carrier, made of raffia, with a cute
bone closure ($190, sherpapet.com).
Books
LesbianMusts
Everytravelerneeds a
good book (above)and
there are a bevy of options
for girts.On the bottom:
To die for bags from Wortd
Accordingto Jess include
the DoggyDay Carrier
(right)and Somethingto
TalkAbout.
THROUGH
THE ~YE OF THE
STORM
CHOLEN~
88VINOZA
a quirky new guide book like Route 66: Adventure Handbook ($23, santamonicapress.com), How to Travel Practically Anywhere ($16, hmco.com)
or Road Trip USA: Cross Country Adventures on Americas Two-Lane
Highways ($30, roadtripusa.com), or an essential lesbian travel planner like
the perennial Damron: Womens Traveller ($18, damron.com) or There Is
Room at the Inn: Inns and B&Bs for Wheelers and Slow Walkers ($22, dem
osmedpub.com).
If you're like us and want to sink your teeth into a lesbian-authored first
person adventure, check out Gillian Kendall's Mr. Ding's Chicken Feet: On
a Slow Boat from Shanghai to Texas ($23, wisc.edu/wis
consinpress) or the Hurricane Katrina rescuer
memoir Through the Eye of the Storm ($15,
chelseagreen.com). A handful of collections offers myriad perspectives: the brave Mexico: A Love
Story (sealpress.com, $16), the funny Sand in My
Bra and Other Misadventures ($15, sandinmybra.
com), The Best Womens Travel Writing 2006 ($17,
travelerstales.com) and the lushly conscientious
Code Green: Trips of a Lifetime That Won't Cost the
Earth ($20, lonelyplanet.com). And while Willa
Schneberg's Storytelling in Cambodia ($14, calyxpress.org) won't introduce you to new travel culture, these poems
about the Cambodians' struggles are a thought-provoking intro for
anyone flying to that part of Asia.
TechandTools
Worried about losing your wallet on the road? Grab a Data Dot DNA Kit
($25, datadothome.com) before you go so that 10 of your favorite toteables
(laptops, cameras, bikes, cell phone) can be marked with laser-etched data
dots with a personal identification code unique to you. The registration helps
ID your lost luggage.
Lesbian-owned Damron teamed up with Earthcomber to form the first
personalized PDA for LGBT travelers ($20, damron.com). This spot guide
will initially run on Palm OS and Windows Mobile Pocket PC handhelds
showing the traveler where all of the lesbian hot spots are, in whichever city
in the world they are traveling.
If little ones are in the midst, LG's adorable Migo Phone from Verizon
Wireless is a must ($300, kidswireless.com). This GPS-enabled phone has
the ability to work as a tracking device with Verizon's Chaperone program for
children between the ages of 5 and 12, looks like a little alien with two antennas and has four programmable keys and a large emergency key. With the
family plan at Verizon you can get yourself a sexy pink or charcoal Motorola
RAZR V3c, a Migo for the wee one, and a Bluetooth headset, all for free.
And if you're flyinghigh to get to your destination, nothing beats Noisebuster
Electronic Noise Canceling Headphones ($70, protechcommunications.com) to
block out that annoying aisle mate or screaming baby next to you.
GetYourPartyOn
Drinking it up may be fun but driving after a martini is none too cool.
That's why we love the Alcohawk Elite digital breath alcohol detector ($140,
Q3ATS.com), which lets you blow and judge for yoursel£ And if you're one
of those, er, erotic travelers, well the new dyke must-have is the Mile High
Kit ($55, babeland.com), which comes packed with breath mints, blindfold,
do not disturb sign, lube, massage oil, a vibrator and more. Oh my. Mini Mile
High Kits are available, too.
Camping
Out
When it comes to end-of-summer fun,
nothing beats a dyke camp-out and a few
must-haves help ease the way to primitive
life.Crazy Creek'sTherma Band ($8, crazy
creek.com) holds a disposable heating
pad in an armband that'll heat you right
up if your tent mate can't, while the super
portable Power Lounger ($76, crazycreek.
com) makes for a perfect seat, lounge or
sleeper anywhere you put your hat down
(I even use it in the office).
The EyeMax Am/FM Radio ($60,
ccrane.com) is an awesome wind-up
portable that runs up to 35 minutes on
a 30-second wind-up. Plus, there is a built-in flashlight for emergencies or
quick trips to the Porta-Janes.
And if any kind of skiing is in your sights this fall, grab a tube of punky pink
Zinka Colored Nosecoat ($6, zinka.com). It blocks out
rays and will make you feel like Picabo Street. If you're car
camping across the country, you may have to settle for a
truck-stop shower now and then. Fret no more, femmes,
there's now DH C's Body Cleansing Sheets ($4, dhccare.
com). With cucumber, aloe and shiso (Japanese peppermint) these baby wipes for grown-ups keep the
summer sticky from turning to icky.
Portable Swag
Clockwise from top: Goorin Brothers'
Bone Daddy weekend bag, the Mile
High Kit from Babeland, Verizon Wireless Migo telephone for kids, the Alcohawk digital breath analysis machine,
the EyeMax AM/FM wind-up portable
radio, Crazy Creek's Power Lounger
and Noisebuster's Noise Cancelling
Headphones
OutinCyberspace
It's beyond portable and on many a dyke
hot list now: Travelocity's new super comprehensive database of TAG-approved
hotel options. TAG, short for Travel
Alternative Group, offers third-party,
unbiased evaluations of LGBTfriendly properties. Gay travelers
are already gaga over the first of
its kind database ( travelocity.
com/gaytravel, free). ■
November 2006
I 27
DieselFemmes
Fatgirls are gomggc1gc1
for Soss1tyCt11ricuz1o·s
llandrnadeslip dresses.Nowyou can,too.
ByDianeAnderson-Minshall
Moving to Tombstone, Ariz., six weeks into
her freshmen year in high school was, Sossity
Chiricuzio says, as difficult an experience as
you could imagine. "That was enough of a
bull's-eye on the back, as it were, but I also had
a strange name, an accent and a thrift store
wardrobe;' she laughs. Unlike today, DIY and
thrifting weren't yet the epitome of fashion
"It wasn't even acceptable;' she laughs.
Now 35, the Portland-based dyke designer
is getting the last laugh on those suburban nay-
sayers. With a women's studies degree from
Arizona State, Chiricuzio took her hippie roots
and started her first 'career" as the founder
of Motherwit Design, a lesbian-owned Web
design firm, in 1996.
"I am working-class, and as such, have had
to do many jobs in my life that were about
repetitive, unvalued services that render the
worker invisible: wait staff, cleaning woman,
childcare, etc.;' she insists. "The Internet
offers visibility, activism, direct networking,
vast stores of information and a potentially
affordable selling medium for the people I
was most interested in working with: small
businesses, artists, musicians, activists, nonprofits, educators, women and queers:'
To start her own company, Chiricuzio
left a well paying job building Web sites for
dot-corns that she felt compromised her ethics and started living a more hand-to-mouth
existence as a self-employed woman doing
work she valued.
''And I've never regretted it;' she adds. In
1998, Chiricuzio started designing clothes,
"I had workedthe festivalfor eightyearsat that pointand knew
that if the femmesthat workedthe festivallikedmy stuff,I was
definitelyonto something,"Chiricuziolaughs."Ittakes a fierce
fashionsenseto make lingeriereallywork in the woods."
first making slip dresses for herself and her friends and later trading
them at the barter booths at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.
"More and more people started asking me where I got my dress,
or skirt or cami;' she recalls. "So I started making custom pieces. For
the first couple of years I was mostly selling to folks in my circles, and
at local events, but then one summer a friend who was a vendor at the
Michigan Festival offered to sell some of my pieces for me:'
Those first 32 plus-size dresses went like hotcakes.
28
Icurve
"I had worked the festival for eight years at that point and knew that
if the femmes that worked the festival liked my stuff, I was definitely
onto something," Chiricuzio laughs. "It takes a fierce fashion sense to
make lingerie really work in the woods:'
After all her handmade slip dresses were gobbled up, Chiricuzio says,
"My path was confirmed:'
In 2001 she officially launched her line of handmade intimate outerwear, Diesel Femme Wear, online at dieselfemmewear.com; today she's
Whip It Good
Recyclinggets sexyat lnHerTutJe.
ByJocelyn
Voo
got a growing client list and an even bigger fan base.
But with two companies and a handful of extracurricular activities -
performing in big burlesque
shows as Silke Siciliana, in the Cupcake dance
troupe as Tira Misu and doing a tiny tour as backup dancer and singer for bisexual blues diva Candye
Kane - how does she find the time?
''I've had many jobs but, before these, nothing
I would consider a career;' she admits."To me, that
word implies a type of work I'm willing to dedicate
a large portion of my life and energy to - work that
I'm going to invest in, work that is going to bring
me happiness. The combination of Motherwit and
Diesel Femme Wear keeps me creative and active,
gives me great opportunities and reasons to network with crafty folks and all the other people I
want to work with, and lets me be my own boss and
choose what work I will and won't do:'
The daughter of a young mom who was raised
by female relatives in a hippie community got her
work ethic from the women around her.
I'm sitting at my desk at my day job on a Monday morning, and there's a 20-inch, industrial-strength
love whip sitting by my keyboard. The tassels, made of tough black rubber, are dense, meaty. I imagine that being flogged is going to hurt like hell. So of course my first impulse is - human resources
sexual harassment lawsuits be damned - to ask my coworker to spank me with it.
Conclusion: Yep, hurts like hell.
But that's the beauty of it, says Kat Humbert, the vet technician/artist/professional
pervert
"Their hard work and good examples inform
behind InHerTube Harnesses, a three-woman company that makes custom dildo harnesses and
all my labor, and the loving web of women that
raised me and helped me see my own value are
what I had in mind with the name 'Motherwit;''
fetish wear from 100-percent recycled heavy equipment and heavy-duty truck tire inner tubes.
"Rubber is erotic to me because it starts cold and warms up as you wear it, looks amazing and fits
she says. "Knowing from such a young age the
power of women helps give me the strength to be
femme, and requires that I challenge the notion
of woman/ femme equals weak. A Diesel Femme
isn't having a butch moment when she fixes the
flat tire, uses the power saw or runs the bedroom
romp. She's femme, so that must be part of what
femmes are capable of:'
One thing that might hint at this fashionista's
hippie roots is her unique pricing system that
allows for bartering in some cases and gives preferential pricing "to the LGBTQ tribe, working-class
like a second skin, but mostly because of the way it smells;' Humbert explains. "Nothing smells like
tube: hard and industrial:'
Her love affair with the tough material started as a young girl when she would sneak into her
father's garage, which was filled with heavy construction machinery.
"I wasn't supposed to be in his tire shop, but always was. I'd go in and bounce on the tires and
dig around in the tube. By the time I was done, I'd be covered in black tube grease and rust. And
every single time I'd get spanked;' she recalls. "No amount of punishment worked, though. The
filthiness and smell of the rubber, and how naughty and good it made me feel, always outweighed
the punishment:'
Ironically, years later when Humbert started In Her Tube, her father was the first one to give her
tube to work with.
InHerTube harnesses are durable, water-friendly, don't require special upkeep and are easily sterilized. Velcro clasps make them easy to slip on and off, and accommodate moderate fluctuations in
size. But perhaps what makes In Her Tube a stand-alone among fetish lines is its customizability.
folks, people of color and other disadvantaged
groups:' Her mission at Diesel Femme, she says,.
is to help women feel good about their bodies. To
that end, she's made another alternative choice: to
Harnesses are custom-built to your specific measurements, which means a fit like no other. And if
you're a naughty girl with more curves than most people know what to do with? No sweat.
"That's the whole reason I started InHerTube;' Humbert says. "There just aren't many harnesses
stop marking sizes on her clothing.
"I do have a size chart on my site to give both me
available for fat girls, and they're sexy! Going to a store and not being able to find something that fits
can really make you feel desexualized. Fat girls should be able to fuck, too!"
and the client a sense of their range, but individual
measurements are really the only accurate way to
Along with her two lovers, Humbert does all the gritty construction - from cutting and sanding
to gluing and riveting - in her Washington state home. And despite working with intricate machinery and power tools, Humbert reports only minor crafting accidents. "Most of the bigger injuries
happen when we're testing the floggers and other SIM accessories;' she admits coyly.
get something that truly fits. If I mark a dress as a
size 2x, and a woman who wants it thinks she's a
3x, even if I am sure it'll fit her, she'll be reluctant
to try it on. Or, almost as dangerous, she'll find
it does fit and then attach self-confidence to that
size, rather than to how the dress actually makes
her feel:' ■
Above all, InHerTube believes in having fun in bed, regardless of your size or want.
"Don't be scared of what excites you, or what you think might excite you;' Humbert tells dykes.
"Feel free to explore, feel free to feel; if you aren't having great sex, you need to do whatever it takes
to make it better:'
Amen, sister. Now, I'm off to find an ice pack. ■
November 2006
I29
Nevada:Not Justfor Gamblers
Onelesbiancouplebringsart. andqueerculture.to Reno.By DianeAnderson-Minshall
Stories about the life,changing nature of 9 / 11 are so common as to
be cliche, but not for Meredith Tanzer, owner of the quirky art bou,
tique La Bussola in Reno, Nevada. A former sales and marketing guru,
Tanzer was dividing her time between New York and her native San
Francisco when she watched the planes fly into the Twin Towers.
"The event and the days that followed made me realize that if some,
thing so profound could happen in an instant that there were other
The many faces of La Bussola
(clockwise from top left): A
giant bra adorning the store
was created for a 2002 breast
cancer fundraiser for the local LGBT community center,
A Rainbow Place; Tanzer's
handmade paper-covered
vases on display; La Bussola's
owners Dawn Lewis (left) and
Meredith Tanzer took a chance
on Reno and it's paid off; a
queer customer gets jiggy with
vintage luggage designed by
artist D. Bennet.
experiences to have;' Tanzer admits. Her partner of 12 years, photogra,
pher Dawn Lewis, was in France at the time.
"We could not connect for days - it was awful;' Tanzer recalls.
"When she returned we decided that we didn't feel safe in a big city and
wanted a change:'
For Tanzer, 35, and Lewis, 49, that change led to not just a new
home but a whole new business venture, running Reno's adventurous
and ever,so,lesbian art boutique La Bussola. But why Reno~
"Reno seemed logical - only three hours from our friends and fam,
ily (in San Francisco);' Tanzer recounts. 'i\nd it was technically a 'little'
city and it had seasons. We could live in a place three times the size, be
able to produce art and be able to play house in the suburbs:'
The couple's initial plan was to travel and sell their artwork from
their home base in Nevada. Lewis, a working artist for over 35 years,
has shown paintings, digital work and photography at mainstream gal,
leries around the country and has courted queer fans since she shot the
second cover of the seminal lesbian erotic magazine On Our Backs,back
in the 1980s.
A born entrepreneur, Tanzer ran her first lemonade stand at 6, got
her Girl Scout cookie top,seller badge by 10, and by 18 had her own
successful jewelry business. As an adult she took her sales and promo,
Opposite page: Local drag
tion skills from emerging alternative publishing and film companies to a
queen Cha Cha sweeps in style marketing agency and then on to the dot,com world.
at the the boutique's grand
"The experience of working with many start,ups with all different
opening party.
budgets taught me the value of working like crazy, being creative and the
rewards that come with dedication;' she recalls.
But when the duo hit Reno, their plans changed when a gay friend
told them about an art gallery where they soon began showing their
work. "The owner felt we got it and asked if we would be interested
in buying the gallery;' Tanzer says. The opportunity to own a retail
30
I curve
ForVegans
Everywhere
gotten tremendous support from the local LGBT
community. "Whenever someone gay comes to
town they tend to find us on the Internet and drop
by,"Tanzer laughs. The couple gives back as well
by hosting fundraisers, providing donations and
a location for queer events. Their informal educational and encouraging environment for artists
and patrons sets them apart as business owners.
"It can be very scary for artists to show their
work and intimidating for people to talk about
arr;• Tanzer says. "We wanted to create an environment of creativity, acceptance and inspiration
for everyone. We offer a space for kids to come in
and create art on our floors. We have interactive
displays in the store. We are very focused on the
experience. We say hello when you walk in, thank
you when you leave, gift wrap for free and are very
involved in growing a better community:'
Another thing visitors love about La Bussola
is its dog: Annie "The Store Dog," as it says on her
collar, has become a celebrity in her own right,
Lewis says. "Kids and customers stop by just to
see her. The travelers that pop in are happy to give
"It can be veryscaryfor artiststo showtheir
work and intimidating
for peopleto talk about
art,"Tanzersays."Wewantedto createan
environmentof creativity,acceptanceand
inspiration
for everyone."
storefront that carried their products, supported
artists and offered an interesting retail location
was a dream the two had never considered.
"When we opened we carried the work of 20
artists and a selection of vintage and retro furnishings," Tanzer recalls. "We now carry the work of
over 70 artists in many mediums - furniture,
6
handbags, soaps and lotions, jewelry, pottery and
paper goods. Our goal is to provide a venue for art~
:::,
ists, cottage industries and DIYers a place to show
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g work and be paid a decent price for their work:'
a:
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Valuing artists is one thing that sets this 3a..
a..
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year-old boutique gallery apart, Lewis says. One
a..
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of the best pieces of advice she got about running
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La Bussola is "to pay the artists on time. This
~
~
may seem like a no-brainer but many artists are
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hesitant to show with smaller galleries because of
~
g_, fear of nonpayment or closing of a gallery without
Cl)
~...J notice to the artists:•
Nestled in Reno's emerging gay arts district
z
alongside the Truckee River, La Bussola has
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A Massacl1usettc:t : '
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1~1, 1t11upe(c1t1(J11 ByRachel
Pepper
Located in the heart of Provincetown,
Massachusetts' main retail strip, Tofu A Go-Go
is nirvana for those seeking a vegetarian enclave in
the midst of the countless art galleries and fudge
shops lining Commercial Street.
Co-owners and legally married life partners
Star Chicaderis and Max Lewis run the business seasonally from spring through late fall.
Along with their staff of Go-Go Girl assistants,
Chicaderis and Lewis regularly serve up yummy dishes like Crack Tofu and Vegan Alfredo.
Known for their incredible views looking down
on Commercial Street from their second-floor
deck - with the resulting cruising and posing
over the railing par for the course - as well as
their eclectic clientele and, of course, their food,
Tofu A Go-Go is a favorite stop for vegetarians
and vegans in P-Town.
Annie the affection that their pets at home are
"The most pleasurable thing about owning the
missing. She will walk you through the shop, ask
business," Chicaderis says, "is that Max and I get
to play ball and waits outside for people to pet and
to work together every day. We are the chief cooks
kiss her. She has also hosted an art show to raise
and bottle washers. And we have the most awemoney for the local SPCA:'
some customers:'
Annie's moms have divided the rest of the
Tourists and locals alike flood the restaurant
company's needs accordingly with Lewis handling
during a typical lunch hour. On any given day,
all the accounting, graphics and domestic duties
you'll see lesbian mommies, tattooed tranny boys
and Tanzer handling day-to-day operations, artand straight couples happily eating together at the
ist recruitment, marketing and promotion. Tanzer,
sunny outside spot. Visitors adore the ability to
who also serves on the executive board of the River gather together in the friendly atmosphere that
Walk Merchants and is a former board member of : lesbian filmmaker Jenny Livingston compares to
A Rainbow Place and Nevada Artists Association, : an "upscale art colony cafeteria. And the food is
says that being lesbians makes the duo better busidelicious!"
ness owners.
Sensitive to special diets and allergies, the duo
"The luxury of being gay is learning to accept carries vegan baked goods that are surprisingly
and appreciate many kinds of people and views,"she delicious and renown far beyond Provincetown's
says."Being women has taught us how to be strong
shores. Good food, sexy women and winters off
and smart and passionate about what we do:' ■
- what more can a lesbian couple ask for?
For more on La Bussola, visit the Web site
"We have a great life,"Chicaderis admits. ■
2by2creations.com.
For menus or cutegirlsgo to tofuagogo.com.
November 2006
I31
Best LesbianPlaceto Work
Till~
'--:f'COrnl-l~u
gest lestmn companym tt1eU.S.. Babelandknowsl10wto makework fun. ByAmyAndre
They'd been together for several years, and the alltoo-stereotypical refrain of "lesbian bed death" had
become an unfortunate reality. That is, until they
walked into a Babeland sex-toy store to attend
Strap-On Seductions, an introductory-level class
about dildos and harnesses. Both women were
shy, but afterward they approached the instructor,
Babeland's co-founder Rachel Venning, for some
advice on product selection.
"Later on that week, one [of the women]
came back;' Venning recalls. She was there to let
Venning know that their sex life was now great,
and even better was their feeling of having had an
adventure together. Turns out attending Babeland
University, as the in-store educational workshop
series is called, had coaxed them out of their usual
routine and brought the spark back into their bedroom and their relationship.
Everyone knows that lesbians and sex toys
go together like hands in gloves, so to speak. We
love to play, and, like the now swinging-from-therafters couple at Babeland U, we can be creative
and resourceful about it. So it's no surprise that
pleasure retailer Babeland is the second-largest out
lesbian-owned company in the U.S. Co-founded by
Venning and her business partner Claire Cavanah,
Babeland has grown tremendously in its 13 years
of existence, with four stores nationwide and a
booming Internet presence. This success can't just
be due to the irresistible appeal of the products,
though; if that were the case, other toy companies
would be doingjust as well, and many are not. No,
what sets Babeland apart from the herd may be
the same thing that makes you special, too. It's a
lesbian thing.
''A lot of queer people, because weve had to
examine our own sexuality, have a gift to bring to
the culture;' Venning says. The gift? Sexual selfacceptance. Lesbians and other queer people so
often act as sexual confidantes to our straight friends,
encouraging them to explore and giving them permission to try new things. Let's face it: our sex lives
can be super hot and straight people are intrigued.
Babeland is not just a sex classroom for lesbians like
the Strap-On Seductions couple - it's also the cool
gay best friend of toy stores. And like any cool gay
best friend, it inspires accolades.What other sex-toy
company do you know that has won Zagat Awards?
But Babeland is more than just a boon to lesbians and best friend to pleasure-product seekers. It
also offers a unique work environment.
''A lot of people who work at Babeland have
a fierce loyalty for the company;' Venning says.
"Working at Babeland gives people a chance to do
32
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work that feels meaningful. It's work that people can sink their hearts
into:' The Babeland mission is based on creating a more sex-positive
sick days and 401Ks. After two years, employees qualify for parental leave
of absence. Each Babeland staffer also gets $50 a year to take any class
world, she says, and the company culture reflects that.
'There's a lot of discourse involved. It's a very team-oriented space;'
>-
Venning continues. "We're allfocused on customers getting support, [and]
I love creating a company that is an excellent place for people to work:'
related to the business. When was the last time _youworked for a company that covered the cost of your Butt Sex 101 course?
Speaking of education, informed customer service is now considered the cornerstone of any store, and Babeland's is no exception. New
0
The benefits package reflects this dedication. All staff members who
work part-time hours or more get health coverage, life insurance, child
staff members receive 20 hours of sex education from current staff. The
training covers sexual anatomy, physiology and everything you ever
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November 2006
I33
wanted to know about the products for sale. Venning explains that the
was on fat people and their partners, which was very well received:' That
training program has a three,pronged effect, in that it educates the new
folks, gives current employees a chance to review material, and provides
class, Big Love 101, is aptly described in their course roster with a fact
that lesbians know well but the rest of the world may be slower to catch
up on: "sexy bodies come in all shapes and sizes:•
an opportunity for both sets of people to get to know each other.
The business was founded in Seattle in 1993, at a time when friends
Venning and Cavanah, as 20,somethings tryfng to figure out what to
do with their lives, discovered they were both interested in creating a
"Educating the community is part of the mission of Babeland.
Our stores can act like community centers and bring people together;'
Venning says. "We create a public forum where people can talk about
"Workingat Babelandgivespeoplea chanceto do work that
feels meaningful.It'swork that peoplecan sinktheirheartsinto."
satisfying and meaningful contribution to the world.
Since then, they have opened their flagship store in Seattle, two loca,
tions in New York City, and their most recent venture in Los Angeles.
There are also two Web sites - babeland.com and the G,Spot Center
their sex lives, and that's really supportive and encouraging for people:•
at gspotcenter.com -
and in the last 13 years they've gone from two
cess, sees the new developments in quality as a sign that sex toys them,
employees to around 80.
And there's still Babeland U; its most popular and most frequently
offered classes are on oral sex, anal sex and using dildos and harnesses.
selves are becoming not just more luxurious, but also more mainstream.
As for Babeland, they plan to keep growing and keep opening more
stores. They may even pursue designing their own Babeland,brand toys.
What won't change is the company culture. "We're lesbian,owned [and]
On the teaching side, everyone gets involved.
"We have guest sex educators who come in from out of town to
teach about half the classes, and the other half are taught by staff mem,
bers;• says Venning. "We had one recently in a store in New York that
34
Icurve
So, what's on the horizon for this company? Venning observes that sex
toys have gotten much better in the past decade, with an emerging luxury
market as well. Venning, who says accessibility is a key to Babeland's sue,
women,oriented;' Venning says."! feel really proud of our stores and Web
sites. I think it will keep getting better. Even with a repressive political di,
mate, the whole sex,positivity thing has a lot of momentum to it:' ■
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Not YourMother'sShrink
Goingon t11ejob with therapistswho actuallyget ,t. ByAngela
Watrous
What's unique about Psyche, a mental health collective in Oakland,
California,
becomes
immediately
apparent when you see their ads. The
banner on one exclaims, "Not Your
- Mother's Therapist!" and reaches out
to sexual outsiders, alternative couples,
diet survivors, artists and those living
with 'good girl syndrome;' among others. Before you even meet therapists
Beth Bernstein, Christy Calame and
Matilda St. John, you feel like you
know something about them.
While clever and hip, these ads are
also the result of deep thought and
professional integrity.
"We thought, what is our ideal
client? Who is underserved, or not
served effectively~ Who do we want
to spend our day with?" Bernstein
explains. "Then we asked ourselves,
what would those people respond
to, and we designed our ads so they'd
think 'That's a therapist who has a bit
of an edge: They know, Tm not going
to shock you:"
When the three women of Psyche
first decided to hang their shingles
together, everyone told them group
practices never work. But they forged
ahead ( to great success, it should be
noted), because they had a shared
"Ittook me yearsto understandwhat I'm sacrificing,"
Calameadmits."Youhaveto mindwhat you wear
to Trannyfest,becauseyou'realwayson the clock
if you run intoa client."
sensibility and cause: they each felt
hemmed in by the blandness of traditional therapy, and they weren't interested in having to go undercover
about their own personal edges. Instead, they each wanted to build private practices with clients who lived lives they deeply understood and
related to, and they wanted to be able to professionally but authentically
express themselves as part of the therapeutic process.
While each woman has her own set of clients and areas of particular interest, they share an overlapping political and cultural sensibility.
Expressing rather than hiding this sensibility with their clients has
served to attract the kind of clients they most wanted to serve. Calame
talked about how this approach has enhanced her relationships with
clients: "If we have to go to deep, hard places, we have some kind of fit
in our world view and sense of humor. I spend all day working, having
one-on-one interactions with interesting, diverse people, talking about
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issues I care about:'
Of course, their mainstream professional training didn't really cover
how to effectively combat fat phobia or support clients' bicultural realities or polyamorous relationship issues. It didn't teach how to serve
transgender clients or clients who did sex work without treating aspects
of their lives as pathological. And so, after spending between five and
seven years going through intensive schooling, completing thousands of
(mostly unpaid) clinical training hours and passing a rigorous exam process, the women entered into an equally important but informal aspect
of their education. This involves continually reading books, Web sites
and professional texts on their areas of specialty, and then taking it up
with each other clinically to see how to best integrate that knowledge
into their practice.
As much as they love their work, they do warn that serving your own
small subculture has a few drawbacks.
"It took me years to understand what I'm sacrificing,"Calame admits.
"You have to mind what you wear to Trannyfest, because you're always
on the clock if you run into a client:' While they each agreed that they've
given up something to specialize the way they do, they also agree that
the rewards of their work have far outweighed the challenges.
"People start to relax their defenses. There's that moment when someone softens - 'This is what I really feel. This is what I don't let anyone
else see:" Bernstein explains, choking up, seeming to surprise hersel£ But
she pauses, allowing her own raw emotion out to hang there in the room.
Then she nods. "To me, that's the best part of the job:' ■
November 2006
I35
Chainof Command
Longbeforethe travelrnmketd1scoverecl
lestm11sKimpton.a cl1a111
of boutiquel1otels.sl1owecJ
its
commitmentto LGBTemployees.ByAefaMulholland
Loved by guests for its quirky decor,
thoughtful features and unusual extras,
Kimpton Hotels is an exciting chain of
more than three dozen boutique properties
in the U.S. and Canada, founded in 1981.
The five pillars of Kimpton's operating philosophy are "care, comfort, style, flavor and
fun;' and there are few companies so serious
about fun. Hotels feature whimsical details
such as goldfish to keep guests company
in rooms at the Monaco properties, honor
bars that feature anything from candy necklaces to harmonicas to an Etch a Sketch,
Silly Putty or animal print robes. Yoga programs, pet-friendly policies and hip partner
restaurants also add to Kimpton's appeal.
This outside-the-box
mindset also
applie~ when it comes to how the ·company
relates to staff. Rather than creating policies to tone down staff and cram them into
a company mold as is often the way in the
hospitality industry, Trent Latin, who works
in guest services at Vancouver's Pacific Palisades, says, "The Kimpton
culture celebrates diversity and individuality .... We are encouraged to
36
from every region of the country. The company trains front desk staff
not to make assumptions but instead to offer choices. For instance,
express our personality through our conversations with our guests and
our appearance. Nothing about Kimpton is cookie cutter:'
"We want our employees to be comfortable where they are;' Pacific
if two women arrive at the check-in counter, staff must always offer
Palisades hotel manager Linda Chin says. "When we hire and when we
and supervisors, including those who are gay and lesbian, bisexual
train, one thing we are very adamant about is that staff members be
allowed to show their personalities. (Staff members don't have to] be
and transgender.
Chin comments, "It's not just to do with sexual orientation, (in
starchy or scripted. Not everybody looks the same. They can let their
personalities shine through. We definitely have procedures, but staff
Kimpton] we get to celebrate our ethnic and cultural backgrounds as
well:' Manson reminisces about the time an East Indian housekeeper
can be themselves when they talk to guests:'
Katharine Manson, marketing and media relations coordinator
had a lunchtime butter chicken cook-off with the chefs. She grins and
says, "We can celebrate our backgrounds through food:'
for the Pacific Palisades and property spokesperson for K-GLEN,
Kimpton's Gay and Lesbian Employee Network, talks of her delight at
Kimpton actively courts the LGBT market, with advertising campaigns and through its LGBT InTouch newsletter, sent out to 6,000
being able to work with pink streaks in her hair.
Not having to conform in every way can have huge appeal for queer
people. Latin says, "Of the three management teams that have run the
registered members every quarter. "The (LGBT] demographic is a
great fit for our hotels;' says Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer for
Kimpton. "The culture of our company has always been about celebrat-
(Pacific Palisades] since its inception, Kimpton is the most accepting
(of LGBT staff]:'
It's hard to imagine a more queer-inclusive corporate climate. The
ing individuality. It's one of our core philosophies:'
But wait, before you dash out and change careers or vacation plans,
there's more. The company summ izes its admirable "social responsibi-
company created a Diversity Initiative program in 2003, which is committed to creating a culture that acknowledges, understands, accepts,
values and celebrates differences among people. Both The Advocate
lity" policies with the tagline, "Kimpton ares" ~nd it feels like they do.
The company has made social responsibility an integral part of its corporate culture. At a time when many corporations are cutting costs and
magazine and the Human Rights Campaign have recognized Kimpton
as one of the best companies for LGBT people to work for. In HRC's
2004 Corporate Equality Index, Kimpton was the only company in the
hotel industry to earn a perfect score. They scored 100 percent again
in 2005.
holding back on contributions and financial support of nonprofit organizations, the Kimpton Hotel group boldly trots the other direction.
Chin says, "A lot of people want to volunteer, but don't have the
time outside work:' Kimpton's caring ethos allows staff - and guests
- to get involved with fundraising. Leondakis states, "Kimpton Hotels
K-GLEN advises the company on personnel and community outreach concerns. The committee meets quarterly and has representation
have developed strategic partnerships and alliances with organizations
that are themselves committed to making a difference, that value and
Icurve
a choice of a king or two doubles. Sensitivity training is mandatory,
and employees are expected to respect all guests, fellow employees
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support specific life choices and promote a better quality of life:' Each
partnership consists of a two,month nationwide fundraising campaign
that includes special local events and fundraising opportunities that
involve guests.
For the last three years, Kimpton has partnered with the National
AIDS Fund. The 2005 "Every Red Cent" Campaign raised $45,000 in
two months. Throughout this nationwide campaign, Kimpton donated
a percentage of proceeds from each reservation booked at one of their
hotels and set up special training for employees on the virus. Efforts cul,
minated on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, when Red Hot Relief fundrais,
ing parties were held in 12 cities. And in 2006, the company announced
a partnership with PFLAG.
Another initiative that Kimpton strongly supports is Dress for
Success, an organization that aims to advance low,income women's eco,
nomic and social development and to encourage self,sufficiency through
career development and employment retention. This year's suit drive at
Vancouver's Pacific Palisades clothed 150 clients.
"It's about clothing women who want to get back to work, giving
and awareness for Dress for Success on a year,round basis and have fun
doing it;' Chin says.
them confidence through the suit and pairing them with a mentor to
get through their first, second and even third interviews. It's not just a
suit - we coach them how to deal with everything, right down to office
politics. It's a whole one,year commitment. Our goal is to raise funds
toric buildings, these social priorities make for a great place to stay
or work. So, whether you're looking for a career change or a weekend
break, choose Kimpton and feel good about it. ■
Added to stylish, fun accommodations, many in transformed his,
November 2006
I37
Top 10 Companiesfor Lesbians
Thesedyke-friendlybusinessestop our 11stBy Catherine
Plato
Companies That
Get It Right
Big business can still feel like a virtual boy's club, but most of
our country's largest corporations are making strides in the
right direction. These days more than 92 percent of Fortune
500 companies include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies, according to Equality Forum.
Cross-referencing the two most recent top companies lists - from the Human Rights Campaign and
Diversityinc. - weve compiled a list of CURVE S top
picks of lesbian-loving Fortune 500s to help you
find a respectful, racially diverse, pro-queer and
socially conscious employer.
So what's so great about these businesses?
All are Fortune 500 companies that received
a perfect 100 score on HRC's Corporate
Equality Index, which rates organizations on
their commitment to staff diversity training
and discrimination policies that include the
whole LGBT spectrum. Diversityinc. also factors in retention rates among minority staff,
partnerships with minority-owned businesses
and the CEO's direct involvement in diversity
initiatives. You can find these lists and others
online at curvemag.com.
They may not have made our
top 10, but check out these
other note-worthy companies.
Best-Dressed: The Gap.
With a zero-tolerance policy
toward discrimination, this
1
corporation with socially progressive San Fran roots offers
equal benefits to its workers'
domestic partners as it does
to legal spouses. Through the
Gap Foundation, they also
donate generously to many
HIV/AIDS organizations.
Best With Women: Xerox.
Though it didn't make this
year's Fortune 500, we just
had to mention Xerox, famous
for its tradition of LGBT- and
woman-friendly policies. Since
2001, Xerox has been led by
a female CEO, Anne Mulcahy.
Runner Up: TimeWarner.
1. Hewlett-Packard:
The information technology
giant tops our list this year, due to consistently high
HRC ratings, plus kudos from places like Working
Mother magazine and the National Association of Female
Executives. Since 1997, HP has offered health insurance
to its employees' domestic partners, and since 2005, transgender employees have had surgical procedures covered by
insurance. HP's policies have garnered acclaim from
its workers around the world, securing it awards in
Scoring an 86 on HRC's
Corporate Equality Index,
TimeWarner deserves our
attention for employing out
lesbian Karen Magee as their
senior vice president of strategic planning.
Best Place for Moms:
SC Johnson & Son.
Singapore, the Czech Republic and Chile, among others. 'Dtey're also known for sponsoring LGBT pride
festivals throughout North America.
In addition to a perfect HRC
score, the household cleaning
supply company earned a
spot on Working Mother's top
2. Pepsi:Fortune recently named Pepsi among the
1O list. Founded in 1886, it's
top employers for women, and it's only getting
better. Just last month, Indra Nooyi moved up
the corporate ranks to become Pepsi's first-ever
female CEO, as well as the first person of color
to fillthe position. A Pepsi commercial featuring
Queer Eye's Carson Kressley also took home top
honors at the Commercial Closet Association's
2006 Images in Advertising Awards, which
recognizes positive representations of LGBT
folks in advertising.
still a family-owned business.
Best for Frequent Flyers:
American Airlines.
Industry leaders when it
comes to LGBT advocacy,
American is the official airline
of GLAAD, the NCLR and several other civil rights organizations. Last year they added
a section to their Web site,
AAvacations.com/rainbow,
geared specifically to LGBT
travelers. -Catherine Plato
38lcurve
•
3.American
Express:
In addition to great employee
policies, an out lesbian fills one of AmEx's highest
corporate offices.Jody Teeven, vice president of the
JetBlue Card Portfolio, has been with the company
since 1989, and has strongly supported its diversity efforts throughout her
career. Also, in 1995, AmEx began
catering to its LGBT clients with its
Cheques for Two product, which allows two different names to be includ-
Where Women
Are Today in the
Fortune 500
ed on a check -
perfect for families
that can't legally marry and don't share
a last name.
14. 7% of board of director
seats are held by women
4 WellsFargo:When antigay group
3.4% of board seats are held
Focus on the Family closed all its
by women of color
Wells Fargo accounts last December
in protest of the bank's donations to
1. 7% of corporate officer
LGBT causes, Wells Fargo made no
positions are held by women
concessions or apologies. "We're abso-
of color
8 companies are led by female
CEOs
6.4% of women hold top-earner
positions
lutely proud of our support for the gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender community;' spokesman Chris Hammond told the San Francisco
Chronicle. They donated $50,000 to GLAAD in 2006 alone, and continue to financially support
LGBT causes around the country.
5 Ford:Even though it ranks as the fifth largest company on the Fortune 500 list, Ford hasn't forgot-
1 % of women of color hold
ten its commitment to its employees or its consumers. "Including sexual orientation protection helps
top-earner positions
companies tap into the over $600 billion annual U.S.A. gay and lesbian consumer market;' says Allan
Gilmour, their former vice chair and one of the few openly gay execs in corporate America. However,
Stats from catalyst.erg.
pressure from bigots at the American Family Association may have convinced Ford to briefly pulled
What Matters the
Most to You?
its ads from LG BT-themed publications last December. Thankfully, they rescinded the decision just
Finding Love 39%
6 JP Morgan:One of the world's most powerful banking houses is also one of the world's leaders
days later.
in promoting a safe and inclusive workplace. JP Morgan requires every single employee to attend a
diversity training, which includes information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Working
Mother has twice rated it the "Top Company for Women of Color;' and Diversity Inc. has placed it on
Career Building 25%
Having a Good Time 20%
their top 10 lists for best companies for African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos.
Starting a family 9%
Retirement Planning 7%
7 Citigroup:
The eighth largest company on Fortune's list actively recruits LGBT students pursuing
According to a January 2006 online poll at
Curvemag.com.
their MBAs, and supports plenty of LBGT student organizations. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network recognized their many contributions to our community last January at their
Respect Awards. Employees can join resource groups such as Citigroup Pride and Citigroup Women
to connect with other workers in their respective communities.
States Without
Fortune 500
Companies
8 Prudential:
The insurance and investment behemoth made headlines in 2002 when transwoman
You can't turn to big businesses
Margaret Stumpp returned to her job there after gender reassignment surgery, increasing awareness
if you live in Alaska, Hawaii,
Maine, Mississippi, Montana,
of LGBT issues throughout the firm. As a current senior vice president, Stumpp is one of corporate
America's few transgender individuals to hold such a high rank. Prudential has also scored a perfect
North Dakota, New Mexico,
100 on the HRC list since 2003.
South Dakota, Vermont,
West Virginia or Wyoming.
.............
States Without
Fortune 500
Companies That
Offer Protection
Though Utah is home to two
......
.
9 Sprint:Sprint's Managing to Win Program provides 7,000 executives and managers the tools and
skills required to create an inclusive work environment, making it the largest training initiative in the
company's history. In 2005 they began extending employee benefits to domestic partners. That April,
Kansas voters officially declared that "no relationship, other than a marriage, shall be recognized
by the state as entitling the parties to the rights or incidents of marriage:' However, Sprint stood
by its ethics and continued providing benefits to its employee's domestic partners throughout the
Sunflower State.
Fortune 500s (Autoliv and
Huntsman), neither offer
a sexual orientation
nondiscrimination policy.
40
Icurve
10MerrillLynch:
This year Merrill Lynch led Barron's list of the "Top 100 Women Financial Advisors:'
The Securities Industry Association bestowed them with the Diversity Leadership Award three years
in a row, and the company recently launched a series of retirement plans geared toward LGBT business owners. They also sponsor the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. ■
Take My Moneyand Run
Twopowerdykesin SanFranciscomakefinancialplanninglook.well. sort of sexy
By DianeAnderson-Minshall
Ever wonder what is the most common finan,
cial mistake women make? San Francisco
lesbian financial planner Rachel Robasciotti
will be the first to tell you: "Underestimating
how much it will actually cost to retire," she
says without pause. "A lot of us know that
we need to save more than our parents did
in general, but we don't understand the mag,
. nitude. We're living in a completely different
financial world from our parents and grand,
parents. Not only do we have to save more
because we're expected to live longer and
can't rely on pensions or social security, but
the exponentially rising high cost of housing,
education and health care get in the way of
our ability to save what's needed:'
Once a leading financial planner at a
Fortune 500 financial services firm (which
shall remain nameless), Robasciotti left cor,
porate America when the pressure to "sell"
the company's insurance
and investment
products - even when they weren't the best
option for clients - became too tough.
So she put out her own shingle in 2004
as Robasciotti & Associates, Inc., with one
part,time staff member in a two,room office.
Today there are five staffers including her
business partner, associate financial planner
"We'vefoundthat mostwomen,regardless
of theirfinancialstatus,stillharborthis
universalfear of becominga bag ladyin
theirold age."
Maya Philipson.
Philipson had experienced some of the
same big,firm concerns. "Rachel and I met in 2005 and I was surprised
to find a firm with values so similar to my own, and one that focused on
helping women and the LGBT community:'
Today the women work side by side, and nearly all of the firm's di,
ents are queer.
"We chose to make working with women and the LGBT community
z
I
0
--,
t--=
en
~
m
UJ
0
of how those concerns can shape women's ability to plan. Philipson, on
the other hand, grew up in Berkeley, Cali£, as part of a lesbian family
where both of her mothers were well,educated professionals.
"So, we have a wide range of experiences that help us to truly
empathize with our clients' various economic situations," Philipson
says. "Women and LGBT families seem to be attracted to our femi,
a priority in our practice because these are our communities and they are
traditionally excluded from financial planning," Robasciotti says.
''.And, ironically, our communities tend to need it more;' Philipson
nist approach to financial planning:' For example, the duo takes great
care to understand and integrate their clients' values into their planning.
"When it's time to make decisions, our clients know what their options
adds. "Women are more likely to live longer and have an underfunded
retirement. Lesbian and gay families have multiple complex financial
are, what we recommend for their situation and chat they will be fully
supported regardless of their choice:'
needs as a result of our inability to legally marry:'
That doesn't mean that because they need it, they actually get it
though: "Weve found that most women, regardless of their financial
status, still harbor this universal fear of becoming a bag lady in their
old age," Robasciotti admits. "The fear around financial planning usu,
The duo has made it a mission to dispel the myths about financial
planning, especially the notion that it's for the wealthy. "Most new di,
ally comes from the association that people make between money and
personal survival. And it's a real association. In our culture, if you don't
have money, you don't have access to the basics:'
Robasciotti, who, despite her slight resemblance to an L Word,era
Jennifer Beals, was raised in a socio,economically disenfranchised rural
community in a family with two disabled parents, is particularly aware
ents coming to financial planning are middle,income people who need
help figuring with their employee benefits, saving for retirement, bud,
geeing and debt management;' says Robasciotti.
And unlike most commission,only advisors, fee,based planners like
she and Philipson aren't hard,pressed to find high,net,worth clients
in order to be successful. They do, though, believe that education goes
both ways ("we stay open to learning from them as well") and chat they
should always "eat our own cooking;' which is a folksy way of saying
Take My Money and Run continued on page 63
November 2006
I41
eJs
A VERY FREAKY
I
The lovely lesbians of television's queer, new,
supernatural series, Dante's Cove.
By
Diane Anderson-Minshall
Hair by
I Photography by Brie Childers
Christian Anthony/Cloutier Makeup by Jennifer Daranyi/The Rex Agency
Styling by Caley Lawson Photo assistance by Welch Golightly
Say what you will about Showtime's The L Word, but no matter what, the little drama that should simply
can't be all things to all dykes. And since Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air three years ago (wow,
has it alreaey been that long?), taking with it a couple of the more fully realized lesbian characters on
prime-time TV, there was a giant swooshing sound as a vacuum was born in the world of girl-centric
thrills, chills and spills. That void has, thankfully, been filled by a breakout queer television show called
Dante's Cove, which rose from a unknown indie production to become here! TV's top-rated series ever.
And guess what? It's filled with lesbians. Hot lesbians. Lesbians who have sex, solve mysteries and deal
with tons of drama in their almost entirely LGBT world. It's highly addictive, imminently watchable and
ranks among the guiltiest pleasures on television. It even has about the same ratio of openly gay actors
as The L Word. So why aren't you watching?
November 2006
I43
that lived up the street from us always ... take care of us -were
that used to
a gay couple. My
manager is gay. My agent is gay. My friends are gay.
So, obviously, the gay and lesbian community has
a special place in my heart. So, when I found out
about Dante's Cove ... it really resonated inside of
me. I wanted my position on gay and lesbian rights
to be out there for the rest of my career. To do a
show like this as my first big role, I knew there
would never be a question of where I stand. This
is a fantastic opportunity for me to show my allegiance to the gay and lesbian community:'
Of course, the fact that she has a juicy role as
an all-American Midwestern lesbian who, under a
spell, forgets her girlfriend exists and begins a torrid affair with another woman, was also a bonus.
"I knew what kind of journey my character,
Michelle, was going to take and it's something that
no actress in her right mind would turn down. As
Michelle, I get to play every emotion. I get to take
the ride of my life as an actress:'
Openly lesbian actor Michelle Wolff, who
plays lesbian scuba instructor Brit, liked her character's journey, too.
"One thing about Brit is that she's able to use
her sexuality, to kind of get herself into situations
that aren't the healthiest;' Wolff admits." I think
that's definitely been a characteristic of mine at
times in my life, maybe not always the ones I'm
most proud of, but I get why - especially if you're
good at that -
why people use you. It's like she
kind of wiggles her way into something and flirts
her way into something that maybe she probably
shouldn't, but she can. That I can relate to. I think
that happens a lot in the gay community. I think
we've all been in a similar situation:'
As excited as she was about her character's arc,
Wolff became even more impressed with the TV
series' milieu.
"I love the genre of Dante's Cove. It's fabulous.
Erin Cummings is ready for her close up. The pretty, raven-haired actor
sports a pair of relaxed-fit jeans and a close-cropped white tee, yet there's
a dangerousness to her. No doubt, that's why she's been cast in a fistful of otherworldly television shows including Supernatural,Star Trek:
Enterpriseand Charmed.On the last of that list, she played goth girl Rose
McGowan's demonic alter ego, so it's of little surprise that the producers
of Dante'sCove,the first queer supernatural television series, liked her.
For Cummings though, her attraction to Dante's Cove is anything
but a mystery: "I live with a gay couple;' Cummings begins. "The friends
44
Icurve
It's important for the gay and lesbian community
to have all things .... Now we've got this reality stuff on Bravo and we've
got the drama, we've got the comedy, we've got the drag queens, we've
got The L Word. So to have something of a cross between The OC and
Buffy the VampireSlayerand Charmed ... it's like kind of a whole combination of all of that, but it has all of that, all of the gay sexuality which
I think is just great:'
Wolff, best known for her starring role in the lesbian film Mango
Kiss, is becoming quite a familiar face on prime time, with guest spots
on numerous TV shows including Veronica Mars, Without a Trace,
ChicagoHope,Providenceand ER under her belt.
''I've heard a lot oflesbians grumble about The
L Word because they're like, 'I don't feel like I'm
being represented. I feel like it's all this one thing:
And I'm like, because that's what it is! You have to
accept it for what it is. Don't try and make every
project be for everybody, that's the whole point. It's
a very diverse community. Let The L Word be The
L Word; it has its audience. Let Dante's Cove be
Dante's Cove;don't try and make it more serious
than it is, don't make it deeper than it is. It is what
it is and you got to let it be that:'
Sexy ParanormalDrama
When here! TV, Americas innovative but second
best-known
gay television network, launched
Dante'sCove in 2005, critics lauded the show as a
hybrid of Buffy the VampireSlayerand The OC for
its gothic horror, surf culture and a certain unspoken knowingness indicative of the Myspace.com
generation. Blending the paranormal with LGBT
culture, Dante'sCoverevolves around Hotel Dante,
a possibly haunted resident hotel on a mysterious
island with a seemingly sinister past.
Like The L Word cast, Dante's Cove'sis a mix
of gay, bi and straight actors, with Michelle Wolff
being the only out lesbian among the main stars
of the show.
"I think that was important to [the producers]
to also be pushing there, to have out actresses on
the show, to have out actors;' Wolff says of the cast.
"Not everybody's going to be gay and not everybody's going to be straight, but it's just important
to keep that balance there. They wanted her to be a
little bit more butchy, and a little bit more edgy and
a little bit more gay,I think. It's like bringing in that
[more masculine] element ... allthe other girls have
the long hair and the real feminine appeal:'
While there are a handful of boys on Dante's
Cove - and ladies, be warned, the guys aren't shy
about full-frontal nudity - women aren't merely
Diana Childs (played by Queer as Folk'sThea Gill) and lesbian artist Van (a central figure in seasons one and two, played by newcomer
Nadine Heimann). And, of course, there's Grace, a nearly 200-year-old
witch whose spell helped make the hotel the spooky spot it is today.
The cast's best-known actor, Tracy Scoggins, plays Grace full tilt
made her debut on The Dukes of Hazzard (the TV show, not the Jessica
Simpson movie), Scoggins has been a prime-time TV fixture who has
headlined several shows including Dynasty, The Colbys,Babylon5 and
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
Still, Scoggins admits that Dante's Cove may have had an effect on
how she views sexuality.
"Or it may have just reminded me how I view sexuality;' she says. "I
with untapped sexuality and unbridled rage. A former model who
think that might be a more accurate description of it. Like participating
relegated to secondary characters but instead take center stage on the
show. In addition to Brit and Michelle, there's retro-sexy queer witch
November 2006
I45
Showtime's Queer as Folk, few fans expected to
see her play gay again. But Gill, who has received
awards for her work with the LGBT community
from PFLAG and GLAAD, was excited to work
for her friend Paul Colichman, founder and presi~
dent of here! TV.
"I just got it offered and I thought, well, I just
haven't played a witch before, so it looks kind of
fun and kind of a good time in Hawaii. I know it's
a great little network. I knew Paul when he was
starting it up and I really admire him a lot:'
Someone else she admires is her co~star and
witchy counterpart Scoggins.
"She plays my sister. Tracy is a very strong
woman and very powerful in herself and [it] comes
through in her eyes;' Gill says. "So it was like very,
oh, titillating and exciting to like look into her
eyes. She's an iiberwoman, that's for sure:'
Witches Gone Wild
For Cummings, a Dallas native who moved to Los
Angeles five years ago and got her Screen Actors
Guild card in two weeks (virtually unheard of in
in the gay pride events reminds me of the obligation I have to make a
little bit of a difference, if that's possible. And while a show like Dante's
Cove - we bill ourselves as a guilty pleasure, we're not pretending to
solve any big problems or have some social agenda. But I think we're
providing entertainment ... for a neglected demographic and I think
that's a great thing. I know there have been times when I've been down
and I've watched something that hit a cord in my heart, and it made a
difference to me:'
Thea Gill concurs. After years portraying lesbian Lindsay on
46
Icurve
a world where actors toil for years culling together
enough credits to gain membership to SAG),
increased lesbian story lines and portraying a"real"
lesbian were big priorities.
"In season one ... there were girls who would
randomly hook up ... but you couldn't tell who
was a lesbian and who was bisexual;' she says.
"Whereas [in] season two, we establish in the
first episode that Michelle and Van are together.
The first thing you see me do, is I'm bringing her
breakfast. We're obviously the lesbian couple and
there's a whole story line that revolves around that,
so I think the lesbian story line is much larger,
which is fantastic. This season, the here! network
and the writers went to great lengths to be sure to
include the lesbian audience with things that they
are going to want to watch:'
And Cummings and Wolff, who make up two parts of a sexy love
triangle, are very much worth watching.
"I have a lot of gay men in my life, but I was looking around think~
ing,'OK, where are the lesbians?"' Cummings says of her initial research.
"I realized that I didn't have any lesbians in my life that were out ... I
had friends that considered themselves bisexual and would occasionally,
you know, have sex with other girls, but never, 'OK, this is my girlfriend.
I'm legitimately a lesbian and I can give you some honest feedback: So
I went to the Abby, which is the gay bar around the corner [in West
Hollywood], and I went there for lunch one day
and I asked the waiter, 'Do you know any lesbians?
Because I need to talk to them. So, if you know
any lesbians that wouldn't mind talking with me,
let me know: So a little while later he comes back
and says, 'Oh yeah, these two women over here
said they'd talk to you:"
Cummings and her new friendly chums sat
down for a beer and some Q and A.
"Not that I think that lesbians are these totally
different people or they act different," Cummings
continues. "I just wanted to see if there were cer~
tain things about how they interact with one
another when there isn't a man around. Does a
woman look at another woman the same way that
a straight woman looks at a man?"
That lunchtime chat turned into a visit L.A:s
infamous dyke hangout GirlBar. "That was fan~
tastic because I literally got to see ... women with
their girlfriends, women whose ex~girlfriends were
with other girls. It was fascinating and it was fan~
tastic, and I learned a lot. And the women were very
excited to share their experiences ... and part of that,
I think, was because they knew I was from the show
and they knew the show was trying to do something
to accurately portray lesbians, not just sort of Girls
Gone Wild, two hot chicks getting it on sort of thing.
That's not what were interested in:'
Of course, two hot chicks do get it on in Dante's
Cove. In fact, lesbian sex scenes abound in season
two, from Gill and Heimann's hoobup to Wolff
and Cummings episode two entanglement. The
latter brought here! TV vice president Meredith
Kadlec to the set.
"She was on set a lot. Shes a very busy woman,
and she came out twice to visit the set. The night
before [the sex scene] we had a meeting and we all
talked about what we wanted to do and how we
wanted it to be portrayed and we were very open
about making sure - this is something that we
don't care if this is something that a straight man
thinks is hot. We want to make sure a lesbian is
going to watch this and go, 'Yeah, they got it right.
That turns me on: And that was very important to
me, and I said, you know, let's go as far as we can
go, as long as we get it right:'
"I said, 'Meredith, I really need some help
because I don't want this to be me directing every~
thing,"' Wolff recalls. "I need another lesbian saying, 'Well, what about
that?' So I felt a little of that pressure off of me and I got to be a lot of
the actress, too. Once we got into it, honestly it was really, really easy.
You know it was like we had our basic choreographed moves, telling us
where to start, make sure you're hair isn't here, your hand isn't there, and
then we're going to doll you up like_this, so we kind of mapped it all out
and then when we got to actually shooting it, it really was easy, and part
of that was just the connection that Erin and I had. We had had time
to really get to know each other on that really nice friendship level; you
know when you like feel safe with each other. And the first night I got
there Erin left me a note at the front desk saying, you know here's my
number and call me, because we both knew this scene was coming:'
"Meredith was very instrumental," Cummings concurs. "Sam Irving,
the director, let her take the reins on it, saying 'Look, I don't know what
lesbians do, and I don't really know what lesbians want to watch, so you
ladies have free rein: Meredith and Michelle Wolff, who obviously had
done lesbian sex scenes before, were very instrumental in creating the
reality of the sexuality. I was so grateful to have them there:'
For Wolff, the resident butch, the lesbian sex scenes on Dante's were
a bit of a revelation.
"Dante's Cove shows a lot - there's a lot of skin!" Wolff exclaims.
'i\.nd they wanted it really, really hot. I mean, there's a lot of lesbian love
November 2006
I 47
But working on QAF helped Gill master her
own sexuality - on-screen and off. "I had to bare
all, and I had to believe in me and my body and my
tits and my ass and rubbing up against Michelle
and, you know, being all crazy and sexy;' laughs
Gill. 'J\nd through all that I started going 'Hey,
yeah, this is pretty fun. I became a late bloomer:'
In Dante's, Gill has "a really wonderful lesbian
love scene" with actor Nadine Heimann, the halfGerman, half-Filipino, 100-percent pulchritudinous actor who plays Van. "She's a beautiful girl
inside and out completely;' says Gill. "She's stunning and very intelligent:'
Strong Roles, Strong Women
Nearly all the women of Dante's Cove are still,
months after filming, raving about their roles. "It
was sort of a compelling psychological experience
as well;' Gill says, laughing. "That is why I was so
excited about playing a witch. I knew that, I would
have to find the witch in me, you know?"
"You know how you hear actresses in
Hollywood piss and moan about no strong
women? They must have missed this part;'
Scoggins admonishes."[ Grace] is very strong, and
she becomes more complex as we go along. And, I
was just very much drawn to her:'
Scoggins, the daughter of a Golden Glove
boxer and a top-ranked tennis player, is equally
complex. Often cast as a strong, self-reliant
woman, she's a fierce competitor and skilled athlete - and so are most of her female counterparts
on the show.
"When you have a very competitive sports
background, you don't quit. You don't take no. You
don't quit. Naysayers are usually what I call cheerleaders. If somebody tells me I can't do something,
it's like, 'Really? Well, watch this:"
scenes that are just kind of mediocre, they just don't push the envelope
at all. And Dante'sCove,in pushing the envelope with the boys said they
wanted to push the envelope with the girl stuff too, they wanted to put
it out there and ... do a really hot lesbian sex scene:•
Gill got some sexy scenes, too. A year after Queer as Folkwent off the
air, the actor was as surprised as anyone to find herself playing gay again
on TV.
'J\ft:er you've done a show that has had so much acclaim for a while,
a year after that you're really struggling not to become a has-been;' Gill
admits of the last year."You're always scared that you're never gonna get
something like that again:'
48
I curve
Like Cummings, Scoggins credits her mother with some of her progay politics. Her mother, a champion tennis player nationally ranked
second in her age group, rode with her daughter in last year's gay pride
parade and has a doubles partner who is a lesbian.
"It was fun. She rode in the parade in Houston. Or maybe it was Las
Vegas. She had her rainbow boa in the front seat ... she comes from a
life of competitive sports too, so ... this is nothing new for her:'
Cummings and Wolff are also experienced athletes. Wolff is a surfer
and scuba diver in real life (a lucky coincidence) while Cummings is a
bit of a self-defense freak who has mastered Jeet Kune Do, hand-tohand combat, kickboxing, gunmanship and sword and knife weaponry.
She put some of that to use on one man who hit on her a bit too
forcefully; she broke his hand.
"I remember I felt so powerful and I was like, no one's ever going to
grab my butt again;' Cummings admits. "I think that there's something
innately powerful about a woman who knows how to move and knows
how to defend herself:'
That matters little on Dante's Cove, or the tiny hamlet in Hawaii
that subs for their set as everyone seems part of a virtual love fest.
"I felt like when I was working on Dante's Cove, I was living in the
world as it should be;' Cummings admits. "I felt like I was at home,
where women could be with women and men could be with men and
women could be with men and everyone could live together in harmony.
That, to me, it felt like home. And then to have to come back to a world
where I say I was playing a lesbian and people would laugh or someone
would go, 'Oh, my gosh, how was that?' What do you mean how was
it2 It was great! I kissed a girl, and she didn't have a scruffy beard ... it's
better because there's no chin scruff:'
"The first time we were on the island shooting the show;' Heimann
adds, "it was my first time with a professional cast with all of these amaz,
ing people, a lot of them sexually open and just really open,minded
people in general, artists and, you know, talented people, and it totally
broadened me. It did - sexually. I was just like whoa, this is amazing
all of these open people, there are no qualms, there's no, there's no dis,
crimination ... it's beautiful and I really enjoyed that:'
Back in Black
While most of these women have other roles on TV (Wolff and
Scoggins both have juicy spots on Nip/Tuck this season) and in films
(Cummings co,starred with Sanoe Lake in the upcoming Rolling), they
all can't. wait to see how Dante's Cove does this year -
and whether
they'll be packing up for a season three.
"It's really up to the community to support it;' Wolff says insistently.
"If there's not the money you can't do the programming. I don't want to
hear you bitch - kind of like if you didn't vote you don't get to bitch
about the president you know. If you're not supporting these networks
I don't want to hear the fact that you don't feel like you're being rep,
resented. Get out there and support them, because the more that you
do that, the bigger the audience, the more money there is to create all
different types of networking:'
Scoggins concurs. "I think sometimes the other networks, they
think they are doing something good, and they're just stereotyping. And
I think that's especially the difference in here!"
While some lesbian projects, and the lesbian organization POWER
UP, seem to be making some headway these days, Wolff hopes more
dykes begin to wield power in Hollywood.
"I think there are some powerful (lesbians] in Hollywood;' she
admits. "I think that the ones that are really, really powerful don't do a
whole lot to support the gay projects as much ... I think the gay men do
a lot more of that than the lesbians:"
While Wolff waits for Hollywood to catch up, she knows that the
viewers will come out for Dante's Cove. So, too, do all the other wickedly
watchable women. And in the end, that's all they're hoping for today
- a few hours of guiltless fun for lesbians who find themselves in front
0£ and on, the telly.
"I hope they have a good time;' Scoggins says of the show's viewers.
"I hope they can spend the time and just relax and look at some beauti,
ful people and some gorgeous scenery and some fun dialogue and with a
little bit of magic thrown in there, and just go to sleep with a smile:' ■
November 2006
I49
More Ways to
Get Involved
them involved.
Registering LGBT individuals and allies is the first step
Here are some more
toward a victorious campaign. Visit your county's election
resources on LGBT
office and get deputized to register voters. The process generally takes no more than 15 minutes. Pick up as many voter
causes, campaigns and
candidates:
registration cards as possible and plan locations where you
can hold voter registration drives. Be creative and try venues
Project Vote Smart:
Provides nonpartisan
information on the voting
records of elected officials and the positions of
their opponents.
vote-smart.org
such as bars, restaurants, stores and coffee shops.
Bar Outreach
If you're already planning to go out to a bar with friends,
make the evening productive in two ways: get people signed
up for the campaign that you are working on and meet new
like-minded individuals -
and maybe even some cute activ-
ist girls for your post-election victory celebration.
The Human Rights
Campaign: Works
nationally on a bipartisan
level for LGBT advocacy.
hrc.org
Beyond cruising, the bottom line is GOTV, as in "Get Out
The VotC:'It's fun to go with a group of your friends and arm
yourselves with clipboards, voter registration cards, pens, and
campaign literature and stickers. Make it your mission by the
end of the evening to have everyone at the bar registered to
vote and eager to learn more about the campaign. Stickers are
a great way to get an individual to remember the name of the
campaign the next morning as well as to keep track of whom
message to your friends. Emphasize why it is so important
and explain that once they have voted, the reminders will
stop - that may be incentive enough!
I
wWe Gan Win 1n
Election Day
Most campaigns desperately need volunteers on Election Day. Check with the campaign you are working on about such activi-
ues take center stage at elections this November, victory
each one of us itchin in. B
a Hersh
ties such as passing out campaign literature
at the polls, answering phones in the office,
and participating in last-minute GOTV
work. Encourage friends to participate in
you have already spoken with. Encourage everyone you sign
up to put on a sticker so that you don't approach them again
later on.
the volunteer work with you to make it more fun.
Put the Party Back in Politics
After all the hard work is finished, celebrate election night
GOTV With the People You Know
with a party. On the invitation, remind your guests to make
There are numerous ways to make sure that your friends
sure they have voted.
Be creative - have a theme that's associated with the
vote, and I encourage you to use a combination of the fol-
work harder and have more fun if you're truly passionate about the candidate and issues.
To learn more about candidates in your area, educate yourself by reading
ing election is important to you and how the results of the
election will affect your furore. Encourage others to get
Some Final Thoughts
involved, volunteer, and donate. These letters may take time,
Campaign work can be taxing and time-consuming, but
but personal pleas are invaluable to campaigns.
Do a series of follow-up phone calls directly prior to the
election. Remind individuals to vote and bring at least five
becoming involved in issues that you care about is also
incredibly rewarding. Taking an active role in public service
Candace Gingrich, Senior Youth Outreach Manager for the Human
the local newspaper, watching the news, looking at the campaign signs around
town and visiting political Web sites (see our sidebar to get started). Most states
have local LGBT rights organizations, so do an online search for groups in your
area to learn which candidates and ballot issues are being endorsed.
Rights Campaign, points out that, "The GLBT vote is enough to change an
election. Historically this community's vote is around 4 percent, equal to the
Once you have found the perfect campaign, contact the field staff and seek
out volunteer opportunities. Offer your own ideas and expertise to the cam-
other people with them.
E-mail a reminder to everyone in your address book
and know that you have helped to shape your future.
When Gingrich makes her GOTV tours around the
Jewish vote. That's nothing to take lightly. It's important because the fight for
paign and find out how you can create and mobilize your own team.
about voting. Because e-mails are often deleted prior to
country, she reminds new activists of three vital points:
being read, make sure that the subject line clearly states the
"Personalize, educate and motivate. Help people take ownership for their future and show them that their vote is a
equality is at stake here. We are fighting for our own rights:'
Don't miss this month's opportunity to make our voices heard. Here's how
you can get involvedin campaign work, get out the LGBT vote for candidates and
issues, and even have some fun in the process.
First Things First
Find the campaign that best addresses your values and concerns. You'll
50 I curve
purpose: "Remember to vote for Candidate x:•
If you use an instant messaging service, include a comment
Register People to Vote
The easiest and most efficient way to make a difference in the next election is to
vote. Sounds simple enough, right? According to a U.S. Census Bureau release in
May 2005, only 7 4 percent of eligible citizens were registered to vote in the 2004
presidential election. Of those registered to vote, 89 percent did so.
Make an effort to find unregistered people in your community and get
0
a:
0
0
a:
J:
in your profile and on your away message about voting. Create
links to the Web site of the campaign that you are working on
and to a list of the voting locations in your area.
Don't worry that you're constandy repeating the GOTV
National Stonewall
Democrats: Advocates
for LGBT individuals
within the Democratic
Party.
stonewalldemocrats.org
Log Cabin
Republicans: Fights
for LGBT rights within
the Republican Party.
logcabin.org
particular campaign or candidate you've been supporting.
lowing tactics:
Write personal letters to your family, friends and neighbors a month prior to the election. Explain why the upcom-
Your vote in this election could make the difference. You've heard it all
before as political activists and volunteers show up at your front door,
call your house and approach you on the streets. They're right: your
vote and those of your friends, family members and neighbors could
be the decided victory for us in the upcoming elections.
The National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force:
Participates in the fight
for LGBT rights on a
grassroots level.
thetaskforce.org
Serve food and drinks accordingly, and encourage people to
dress up.
allows you to take pride in your constitutional right to vote
pass to make the country a better place for everyone. Educate
people about the issues so that they understand why it's so
important to get involved. Motivate by giving all of the reasons why they should vote:'
Let's get out there and make it happen. ■
November 2006
I 51
We cornerlesbianactorand activistCynthiaNixonat a Planned
Parenthoodbenefitand resistthe urgeto make a pun out of the
formerHBO TV seriesthat made her a householdname.
By Andy Wright
C
ynthia Nixon is perhaps best known as Miranda Hobbes,
On television, we are seeing more explicit sex scenes and younger
the practical, acerbic lawyer on HBO's popular comedy Sex
characters having sex, while in the classroom, the trend has
and the City. Miranda was given to lounging around her
been toward abstinence-only education. Why do you think that
apartment in oversized sweatshirts and tossing out one-
dichotomy exists?
liners about eating cake out of the garbage. She was perhaps
the most believable of all the characters: funny, a little bitter and striking a
answer. They may not have thought that 10 years ago, but I think they
are partly reacting to what they see on TV and partly to what they see
Sex and the City was a fluffy fantasy for single straight girls everywhere.
Racy depictions of the main characters mounting men, discussing their
grooming habits and debating the lack of men (and men's lacking in general)
and hear in the world around them. And I guess I sort of identify with
them. I understand that they want, for whatever reason, to return to a less
made up the bulk of the show. Sure, there was Samantha's short-lived lesbian
relationship (which ended after it had devolved into a marathon of deep talks
riage - which was always a little bit of a sham anyways - I think that,
in terms of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, also
and long baths) and Carrie's chaste kiss with a spin-the-bottle participant
just in terms of satisfying sex lives, I really don't want people operating in
ignorance and fear, like it's something we have to control, like we have to
was a straight girl's show. But lesbians loved it.
Perhaps that's why lesbian fans and supermarket tabloids had a field
day when it was revealed that one of the series' lead actors was living with a
woman. In late 2004, both the New York Daily News and the New York Post
published front-page articles declaring that Nixon, a mother of two who had
been in a long-term relationship with childhood sweetheart Danny Mozes,
was in a relationship with another woman. One could almost hear the collective hum of laptops as celebrity gossip columnists everywhere tried to come
up with a new headline that played off the tide of Nixon's show. Even The
Associated Press snarked: "Former 'Sex' Star Nixon Switches Roles:'
When questioned about the coverage, Nixon demurred to the press, "My
I appreciate that these people think our world is out of control, but it's
going to be a lot more out of control if we put sex back in the closet.
You have a daughter in public school. Does she receive an
abstinence-only education?
I don't think so. I hope not! What I was fascinated by was that they actually were teaching HIV/ AIDS education starting in kindergarten. I don't
know what they could be teaching a kindergartener other than you should
wash your hands, but it was a big deal. They sent notes home, and we all
had to know it was happening - and if we didn't want it to be happening,
we had to promise to talk to our children about AIDS if we kept them
home from school.
will say is that I am very happy:'
Since then, the media frenzy has died down and Nixon, an accomplished
stage actor, has gone on to win a Tony Award for her role as a grieving mother
in the play Rabbit Hole. And she's still with her girlfriend, education activ-
work they're trying to do under a Democratic president?
Absolutely. I think it would be easier for them to do the work they're trying
to do under any other president. Things would be very different in this
country, in this realm and in many other realms, if we had a Democratic
ist Christine Marinoni. The two women, it turns out, met when working
together on a campaign to increase school funding and decrease class size.
Queer women often get left out of the debate over reproductive
The project was spearheaded by the Alliance for Quality Education, of which
Marinoni was the New York director. The couple bonded over their passion
affect us. How can organizations include queer women in
for improving public education (yes, Nixon sends her kids to New York pub-
the conversation?
lic schools).
Nixon's zeal for political activism becomes apparent in the roles she has
I do a lot of Planned Parenthood and NARAL events and I keep trying to
find a way to make the joke like, "This is why I don't date men anymore.
inhabited over the years. She appeared onstage as the pill-popping wife of
a closeted Mormon in Tony Kushner's Angels in America, co-starred in the
I'm so concerned about abortion rights in this country. God forbid something should happen to me. That's why I now have a girlfriend:' I can't find
a way to make that joke. You know, look, it's not a pretty answer, but even
Warm Springs.
It's little surprise, then, chat when we finally caught up with Nixon, it
was at the Planned Parenthood Golden Gate Gala in San Francisco. Nestled
w
Cl)
among well-polished teapots and the glare of bright lights, Nixon spoke fervently about women's right to health care, the mental state of our president
~
somehow contain it. I think that we have made tremendous strides and
Do you think it would be easier for Planned Parenthood to do the
z
zw
sexually active time. But this desire to return to virginity prior to mar-
private life is private. But at the same time, I have nothing to hide. So what I
HBO miniseries Tanner on Tanner (written by Gary Trudeau of Doonesbury
fame) and, most recently, played Eleanor Roosevelt in the HBO movie
a:
CD
other. I think that people in this country really feel like abstinence is the
much-needed balance between the emotionless sexual appetite of Samantha,
and Charlotte and Carrie's relentless search for Mr. Right.
(played by Alanis Morissette), which sent her running down a flight of stairs
as her voice-over opined she was just "too old" for that stuff. Let's face it: It
(!)
Well, if I'm going to be really honest, I think that one is a reaction to the
and where queer women fit into the debate.
president, or even a sane Republican president.
rights because there's this erroneous assumption that it doesn't
if you have sex with women, you can get raped and you can get pregnant.
And you need to know there's a place you can go. Obviously, we all care
about the things that affect us the most directly. If you're the one most
likely to get pregnant, then you're the most concerned. But we should all
be concerned: for our girlfriends, for our sisters and daughters and nieces,
for women who live in the next building who we'll never meet. We should
all be concerned. ■
November 2006
I53
Reviews
Sapphic Screen
Les Femmes Fatales
Three foreign films offer up women on the verge. j By Diane Anderson-Minshall
EDITOR'S
PICK
FilmMovement
Thinkof thisasthethinking
chick'sNetflix.Founded
byfansof arthouse,indie
andforeigncinemawho
werefrustrated
when
Sundance
andCannes
flicks
didn'tcometo them,Film
Movement
is a membership
program
wherefor $159a
year(orabout$20a month)
youskipthetheaterand
waitforthemoviesto come
to you.Eachmonthyouget
anaward-winning
indieor
foreignfilmthat'schosenby
a curatorial
boardmadeup
of topfilm-festival
directors.
EachDVDholdsa featurelengthfilm,anacclaimed
shortandspecialfeatures
thatcanonlybefoundonthe
FilmMovement
DVDs.
And
LGBT
voicesaren'tunheard
of here;thelesbianfilm
MarionBridgewasoneof
thefirsttheyreleased.
This
year'shitsincludereleases
starringSandraOhand
PhillipSeymour
Hoffman.
(filmmovment.com)
- DAM
Every winter, a slew of quiet and meditative dramas, lush
than the other characters, which makes them even more thrill-
period pieces and fast-talking but not fast-acting characters
ing to watch. In theaters now. (elfavor.com)
rake in critical acclaim, if not big box-office sales. The change
is almost always a welcome one for fans of queer cinema as
Cold As Summer (Parlour Pictures)
smaller, gender-bending and lesbian films finally have a chance
to be seen. Three new foreign flicks fit that bill.
grave and disconcerting. Director Jacques Maillot's gripping
El Favor (Casque D'Or)
French drama- the second DVD release from upstart Parlour
Pictures - follows Rachel, a young, single mother who seems
I'm usually the quickest to critique lesbian films made by male
directors when the complexity of dyke lives are hidden under
aloof, depressed and nearly devoid of both parenting skills and
emotional attachment to her child. At one point she leaves the
the vestiges of entertainment. But. I'll be the first to admit that
there's no film in theaters right now as wholly satisfying as
Pablo Sofavich's lesbian sex farce, El Favor. This Argentinean
baby in her crib while she goes out to shop, urging her not to cry
when shes gone. Maillot's meandering lens and sunny backlighting leave us wondering how we should feel throughout the film.
comedy - strikingly reminiscent of early Almodovar works
like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - introduces
Does Rachel have postpartum depression? Is she overwhelmed?
Is she a monster? Viewers must decide.
Soon enough, Rachel abandons her daughter and travels to
us to Mora and Roberta, a lesbian couple desperate to join the
ranks of motherhood.
Before weve even met them, they've hatched a plan to get
Mora's brother Felipe, by trade a turkey inseminator (and don't
think they don't milk that for all it's worth), to, uh, naturally
inseminate Roberta. But in grand vaudevillian fashion, things
don't go as smoothly as planned when sort of flamboyant Felipe
is both shocked to see his sister in a lesbian relationship and
seemingly disinterested in Roberta altogether. If his girlfriend
didn't show up part way through the film, Felipe himself may
have set off our gaydar.
Set amid the brightly saturated hues of Latin American
film, El Favor is wacky and sublime and unabashedly demented,
and its lesbians, thankfully, aren't held up to higher standards
54
Icurve
As bright and farcical as El Favor is, Cold as Summer is both
the French Montpellier coast where she falls into a passionate
affair with a lesbian petty thief who is unaware of her past. Not
as simplistically joyful as Heavenly Creatures, Cold as Summer
nonetheless has the feel of a love story that is at the heart of a
monstrous crime.
Disturbing Rachel's new life is Claire, an infertile detective who grows increasingly obsessed with finding Rachel and
bringing her to justice. By the time the women find each other,
the viewer is left wondering how things could have gone as far
as they had. Alternately melancholy and lush, Cold is as meditative a drama about choice as we've seen in recent years. In
French with subtitles. (parlourpictures.com)
Sapphic Screen continued on page 63
OTHER PICKS
TheLostTribe(PonyFilms):Meet
SueAnnPost:lesbian,
Aussie,exMormon,
comedian.
Whensheaccepts
a conference
invitefromAffirmation
(anLGBTMormon
organization),
Post
mustrevisitherchildhood
of isolation,
intolerance
andfear.Equally
painful
andhumorous,
thisdocumentary
followsherthroughSaltLakeCityfor
theweekend
conference,
tellingPost's
personal
storyaswellasoutlining
the
religion'shistoryof persecution.
(wmm.
com)- Catherine
Plato
promises
to makeTimheterosexual
seemslikehisbigchance.
Hisgay
friendsareoutraged,
Sallyis hopeful,
andtheresultof theexperiment
changes
everything
Timhascometo
knowabouthimself.HardPillis a provocative
littlemovieabouta bigissue.
Theendingis a tadtoosmoothin light
of theheavyquestions
raised,butthe
filmiswellacted,entertaining
and
definitely
worthwatching
in orderto
getthatoldthoughtcarousel
spinning.
(hardpi/1.com)-UrsulaSteck
ThisFilmIs NotYetRated(IFC
Films):Justin caseyouneedanother
reminder
thatnearlyall mediaare
controlled
bya relatively
smallgroup
of conservative
dimwits,directorKirby
Dickoutlinesit prettyclearlyin this
funny-in-a-disturbing-way
documentary.Thenamesof theindividuals
comprising
theMPAA
ratingboardare
oneof thiscountry'smostcloselyguarded
secrets,
yetDickmiraculously
exposes
themwiththehelpof private
investigators.
Alsoexposed
aremassmarketed
homophobia
andsexual
repression.
Filmsareapparently
much
morelikelyto receive
anNC-17rating
if anyhomosexual
activity(alsoknown
as"abberational
behavior")
occurs.
Viewers
getsomeinsiderinfoonhow
theratingsactuallyaffecta director's
abilityto marketanddistribute
films,
andwhomissesoutasa result.
(ifcfilms.com)
- GP
BillieJeanKing:Portraitof a
Pioneer(HBO):
Evenif youthinkyou
knowallaboutthispioneer
athlete,
there'ssomething
newin thisin-depth
lookat herriseto international
acclaim,
for everyone
fromtennisloversto
lesbians.
Andespecially
lesbian
tennis
players.
(hbo.com)
- DAM
BeenRichAll MyLife(Toots
CrackinProductions):
Feeling
lazy?
TheSilverBelleswillprobably
make
youfeelmoreso.Thefivemembers
of thisAfrican-American,
all-woman
dancetrouperangein agefrom84to
96,andregularly
performat venues
likeLincolnCenterandCarnegie
Hall
to standing
ovations.
Inthe1930s,
theseweretheoriginalchorusdancers
in legendary
Harlemhotspotssuch
astheApolloTheater
andtheCotton
Club,andthey'rehotaseverin their
goldenyears.Dancers,
jazzbuffs
andtheyoungat heartwillallfall in
lovewiththisupliftingdocumentary.
(tootscrackin.com)
- GP
Dante'sCove:SeasonOne(here!):
If youloveourcovergirls,you'lllove
this.Thefirstseason
DVDof this
supernatural
gaythriller(thinkBuffy
meetsTheOCmeetsEverything
's
Relative)
combines
queerlife- and
a fairnumber
of cutedykesasmain
characters
- withgothichorrorand
surfculture.Sounds
strange?
Well,it is,
butit worksdamnit, andafterwatchingjust30 minutes
of thispopular
TV
show,viewers
aresureto behooked.
Rentthisandyou'llbereadyto catch
season
twoonhere!TVthismonth.
(dantescove.com)
- DAM
AsLuckWouldHaveIt (Picture
This!):Chaosbreaksoutin Swiss
university
professor
Jean-Pierre's
life
whenhebecomes
thelegalguardian
of a teenage
boy.Hevehemently
tries
to shakeoffthisobligation;
there's
toomuchto hide,suchashisyoung
boyfriend,
thecuteCubanmassagetherapist
Armando.
Themore
Jean-Pierre
wiggles,
though,themore
hebecomes
hopelessly
entangled
in
hisownsecretsaswellastheboy's
problems.
Contributing
to theoverall
confusion
is Jean-Pierre's
neurotic
andcomicwife,whomhemarried
for mutualconvenience.
Ofcourse,
theimage-conscious
professor
will
HardPill(Stoebner/Baumgartner beforcedto standupforhistrue
gentlyassisted
bythebunchof
Co.):Miserable,
lonelyTim(Jonathan desires,
eccentric
yetkindpeoplearoundhim.
Slavin)longsfor love;theoccaJean-Pierre
hasto
sionalblowjobhegiveshisunavailable Theritesof passage
complete
ratherlatein lifearemostly
bisexual
buddyDon(MikeBegovich)
funnyto watch,sometimes
contrived,
leaveshimonlymoredesperate.
And
butthesweetendingrewards
forthe
thenthere'sTim'sbestfriend,Sally
trip.l,picturethisvideo.com)
- US
(Susan
Slome),
whowouldmarryhim
in aninstant,if onlyhecouldfallfor
a woman.
A drugtrialfor a pillthat
Julie Goldman
I
COMEDIAN
I
Julie Goldman has been cracking up the masses since age 15, when she got her first
stand-up gig at Boston's Comedy Connection. She currently works as a writer for
New York City drag king Murray Hill, and as a member of the politically minded
comedy troupe Laughing Liberally. If you can't catch Goldman live in the Big Apple,
look for her at your next LGBT film festival: you may have seen her as Orea McClay
in The D Word, a New York City parody of that famous Sapphic soap, or more
recently as Linda in Erin Greenwell's film Mom. Look for her next in The Big Gay
Show, a new Logo series co-produced by Rosie O'Donnell. - CatherinePlato
What's The Big Gay Show all about?
It's a sketch comedy show. It's sort of like a gay Mad TV if you will.
Your Web site features a great original musical composition,
"Monogamous Slut." Do you ever perform it live?
I do perform "Slut" live occasionally. "Slut" is technically Indigo Etheridge's
song. She's my lesbian folk singer character. I haven't performed as her in a few
years. But "Slut" and Indigo are going to make a comeback in our next feature:
Co-Dependent-"Obsessive-Love-Ain't-So-Bad"-So-Leave-the-Window-Open:
The Real IndigoEtheridgeMovie.
You and Mom director Erin Greenwell are friends. Have you worked on
anything else together?
We worked the video of "Monogamous Slur:' Erin edited and directed it. She
has also done a million things as far as graphics and all chat kind of stuff for
me over the years. And I have tried to help her in whatever ways I can, holding a light, or doing voice-overs or whatever. We have just written a script
together and I look forward to working with her more in the future.
Did she write the part of Linda especially for you?
She did not write Linda especially for me, but I chink in her mind she knew I
could do it and add a special 'Je ne sais lez;' if you will. ■
November 2006
I 55
Reviews
In the Stacks
Old Friends in New Spaces
Some of our favorite writers take a look back. I By Rachel Pepper
In this month's picks, three talented ladies reflect back while
trying something new. In GirlBomb, blogger Janice Erlbaum
proof that you can. (randomhouse.com)
looks back on a turbulent childhood in New York City, while
spoken-word superstar Daphne Gottlieb dips into new territory
with the graphic noveljokes and the
Unconscious and comic book artist
Ellen Forney gathers her greatest
hits into the collection I Love Led
Zeppelin.
Jokes and the Unconscious, Daphne Gottlieb
and Diane DiMassa (Cleis Press) and I Love Led
Zeppelin: Panty Dropping Comics,
Ellen Forney (Fantagraphics)
GirlBomb: A Halfway
Homeless Memoir, Janice
Erlbaum (Villard)
Imagine you're a teenager, living with
your single mother. Unfortunately,
she's never single for long. Even
Generation
T:1OBWays more unfortunately, your mother's
to Transform
a T-Shirt,
taste in boyfriends ranges from
MeganNicolayandStitch
distasteful to extremely abusive.
'NBitchCrochet:
The
HappyHooker,
Debbie Between her short-lived relationStoller(Workman) ships, life returns to a more pleasCraftygirlscelebrate
with
ant and stable state. But then, one
thesetwohipDIVguides
named Dave ends up staying too
to a betterlife.Nicolay
long, emotionally and physically abusing both your mother and
deconstructs
fashionin the
you. Mom gets pregnant, she and Dave get married, and your
formof thetee(whichcan
become
a halter,legwarmers baby brother is bon:i. After continued violence and anguish, your
or aniPodcozy)forfunand
mother makes Dave leave,only to take him back soon after. After
funkyonthecheapanddown
several rounds of fighting and forgiveness, you threaten for your
low.Meanwhile
BUST
editor
own sanity to run away if Dave ever re-enters the picture. Mom
Stoller,
a knittingsuperstar
in
theyoung,hipcraftersmove- promises he won't. But when promises fail,what do you do? Faced
ment,offersupsexyand
with this situation, 15-year-old Janice Erlbaum runs away.
ingenious
crochetprojects
It's 1984, the height of a crack epidemic in New York City,
(retroclutchpurse,pompom
and not an easy time for a teenage. girl to be on her own. How
caplet,anarchy
ironyhat)
that'lldelighteveryone. does she do it? In GirlBomb, Janice edgily retraces her tangled
(workman.com)
- DAM teenage steps to independence. Her path takes her through
the trial by fire of shelter and group home existence, dealing for more than a year with mean-spirited fellow runaways
and not always empathetic workers. She survives high school
despite a growing drug addiction, seeking solace in the club-kid
nightlife of downtown New York and a steady stream of boyfriends. She cautiously reconnects with her mother after Dave
actually leaves for good, finds sanctuary with a gentle junkie
boyfriend, and finally sheds her own demons by book's end by
getting clean and applying to college.
Erlbaum, an active blogger at girlbomb.typepad.com, a columnist for BUST magazine and a shelter volunteer, is relentless in her own story's retelling. It's the kind of wild ride of
a book you read in one sitting, fully submerging yourself into
this troubled teens quest to survive her own adolescence.
Luckily she does, and in looking back at her teenage years,
Erlbaum shows how much it takes to make it, but is living
EDITOR'S
PICK
56 I curve
Poet Daphne Gottlieb has teamed up with comic
artist Diane DiMassa to bring some of her loosely
autobiographical writings to life in Jokes and the
Unconscious.Gottlieb captures well the grief that
swirls around a family as it loses its patriarch,
intersecting this with her main character Sasha's
job at the very same hospital. Keeping the story
from being too dark is a tender lesbian love affair
between teenage Sasha and dashing skateboarder
Jet. DiMassa's snarky art is a perfect pairing for
the tale, making the book and its sentiment stronger for her efforts. But fans of DiMassa's expecting
Hothead Paisan to appear will have to keep their
expectations muted - this is Gotdieb's tale, after
all. The award-winning author of poetry books
Final Girl, Why Things Burn and Pelt, Gottlieb
is well-known in performance and poetry circles.
Now she proves
she can write prose
too, although most
readers will find
it's DiMassa's artwork that keeps the
story moving and
the pages turning.
Visit Gottlieb online
at daphnegottlieb.
com; find more on
DiMassa at hot
headpaisan.com.
(cleispress.com)
EllenFomey'snew
comic collection, I
Love Led Zeppelin:
Pantry
Dropping
Comics, gathers together a bounty of strips published within
the last few years in magazines and newspapers. Forney's artwork, jam-packed with funny details and text, are particularly
appealing in this oversize book, lush with glossy paper and
color pages. CuRVE readers will especially like stories such
as "How to be a Fabulous Fag Hag" written with comedian
Margaret Cho, the hilarious "My Date with Camille Paglia;'
and two collaborations with gay writer Dan Savage called "My
First Time;• and "My First Time in Drag:' You can see more of
Forney's artwork at ellenforney.com. (fantagraphics.com) ■
PAGE TURNERS
Ou~NatsuoKirino(Vintage):
Recipient
of Japan'sGrandPrixfor
CrimeFiction,Outisthethrillingtaleof
a brutalmurderbya youngworkingclassmotherinTokyo.
Afterstrangling
herabusive
husband,
maincharacter
Masako
seekshelpfromherfemale
co-workers
in covering
hertracks.
Smashing
thestereotypes
of Japanese
women,
thefemalecharacters
in Out
aredaring,cunning
andpossess
infinitecourage
whentheworlddemands
it. (randomhouse.com/vintage)
- Kim
Fujioka
BiAmerica:
Myths,Truths,
andStruggles
ofan Invisible
Community,
WilliamE.Burleson
(Harrington
ParkPress):Callus
closeted,
callusconfused
- the
truthis,bisexuals
havebeenaround
fora whilenowandprobably
won't
renounce
ouridentityanytime
soon.Looking
firstat ourcultural
construction
of sexualidentityand
latertacklingissueslikemonogamy,
HIVanddiscrimination,
Burleson
paintsa comprehensive
pictureof
whatit means
to bea "fence-sitter"
in oursociety.
Highlyrecommended
reading
forbisexuals
andthewomen
wholovethem.(haworthpress.com)
- Catherine
Plato
Davina
Kotulski
IAUTHOR, GAY MARRIAGE ACTIVIST I
Ever wonder who wrote the book on gay marriage? That would be
Davina Kotulski, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and long-time activist
in the freedom-to-marry movement. In her book, Why You Should
Give a Damn About Gay Marriage, Kotulski enlightens and inspires
everyone, gay or straight, on the importance of being proactive
toward equality for all citizens. -Carol Bryant
How can we get straight Americans to pay attention to
your book?
Read it and pass it on to a family member. Often, those pre-
viously opposed suddenly "get" the message. The key is to
educate, get people talking.
With so many recent legal setbacks in court, how can we
not become discouraged?
This is not the tale of Cinderella, and these judges are not
our fairy godparents. Their gavel does not make us equal; we
need to do that ourselves. If we change the hearts and minds
of our fellow Americans, they will step up for us and decide it
is no longer acceptable to discriminate.
What about the "marriage is heterosexual" retort within the
LGBT community?
Any LGBT person who is or wants to be in a relationship will
feel the sting of marriage inequality in some form. Tragedies
Voiceofan Outcast,
Dr.Nija
occur, people lose everything. You don't have to get married,
L.Walker(Revealing
Reality
but please don't stand in the way of equal rights.
Publishing):
AnAfrican-American
Do
you
believe that calling them "civil unions" has a better
lesbian
anda devoted
Christian,
Walker
chance
versus "marriage" of becoming legal?
presents
a trulyuniqueperspective
on
theintersection
of religion
andsexualNo. Asking for less than equality means getting inequality.
ityin herdebutcollection
of poems.
In Connecticut, we asked for marriage and got civil unions.
Whilehereffortslacktheawareness
In California, we asked for marriage and got the creation of a
andpolishof a moreexperienced
domestic partner registry. Why are we good enough for civil
writer,sheoverflows
withspiritand
unions but not marriage? We must demand equal treatment.
sincerity.
Plus,anylesbian
poetwho
earnestly
compares
Jesusto Michael
What can readers do right now to become proactive?
Jordanis worthchecking
outat least
Talk to people, get educated and pass it on. Join an organizaforthebizarreness
factor.
tion that works towards marriage equality, have letter writing
(revea/ingreality.com)GP
parties, raise funds, but be involved. ■
Indecent:
HowI MakeIt and
FakeIt asa GirlforHire,Sarah
Katherine
Lewis(SealPress):From
humblebeginnings
asa lingeriemodel
in anunderground
Seattle
"tanning
salon"to stripping
onBourbon
Street,
Lewisreminisces
onherdecade-long
careerin sexwork.Ashervariousprofessions
covera broadrangeof safety
andlegality,
hervoiceremains
sharp,
upbeatandsexy,withoutglamorizing
thestruggles
of lifeasa workinggirl.
(sea/press.com)GP
November 2006
I57
Reviews
Music Watch
The Righteous Babe Returns
After some time off, Ani's back and rocking hard. I By Margaret Coble
STAFF PICK
Crushing
Love,SomeGirls
(KochRecords):
Ledbythe
legendary
JulianaHatfield,
thisrocktrio'ssophomore
release
screams
originality
andgrowthsincetheirlast
record.Crushing
Loveshowcasestheband'sversatility,
fromyoursweetsummer
songsto slap-you-in-thefacebadgirltunes.These14
trackswillkeepyousinging
yourheadoff in yourcarin
notime.(some-girls.com)
-Amanda Poulsen
For the second year in a row, I'm filing my monthly column
from the woods while working long crew at the Michigan
Womyn's Music Festival. So it feels only appropriate to spotlight three indie artists who fit right into the musical landscape
here: Ani DiFranco, who's played Michfest in the past, and The
Wailin' Jennys and Jenn Lindsay, who ought to be on the festival producers' radar for future consideration.
Days, which garnered them rave reviews, several spots in A
PrairieHome Companion,and a 2005 Canadian Juno Award
for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year. This muchanticipated follow-up does not disappoint, with 13 cuts that
infuse pop, rock, and alt-country into their already strong folk
and bluegrass base, making comparisons to the Dixie Chicks
not far off the mark. Several tracks strike me as radio-worthy,
including the opening finger-picker "Devil's Paintbrush Road"
Reprieve,Ani DiFranco (RighteousBabe)
I alternate between really loving Ani DiFranco and feeling
really ambivalent about her music, but over her now two-decadeplus career, one feeling remains constant: I've got nothing but
respect for her politics, and the fact that she lives, breathes and
sings them. So having said that, Reprievehas been in heavy rotation on my iPod since I got it. Admittedly, some of my interest
may be its New Orleans-centric vibe (it was partially written and
recorded there, interrupted by Hurricane Katrina, and resumed
shortly thereafter), especially the pointedly political, scathing
commentary of "Millennium Theater;' the album's centerpiece,
which aptly captures the anger and frustration with the Bush
administration post-levee failure in New Orleans, even though
it was written months before Katrina ever existed. But aside
from all that, it's also just a pleasure to listen to, with DiFranco
offering 13 exquisitely produced, atmospheric compositions,
ranging from the spoken-word tide track, minimally accompanied by violin and acoustic guitar, to fuller-sounding cuts
like "Half-Assed;' with organs, wah-wah pedals and electronic samples adding layers of sonic texture. A must-have
for fans, and definitely worth checking out even if you're not.
(righteous
babe.com)
Firecracker,The Wailin' Jennys (Red House)
The Canadian female roots trio with impeccable three-part
harmony has been on a roll since their 2004 debut release 40
ss curve
I
and the pop-country "This Heart of Mine;• while the waltzlike "Swallow;• traditional a capella "Long Time Traveler" and
mesmerizing ':A.pocalypse Lullaby" rank as personal favorites.
If you haven't heard them already, give them a listen; I think
you're going to be hearing a lot more about these gals very soon.
( thewailinjennys.com)
Uphill Both Ways, Jenn Lindsay (No Evil Star)
A current staple of the East Village antifolk scene, Lindsay has
paid her dues touring the country, opening for such kindred
spirits as Melissa Ferrick, Toshi Reagon, Bitch and Animal,
and Alix Olson. Uphill Both Ways is her sixth studio album,
a complete joy from beginning to end and a welcomed surprise
among the towering stack of previously unheard-of artists' discs
accumulating on my desk. From relationship tales like the gently
rollicking opening tide track to the sparser, more melancholy
"In Brooklyn;• Lindsay masterfully tells her captivating stories, sucking you into her confessional vignettes, while offering
hypnotic, compelling melodies that make you want to sing
along. "Memphis" is a bluesy, twangy traveling song on par
with the best Dolly Ranchers' fare, and her "House In New
Orleans" is a politically spot-on adaptation of "House of the
Rising Sun;' incorporating stanzas of''.A.mazingGrace;' all filled
with post-Katrina commentary (a personal favorite). One listen
and I guarantee you'll be hooked; this album is hard not to love.
(jennlindsay.com)■
6()
~
LL
e.
I
()
z
:J
()
>z
z
i3
OTHER LICKS
It CanHappentoAnyone,
Elisabeth
Withers(BlueNote):The
ColorPurpleBroadway
starbustsout
withdebutfull of soulful,sexyR&B,
gospelandpopwitha littlecabaret,
rockandevenreggaethrownin.Note
thequeer-positive
cut"TheWorld
Ain'tReady."
(bluenote.com/elisabeth)
Salt& Water,
SaraJaffe(Cherchez
la Femme):
WithhelpfromTaraJane
O'NeilandtheQuails'Julianna
Bright,
theformerEraseErratamember
presents
anaddictive
solo5-trackEP
of sad,sparse,girl-loves-girl
songs.
(cherchezlafemmeprojects.com)
Vicki Randle
I
VOCALIST AND PERCUSSIONIST
I
You may not recognize the name, but chances are you've heard
her music. From the Tonight Show Band to Cris Williamson's lat,
Something
Real,MegandDia
(Doghouse):
Pop-friendly
rocktunes
seemto floweffortlessly
fromthe18and21-year-old
SaltLakeCitysister
act,onthishook-laden
11-track
debut.(megananddia.com)
GSSP
RMX,TheGossip(KillRock
Stars):Thissix-songEPoffers
remixes
of thequeerdance-punk
band'srecentsingle"ListenUp"by
Mstrkrft,ArthurBakerandA Touchof
Class,plusa coverof Aaliyah's
"AreU
ThatSomebody."
(gossipyouth.com)
est tour, Vicki Randie's been popping up everywhere. Among the
most sought,after vocalist,percussionists in the business, she's per,
formed with names ranging from Herbie Hancock to Celine Dion.
September marked the long,awaited release of Randie's first solo
album, SleepCity:Lullabiesfor Insomniacs.-
Laurie K. Schenden
After years in the biz, why are you just now going solo?
I realized long ago that I could make a consistent living, as well
as gain recognition, working for others. I didn't have to take
the emotional risks or personal hits, nor bear the ultimate
responsibility. Pretty good deal, actually. But inside of me was
brewing a need to tell the stories that only I can tell. When I
could no longer turn away and when I felt strong enough to
become all of myself, I was ready to make this record.
AroundtheCity,ElianeElias
What are some of your favorite songs on the CD?
(Bluebird/RCA
Victor):The
Gee, all of the songs are significant in some way.... I'm par,
Brazilian-born
jau singer,
pianistand
ticularly pleased that I get to show my acoustic guitar side
composer's
18thalbumis a danceable
to the world. Many people have no idea I play guitar, even
delight,
filledwithelectronica-tinged
though that's my main instrument.
bossanovagrooves
anda fewsurprisWhat's your favorite alubum you've worked on?
inglyenjoyable
covers,
including
Bob
Marley's
"Jammin."
(elianeelias.com)
Some of my favorites may not be ones that sold very many
copies ... Ferron's Still Riot is one of my all,time favorites ...
Everything
BadandBeautiful,
Aretha Franklin's Whos Zoomin' Who was pretty special,
SandraBernhard
(Breaking):
both because it was Aretha Franklin and because it was the
Another
hilarious
soloshowfromthe
last time I got to work with Sylvester.
boisterously
bicomedian,
partstandup,partmusic,recorded
livelastMayin How has your image as a high-profile musician ranked on
NewYorkCity.(breakingrecords.com)
the babe-magnet scale?
I've had astonishingly bad luck with hooking up with some,
BlackDoves,
AmeliaWhite
one who has just seen a show, [but] I had a girl chase me from
(Funzalo):
TheNashville-based
singer-songwriter
servesup11
England once! I gave her my phone number and returned to
twangyalt-country
cutswitha pop
California. Next thing I knew she was calling me from [the]
sheenonherthirdfull-length
album,
San Francisco airport, telling me she'd left her husband.
traversing
bothpersonal
relationAre
you
in a committed relationship now?
shipsandpost-9/11political
terrain.
Um, do my two Siberian huskies count? ■
(ameliawhite.com)
- MC
November 2006
I59
Reviews Tech Girl
•Baby Is a Centerfold
Yay, it's snapshot season again. I By Diane Anderson~Minshall
Holidays like Thanksgiving can be a bit of a bear, what with all those once a year relatives coming out of the
woodwork, patting your butt and asking you what lesbians really do in bed. Maybe that's just my family.
But still, the best way to combat holiday blues? Get behind the camera. Every fam needs an official archivist
and a great way to avoid Aunt Selma's annoying questions or cousin Jamal's snot-nosed baby is to be the
official photographer. These groovy new cameras will make the job all the sweeter.
It Doesn't Get Sexier Than This
The Leica C- Lux 1 from Leica Camera AG is the first model in a new line of Leica digital
compact cameras and Leica's smallest camera to date and boy, what a sexy beast it is. With an
ultracompact design and fully retractable optics, the C- Lux 1 has great color rendering even
in wide-angle or telephoto formats. An integrated optical image stabilizer counteracts camera
shake even in difficult light conditions. The camera's 2.5-inch display is great for photo composition, and the speed with which it takes and displays photos, with minimal shutter delay,
is breathtaking. Did we mention that this 2-inch by 4-inch black-and-chrome camera looks
good? With precise auto focus and a battery strong enough for up to 320 photographs, it's a
great camera to take on your next lesbian cruise. Featuring a resolution of 207,000 pixels (your
arty girlfriend understands what that means), the camera comes with a 64 MB SD memory
card, a battery charger, battery, an AV, USB and AC cable, and an extensive software package
including Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0. ($495, leica-camera.us)
Clockwise from top
right: The Olympus
Stylus 740; Olympus's
FE-180; Rolleiflex's
MiniDigi; and the
Leica C-Lux 1.
Make Her Feel Like a Movie Star
There's a saying that an actor can tell she's a star when a Rollei has photographed her. That's
a Rolleiflex, a twin-lens reflex German camera developed in the 1920s that's become synonymous with Hollywood as it's the preferred tool for serious portrait photographers. If
you've always wanted a Rollei you're not alone. The new Rolleiflex MiniDigi is the perfect
intro. This new digital camera - a close replica of the famous Rolleiflex 2.8F - offers the
great old school features (like 6x6 cm square frame format, two lenses and a crank lever) in
an up-to-date digital version. No shutter opportunity so you never lose time determining
vertical or format position; you just aim then shoot from the waist (which is even better for
photographing kids and dogs). It has a 2 MP sensor and SD memory card. One downside,
there's no USB port. ($350, rolleiJp/e/)
For Tech Lovers Everywhere
For modern capabilities and iibertechie features, Olympus's new Stylus digital cameras and
the new SP-510 simply can't be beat. The compact 7.1 megapixel Stylus 740 comes with a
5X optical zoom lens tucked inside a streamlined, all-weather body. Despites its slimness, the
Stylus 740's 2.5-inch LCD and the exclusiveTruePic TURBO Image Processor render brilliant blue skies and accurate flesh tones to produce crisp, high-quality, large-format prints (we
could have shot our cover photograph with it, in fact). With the Bright Capture Technology,
this camera is a perfect gift for that girlfriend who loves her WNBA games. The new Stylus
730 model, designed with beginners in mind, makes it a great fit for those new to digital
technology. The 3-inch LCD makes reviewing photos a snap, and a Simple Mode offers easyto-use auto settings so you don't have to be Ansel Adams to actually capture your girlfriend
in front of Mt. Hood. A Perfect Fix mode offers editing tools to remedy red eyes, underexposures and blurs. ($350 and $400, respectively,olympusamerica.com)
Girls on Budgets Can Still Shoot
If $10 disposable cameras are near and dear to you, making the switch to digital might seem
like a steep investment, but Olympus's new affordable FE series offer great digital features
(6 megapixels, 2.5-inch LCD and built-in helper guides for novices) in a slim little camera
with a slightly lower price. ($150 and up, olympusamerica.com)
60
Icurve
VictoriaA. Brownworth Politics
A History Lesson
Remembering our story is a full--time job.
T
here should be a special career day for
all the centuries before Stonewall freed us from the
queers. I have been a college professor for
repression and oppression we had suffered under
for over a millennium.
more than 20 years, have taught a wide range
of students - some queer, most of them not
-
and counseled many on what career path
All that uncharted territory. All that terrain to
be plumbed for the artifacts of our (female, queer or
they should take.
both) existence - an existence that would continue
This semester one of my students, a young
Vietnamese-American man, wrote a piece
to be challenged again and again, even by our own.
We needed to have a history; we needed to know
for one of my nonfiction courses in which he
what we had been capable of in the past to know
revealed that his parents were among the boat
what we could be capable of in the future.
History, of course, is an evolutionary discipline.
people fleeing Vietnam in the final days before
the fall of Saigon. He was only a few months
old at the time, and other people in the teaming boat on the choppy and dangerous seas
believed it would have been kinder to drown
There is new history being made every second:
women's history, lesbian history, queer history. But
is our history now in peril?
In the 1970s the flurry of scholarly work, expo-
the baby than to have him suffer. But his parents protected him, got him to America, and
sitions of and expeditions into our collective past,
was everywhere. New journals sprang up. Presses,
through intensely hard work, went from collecting government cheese and milk to running
publishers and imprints were created to handle this
work and promote it to both the academic and sec-
their own small grocery store. They achieved
their American Dream for their children.
ular milieux. Soon there were experts in a field that
hadn't even existed a decade before.
My student joined the Marines afrer high
school and did a tour of duty in Iraq, coming
full circle metaphorically and actually from
Vietnam to Iraq. Now in his mid-20s, he is in college, trying to achieve his
Through this work, this discovery, we began to
know ourselves and feel pride in our accomplishments. We now had a retinue to whom we - the
outcasts, the outlaws, the second-class citizens -
finally belonged. That is
own American Dream of being a writer.
Although he's not queer, his story is very much representative of minority
how important all this work was; that was the giftof our history to ourselves.
culture in American society. I have urged him to be a historian of his own life,
a life unknown to most Americans.
In talking to this student, I began to think about our own queer culture
the intensity began to wane, and the flow began to slow.
Now I worry that our history, and more importantly the record of it, is
"presumed:' Where once we had nothing, our lives seemingly tabula rasa,
and our own undocumented and undiscovered history.
When I was in college in the 1970s, women's studies was a developing
the early explosion of work by people like Lillian Faderman and Martin
Duberman made us complacent. Their work and that of so many others made
discipline, an off-shoot of "real" history. It would be another decade or more
us real to ourselves. And once on the map, how could we disappear from it
ever again?
until queer studies became yet another tributary of minority history.
I was among the students and faculty who helped to found the women's
studies department at my university. It was an intensely exciting time. All we
could think about was that we were both making and uncovering history. I
remember those years as a time of constant revelation. I had given up my first
love (the career choice I had made at 6, to be a doctor) and dropped out of
medical school afrer several years of study. I couldn't imagine finding something
else that I would love as I loved medicine and the prospect of saving lives.
And then I discovered history: my own women's history.
Oprah Winfrey would call it a "light-bulb moment;' the recognition of
something large and amazing that spread before me, of which I was indeed a
part. Where I had once wondered where women fit into the annals of the millennia, I now knew. We existed; we had just been erased, our names, achievements and very lives unrecorded or recorded over.
As a historian it would be my job - my vital and endless job - to
uncover, recover and record what women had done in the world up until now.
Later that would be extended to lesbians and then other queers: where we
had come from, how we had lived in previous eras, what life had been like in
The research continued, books and articles were published regularly, but
History needs historians to record it. Like my student whose story has yet
to be archived among American immigrant tales, our stories must continually
be told for our history to remain the living, vibrant entity that history must be.
The life of a historian need not be pedantic and tedious; I have found
it exciting, evolutionary and vital. But just as only a Vietnamese American
can tell the authentic tale of Vietnamese-American life, only we as queer
Americans can tell our stories, because it is we who have the investment, we
who most need to know who we are and to share that information with others like ourselves.
There are many who would indeed like to see us removed from the map
of history, to return us to the shadows and obscure our achievements. Our
history is embattled because our very lives remain embattled. We cannot
afford complacency.
Our history is our story, our lives recorded for posterity. There may be
careers as important as being an historian, but little is more important than
knowing where we came from and where we can go in the future. ■
November 2006
I 61
Dyke Drama Michele Fisher
Know When to Hold 'Em
When it's over, it's over. Unless you're a lesbian, of course.
Y
ou homo history buffs will remember that Harvey
Mille endeared himself to the entire populous of San
Francisco, not just the gays, when he pushed for and succeeded in passing pooper scooper legislation. Yes, he was
a gay hero, but he was also the guy who literally cleaned
up the streets of San Francisco. If he were alive today, he
would certainly be pissed about all the poo on the streets
of his once pristine city.
The worst of it is that the queers are the biggest offenders now.
The Castro used to be teeming with horny boys and
girls who wanted to have sex with as many other horny
boys and girls as they could get their collective paws on.
Love was in the air all day and all night. Everywhere you
looked somebody was either making out in a corner or
humping in a doorway.
Now, every homo wants a family. And what is a family without Fido? Find a homo without a pet in San
Francisco, I double-dog dare you! Many thanks to those
of you considerate enough to pick up your pooch's poo off
the sidewalk with a plastic bag, but how about that smear
you left? Forget training Rex to play chopsticks on the
piano, I would be so much more impressed if you could
get him to crap on the grass, at the dog park.
Not too long ago, my wife and I were taking our
nightly stroll and keeping a close eye on the pavement as
we chatted.
As we walked by a sidewalk cafe, I caught a glimpse
of a woman I had dated in the early '90s. She was sitting
at a table for two with another woman, and they were
both wearing sunglasses, drinking wine and smiling. I was
pretty sure it was her, but I would have had to look back to
make absolutely sure of it. I didn't look back.
How could I resist looking back at a woman with
whom I had once been hopelessly obsessed?
The romance between Lesbian X and I had been as powerful as it had
been brief. She was one of the "L girls": I had told her that I loved her and
had stepped in a big old pile of dyke drama. After a quick apology for bothering me, he moved swiftly back up his driveway and into his home.
I knew I had to find her, but how?
she had said it back. We had nothing in common and we both agreed on the
Madame X had left no forwarding address or phone numbers and she
had quit her job. The poor woman just couldn't stand to be in the same city
first date that a liaison between us would end badly. We were so tragically
incompatible that it was romantic.
I hadn't seen her since the breakup.
We had vowed to each other, the night that we parted, never to speak
again. It would be too painful to take a stab at friendship and pointless to
pretend that we would ever have a future as a couple.
I kept my promise for about a year.
I was out on a date with a woman who actually told me that I was not
her type and then proceeded to ask me out on a second date, all in the same
breath, when Madame X came roaring into the front of my brain. I became
instantly and powerfully convinced that Dyke X was the one for me and that
I had to get her back if I was ever to be happy again. I drove immediately over
to her apartment. As I was sitting on the curb outside of her place contemplating my next move, one of her fag neighbors recognized me and asked me
how X was doing. Apparently, my pained expression let him know that he
62 I curve
with me and not be with me. How awful it must have been for her.
My best friend told me that X was always moving and quitting her jobs
because she was a flake who was constantly screwing people over, but my
friend didn't know X like I did. She may have moved other times and quit
other jobs for other reasons, but this time it was all about me.
Sometimes late at night, after several cocktails, I would get on the computer and search for X in cyberspace.
Dyke X was an artist who could pass in the corporate world. She was
brash and self-confident, and she never worried about where her next guitar
was coming from. My best friend said X was a con artist who played me like
a fiddle, but she never gave X a chance.
Me and X didn't travel in the same circles, which was a big reason it didn't
work out between us. I met a couple of her friends, but it wasn't fun. They
were angry, hip and bored, and I was, well, really anxious to get away from
a:
w
ti:i
w
a:
t;
w
z
a:
w
I
~
them. X and I at least had sex in common, but I didn't feel like screwing her
friends to get to know them.
However, I found out a few months before the breakup that X had slept
with one of those friends one night while I was at work. X explained that she
didn't really want to but did it because she felt sorry for the girl who had such
"When it's over, it's over;' X said. That was her entire explanation. The
woman had not done anything to X, except be a part of her past.
I never wanted to be that woman.
I can't explain why X owned all of my romantic fantasies for years. Maybe
because she was the one that got away.
low self,esteem. She was shocked at how petty I was to begrudge some sad
dyke a pity screw.
Except she didn't really get away; I sent her away.
We really stunk as a couple. My feelings were always hurt and she was
I ended up in front of Pity Screw's house the night I found out that X was
always mad. We spent way more time not talking than talking. She was into
gone. I didn't even realize that I knew where the girl lived until I was parked in
social Darwinism and I was into masochism. I was always calling one of my
friends and whining about how insensitive or inconsiderate X was. Nobody
front of her house. There was no plan; I just sat there looking at Pity Screw's
house thinking that I could always go up on the porch and ring the bell.
I spent about a dozen nights in front of that house over the next few years.
liked her and nobody liked me with her. When I was with X, I became one of
Madame X never came by while I was there, and Pity Screw never spotted
me. I sat out there in my car dreaming of our storybook reunion.
miserable relationship.
I was relieved when I left her apartment for the last time.
It was more like intermittent obsession. I didn't pine for X all of the time,
just when things weren't going my way romantically. I remained convinced,
for years that X was going to rescue me from all my woes one day.
those boring miserable people who talks about nothing else but their boring
I realized as my wife and I hit the first corner that I hadn't thought about
Madame X in almost five years. We took a right and I never looked back.
"Did you see those women at that cafe eating on the sidewalk?" My wife
But that never happened.
I remember one time Ms. X and I were walking hand in hand down the
asked me.
"Uh,huh:' I casually answered to hide my escalating anxiety level. Here
street when we ran into one of her old girlfriends. The gal seemed pleasant
enough, but Ms. X treated that dyke like she had a major case of poo shoes.
She muttered a hello, didn't bother to introduce me and stretched my arm a
I was so proud of myself for leaving a big chunk of my embarrassing past
behind me, and then my girl, the reason for my well,adjusted and happy pres,
full inch trying to pull me down the street with her. I couldn't wait to hear
about what horrible things this lezbo had done in order to warrant such
shabby treatment.
ent, was going to dig the whole stinking thing up again.
"There is no way I could eat in a minefield of dog shit:' She said.
"Me neither:' I said, chancing a step on unexamined ground to look up at
her and smile. ■
Sapphic Screen continued from page 54
Take My Money and Run continued from page 41
Ryna (Life Size)
that the women insist on taking their own advice.
"Because we do that, sometimes we realize that
inability to marry:'
That fiscal activist, Robasciotti says, makes it
what were recommending isn't practical and that's
great for helping us to refine the experience and
advice that were giving people:'
all worthwhile. She also serves on the Board of
Directors of the National Center for Lesbian Rights
Doroteea Petre garnered the Best Actress Award
at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival for her stunning
portrayal of 16,year,old Ryna, a rather handsome
girl whose abusive father has raised her as a boy
in the striking Danube Delea region of Romania.
While she's working as an auto mechanic at her
father's shop, it's clear to all who meet Ryna that
"he" is really a"she;' despite shorn locks and grease,
stained coveralls.
After her mother abandons her to her father's
physical and emotional abuse, Ryna eventually
rebels, deciding to "come out" as female, in this
case simply by wearing a dress to the town fair.
What could have been a simple one,note drama
that ended there, does not: Ryna's reward for
unwillingly tackling gender norms - even if that
means living as a feminine woman after years of en,
forced gender ambiguity - is as vicious as can be
imagined. As Ryna survives the violent ordeal, the
richly,hued, sepia,toned film (now on DVD)
takes a unique look at a woman's ability to endure
regardless of geography or time, as well as how pov,
erty, sexism and oppression can work together to
enforce the status quo. Not surprisingly, director
Ruxandra Zenide, a Swiss and Romanian film,
maker, is a woman. In Romanian and French with
subtitles. (lifesizenetertainment.com) ■
But does being a lesbian make you a better
financial planner:'
"We think so;' Robasciotti says. "Since most of
what won't automatically happen because of their
and the Foundation to End Sexual Violence.
"I believe that NCLR is the single most effec,
tive organization doing work for the queer com,
munity;' Robasciotti says. 'i\nd the mission of
our clients are from the LGBT community, we're
definitely able to empathize with the special chal,
FESV gives me hope for the future. I give my time
to these organizations because I can't imagine not
lenges that they face. We've had clients tell us that
it's a huge relief to work on with their finances -
being a part of these causes and because I person,
ally need to participate in the communities that I
care about in order to feel like a whole person:'
an already emotionally charged subject - without
the discomfort of having to 'explain' how their re,
lationships work:'
Philipson agrees, but admits that their LGBT
clients can still surprise them.
"It's really amazing that, even with all of the
recent media coverage, some people still don't un,
derstand that we can't legally be married anywhere
in the U.S. according to the federal government;'
she says. "Even if we do have domestic partner,
ship in California, there are so many benefits that
come with the ability to legally marry that we still
having to Jerry rig' our financial and legal affairs to
match our wishes. They come in with assumptions
about what will happen to their assets when they
die and we spend a lot of time educating them on
Robasciotti and Associates walks their talk,
too, by offering new clients discounts to member
donors of several groups including NCLR, the lo,
cal NPR channel and the Golden Gate Business
Association. Even when the discount turns out to
be more than the cost of membership itsel£ the
women think it's still worthwhile.
"We're a relentlessly idealistic group of people;'
Philipson says.
"We believe that the work that we do with our
clients has a real impact on the world," Robasciotti
chimes in. "We believe that we can be successful
and socially responsible at the same time and that
the smartest financial decision is pointless if it
doesn't support the life that you want to live:' ■
November 2006
I63
-
World AIDS Day
December 1st, 2006
Please Join us at 7:30pm
at The Palladiuin in
St. Petersburg, Florida.
icesfora
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www.mypalladium.org
Featuring ETTY!
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For information about ticket sales,or
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www.Al9SPartnershipinc.org
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World ~IDS Day is not just about raising money,
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November 2006
I67
'-----✓
VOL.16#8
VOL.16#7
VOL.16#6
VOL.16#5
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VOL.16#3
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I 71
Top Ten ReasonsWe Love Kritik
When CURVE traveled to the 2006 Pride celebration
in Boise, Idaho, one name grabbed our attention
wherever we went: Kritik (sounds like "critique").
Nee Kate Neal, she's the hottest thing to come out
of Boise's hip-hop scene since, well ... since anyone
knew Boise had a hip-hop scene. Talented, cute and
queer, she opened a pre-Pride show for lesbian rap
icons God-des and She, then made the ladies drool
with her mainstage performance on festival day.
With biting, socially aware lyrics and a captivating stage presence, she won't stay Boise's best-kept
secret for much longer. - CatherinePlato
1. Sheposesa seriousthreatto thestatusquo.As
a queer white chick from Idaho, Kritik falls pretty
far outside expectations for a hip-hop superstar.
2. Success
wasa totalsurprise.
Her first rap was
a class assignment that took off. "I wrote a rap
about the time my little brother knocked my four
front teeth out with a swing set and performed it
for my class, and then I just started. I write a lot-of
poetry so I started turning my poetry into lyrics,
got a beat-making program, and it kind of took
off:' Her first public appearance as Kritik was in a
performance of TIJeVaginaMonologues.
3. She'smulti-talented.
Not just a rapper, she's also
a guitarist, bassist and drummer who's been playing in bands since junior high and grew up rocking
out to bands like Led Zeppelin. These days though,
she's got her niche pretty well carved out. "I think
that hip-hop is where I need to be;' she says.
4. She alwaysrapsfor a cause.She wrote and
performed new material for Boise's Martin Luther
King Day ceremony, themes of social justice predominate her lyrics, and she never hesitates to
speak her mind. As her hit "Rebel" says, "It's been
this way since before I could talk/Been a rebel from
birth since before I could walk:' We dig it.
5. She'sinto helpingout otherartists.Steering
clear of the competitive vibe that often tangle~ up
emerging artists, she has helped organize benefit
shows in her home state, to promote other musicians just starting their careers, and often works
with Boise's resident drag troupe, the Bois of
Boise, comprised of some of her close friends.
6.She'sgothometown
pride.Kritik's found the notoriously red state ofldaho surprisingly warm and welcoming.'T~e never had anyone say anything negative
about my music. I've performed for people who I've
assumed would not be interested in my music and
they are' She adds that Boise's relatively small size
makes it supportive and friendly to new musicians.
72
Icurve
"Iwrotea rap aboutthe time my littlebrotherknocked
my fourfrontteethout witha swingset and performedit
for my class... and it kindof took off."
7. Whileshe takes her musicand politicsseriously,she still makes us laugh. In "Roll Wit Me;'
time to write new music as well as play a handful
of gigs each month.
she raps: "Caught the second wind/Back to the bar
for a double gin/No coke, no rocks, just straight
up/No, not straight, I'm GAY as fuck!"
9. There'ssomething
kindof hotabouta girlwith
a pirate fetish. Kritik named her record label
8. She'sa workhorse.A senior at Boise State,
Shipwrecked Records and titled her 11-song debut
album A Pirate'sLife.Arr!
Kritik holds down a job at the campus Cultural
Center while she majors in creative writing and
minors in theater. After all of that, she still finds
10.She'ssingle.You can cyber-hit on her online at
myspace.com/kritikl 7. ■
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THE BEST-SELLING LESBIAN MAGAZINE
Looking for a Dream Job:
Tired of corporate America
no matter how progressive
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E
veryone wants to work where they feel respected and welcomed. After all, who wants to have to take
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This issue of CURVE marks our third annual careers issue, highlighting our top companies for lesbians (see
page 38). We take a critical look into how Fortune 500 companies stack up for lesbian employees, giving
you the low down on who's at the top and why. We also call out a few worthy companies that didn't make
Contributing Writers
our Top 10 but deserve kudos for their forward actions. Even if you're not on the hunt for a new job, why
not reward these companies for their progressive thinking when you make your next purchase?
Tired of corporate America no matter how progressive their policies become? Our special careers section also
introduces you to a few entrepreneurs who have created their own lesbian workplace oasis. From a vegan cafe
in Provincetown, Mass., to a boutique and gallery in Reno, Nev., we hope their courageous stories inspire you
to think outside the box. Who knows, maybe you can create the next best workplace for lesbians.
In our own workplace, I'm thrilled to announce that our Executive Editor, Diane Anderson~Minshall, has
been selected to receive one of POWER UP's 10 Most Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz awards for her
work reporting about lesbians on the big and little screens. Diane penned this month's cover story on the
sexy lesbians of Dante's Cove (see page 42), the first queer, supernatural TV series, set in a mystical and
predominately queer world where hot lesbians having steamy sex are the norm (which leads to lesbian
drama, of course). Dante's Cove's openly lesbian actor, Michelle Wolff (seen recently in Veronica Mars),
calls the show "something of a cross between The OC and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed:' In our
exclusive interviews, we take you behind the scenes to meet all five of the show's main women. Some faces
may look familiar, including Thea Gill (Queer as Folk) and Tracy Scoggins (Dynasty and Babylon 5), but
the cast also features some interesting newcomers. Dante's Cove is a guilty pleasure that might just have
you coming back for another roll in the sand.
Contributing Illustrator
Amy Andre, Kathy Beige,
Carol Bryant, Gina Daggett,
Michele Fisher, Kim Fujioka,
Emma Hersh, Sheryl Kay,
Charlene Lichtenstein,
Malinda Lo, Karlyn Lotney,
Aefa Mulholland, Laurie K.
Schenden, Allison Steinberg,
Angela Watrous, Andy Wright
Katherine Streeter
Contributing Photographers Brie Childers, Danny Clinch,
Lydia Daniller, Samantha
Hamilton, Gabriela Hashun,
Dawn Lewis, Robert Millman,
Jim Mires, Maggie Parker,
Yolanda Perez, Debra St.
John, Steven Sebring,
Amy Ulen, Kina Williams,
Misty Winter
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21curve
Frances Stevens
Diane Anderson-Minshall
Catherine Plato
Rachel Pepper
Margaret Coble
Julia Bloch, Victoria A.
Brownworth, Gretchen Lee,
Sarah Warn
Laura K. Cucullu
Jaclyn Barcewski,
Laurie Werbner,
Jocelyn Voo
Kathryn Papanek,
Amanda Poulsen
Kas Neteler
Nathalie Peterson
Ondine Kilker
Nikki Woelk
Holly DeMaagd
Danie Belfield
Sara Jane Keskula
Rivendell Media
Bambi Weavil
Amanda Campa,
Monica Arana, Karyn Grigsby,
Tiffany Luciotti, Catrina
McQuerry, Kirsten Ott
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BUYING
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guideprovidesyouwiththe informationyouneed
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acrossthe country.NEWEDITION
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Features
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That's
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page 50
November 2006
24 It's Belfast Baby Who knew that Ireland could
hold so much allure for lesbians? By Malinda Lo
Volume 16#9
Show Me the Money:
Our Annual Careers Issue
28 Diesel Femme Dyke designer Sossity
26 You Can Take It With You Swag that'll
make your trip even sweeter. By Diane
Chiricuzio's line of racy, fat-friendly fashions.
By Diane Anderson-Minshall
Anderson-Minshall
29 Whip It Good Nothing says tough love like hand42 COVER: The Women of Dante's Cove Let
made S/M gear. By Jocelyn Voo
the Los Angeles babes have The L Word; the rest
of us are glued to Dante's Cove. This Buffy meets
The OC series may just be the hottest lesbian
30 Nevada: Not Just for Gamblers Queer culture
thrives in the desert. By Diane Anderson-Minshall
and gay TV show since, well, ever. By Diane
Anderson-Minshall
31 For Vegans Everywhere Yummy and healthy
eats in Provincetown. By Rachel Pepper
50 Get out the Vote The time has never been better
to get involved in the political process. Lesbian
ubercampaigner Candace Gingrich can show you
32 Best Lesbian Place to Work Sex shop
Babeland knows how to turn us on. By Amy Andre
how. By Emma Hersh
35 Not Your Mother's Shrink A mental health col52 Scintillating Cynthia Nixon She's out and
lective that makes us feel sane. By Angela Watrous
proud and still doesn't want to talk about it. But,
she does tackle lesbian shoes, sexual freedom
and Planned Parenthood in this quick, exclusive
36 Chain of Command Why we love Kimpton
Hotels. By Aefa Mulholland
interview. By Andy Wright
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38 Ten Best Companies Our top picks for dykefriendly employers. By Catherine Plato
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41
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41 Take My Money and Run Power dykes teach
us the fine art of financial planning. By Diane
Anderson-Minshall
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Departments
November 2006
"TheCastroused
to be teeming
with hornyboys
and girlswho
wantedto have
sex with as many
otherhornyboys
and girlsas they
couldget their
collectivepaws
on. Now, every
homowants
a family."
J
page 62
2
Frankly Speaking A friendly note from
our publisher.
16 Lesbofile Ellen and Portia make news
again, and Kathy Griffin gives another
juicy quote.
8
Contributors A few words on the ladies
whom we all love.
56 In the Stacks Rachel Pepper reveals
the latest by Daphne Gottlieb and Diane
DiMassa. Plus, the fight for gay marriage,
and BUST's editor shows us all how to
18 Scene Exclusive shots from the Chicago
Stitch 'n Bitch.
Gay Games.
9
Letters You miss Dana and love us, but
wish we had more Gay Games pix.
58 Music Watch Margaret Coble tackles
20 Ask Fairy Butch This best-of column
looks at three classic lesbian queries.
11 Out in Front Quick clips on Cecilia
Thompson, Pam Spaulding and Farrah
Krenek
Jennys and everyone's favorite righteous
babe, Ani D.
21 Lipstick & Dipstick What's a baby
dyke to do when her gay mum goes
back in the closet?
12 Curvatures Out and Equal Advocates;
Web TV comes out of the closet; Norma
Valley with tool tips; fashion-forward
Jenn Lindsay (shown above), the Wailin'
60 Tech Girl 'Tis the season to get a
smashing new camera. Find out what
you need now.
22 Astro Grrl Astrologer Charlene
Lichtenstein hands out some star advice.
crutches and election news.
61 Politics History, argues Victoria A.
Brownworth, is sometimes all we have.
54 Sapphic Screen Diane Anderson14 Open Studio Photographer Marcy
Mendelson gets behind the lens.
Minshall takes on the Almodavar-worthy
El Favor. Plus, Julie Goldman, Ryna and
62 Dyke Drama Michele Fisher on the one
who (thankfully) got away.
S2'
Cold as Summer (pictured above).
i=
72 Top Ten Reasons We Love Hot-shot
lesbian rapper Kritik, of Boise, Idaho.
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Contributors
"Campaigning for a cause or candidate that you truly believe in is a civic
duty. After my first political campaign, I was hooked;' says EmmaHersh,
who penned our Candace Gingrich article (see page 50).'J\ll it took was
a little volunteer work for a candidate whose priorities matched my own,
and I had the political bug:' Inspired by her experience as Statewide
Youth Outreach Coordinator for the Texas campaign to defeat the
November 2005 marriage amendment, Hersh set out to write this piece
to encourage the LGBT community to get involved and make a
difference in the upcoming elections. Former director of a Texas political
action committee, Generation Democrat, the San Antonio~based Hersh
presently consults on campaign youth outreach.
"Working with such brilliant and strong women has been nothing short
of a blessing;' says AmandaPoulsen
(left) of her stint with us at cuRvE.
She and a fellow editorial assistant, KathrynPapanek,
recently returned
to their respective colleges, Santa Clara University and Bowdoin College,
to finish their senior years. After earning her journalism degree, Poulsen
plans to drive cross~country to New York - chinchilla, dog, lizard and
boyfriend in tow - in pursuit of her dream to publish a column on
fashion or relationships. Meanwhile, in the snowy abyss of Brunswick,
Maine, Papanek is finishing her degree in classics with an interest in
homosexuality in ancient Greek culture, while her vegan Republican
boyfriend pursues his dream of investment banking. "We're weird;' she
explains with a smile and a shrug.
• Needto getaway?
Wehavethe perfectplace.
Actually,we have9,000.
Ourguidesare packedwltti
LGBTaccommodations,
bars,
bookstores,
cafes& more,
acrossthe US,Canada,
Europe& beyond.
s Icurve
"Having never worked for a big business mysel£ I was surprised to see how
progressive some of their employee policies were;' admits Catherine
Plato,
cuRvE's new associate editor and the author of our top companies list
(see page 38)."I was especiallyhappy to see some businesses reaching out to
their transgender employees,when even the larger queer community is often
so unaccepting:' A former CURVEeditorial assistant, Plato spent the past
year working in development for the San Francisco LGBT Community
Center, but was easily lured back by the stress, glamour, and glory of
publishing. In addition to writing for and about the queer community,
Plato has published articles in parenting and vegan magazines. A native
New Yorker with a Mormon fetish, she's excited to bring her energy back
to our pages for another round.
"No matter what profession we each choose, we all stand to learn
something from the women at Psyche;' explains AngelaWatrous,
who
wrote about the mental health collective for this issue (see page 35).
"They started out by really tuning into themselves - their own unique
interests and needs - to identify not only which field would be best for
them, but also the precise approach to their field that would allow their
work to be an organic expression of themselves. It was incredibly
inspiring:' In her own attempt to tune in to herself, Watrous actively
pursues her love of writing fiction. She's also the editor of 50 Ways to
SupportLesbianand Gay Equalityand Bare Your Soul:The Thinking Girl's
Guide to Enlightenment.Visit her online at angelawatrous.com.
Letters
curve
The L wo,ds
RrP<1k()11tStm
'
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,,
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"[T]hankyoufor the awesomefeature
'Gender101.' I am a recentlylicensed
clinicaltherapistin Ohioand willbe using
the articlesin my work. I was enlightened
and thankfulyou guysare doingyourpartto
educateus. I evencut the articleout ... and
willbe givingit to my clientsas needed."
A Sight for Sore Eyes
I have been a subscriber to
work comes across in every event you are involved in and every
CURVE
for the last six years and have
obviously enjoyed the magazine. This is no longer the case.
Noticeably for me at least, the last two issues (Vol. 16, #6 and
#7) are too difficult for me to read. The font is way too small and
the effort is too strenuous for me. This is not an eyesight problem
on my part as I have 20/20 vision. I noticed an'J\re We Hard to
Read?" in the Letters section and see I am not the only one ... but
that is of no consequence to you. Do the rest of your readers just
go along and accept what you have given them? I am mad about
this as I truly enjoyed CURVE
-
but again, reading with a magni-
fying glass is not what I am going to do.
- SarahE. Kelly,Portland,Ore.
issue that hits the stands.
I hear so many people in the industry speak of what an amazing woman [Founder /Publisher Frances Stevens) is, and I can see
from experience that her staff is a direct reflection of her love for
the magazine and what it stands for. I look forward to working
with all of you in the future.
- Dana Goldberg,stand-upcomedianfeatured in Vol. 16, # 3
Don't Blame the Messenger
Were really disappointed that Dana got dumped from The L
Word! She was a favorite among many of us out here. It took us
a while to figure out that Alexandra Hedison (Dylan) and Kelly
Gender 101
Lynch (Ivan) were walk-ans, but to get rid of Dana while keeping
the ditzes? We know CURVE doesn't have control, but where do
I wanted to thank you for the awesome feature "Gender 101''
we complain? Do you know what's going on?
(Vol. 16, #7). I am a recently licensed clinical therapist in Ohio
(Gasp! At least it's Columbus!) and will be using the articles in
my work. No matter that I have a friend transitioning, frequently
support my local drag troupe (go Royal Renegades!), and plan
on specializing in LGBT issues in therapy, I was enlightened and
thankful you guys are doing your part to educate us. I even cut
the article out, made copies, and will be giving it to my clients as
needed. You rule.
- Amy Pfeiffer,Columbus,Ohio
Kudos for including so much coverage about transgender people
in your September issue. There are so many issues in the lesbian
community concerning acceptance of transgenders. Many believe
that FTMs are really butch lesbians who have caved in under societal pressure to mimic heterosexuals for their own gain in privilege. Then, wouldn't that would mean lesbians are female heterosexual sellouts? I think not! On the other hand, many lesbians
are suspicious of MTFs trying to get close to us or gain access
to our space. Do they honestly believe that men would give up
their families, face unimaginable scrutiny, and give up their status
and privilege in the world just to get into our special club? How
arrogant and insulting.
- JB, Nashville,Tenn.
- Anonymous,St. Paul,Minn.
Editor's Note: Ah, if only CURVE had absolutepower. Sorry, we
don't know any more than you do, but checkthe officialWeb site at
sho.com/lword.Dana is quite the hot topicon the messageboards!
Gay Games
It was really nice meeting the folks behind the magazine at this
summer's Gay Games in Chicago. We were excited to see your
next issue (Vol. 16, #7), anticipating coverage on the Games.
Why no stories or pictures? This was a really big deal for the
LGBT community. Are you planning on any press in the upcoming issues? Thanks for all your time and energy and passion for
the spirit of womyn!
- Kim Theodore,Faiifax, Va.
Editor's Note: We had suchan amazingtime in Chicagoand would
like to give it as muchpressas possible.The issueis timing.We work
monthsin advanceto assign,edit,design,print and distributeCURVE,
and the issueyou refer to was written in May. But, checkout our
Scenepagesthis issuefor morephotosfrom thegames.
Got Somethingon Your Mind?
E-mail letters@curvemag.com; write to
Go Ahead, Flatter Us
I want to send a sincere thank you to the entire staff. ... I know you
are a tight-knit family, and your cohesion and passion for your
Rabble Rousers
Aslesbian
womenin the
conservative
stateof Florida,
myfianceeandI are
settingoutona dangerous
expedition:
Wearegetting
married.
Ourceremony
willbenextspring,andwe
arebigadvocates
forgay
marriage
lawsin
Florida.
Asyoumayor may
notknow,Floridaistryingto
passa billstrictly
definingmarriage
asa
unionbetween
a mananda
woman,
whichwould
specifically
discriminate
against
thegaycommunity.
Wewerehopingthatif
ourstorywastoldit could
encourage
otherlesbians
to
dowhatwearedoing,
aswellashelpadvocate
for
gaymarriage
lawsin our
homestate.
- KristenDunnandSara
Bruning,
Jacksonville,
Fla.
CURVE
Letters, 1550
Bryant St., Ste. 510, San Francisco, CA 94103; fax to 415-8631609. Please include your name, city and state. Letters may be
edited for clarity and length. ■
November 2006
I9
OFACHIL
OSED\NIT
M: 1 in 1
Farrah Krenek
Pam Spaulding
Cecilia Thompson
Actor, model and writer FarrahKrenekmay
Grab a latte and scootch on up to the com-
still be looking for her big break, but don't say
she's waiting for it. Determined to make it to
puter screen. PamSpaulding's
got something
Just one year after her graduation from Elon
University in North Carolina, activist Cecilia
the big screen, Krenek says she does the best
she can with every role handed to her, even
if only as a background extra, and calls her
work so far, "like being a small flower in a bed
of roses:•
"Being a small character of any kind of
to say.
"I was frustrated with the endless bleating
the Executive Director of the Guilford Green
of the religious right;' says Spaulding, a 43-
Foundation, a Greensboro-based nonprofit
year-old information technology manager at
Duke University Press in Durham, N.C. In
that touches the lives of thousands of LGBT
July 2004, she finally started talking back via
her blog, pamshouseblend.com, which now
means getting to hang around with amaz-
gets 3,000 hits per day.
ing people;' Krenek says. Having worked on
jobs alongside big name celebs like Michael
Unlike many of the other biogs taking up
cyberspace, Spaulding's interactive journals
Keaton and Ethan Hawke, Krenek is happy
to pay her dues in small parts, as long as she
have resulted in tangible successes for the
LGBT community. For example, one blog
can keep doing what she loves. Her latest role
informed readers about a right-wing legal
organization that had organized a "Day of
as an extra in My Super Ex-Girlfriend helped
her earn the credits she needed to become a
member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Thompson
has made a career for herself as
Truth" in schools across America. The group
folks throughout the state.
For the past decade, the foundation has
served as.a United Way of sorts, raising and
dispersing funds for a variety of queer-related
causes. In Thompson's first year, she and 20
community partners raised over $53,000,
which was then allocated to 12 different
groups including Equality North Carolina
and Triad Health Projects.
Thompson's role is as a liaison between
the foundation, potential donors and the local
had set up a Web page for young people
to order various forms of free propaganda
LGBT community organizations. She coor-
Her resume includes the usual commercials and extra jobs that most actors hold early
in their careers, as well as the role of Melanie
equating homosexuality with sin. Under
Spaulding's encouragement, masses of her
Drag Queen Bingo nights, a holiday designer
wreath auction and a black-tie gala.
in Eating Out, an off-off-Broadway play about
a woman's struggle with anorexia and bulimia,
readers ordered the free garbage with the
hopes that eventually the material would be
produced by Shea Theater. It was a role that
Krenek says hit close to home, having suffered
all gone. So many of her readers called in
with orders that the Web page crashed in
just one day.
And by the way, she's straight.
"The funny thing is, I didn't even have a
specific tie-in with the gay community;• she
from an eating disorder hersel£
"I took the role extremely seriously
because it affects millions of women everyday;'
she says. "It was a combination of emotion,
sadness and happiness:'
With a sexy, deep voice that holds the hint
of an Eastern European accent, the 29-yearold New Yorker says, ''.Atmy age, failure is not
an option .... And no matter how big or small
the role, you should do your best:'
Krenek says her inspirations include
Hilary Swank, Angela Bassett and Chloe
Sevigny. Hopefully, we'll get lucky and see
more of this hot lesbian on-screen soon.
- Laura K. Cucullu
Another time she informed readers about
an upcoming concert in New York that aimed
to "promote" AIDS awareness and education,
despite headlining the notoriously homophobic recording artists TOK and Beenie Man.
Spaulding's readers were so outraged that they
flooded the sponsor's phone lines for days.
Eventually the concert was cancelled.
"The important thing for me is to vent;'
she says. "If I can get people to say Tm not
going to give my money to people that don't
support us; then I get satisfaction from that:'
-Sheryl
Kay
dinates several fundraising events, including
says. ''I've always had a passion for social
issues - what's the difference if its youth
rights or civil rights or LGBT rights. It's a
natural thing for me:•
Intelligent, funny and pretty, she's the
heartbreak of many a lesbian when she
informs people that she is indeed straight.
But for work, being heterosexual just
might be a benefit, she said.
"The civil rights movement may never
have happened if some white person didn't
stand up and say it's wrong to treat black
people like this;• she says. "People see I'm not
fighting for me. I'm fighting for someone else's
rights:' -Sheryl
Kay
November 2006
I 11
Curvatures
TV Comes Out of the Closet
As the largest provider
Word cast:'
of
Trent says he and the
station's staffers, includ-
original gay, lesbian, bisexual,
Thanks for Nothing
Afterwinningthe
Democratic
primaryin
Alabama,
AIDSactivist
andoutlesbianPatricia
Todd(above)
wassetto
becomethefirst openlygay
candidate
for legislature
in
thenotoriously
conservativestate.However,
the
Democratic
Party'sexecutive
committee
unceremoniously
votedto disqualifyherand
thewomanshedefeated,
Gaynell
Hendricks,
for violatinga rulethatnootherparty
candidate
hasobeyedsince
1988- notfilinga
financialdisclosure
form
withthepartychair.Were
theDemocratic
Partyto hold
upthatrule,it wouldalso
haveto disqualify
the lieutenantgovernor
andgubernatorialcandidates,
setting
thepathfor a Republican
sweepof thestate."Patricia
gotthe mostvotesin two
separate
elections,
the
primaryandtherunoff,but
partybossesdidn'tlike
theoutcome,
so nowthey
wantto simplyhand-pick
a
candidate.
Whathappened
... wasunfair,undemocratic,
un-American
andunwise,"
saidDennisDisonof theGay
andLesbian
VictoryFund.
Luckily,othersagreedand
thecommittee
reversed
the
decision
justdayslater.
transgender and queer-curious
( they call that "GLBT plus")
broadband
video
ing high profile lesbians
like Osiris Munir, direc-
program-
ming on the Internet, Out of
the Closet Television is mak-
tor of music development
ing some waves in the looking-
outreach advocate Lynn
Thomas, design video pro-
for-something-new
and sales, and community
world of
grams for lesbians and gay
television programming. Out
of the Closet distributes their
men and rely on the viewers
to direct them.
"We really take the
content through 20 different
Web sites including America
input from our viewers and
go after the stories they
want us to cover;' Trent
Online, Gay Wired.com and
LesbiaNation.com, as well as
through their own site, out
ofthecloset.tv. Dedicated to
entertaining, educating and
admits. "The No. 1 clicked-
enriching all people about the
wonderfully diverse world,
Web site is the Lesbian
Channel. The fact that
Out of the Closet uses documentaries, feature films, celeb-
the
on
page
on
Lesbian
our
video
Channel
is
the most popular channel
drives us to focus on cre-
rity interviews, feature stories
and episodic programs to enroll a worldwide audience. And, as American networks battle
for their share of viewers, Out of the Closet is growing their
ating content that lesbians
enjoy. Even though more men visit the Web site, the heavy
viewership on an international level.
this overall interest. I guess gay men find lesbian content just
interest in lesbian program gears our development to cater to
"I started the online network because I knew that the
as interesting as lesbians find lesbian content interesting .... I
GLBT community is global. It's not a local or national audience only;' founder Ted Trent says. "We have a large fan base
guess the bottom line is quality content:'
The thousands of women who watch the network are also
some of Out of the Closet's content providers. Trent says,
in countries like Iraq, Japan, all over Europe:'
A survey of the channel's viewers puts their female audience at 38 percent and, Trent, says, "Our most popular video
stream on the entire Web site is our interviews we did of The L
"Only 50 percent of the content you see on OOTC is made
by us; the rest of it is submitted by lesbians and gay men to
showcase on our sire:' -
Aefa Mulholland
Crutch Couture
"I would have never in a million years thought I would be creating designer crutches;' Laurie Johnson says. "Most people's
response is, 'designer what?"' But after surviving a 2002 plane
crash that took the lives of her husband and 2-year-old son,
Johnson was left with a broken femur, a series of surgeries and
a new pair of drab crutches that she would rely on for over
a year. Realizing that toting around ugly crutches only made
healing harder, Johnson had her crutches painted and covered
with fabric, transforming them into something lovely rather
than a bleak reminder of pain and loss.
The redesign led her to create LemonAid Crutches, an
innovative company that aims to bring fashion and comfort to
injured folks everywhere. Her crutches come in a variety of cool
121curve
themes, like red and zebra print Zaire, flowery fleece Calgary,
and sleek black leather Vegas. Best of all, a full 50 percent of
the profits are donated to Step With Hope, a charity Johnson
started to aid people who have lost more than one family member. Even though injuries are a drag, there's no longer any reason why you can't look fabulous. Visit lemonaidcrutches.com
for more info. - Kathryn Papanek
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"I do rememberdating a young gal ... and this girl was
kind of coming out and she decided it was time
to call her parentsand tell them she was gay. And
she called and said, 'Mom, Dad, I'm gay, and I'm
dating a musician,and this.is what I am.' And there
was a long silenceand kind of a grumble.And she
said, 'Well, gee, I didn't think you would have such
a hard time with me being gay.' And they said, 'Oh
no, it's not that. But really,honey, a musician?"'
. >> Melissa Etheridgeat the BerkleeCollege of
Music 2006 Commencement
TradingTulle for Tools
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3:
The average American woman is evidently a little butcher than
we thought. According to the Home Improvement Research
Institute, women made more than 23 percent of power-tool purchases in 2004, and 78 percent of women own a combination
of hand and power tools. And stop buying your girlfriend lame
birthday presents - 52 percent ofladies would rather get more
home improvement-related gear.
If you're not quite the handy type but aspire to be, get familiar
with tool-wielding hot shot Norma Valley,host of the Discovery
Home Channel's Emmy-nominated series ToolbeltDiva. Now in
its third season, Diva recently made its debut as a radio show on
Sirius satellite network. Also check out Valley's new book, Chix
Can Fix, a girls' guide to home repairs, including plumbing, electricity, walls, floors, doors, windows and pretty much anything
else you can break. The former model and fiesty Brooklyn native
always keeps things entertaining and easy to understand. Even if
you never become a DIY diva, we bet you'll pick up some good
lingo to impress that tough-looking chick at the biker bar. For
more info, go to chixcanfix.com - CatherinePlato
"Who but a homo would be so obsessedwith homos?"
>> Megan Mullally,on PresidentGeorgeW. Bush,
whilehostingthe 2006 GLAADMediaAwards
"Anyone who believesthe hatred behind this amendment is any differentthan the hatred that led to our
son's murder is fooling themselvesand doesn't
understandwhat is happening every day in our
society.">> Judy and DennisShepard, parents
of Matthew Shepard, in reactionto the Senate
debate last June on a constitutionalamendment to ban gay marriage
"Howeverwe come hereis how we were meantto be
here.On a spirituallevel,I believethat. We don't
need to cure Down syndrome.">> Actor Halle
Berry,who playsStorm in X-Men: The Last Stand
November 2006
I
13
Marcy Mendelson
I
PHOTOGRAPHER
I
With an eye for beauty in unexpected places, San Francisco~based photographer Marcy Mendelson
(left) is quickly making a name for herself in her home city and beyond. The former CURVE staffer
began her career studying sculpture, video installation and goldsmithing, but discovered her love
and talent for photography during a trip to Italy in her early 20s. Her inspiration? A political rally
on the streets of Rome. Since then, her affinity for art and exploration has taken Mendelson around
the globe, capturing people, animals and landscapes from her many diverse trips. Most recently,
Mendelson's subjects of choice are pregnant women, whose photos comprise a major portion of her
online portfolio. According to her Web site, her pregnancy series evolved "as a way of expressing the
expecting mothers' individualities and to illustrate their strength of character through transforma~
tion:' Take a look at innercamera.com. -Amanda
Poulsen
14
Icurve
Curvatures
What Do We Want? Equality!
An organization that swims
upstream, Out & Equal
Workplace Advocates battles
against the strong current of
corporate policy and makes its
way to the breeding ground,
where fair and equitable prac,
lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin,
D,Wisc., and 2006 keynote
speaker George Takei (Star
Trek's Mr. Sulu).
Organizers
are deter,
mined to keep the conference
inclusive and welcoming to all
corners of the LGBT commu,
tices are implemented for
future generations.
A workplace that func,
tions to serve workplaces, Out
& Equal thrives on uncover,
ing discriminatory corporate
environments to expose big,
otry, homophobia and other
less,positive practices. Their mission is "to educate and empower
organizations, human resource professionals, employee
resource groups and individual employees" by training them
to incorporate nondiscriminatory practices. "Employers want
that, if they want the best and brightest employees," says Out
& Equal program director Dan Tussey.
Perhaps the largest event that Out & Equal runs is their
annual summit offering three days of intense mission,focused
workshops, networking and social events. Now in its 16th
year, the conference planners expect 1,500 participants - the
highest turnout in the history of the event. Program Manager
Alisha Diego Klatt describes it as "an amazing opportunity to
connect with re,energizing and inspiring people all over the
country and the world ... and to bring together a lot of perspec,
tives for networking:'
This year's conference features a Gala Awards Dinner with
Kate Clinton. Past attendees have included major corporations
and people like Judy Shepard (mother of Matthew Shepard
and co,founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation), out
nity. "Our effort is strong to
include women, bisexual and
transgender issues as well,"
Tussey says. As the organiza,
tion has grown, so have the
needs of workers within these
lesser,represented groups. In
recent years, the organization has been especially interested in
empowering the transgender community, through the addition
of several new workshops.
"I was so amazed at what the organization was doing and
at the people involved," says Cindy Laughlin, vice president of
the Board of Directors. Laughlin was drawn to Out & Equal
by her passion for social justice and her prior experience work,
ing with a social responsibility watchdog organization. "Out &
Equal is the thought leader for workplaces. I'm really proud to
be a part of it. Building diversity is probably part of the most
important work:'
Let's Roll, Ladles
BasedinWashington,
D.C.,
theGayandLesbian
Victory
Fund,thenation'slargest
LGBTpoliticalactioncommittee,announced
inAugust
thattheywereendorsing
77 candidates
in 2006
- theirhighestnumber
ever.AmongthoseareMary
Washington
(whocould
become
thefirstopenlyLGBT
African-American
legislator
in Maryland),
PaulaAboud
(Arizona
StateSenate),
AlexisGorriaran
(Rhode
IslandStateSenate)
and
MaggieMcIntosh
(Maryland
Houseof Delegates).
Toput
yourmoneybehindthese
candidates
orto seethefull
listof endorsements,
visit
victoryfund.org.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Out & Equal has grown
exponentially over the past decade and now has affiliates in
four cities, including New York, Dallas, Denver and Chicago.
Regardless of how large the organization grows or how many
additional slices of the population they address, the mission
remains the same: to pave the way for safe, inclusive work envi,
ronments for all people. - Allison Steinberg
Two Girls, Tons of Pans and a Quarterly
Based in Portland, Ore., the edgy and irreverent 2
Gyrlz Quarterly, described as a "literary journal of
sideways arts and culture," features original articles,
- interviews, art and literature. The journal is one of
the latest projects of 2 Gyrlz Performative Arts, a
volunteer,run nonprofit that produces art in every
form imaginable.
:::J'
Despite the name, 2 Gyrlz isn't as dykey as
a:
a you'd guess. Ask them whom their intended audi,
a:
~
ence is, and you'll get, "It's for everybody. We don't
::::,
a..
:::E give a fuck what gender you are or aren't:'
0
Q.
OK, but there's still an undeniably queer edge
:::E
0
to
the
quarterly. Take"Writer's Block Theme Song,"
0
~
a
poem
exploring the age,old writer's block conun,
0
drum
from
the perspective of an MTF. Written
~
by Kevin Sampsell (founder of
be found online, with colorful
the small,press Future Tense
names like "The Red,Headed
Books), it compares a "block''
Stepchild Edition:' Also avail,
in gender transition to that fa,
able are the Special Mutant
miliar thing we all experienced
Edition I ("Bride of the Red,
when writing school papers.
Headed Stepchild") and the
Another one of our faves
Special Mutant Edition II ("The
Red, Headed Stepchild Fights
was the poetry experiment
'i\nd Sky Fucks Tobacco;'
Back''), which is so much fun to
which is every bit as weird and
say that it's totally worth it to
Lit hit 2 Gyrlz Quarterly
wonderful as its title. With text
shell out the $57. Nonmutant
in the shape of a wave, it reads like a wild adven,
back issues start at $13, and if you're a starving
ture in ADD. We guarantee you'll feel compelled
sideways artist yourself, there's still plenty of great
to read it at least five times.
content online at 2gq.org. - Amanda Poulsen
Back issues dating from January 2006 can
November 2006
I
15
Curvatures
Lesbofile
Sweet Music to Our Ears
MTV has a lesbian, but there's no more Sleater--Kinney on the tube. I ByJocelyn Yoo
Get ready for the media invasion! Whether it's on
the silver screen, TV waves or the stage, lesbians
are coming out in full force.
Public Relations
Paparazzi got up close and personal with Ellen
DeGeneres
and girlfriend Portiade Rossi,when
the two were rear-ended in their Porsche by two
photogs who'd likewise been hit from behind,
E!Online reported. DeGeneres laughed off the
minor accident in this season's first week: "It's
good to have paparazzi around when you're in a
car accident;' she joked to her audience.
And by now, the majority of the Englishspeaking world knows that DeGeneres and
de Rossi are an item. However, count de Rossi's
99-year-old grandmother as one of the few who
was out of the loop - until recently. Unable to do
it herself, de Rossi reportedly asked "my mum to
show my grandma photos of me and Ellen, to kind
of tell her for me. She went back and showed her
photos and said that we lived together:' Grandma's
reaction:' "I knew you were living with Ellen and
all this time I was thinking, I hope that lesbian isn't
hitting on my granddaughter!"
"Itwas a muchbiggerdealthan I expected.And I felt a
greatersenseof responsibility
becausetherewere kids
writingletterstellingme thiswas theirstory. ... It was
the best experienceanyonecouldask for on a soap."
.....
Laugh Lines
Comedian KathyGriffinconfirmed to Larry King
that she'll be first in line to do stand-up on Rosie
O'Donnell's cruise line, R Family Vacations. And
though the D-lister isn't turning that way, Griffin
indulged King as to who would be at the top of her
girl hit-list if she turned pink. "I do love Suzanne
Somers;' Griffin said, "I think she's delightful, you
know her, she's awesome. And Patricia Arquette I
think is really beautiful. I don't know, I think everybody's beautiful like in their way or whatever. I
mean I'm not like, hot for chicks, but I'm certainly
not putting down people who are. And if that's
your life choice Larry, I'm not here to judge you:'
playing an amnesic bulimic who is dating her halfcousin is the epitome of art.
dles with won't be Sleater-Kinney,
who, after 11 years
of rocking out together, has decided to disband.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Music to My Ears, Model for My Eyes
Art Breaker
Though Broadway thespian EdenRiegelinitially
resisted joining Susan Lucci and the rest of the All
My Children cast, she's now - one Emmy later singing a different tune. "It was _amuch bigger deal
than I expected;' she told. the Boston Globe. 'i\nd I
felt a greater sense of responsibility because there
were kids writing letters telling me this was their
story... : It was the best experience anyone could
ask for on a soap:' Well, maybe for her. I still say
MTV generation, look out! Americas Next Top
Modelfinalist and Elite model KimStolzis the newest VJ to join mtvU, a 24-hour channel aimed at
college kids. "It's still sinking in that my new job
consists of interviewing hot new bands, traveling to
college campuses across the country and being completely tapped in to the music that's going to break
big in six months;' Stolz says.
Unfortunately, one of the hot bands she canoo-
Lord, have mercy on Banksy's
soul. In his latest work, the British renegade graffiti artist has
rendered late British monarch Queen Victoria
- who passed anti-homosexual laws during her
late 19th-century reign - dressed in stockings
and suspenders and cuddled in another woman's
lap. So who better to buy it than "Dirrty" singer
ChristinaAguilera,who's been known to wear a
pair of assless chaps or two onstagei' ■
16
Icurve
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PHOTOS:
DALESTINE
1 Doria Roberts and Margaret Cho at Gay Garnes. 2 Daniela Sea at Chicago's House of Blues. 3 CuRVE events manager Sara Jane Keskula (right)
with our wonderful Gay Garnes volunteers (from left) Flo, Lavonne, and Ben. 4 Athletes at the opening ceremonies. 5 Lesbian B-ballers: the only thing
that may be hotter than beach volleyball. 6 From left: Women's Community Fund founder Alison Burgos with comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer and
her girlfriend. 7 Chix Mix Productions Julie Mosier (center) with girlfriend and Super Gurl Images' Jackie Weinberg (right). 8 Actor Honey Labrador
at the Adrenaline Party in Chicago. 9 Yesi (left) from Pandora Events with girlfriend Veronica at Adrenaline. 10 Curvette Terri (center) parties
with actors Iyari Limon (left) and Janina Gavankar at the Garnes. 11 CuRvE contributing photographer Samantha Hamilton (top left) with friends.
12 Athletes from around the world participate in the Gay Garnes opening ceremonies. 13 Pole dance duo Gravity Plays Favorites (Michelle Lindsey
and Katrina Sullivan) perform at the CURVE-sponsored Black Bra Party. 14 DJ Gray (left) and Curvette Jennie at the Garnes. 15 Between lovely views
of Lake Michigan and girls in bikinis, beach volleyball's our new favorite sport. 16 Lesbian rapper God-des performing at Adrenaline.
November 2006
I 19
Advice
NINE WAYS
TO LOSE
YOUR JOB
Looking
fortheperfectway
to change
careers?
Hereare
ninesurefireways.
Offer to assist your
vacationing boss. After
sheleavestown,boardher
kidsat thekennelandtake
herBullmastiff
to preschool.
Bring new meaning to
casual Fridays. Weara
tiny,strategically
placedPride
flaganda "LickBush"tee.
Multitask. Surfgirl-on-girl
onlineporn,updateyour"I
HateMyJob"blogandrun
youreBayofficesupplybusinessfromyourcubicle.
Take full advantage
of free alcohol at the
office holiday party.
Getextremely
drunkandtell
yourboss'swife,"I thinkit's
greathowunderstanding
you
areaboutyourhusband's
frequentaffairswithhigh
schoolcheerleaders."
Spend your workday
getting stoned on
Sharpies. Stareat your
screen-saver
uttering,
"Whoa
dude... checkthatout."
Start a rumor that
your boss spends the
company's pension
fund on hookers,
poker and crack. Send
thisinfoin ane-mailto
everyone
in thecompany.
Make out with the
boss's daughter in
the conference room.
Videotape
it andauctionthe
tapeoneBay.Inviteyour
bossto jointheonlinefun.
Come late, leave
early and take 3-hour
lunches. Bragabout
thisflexschedule
to those
takingupyourslack.Use
job interviews
asa forumfor
screening
for potential
sexual
partners;
startwith,"So,are
youa topor a bottom?"
Help the receptionist
answer phones. Have
yourboss'sphonecalls
forwarded
to you.Answer
with,"She'sbusymeeting
withherattorney
regarding
theimpending
insider-tradinglitigation.
Innocent
until
provenguilty,youknow..."
-Kate Lacey
20
I curve
Ask Fairy Butch
The Best of Fairy Butch
Most dykes know that sometimes once just isn't enough. This fall
marks the 10-year anniversary of our beloved Fairy Butch column,
so were revisiting some of our favorite questions from years past.
Fairy will be back next month answering brand-new questions.
Dear Fairy Butch: What are your thoughts on our subculture standby, Lesbian Bed Death? Any ideas on how
to deal with it? - Wistful in Washington (March 1999)
Dear Wistful: Yes, my dear, though there are scads of lesbian
couples who keep the embers burning long into their second,
third, and yes, fourth decades together, this theme does seem to
be a recurring one. Here are a few tips, which may be of use in
your efforts to jumpstart the nether regions of your relationship.
1) A word to those folks who haven't yet found /'amour:pick
a gal who really flips your blintzes in the first place - one with
whom you have a real, durable sexual rapport. While it's wonderful to have your abstinence relieved after a drought, and it's often
exciting to sleep with someone new, there is a difference between
sexual novelty and a real, solid, durable sexual chemistry.
2) Once you're in the mix, work some separation into your
pairing - set up a regular weekly solo evening with friends or take
an evening course or workshop by yoursel£ If you live together,
make sure that you are able to maintain some privacy for yourself
within your home. Part ways when getting ready for a hot night on
the town with each other; a wee retreat in the water closet goes a
but I want to be able to kiss and touch her during
the process. We've tried using a small dildo in
her ass while I am in her vagina, but before long,
it gets pushed out in all the excitement. I feel like
I need a third hand. Any suggestions? - Two
Handed in Tuscaloosa (February 2003)
long way in making your eventual time together more special.
3) Try something brand new in the boudoir: pack for a date
Dear Twosy: Darling, you don't need a third hand -
with your lover, whether it's the traditional bundle or some
need a buttplug! Buttplugs are designed for an occasion such
spicy new lingerie. Buy an erotic video, or write up instruc-
as yours. Narrow at the top and wider toward the middle, the
plug becomes markedly narrow again, and ends in a flange,
tions for a romantic date which lead her to a fancy hotel in
the middle of the week. Hire a limousine to traverse your city's
fairways and do the deed in the backseat, or have a violinist
serenade the two of you during a catered dinner at chez toi.
4) If LBD has truly taken hold and you are determined to
vanquish it, make a dramatic change in the pattern of your relationship; take a romantic, fun-filled vacation in a sumptuous new
locale. Exciting new surroundings can loosen up boundaries and
old inhibitions and get a sexless relationship out of its rut.
5) Don't allow our culture to enter your boudoir if all is
actually well with you and yours. Sexuality in general is often
reflected in terms that best reflect the needs of men; for example, frequency is often privileged over duration. If in honestly
evaluating your relationship and your happiness therein you
find that you are actually satisfied, I say frequency stats and
friends' opinions be damned.
6) If one or both of you are genuinely unhappy with the state
of affairs and tips two through four have failed,more serious action
should be taken. Consider seeing a couples counselor, sex therapist
or other sexual problem solver,tulip, and prepare to delve.
Dear Fairy Butch: My girlfriend loves to be penetrated in the ass and the vagina at the same time,
you
which prevents the toy from escaping up your tush. What
makes this toy different from other toys:' ... Why, it stays put
- hands free. You see, the sphincter muscle opens up around
the bulbous part of the plug, and then clasps around the narrow recess. This makes the plug ideal for use while simultaneously screwing, cunnilingus, visiting with the in-laws, writing
an advice column, whatever your pleasure. Plugs are available
in a variety of materials, but I hold a particular fondness for
silicone, as it can be disinfected when the party's over.
Dear Fairy Butch: I'm getting ready to visit my
girlfriend in Alabama via plane. I was wondering
if I'll manage to get past security while packing.
My harness has metal O-rings that connect to
the leather straps. Do you think it would be wise?
- Harnessed up in Honolulu (June 2005)
Dear Harnessed: Only if you fetishize getting interrogated
and felt up by ladies in uniform. Investing in a nonmetal harness, or perhaps a cyberskin packy, would be my course of
action, sugar. Try the fabulous sex-toy store Grand Opening to
enlarge your collection. ■
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0
~
Lipstick& Dipstick Advice
Long--Distance Longing
out there, Helena. And while I'm preaching, listen
turned and you've officially surpassed her sensi-
up lesbians -
quit living in fear and remember we
bility, so now you're in charge. Move Mom out of
must take risks in order to live a fulfilled life. Ask
the master bedroom and take away her allowance;
the cute girl out, leave the job you hate, go on that
trip to Belize! Besides taking risks, if you're single,
it's also important to make out with every available woman possible (operative word: available).
Throw caution
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I have a
friend, Deb, whom I met a few years
ago online. We started seeing each
other right before my ex and I got back
together. Once we fell apart again, I
contacted Deb to see if she was still
interested in giving us another shot. She
said she would but wanted to "see what
happens." Well, even though we went
on a couple platonic dates, nothing ever
did, so I moved away. But now, a thousand miles away from her, I'm wondering "what if." We still keep in touch, and
there's always this white elephant in the
room when we talk. What should I do?
- Hesitant in Helena
Lipstick: Get off the computer, pack your bags
and go pin chis woman against the wall. You
should have kissed her before you left, but whatever. Bygones. As soon as your lips touch, you'll
know if the white elephant was alive or if it was a
figment of your lonely imagination, like the dancing baby in Ally McBeal.You've got to put yourself
to
the wind and get on a plane!
Dipstick: Lipstick, you've been listening to too
many self-help tapes. Sure, Helena needs to chase
her dreams, but not a wild goose! This reminds me
of a notorious stalking incident a few years back.
Instead of buying a plane ticket and setting yourself
up for a restraining order, or worse, Helena, the next
time Deb calls, take a deep breath and let the truth
spill out. Then if she's willing to take a chance, hightail it outta here, before she changes her mind.
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I'm a high
school girl and both my mom and I are
gay. Mom's in the closet, but has been
with Sue, whom I adore, for a year.
Recently, she told me she doesn't want
to be a lesbian and that she's straight.
I want her to be happy, but I think she's
just in denial because she worries
what others think. I'm out and my mom
doesn't like it. What can I do? - Way
Beyond My Years
Dipstick: Kiddo, I totally see your point. But if
there's one thing we learn as we age, it's that you
can't control what someone else does with their life.
Apparently, Mom still needs to learn that one. Yes,
she's screwing up her life and she may come to regret
it but, unless she asks for your opinion, it's best to keep your tiny trap
dosed. About her choices that is.
Remain out and proud and true to
yourself Start having gay-straight
alliance meetings at your house.
Ask Sue to be your sponsor. The
more she's around, the harder it will
be for your mom to resist her.
Lipstick:The only thing Dipstick
got right was that you should stay
out and proud; beyond that, the
butch has it all wrong. Don't sit
back and be passive! Tell Mom
how you feel. The tables have
she's grounded for setting a bad example. But don't
get too cozy in her king-size bed, for her denial
will eventually catch up with her. Rest assured
it will manifest in one of two ways: either she'll
marry some schmuck and be miserable, or she'll
wise up and be back between a nice pair of feminine legs soon - fingers crossed they'll be Sue's.
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I've been in
a serious relationship with Wendy for six
months, but ever since the beginning
I've been really into this other friend of
mine, Julie. She and I had something
going on about a week before I met
Wendy, but she was with someone else.
Julie and her girlfriend just broke up and
there's still an intense sexual connection
between us. And she's totally my type,
whereas Wendy really isn't. What should
I do? -Confused and Crazy
Lipstick:You should listen up. Why did you even
bring poor Wendy into this mess, Confused and
Crazy? If you weren't into her, why did you bother?
Are you one of those women who can't stand being
alone? I've got good news and bad news, CC. The
bad news is you've become the butt oflesbian jokes.
See those dykes laughing in the corner? Yep.They're
laughing at you and warning their friends to steer
dear. The good news is there's time to change your
ways. Before you enter into your next "serious" relationship, I urge you to understand these are hearts
you're dealing with, not cars you can trade in. Heed·
my advice or end up broken down and deserted in
the junkyard like the other reckless drivers.
Dipstick: Yes CC, Lipstick is right. The problem
is that you jumped into something serious. Like
most lesbians, instead of just dating a girl or sleeping around, you had to get serious right away.Those
girls are snickering at you from behind their lattes,
but it's because you haven't learned "intense sexual
connection" does not equal "long-lasting relationship:' Dump Wendy, and ask Julie out. But only
for a date, not to wear your commitment ring, for
Christ's sake. ■
Ask us anything about sex, love or lesbiansonlineat
lipstickdipstick.com.
November 2006
I
21
Advice
Astro Grrl
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Do you
mean what
you say?
Hot babes
cool off
quicklyif
you don't
thinkbefore
you speak.
Evenbetter,
don't use
your mouth
for talking
at all.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Sex: You meet many new ladies even as current relationships heat up. Love the one you're with or seek
fresh pastures to graze. Is the grass greener? Career:
Sapphic Scarps need to rely on their professional wits
now. Let's hope that you're not at half-speed.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Sex: Love is found in the strangest places this
November. No surprise considering your taste in
women. Career: What or who is revving your energy
at work? Archers chink nothing of working late and
giving the extra effort. Stop or they'll expect it from
you all the time.
Capricorn (Dec. 22--Jan. 19)
Sex: Lonely? Check out a few familiar faces. Gal pals
provide the sizzle. Will you bring the steak? Don't overcook. Career: You can make merry even when you
travel for business. Hmm, who else will you make merry? Book
a ticket today!
revelation? Maybe not.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Sex: Noc only do you have your pick of the litter, you manage co
get the attention of a certain well-placed lady at work. Work your
way up ... or down. Career: Aqueerians can get love or money
on the job. Why not try for both this November, lucky girl?
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Sex: You may not know her now, but you soon will! That is, if
you can get off your couch and venture out. Career: Careers
undergo dramatic change. Some of it is your own fault, some
of it is not. It eventually gets better. But of course, "better" is a
relative term.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Sex: Do you mean what you say or are you just fanning the
air? Hot babes cool off quickly if you don't think before you
speak. Even better, don't use your mouth for talking at all...
Career: Lambda Rams rely on shock and awe for their corporate game plan. How much is up to you. Wouldn't you prefer a
quiet work environment instead?
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Sex: She loves the way you move. She loves the way you
groove. She just loves you. Whoops, she loves you not. Whew.
She's far too high-maintenance! Career: Daydreaming on the
job has its advantages. You will never be as creative as you are
now. But Sapphic Bulls should at least try to look busy.
Gemini (May 21--June 21)
Sex: The water-cooler chatter heats to a boil. Are you passing
love notes to a coworker? Just be sure that you don't hit "reply
22jcurve
all:' Career: Expect a few upheavals of your own making in
your career. Twin grrls don't know what hit them. Maybe it's a
Cancer (June 22--July 22)
Sex: November is the month for romance! Hot pink Crabs
sure know what to do to attract the ladies. But then what?
Prioritize your time and talents so you don't waste a drop.
Career: Money is tight through November. Try to find a wellendowed benefactress to see you through the hard times.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Sex: Get roasty-toasty at home rather than in faraway places.
Phone it in, accept it COD and enjoy all the wrappings. But
is it what you ordered? Career: Lionesses may suffer from a
lack of confidence but shouldn't delay any corporate mergers.
In fact, you know what to do, how to do it and whom to do it
to. So just do it.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Sex: Relationships have their assorted ups and downs. Will it
last or will it fade? Truth to tell, you have a secret admirer. Seay
tuned. Career: Yes, you deserve that promotion but you need
to do more than just ask for it. Tie up all the loose ends and
make your move. Anyone we know?
Libra (Sept. 23-0ct. 22)
Sex: Does money buy happiness this November? Oh, let's give
it a good try! Career: There are times when lesbian Libras just
don't know when enough is enough. Is November one of those
times? Perhaps you should strive for boredom on the job. ■
For more advice from the stars, visit our astrologer,Charlene
Lichtenstein,online at thestarryeye.com.
_--:..---:,,--:
..
-_..._--..
....................
...-:.._
........_..._.-.._...._--:.:
........-•·.........
- •
..._._
..----~
:- :... ______
--._:..:.:.:.
..__:.._:·
-
--
An .Irish
Metamo
On a sunny late March morning
as our tour guide drove us around Belfast, I
caught sight of climbers, suspended on ropes, scaling the Europa Hotel's 1970s-modern exterior.
During the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland,
euphemistically referred to as "the Troubles" by
locals, the Europa was bombed at least 30 times,
granting it the dubious distinction of being one
of the world's most-bombed hotels. Clearly, the
times have changed in Belfast.
"Do you see any police anywhere?" our tour
guide asked."You won't, because Belfast is so safe
now:' Indeed, since the Good Friday Agreement
between the British and Irish governments was
reached in 1998, there are few signs of the violence that plagued Northern Ireland's capital city
for so long. Streets are thronged with teenagers
and tourists now, and the Victorian city hall, with
its gilded dome and marble steps hailing back to
a period of industrial prosperity, presides over a
city brimming with enthusiasm and, well, relief
that those troublesome times are over.
Everywhere I went in Belfast, plans were afoot
for economic redevelopment that goes hand-inhand with rediscovering Belfast's pre-Troubles
ceilinged pub evokes rural Ireland in a way rarely
found in the scores of Irish pubs scattered across
the world: rough edges worn down with time, and
the hum of Gaelic a pleasant buffer to the traffic
of the outside world. And at St. George's Market,
located in a riverside warehouse on the weekends,
the local harvests spill out over stalls manned by
friendly entrepeneurs. You can taste handmade
cheeses from local farms, choose from among dozens of varieties of olives, and ogle the fishmonger's
gleaming wares - a reminder that Belfast is, after
all, a port town.
Despite all the overt plans for economic expansion and cultural development, it's perhaps inevitable that I found the city's political past to be its
most intriguing draw. During the Troubles, both
Catholic and Protestant Belfastians painted hundreds of political murals depicting IRA and loyalist
soldiers, rebels, victims and campaigns. Although
some of those murals have been painted over with
images of local football players and author C.S.
Lewis, many of them are still visible, and a tourist
industry ofblack taxi cabs has arisen to shuttle visitors through those streets to view them.
Our driver sped through the Falls Road and
IfYouGo
•••••••••••••••••
How to get there: There
are no direct flights from
the United States to
Belfast, so you'll have to
grab a connecting flight
from London, Amsterdam,
Dublin, Paris or Prague.
Where to stay: The
Malmaison offers velvet
sofas, W-style ambience
and high-speed Internet in
every room; malmaisonbelfast.com.
What to do: Sample
the traditional Guinness at
a string of historic Belfast
pubs; belfastpubtours.com.
Contact Ken McElroy
Tour Guiding Services for a
personal trip around town;
kmtgs.co.uk.
St. George's Market,
on May Street, is open
Saturdays from 10 a.m. to
elfastisinthemidstofa renaissance.
ByMalinda
Lo
4p.m.
What to eat: Nick's
Warehouse delivers
delicious, locally grown
history. Huge cranes, nicknamed Samson and
Goliath, tower over the world's largest dry dock
Shankill Road neighborhoods pointing out various murals; thankfully, he slowed down to allow
and serve as reminders of Belfast's shipping industry heritage. The Titanic was built here, in a vast,
empty pit beneath the massive aerial structures
that once lifted ships the size of monsters above
me to snap photos of a huge mural depicting the
women of the IRA. These working-class neighborhoods remain largely divided according to religion, but the guard towers that once held British
soldiers are now used only by local police.
Falls Road, which is predominantly Catholic,
and Shankill Road, which is predominantly
Protestant, are separated by an infamous barrier
known as the Peace Wall- it's 25 feet high at some
places, topped with wire mesh. Graffiti snakes over
the wall, the names of visitors signed and dated next
the ground.
Even the city's nascent gay scene bubbles with
welcome; the locals obviously want visitors to
feel at home here. At the Union Street Pub &
Restaurant, the queers mingle over strong cocktails and cigarettes, and though there isn't a large
women's scene, it's easy to find women to talk to.
One woman, a nurse, advises me that Belfast isn't
the kind of place where you want to walk down
the street hand-in-hand with your lover. Her
gay friend agrees, but later that night I see them
again at the Kremlin, Belfast's largest gay nightclub, and nobody seems too concerned about
who's holding hands with whom.
On a rainy, late afternoon tour of Belfast's historic pubs, I sampled both the Guinness and the
sense of centuries ingrained in the wooden tables
at White's Tavern, founded in 1630. The low-
to images of soldiers carrying machine guns.
I asked the driver to pull over alongside the
wall and climbed out of the car to take a few photos. The road that runs along the wall was largely
deserted that morning, and in the distance I could
see the empty guard towers, the roofs of the brick
row houses and the green hills beyond the city.
In this place, more than any other in Belfast,
there's a palpable sense of transformation:
These walls are evidence, stone by stone, of
undeniable change. ■
produce in a relaxed atmosphere; nickswarehouse.
CO.Uk.
Where to be gay: Go
to Union Street for the gay
experience; begin your
night at the Union Street
Pub & Restaurant; unionstreetpub.com. Wind up
at the destination for disco
divas, the Kremlin; kremlinbelfast.com.
For more info: Check
out gotobelfast.com.
Despite a safer'downtown,
the graffitied Peace Wall and
some lingering Troubles-era
murals stand as testament to
Belfast's turbulent history.
November 2006 j 25
YouCanTakeItWithYou
Newswagthat'llmakeyourtripevenbetter.
Luggage
You're going, it might as well be in
style. Grab any one of these hot
travel totes from World According
to Jess ($90 and up, world
accordingtojess.com) and you and your
furry friend will be chic. Our faves:
Bubby's Crossword, Doggy Day Carrier
and Something to Talk About Traveler.
For weekenders, Goorin Brothers' super
butchy Bone Daddy and the wittily
named Darwin and Dr. Watson bags ($64 and up, goorin.com) will keep you
traveling in dyke style.
If utility is more your thing, L.L. Bean's Personal Organizer ($19 and up,
llbean.com) is a durable, water-resistant toiletry hang kit with shower caddy
and unbreakable mirror.
If Sparky needs a home of his own, the lightweight and easy-to-pull
Tutto Pet on Wheels ($115 and up, tutto.com) will help both of you make it
through customs in comfort (and it works for plane and auto travel). Crunchy
girls with little ones will also adore the Sherpa New
Island Puppy Pet Carrier, made of raffia, with a cute
bone closure ($190, sherpapet.com).
Books
LesbianMusts
Everytravelerneeds a
good book (above)and
there are a bevy of options
for girts.On the bottom:
To die for bags from Wortd
Accordingto Jess include
the DoggyDay Carrier
(right)and Somethingto
TalkAbout.
THROUGH
THE ~YE OF THE
STORM
CHOLEN~
88VINOZA
a quirky new guide book like Route 66: Adventure Handbook ($23, santamonicapress.com), How to Travel Practically Anywhere ($16, hmco.com)
or Road Trip USA: Cross Country Adventures on Americas Two-Lane
Highways ($30, roadtripusa.com), or an essential lesbian travel planner like
the perennial Damron: Womens Traveller ($18, damron.com) or There Is
Room at the Inn: Inns and B&Bs for Wheelers and Slow Walkers ($22, dem
osmedpub.com).
If you're like us and want to sink your teeth into a lesbian-authored first
person adventure, check out Gillian Kendall's Mr. Ding's Chicken Feet: On
a Slow Boat from Shanghai to Texas ($23, wisc.edu/wis
consinpress) or the Hurricane Katrina rescuer
memoir Through the Eye of the Storm ($15,
chelseagreen.com). A handful of collections offers myriad perspectives: the brave Mexico: A Love
Story (sealpress.com, $16), the funny Sand in My
Bra and Other Misadventures ($15, sandinmybra.
com), The Best Womens Travel Writing 2006 ($17,
travelerstales.com) and the lushly conscientious
Code Green: Trips of a Lifetime That Won't Cost the
Earth ($20, lonelyplanet.com). And while Willa
Schneberg's Storytelling in Cambodia ($14, calyxpress.org) won't introduce you to new travel culture, these poems
about the Cambodians' struggles are a thought-provoking intro for
anyone flying to that part of Asia.
TechandTools
Worried about losing your wallet on the road? Grab a Data Dot DNA Kit
($25, datadothome.com) before you go so that 10 of your favorite toteables
(laptops, cameras, bikes, cell phone) can be marked with laser-etched data
dots with a personal identification code unique to you. The registration helps
ID your lost luggage.
Lesbian-owned Damron teamed up with Earthcomber to form the first
personalized PDA for LGBT travelers ($20, damron.com). This spot guide
will initially run on Palm OS and Windows Mobile Pocket PC handhelds
showing the traveler where all of the lesbian hot spots are, in whichever city
in the world they are traveling.
If little ones are in the midst, LG's adorable Migo Phone from Verizon
Wireless is a must ($300, kidswireless.com). This GPS-enabled phone has
the ability to work as a tracking device with Verizon's Chaperone program for
children between the ages of 5 and 12, looks like a little alien with two antennas and has four programmable keys and a large emergency key. With the
family plan at Verizon you can get yourself a sexy pink or charcoal Motorola
RAZR V3c, a Migo for the wee one, and a Bluetooth headset, all for free.
And if you're flyinghigh to get to your destination, nothing beats Noisebuster
Electronic Noise Canceling Headphones ($70, protechcommunications.com) to
block out that annoying aisle mate or screaming baby next to you.
GetYourPartyOn
Drinking it up may be fun but driving after a martini is none too cool.
That's why we love the Alcohawk Elite digital breath alcohol detector ($140,
Q3ATS.com), which lets you blow and judge for yoursel£ And if you're one
of those, er, erotic travelers, well the new dyke must-have is the Mile High
Kit ($55, babeland.com), which comes packed with breath mints, blindfold,
do not disturb sign, lube, massage oil, a vibrator and more. Oh my. Mini Mile
High Kits are available, too.
Camping
Out
When it comes to end-of-summer fun,
nothing beats a dyke camp-out and a few
must-haves help ease the way to primitive
life.Crazy Creek'sTherma Band ($8, crazy
creek.com) holds a disposable heating
pad in an armband that'll heat you right
up if your tent mate can't, while the super
portable Power Lounger ($76, crazycreek.
com) makes for a perfect seat, lounge or
sleeper anywhere you put your hat down
(I even use it in the office).
The EyeMax Am/FM Radio ($60,
ccrane.com) is an awesome wind-up
portable that runs up to 35 minutes on
a 30-second wind-up. Plus, there is a built-in flashlight for emergencies or
quick trips to the Porta-Janes.
And if any kind of skiing is in your sights this fall, grab a tube of punky pink
Zinka Colored Nosecoat ($6, zinka.com). It blocks out
rays and will make you feel like Picabo Street. If you're car
camping across the country, you may have to settle for a
truck-stop shower now and then. Fret no more, femmes,
there's now DH C's Body Cleansing Sheets ($4, dhccare.
com). With cucumber, aloe and shiso (Japanese peppermint) these baby wipes for grown-ups keep the
summer sticky from turning to icky.
Portable Swag
Clockwise from top: Goorin Brothers'
Bone Daddy weekend bag, the Mile
High Kit from Babeland, Verizon Wireless Migo telephone for kids, the Alcohawk digital breath analysis machine,
the EyeMax AM/FM wind-up portable
radio, Crazy Creek's Power Lounger
and Noisebuster's Noise Cancelling
Headphones
OutinCyberspace
It's beyond portable and on many a dyke
hot list now: Travelocity's new super comprehensive database of TAG-approved
hotel options. TAG, short for Travel
Alternative Group, offers third-party,
unbiased evaluations of LGBTfriendly properties. Gay travelers
are already gaga over the first of
its kind database ( travelocity.
com/gaytravel, free). ■
November 2006
I 27
DieselFemmes
Fatgirls are gomggc1gc1
for Soss1tyCt11ricuz1o·s
llandrnadeslip dresses.Nowyou can,too.
ByDianeAnderson-Minshall
Moving to Tombstone, Ariz., six weeks into
her freshmen year in high school was, Sossity
Chiricuzio says, as difficult an experience as
you could imagine. "That was enough of a
bull's-eye on the back, as it were, but I also had
a strange name, an accent and a thrift store
wardrobe;' she laughs. Unlike today, DIY and
thrifting weren't yet the epitome of fashion
"It wasn't even acceptable;' she laughs.
Now 35, the Portland-based dyke designer
is getting the last laugh on those suburban nay-
sayers. With a women's studies degree from
Arizona State, Chiricuzio took her hippie roots
and started her first 'career" as the founder
of Motherwit Design, a lesbian-owned Web
design firm, in 1996.
"I am working-class, and as such, have had
to do many jobs in my life that were about
repetitive, unvalued services that render the
worker invisible: wait staff, cleaning woman,
childcare, etc.;' she insists. "The Internet
offers visibility, activism, direct networking,
vast stores of information and a potentially
affordable selling medium for the people I
was most interested in working with: small
businesses, artists, musicians, activists, nonprofits, educators, women and queers:'
To start her own company, Chiricuzio
left a well paying job building Web sites for
dot-corns that she felt compromised her ethics and started living a more hand-to-mouth
existence as a self-employed woman doing
work she valued.
''And I've never regretted it;' she adds. In
1998, Chiricuzio started designing clothes,
"I had workedthe festivalfor eightyearsat that pointand knew
that if the femmesthat workedthe festivallikedmy stuff,I was
definitelyonto something,"Chiricuziolaughs."Ittakes a fierce
fashionsenseto make lingeriereallywork in the woods."
first making slip dresses for herself and her friends and later trading
them at the barter booths at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.
"More and more people started asking me where I got my dress,
or skirt or cami;' she recalls. "So I started making custom pieces. For
the first couple of years I was mostly selling to folks in my circles, and
at local events, but then one summer a friend who was a vendor at the
Michigan Festival offered to sell some of my pieces for me:'
Those first 32 plus-size dresses went like hotcakes.
28
Icurve
"I had worked the festival for eight years at that point and knew that
if the femmes that worked the festival liked my stuff, I was definitely
onto something," Chiricuzio laughs. "It takes a fierce fashion sense to
make lingerie really work in the woods:'
After all her handmade slip dresses were gobbled up, Chiricuzio says,
"My path was confirmed:'
In 2001 she officially launched her line of handmade intimate outerwear, Diesel Femme Wear, online at dieselfemmewear.com; today she's
Whip It Good
Recyclinggets sexyat lnHerTutJe.
ByJocelyn
Voo
got a growing client list and an even bigger fan base.
But with two companies and a handful of extracurricular activities -
performing in big burlesque
shows as Silke Siciliana, in the Cupcake dance
troupe as Tira Misu and doing a tiny tour as backup dancer and singer for bisexual blues diva Candye
Kane - how does she find the time?
''I've had many jobs but, before these, nothing
I would consider a career;' she admits."To me, that
word implies a type of work I'm willing to dedicate
a large portion of my life and energy to - work that
I'm going to invest in, work that is going to bring
me happiness. The combination of Motherwit and
Diesel Femme Wear keeps me creative and active,
gives me great opportunities and reasons to network with crafty folks and all the other people I
want to work with, and lets me be my own boss and
choose what work I will and won't do:'
The daughter of a young mom who was raised
by female relatives in a hippie community got her
work ethic from the women around her.
I'm sitting at my desk at my day job on a Monday morning, and there's a 20-inch, industrial-strength
love whip sitting by my keyboard. The tassels, made of tough black rubber, are dense, meaty. I imagine that being flogged is going to hurt like hell. So of course my first impulse is - human resources
sexual harassment lawsuits be damned - to ask my coworker to spank me with it.
Conclusion: Yep, hurts like hell.
But that's the beauty of it, says Kat Humbert, the vet technician/artist/professional
pervert
"Their hard work and good examples inform
behind InHerTube Harnesses, a three-woman company that makes custom dildo harnesses and
all my labor, and the loving web of women that
raised me and helped me see my own value are
what I had in mind with the name 'Motherwit;''
fetish wear from 100-percent recycled heavy equipment and heavy-duty truck tire inner tubes.
"Rubber is erotic to me because it starts cold and warms up as you wear it, looks amazing and fits
she says. "Knowing from such a young age the
power of women helps give me the strength to be
femme, and requires that I challenge the notion
of woman/ femme equals weak. A Diesel Femme
isn't having a butch moment when she fixes the
flat tire, uses the power saw or runs the bedroom
romp. She's femme, so that must be part of what
femmes are capable of:'
One thing that might hint at this fashionista's
hippie roots is her unique pricing system that
allows for bartering in some cases and gives preferential pricing "to the LGBTQ tribe, working-class
like a second skin, but mostly because of the way it smells;' Humbert explains. "Nothing smells like
tube: hard and industrial:'
Her love affair with the tough material started as a young girl when she would sneak into her
father's garage, which was filled with heavy construction machinery.
"I wasn't supposed to be in his tire shop, but always was. I'd go in and bounce on the tires and
dig around in the tube. By the time I was done, I'd be covered in black tube grease and rust. And
every single time I'd get spanked;' she recalls. "No amount of punishment worked, though. The
filthiness and smell of the rubber, and how naughty and good it made me feel, always outweighed
the punishment:'
Ironically, years later when Humbert started In Her Tube, her father was the first one to give her
tube to work with.
InHerTube harnesses are durable, water-friendly, don't require special upkeep and are easily sterilized. Velcro clasps make them easy to slip on and off, and accommodate moderate fluctuations in
size. But perhaps what makes In Her Tube a stand-alone among fetish lines is its customizability.
folks, people of color and other disadvantaged
groups:' Her mission at Diesel Femme, she says,.
is to help women feel good about their bodies. To
that end, she's made another alternative choice: to
Harnesses are custom-built to your specific measurements, which means a fit like no other. And if
you're a naughty girl with more curves than most people know what to do with? No sweat.
"That's the whole reason I started InHerTube;' Humbert says. "There just aren't many harnesses
stop marking sizes on her clothing.
"I do have a size chart on my site to give both me
available for fat girls, and they're sexy! Going to a store and not being able to find something that fits
can really make you feel desexualized. Fat girls should be able to fuck, too!"
and the client a sense of their range, but individual
measurements are really the only accurate way to
Along with her two lovers, Humbert does all the gritty construction - from cutting and sanding
to gluing and riveting - in her Washington state home. And despite working with intricate machinery and power tools, Humbert reports only minor crafting accidents. "Most of the bigger injuries
happen when we're testing the floggers and other SIM accessories;' she admits coyly.
get something that truly fits. If I mark a dress as a
size 2x, and a woman who wants it thinks she's a
3x, even if I am sure it'll fit her, she'll be reluctant
to try it on. Or, almost as dangerous, she'll find
it does fit and then attach self-confidence to that
size, rather than to how the dress actually makes
her feel:' ■
Above all, InHerTube believes in having fun in bed, regardless of your size or want.
"Don't be scared of what excites you, or what you think might excite you;' Humbert tells dykes.
"Feel free to explore, feel free to feel; if you aren't having great sex, you need to do whatever it takes
to make it better:'
Amen, sister. Now, I'm off to find an ice pack. ■
November 2006
I29
Nevada:Not Justfor Gamblers
Onelesbiancouplebringsart. andqueerculture.to Reno.By DianeAnderson-Minshall
Stories about the life,changing nature of 9 / 11 are so common as to
be cliche, but not for Meredith Tanzer, owner of the quirky art bou,
tique La Bussola in Reno, Nevada. A former sales and marketing guru,
Tanzer was dividing her time between New York and her native San
Francisco when she watched the planes fly into the Twin Towers.
"The event and the days that followed made me realize that if some,
thing so profound could happen in an instant that there were other
The many faces of La Bussola
(clockwise from top left): A
giant bra adorning the store
was created for a 2002 breast
cancer fundraiser for the local LGBT community center,
A Rainbow Place; Tanzer's
handmade paper-covered
vases on display; La Bussola's
owners Dawn Lewis (left) and
Meredith Tanzer took a chance
on Reno and it's paid off; a
queer customer gets jiggy with
vintage luggage designed by
artist D. Bennet.
experiences to have;' Tanzer admits. Her partner of 12 years, photogra,
pher Dawn Lewis, was in France at the time.
"We could not connect for days - it was awful;' Tanzer recalls.
"When she returned we decided that we didn't feel safe in a big city and
wanted a change:'
For Tanzer, 35, and Lewis, 49, that change led to not just a new
home but a whole new business venture, running Reno's adventurous
and ever,so,lesbian art boutique La Bussola. But why Reno~
"Reno seemed logical - only three hours from our friends and fam,
ily (in San Francisco);' Tanzer recounts. 'i\nd it was technically a 'little'
city and it had seasons. We could live in a place three times the size, be
able to produce art and be able to play house in the suburbs:'
The couple's initial plan was to travel and sell their artwork from
their home base in Nevada. Lewis, a working artist for over 35 years,
has shown paintings, digital work and photography at mainstream gal,
leries around the country and has courted queer fans since she shot the
second cover of the seminal lesbian erotic magazine On Our Backs,back
in the 1980s.
A born entrepreneur, Tanzer ran her first lemonade stand at 6, got
her Girl Scout cookie top,seller badge by 10, and by 18 had her own
successful jewelry business. As an adult she took her sales and promo,
Opposite page: Local drag
tion skills from emerging alternative publishing and film companies to a
queen Cha Cha sweeps in style marketing agency and then on to the dot,com world.
at the the boutique's grand
"The experience of working with many start,ups with all different
opening party.
budgets taught me the value of working like crazy, being creative and the
rewards that come with dedication;' she recalls.
But when the duo hit Reno, their plans changed when a gay friend
told them about an art gallery where they soon began showing their
work. "The owner felt we got it and asked if we would be interested
in buying the gallery;' Tanzer says. The opportunity to own a retail
30
I curve
ForVegans
Everywhere
gotten tremendous support from the local LGBT
community. "Whenever someone gay comes to
town they tend to find us on the Internet and drop
by,"Tanzer laughs. The couple gives back as well
by hosting fundraisers, providing donations and
a location for queer events. Their informal educational and encouraging environment for artists
and patrons sets them apart as business owners.
"It can be very scary for artists to show their
work and intimidating for people to talk about
arr;• Tanzer says. "We wanted to create an environment of creativity, acceptance and inspiration
for everyone. We offer a space for kids to come in
and create art on our floors. We have interactive
displays in the store. We are very focused on the
experience. We say hello when you walk in, thank
you when you leave, gift wrap for free and are very
involved in growing a better community:'
Another thing visitors love about La Bussola
is its dog: Annie "The Store Dog," as it says on her
collar, has become a celebrity in her own right,
Lewis says. "Kids and customers stop by just to
see her. The travelers that pop in are happy to give
"It can be veryscaryfor artiststo showtheir
work and intimidating
for peopleto talk about
art,"Tanzersays."Wewantedto createan
environmentof creativity,acceptanceand
inspiration
for everyone."
storefront that carried their products, supported
artists and offered an interesting retail location
was a dream the two had never considered.
"When we opened we carried the work of 20
artists and a selection of vintage and retro furnishings," Tanzer recalls. "We now carry the work of
over 70 artists in many mediums - furniture,
6
handbags, soaps and lotions, jewelry, pottery and
paper goods. Our goal is to provide a venue for art~
:::,
ists, cottage industries and DIYers a place to show
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g work and be paid a decent price for their work:'
a:
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Valuing artists is one thing that sets this 3a..
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year-old boutique gallery apart, Lewis says. One
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of the best pieces of advice she got about running
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La Bussola is "to pay the artists on time. This
~
~
may seem like a no-brainer but many artists are
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hesitant to show with smaller galleries because of
~
g_, fear of nonpayment or closing of a gallery without
Cl)
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Nestled in Reno's emerging gay arts district
z
alongside the Truckee River, La Bussola has
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A Massacl1usettc:t : '
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1~1, 1t11upe(c1t1(J11 ByRachel
Pepper
Located in the heart of Provincetown,
Massachusetts' main retail strip, Tofu A Go-Go
is nirvana for those seeking a vegetarian enclave in
the midst of the countless art galleries and fudge
shops lining Commercial Street.
Co-owners and legally married life partners
Star Chicaderis and Max Lewis run the business seasonally from spring through late fall.
Along with their staff of Go-Go Girl assistants,
Chicaderis and Lewis regularly serve up yummy dishes like Crack Tofu and Vegan Alfredo.
Known for their incredible views looking down
on Commercial Street from their second-floor
deck - with the resulting cruising and posing
over the railing par for the course - as well as
their eclectic clientele and, of course, their food,
Tofu A Go-Go is a favorite stop for vegetarians
and vegans in P-Town.
Annie the affection that their pets at home are
"The most pleasurable thing about owning the
missing. She will walk you through the shop, ask
business," Chicaderis says, "is that Max and I get
to play ball and waits outside for people to pet and
to work together every day. We are the chief cooks
kiss her. She has also hosted an art show to raise
and bottle washers. And we have the most awemoney for the local SPCA:'
some customers:'
Annie's moms have divided the rest of the
Tourists and locals alike flood the restaurant
company's needs accordingly with Lewis handling
during a typical lunch hour. On any given day,
all the accounting, graphics and domestic duties
you'll see lesbian mommies, tattooed tranny boys
and Tanzer handling day-to-day operations, artand straight couples happily eating together at the
ist recruitment, marketing and promotion. Tanzer,
sunny outside spot. Visitors adore the ability to
who also serves on the executive board of the River gather together in the friendly atmosphere that
Walk Merchants and is a former board member of : lesbian filmmaker Jenny Livingston compares to
A Rainbow Place and Nevada Artists Association, : an "upscale art colony cafeteria. And the food is
says that being lesbians makes the duo better busidelicious!"
ness owners.
Sensitive to special diets and allergies, the duo
"The luxury of being gay is learning to accept carries vegan baked goods that are surprisingly
and appreciate many kinds of people and views,"she delicious and renown far beyond Provincetown's
says."Being women has taught us how to be strong
shores. Good food, sexy women and winters off
and smart and passionate about what we do:' ■
- what more can a lesbian couple ask for?
For more on La Bussola, visit the Web site
"We have a great life,"Chicaderis admits. ■
2by2creations.com.
For menus or cutegirlsgo to tofuagogo.com.
November 2006
I31
Best LesbianPlaceto Work
Till~
'--:f'COrnl-l~u
gest lestmn companym tt1eU.S.. Babelandknowsl10wto makework fun. ByAmyAndre
They'd been together for several years, and the alltoo-stereotypical refrain of "lesbian bed death" had
become an unfortunate reality. That is, until they
walked into a Babeland sex-toy store to attend
Strap-On Seductions, an introductory-level class
about dildos and harnesses. Both women were
shy, but afterward they approached the instructor,
Babeland's co-founder Rachel Venning, for some
advice on product selection.
"Later on that week, one [of the women]
came back;' Venning recalls. She was there to let
Venning know that their sex life was now great,
and even better was their feeling of having had an
adventure together. Turns out attending Babeland
University, as the in-store educational workshop
series is called, had coaxed them out of their usual
routine and brought the spark back into their bedroom and their relationship.
Everyone knows that lesbians and sex toys
go together like hands in gloves, so to speak. We
love to play, and, like the now swinging-from-therafters couple at Babeland U, we can be creative
and resourceful about it. So it's no surprise that
pleasure retailer Babeland is the second-largest out
lesbian-owned company in the U.S. Co-founded by
Venning and her business partner Claire Cavanah,
Babeland has grown tremendously in its 13 years
of existence, with four stores nationwide and a
booming Internet presence. This success can't just
be due to the irresistible appeal of the products,
though; if that were the case, other toy companies
would be doingjust as well, and many are not. No,
what sets Babeland apart from the herd may be
the same thing that makes you special, too. It's a
lesbian thing.
''A lot of queer people, because weve had to
examine our own sexuality, have a gift to bring to
the culture;' Venning says. The gift? Sexual selfacceptance. Lesbians and other queer people so
often act as sexual confidantes to our straight friends,
encouraging them to explore and giving them permission to try new things. Let's face it: our sex lives
can be super hot and straight people are intrigued.
Babeland is not just a sex classroom for lesbians like
the Strap-On Seductions couple - it's also the cool
gay best friend of toy stores. And like any cool gay
best friend, it inspires accolades.What other sex-toy
company do you know that has won Zagat Awards?
But Babeland is more than just a boon to lesbians and best friend to pleasure-product seekers. It
also offers a unique work environment.
''A lot of people who work at Babeland have
a fierce loyalty for the company;' Venning says.
"Working at Babeland gives people a chance to do
32
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work that feels meaningful. It's work that people can sink their hearts
into:' The Babeland mission is based on creating a more sex-positive
sick days and 401Ks. After two years, employees qualify for parental leave
of absence. Each Babeland staffer also gets $50 a year to take any class
world, she says, and the company culture reflects that.
'There's a lot of discourse involved. It's a very team-oriented space;'
>-
Venning continues. "We're allfocused on customers getting support, [and]
I love creating a company that is an excellent place for people to work:'
related to the business. When was the last time _youworked for a company that covered the cost of your Butt Sex 101 course?
Speaking of education, informed customer service is now considered the cornerstone of any store, and Babeland's is no exception. New
0
The benefits package reflects this dedication. All staff members who
work part-time hours or more get health coverage, life insurance, child
staff members receive 20 hours of sex education from current staff. The
training covers sexual anatomy, physiology and everything you ever
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November 2006
I33
wanted to know about the products for sale. Venning explains that the
was on fat people and their partners, which was very well received:' That
training program has a three,pronged effect, in that it educates the new
folks, gives current employees a chance to review material, and provides
class, Big Love 101, is aptly described in their course roster with a fact
that lesbians know well but the rest of the world may be slower to catch
up on: "sexy bodies come in all shapes and sizes:•
an opportunity for both sets of people to get to know each other.
The business was founded in Seattle in 1993, at a time when friends
Venning and Cavanah, as 20,somethings tryfng to figure out what to
do with their lives, discovered they were both interested in creating a
"Educating the community is part of the mission of Babeland.
Our stores can act like community centers and bring people together;'
Venning says. "We create a public forum where people can talk about
"Workingat Babelandgivespeoplea chanceto do work that
feels meaningful.It'swork that peoplecan sinktheirheartsinto."
satisfying and meaningful contribution to the world.
Since then, they have opened their flagship store in Seattle, two loca,
tions in New York City, and their most recent venture in Los Angeles.
There are also two Web sites - babeland.com and the G,Spot Center
their sex lives, and that's really supportive and encouraging for people:•
at gspotcenter.com -
and in the last 13 years they've gone from two
cess, sees the new developments in quality as a sign that sex toys them,
employees to around 80.
And there's still Babeland U; its most popular and most frequently
offered classes are on oral sex, anal sex and using dildos and harnesses.
selves are becoming not just more luxurious, but also more mainstream.
As for Babeland, they plan to keep growing and keep opening more
stores. They may even pursue designing their own Babeland,brand toys.
What won't change is the company culture. "We're lesbian,owned [and]
On the teaching side, everyone gets involved.
"We have guest sex educators who come in from out of town to
teach about half the classes, and the other half are taught by staff mem,
bers;• says Venning. "We had one recently in a store in New York that
34
Icurve
So, what's on the horizon for this company? Venning observes that sex
toys have gotten much better in the past decade, with an emerging luxury
market as well. Venning, who says accessibility is a key to Babeland's sue,
women,oriented;' Venning says."! feel really proud of our stores and Web
sites. I think it will keep getting better. Even with a repressive political di,
mate, the whole sex,positivity thing has a lot of momentum to it:' ■
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Not YourMother'sShrink
Goingon t11ejob with therapistswho actuallyget ,t. ByAngela
Watrous
What's unique about Psyche, a mental health collective in Oakland,
California,
becomes
immediately
apparent when you see their ads. The
banner on one exclaims, "Not Your
- Mother's Therapist!" and reaches out
to sexual outsiders, alternative couples,
diet survivors, artists and those living
with 'good girl syndrome;' among others. Before you even meet therapists
Beth Bernstein, Christy Calame and
Matilda St. John, you feel like you
know something about them.
While clever and hip, these ads are
also the result of deep thought and
professional integrity.
"We thought, what is our ideal
client? Who is underserved, or not
served effectively~ Who do we want
to spend our day with?" Bernstein
explains. "Then we asked ourselves,
what would those people respond
to, and we designed our ads so they'd
think 'That's a therapist who has a bit
of an edge: They know, Tm not going
to shock you:"
When the three women of Psyche
first decided to hang their shingles
together, everyone told them group
practices never work. But they forged
ahead ( to great success, it should be
noted), because they had a shared
"Ittook me yearsto understandwhat I'm sacrificing,"
Calameadmits."Youhaveto mindwhat you wear
to Trannyfest,becauseyou'realwayson the clock
if you run intoa client."
sensibility and cause: they each felt
hemmed in by the blandness of traditional therapy, and they weren't interested in having to go undercover
about their own personal edges. Instead, they each wanted to build private practices with clients who lived lives they deeply understood and
related to, and they wanted to be able to professionally but authentically
express themselves as part of the therapeutic process.
While each woman has her own set of clients and areas of particular interest, they share an overlapping political and cultural sensibility.
Expressing rather than hiding this sensibility with their clients has
served to attract the kind of clients they most wanted to serve. Calame
talked about how this approach has enhanced her relationships with
clients: "If we have to go to deep, hard places, we have some kind of fit
in our world view and sense of humor. I spend all day working, having
one-on-one interactions with interesting, diverse people, talking about
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issues I care about:'
Of course, their mainstream professional training didn't really cover
how to effectively combat fat phobia or support clients' bicultural realities or polyamorous relationship issues. It didn't teach how to serve
transgender clients or clients who did sex work without treating aspects
of their lives as pathological. And so, after spending between five and
seven years going through intensive schooling, completing thousands of
(mostly unpaid) clinical training hours and passing a rigorous exam process, the women entered into an equally important but informal aspect
of their education. This involves continually reading books, Web sites
and professional texts on their areas of specialty, and then taking it up
with each other clinically to see how to best integrate that knowledge
into their practice.
As much as they love their work, they do warn that serving your own
small subculture has a few drawbacks.
"It took me years to understand what I'm sacrificing,"Calame admits.
"You have to mind what you wear to Trannyfest, because you're always
on the clock if you run into a client:' While they each agreed that they've
given up something to specialize the way they do, they also agree that
the rewards of their work have far outweighed the challenges.
"People start to relax their defenses. There's that moment when someone softens - 'This is what I really feel. This is what I don't let anyone
else see:" Bernstein explains, choking up, seeming to surprise hersel£ But
she pauses, allowing her own raw emotion out to hang there in the room.
Then she nods. "To me, that's the best part of the job:' ■
November 2006
I35
Chainof Command
Longbeforethe travelrnmketd1scoverecl
lestm11sKimpton.a cl1a111
of boutiquel1otels.sl1owecJ
its
commitmentto LGBTemployees.ByAefaMulholland
Loved by guests for its quirky decor,
thoughtful features and unusual extras,
Kimpton Hotels is an exciting chain of
more than three dozen boutique properties
in the U.S. and Canada, founded in 1981.
The five pillars of Kimpton's operating philosophy are "care, comfort, style, flavor and
fun;' and there are few companies so serious
about fun. Hotels feature whimsical details
such as goldfish to keep guests company
in rooms at the Monaco properties, honor
bars that feature anything from candy necklaces to harmonicas to an Etch a Sketch,
Silly Putty or animal print robes. Yoga programs, pet-friendly policies and hip partner
restaurants also add to Kimpton's appeal.
This outside-the-box
mindset also
applie~ when it comes to how the ·company
relates to staff. Rather than creating policies to tone down staff and cram them into
a company mold as is often the way in the
hospitality industry, Trent Latin, who works
in guest services at Vancouver's Pacific Palisades, says, "The Kimpton
culture celebrates diversity and individuality .... We are encouraged to
36
from every region of the country. The company trains front desk staff
not to make assumptions but instead to offer choices. For instance,
express our personality through our conversations with our guests and
our appearance. Nothing about Kimpton is cookie cutter:'
"We want our employees to be comfortable where they are;' Pacific
if two women arrive at the check-in counter, staff must always offer
Palisades hotel manager Linda Chin says. "When we hire and when we
and supervisors, including those who are gay and lesbian, bisexual
train, one thing we are very adamant about is that staff members be
allowed to show their personalities. (Staff members don't have to] be
and transgender.
Chin comments, "It's not just to do with sexual orientation, (in
starchy or scripted. Not everybody looks the same. They can let their
personalities shine through. We definitely have procedures, but staff
Kimpton] we get to celebrate our ethnic and cultural backgrounds as
well:' Manson reminisces about the time an East Indian housekeeper
can be themselves when they talk to guests:'
Katharine Manson, marketing and media relations coordinator
had a lunchtime butter chicken cook-off with the chefs. She grins and
says, "We can celebrate our backgrounds through food:'
for the Pacific Palisades and property spokesperson for K-GLEN,
Kimpton's Gay and Lesbian Employee Network, talks of her delight at
Kimpton actively courts the LGBT market, with advertising campaigns and through its LGBT InTouch newsletter, sent out to 6,000
being able to work with pink streaks in her hair.
Not having to conform in every way can have huge appeal for queer
people. Latin says, "Of the three management teams that have run the
registered members every quarter. "The (LGBT] demographic is a
great fit for our hotels;' says Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer for
Kimpton. "The culture of our company has always been about celebrat-
(Pacific Palisades] since its inception, Kimpton is the most accepting
(of LGBT staff]:'
It's hard to imagine a more queer-inclusive corporate climate. The
ing individuality. It's one of our core philosophies:'
But wait, before you dash out and change careers or vacation plans,
there's more. The company summ izes its admirable "social responsibi-
company created a Diversity Initiative program in 2003, which is committed to creating a culture that acknowledges, understands, accepts,
values and celebrates differences among people. Both The Advocate
lity" policies with the tagline, "Kimpton ares" ~nd it feels like they do.
The company has made social responsibility an integral part of its corporate culture. At a time when many corporations are cutting costs and
magazine and the Human Rights Campaign have recognized Kimpton
as one of the best companies for LGBT people to work for. In HRC's
2004 Corporate Equality Index, Kimpton was the only company in the
hotel industry to earn a perfect score. They scored 100 percent again
in 2005.
holding back on contributions and financial support of nonprofit organizations, the Kimpton Hotel group boldly trots the other direction.
Chin says, "A lot of people want to volunteer, but don't have the
time outside work:' Kimpton's caring ethos allows staff - and guests
- to get involved with fundraising. Leondakis states, "Kimpton Hotels
K-GLEN advises the company on personnel and community outreach concerns. The committee meets quarterly and has representation
have developed strategic partnerships and alliances with organizations
that are themselves committed to making a difference, that value and
Icurve
a choice of a king or two doubles. Sensitivity training is mandatory,
and employees are expected to respect all guests, fellow employees
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support specific life choices and promote a better quality of life:' Each
partnership consists of a two,month nationwide fundraising campaign
that includes special local events and fundraising opportunities that
involve guests.
For the last three years, Kimpton has partnered with the National
AIDS Fund. The 2005 "Every Red Cent" Campaign raised $45,000 in
two months. Throughout this nationwide campaign, Kimpton donated
a percentage of proceeds from each reservation booked at one of their
hotels and set up special training for employees on the virus. Efforts cul,
minated on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, when Red Hot Relief fundrais,
ing parties were held in 12 cities. And in 2006, the company announced
a partnership with PFLAG.
Another initiative that Kimpton strongly supports is Dress for
Success, an organization that aims to advance low,income women's eco,
nomic and social development and to encourage self,sufficiency through
career development and employment retention. This year's suit drive at
Vancouver's Pacific Palisades clothed 150 clients.
"It's about clothing women who want to get back to work, giving
and awareness for Dress for Success on a year,round basis and have fun
doing it;' Chin says.
them confidence through the suit and pairing them with a mentor to
get through their first, second and even third interviews. It's not just a
suit - we coach them how to deal with everything, right down to office
politics. It's a whole one,year commitment. Our goal is to raise funds
toric buildings, these social priorities make for a great place to stay
or work. So, whether you're looking for a career change or a weekend
break, choose Kimpton and feel good about it. ■
Added to stylish, fun accommodations, many in transformed his,
November 2006
I37
Top 10 Companiesfor Lesbians
Thesedyke-friendlybusinessestop our 11stBy Catherine
Plato
Companies That
Get It Right
Big business can still feel like a virtual boy's club, but most of
our country's largest corporations are making strides in the
right direction. These days more than 92 percent of Fortune
500 companies include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies, according to Equality Forum.
Cross-referencing the two most recent top companies lists - from the Human Rights Campaign and
Diversityinc. - weve compiled a list of CURVE S top
picks of lesbian-loving Fortune 500s to help you
find a respectful, racially diverse, pro-queer and
socially conscious employer.
So what's so great about these businesses?
All are Fortune 500 companies that received
a perfect 100 score on HRC's Corporate
Equality Index, which rates organizations on
their commitment to staff diversity training
and discrimination policies that include the
whole LGBT spectrum. Diversityinc. also factors in retention rates among minority staff,
partnerships with minority-owned businesses
and the CEO's direct involvement in diversity
initiatives. You can find these lists and others
online at curvemag.com.
They may not have made our
top 10, but check out these
other note-worthy companies.
Best-Dressed: The Gap.
With a zero-tolerance policy
toward discrimination, this
1
corporation with socially progressive San Fran roots offers
equal benefits to its workers'
domestic partners as it does
to legal spouses. Through the
Gap Foundation, they also
donate generously to many
HIV/AIDS organizations.
Best With Women: Xerox.
Though it didn't make this
year's Fortune 500, we just
had to mention Xerox, famous
for its tradition of LGBT- and
woman-friendly policies. Since
2001, Xerox has been led by
a female CEO, Anne Mulcahy.
Runner Up: TimeWarner.
1. Hewlett-Packard:
The information technology
giant tops our list this year, due to consistently high
HRC ratings, plus kudos from places like Working
Mother magazine and the National Association of Female
Executives. Since 1997, HP has offered health insurance
to its employees' domestic partners, and since 2005, transgender employees have had surgical procedures covered by
insurance. HP's policies have garnered acclaim from
its workers around the world, securing it awards in
Scoring an 86 on HRC's
Corporate Equality Index,
TimeWarner deserves our
attention for employing out
lesbian Karen Magee as their
senior vice president of strategic planning.
Best Place for Moms:
SC Johnson & Son.
Singapore, the Czech Republic and Chile, among others. 'Dtey're also known for sponsoring LGBT pride
festivals throughout North America.
In addition to a perfect HRC
score, the household cleaning
supply company earned a
spot on Working Mother's top
2. Pepsi:Fortune recently named Pepsi among the
1O list. Founded in 1886, it's
top employers for women, and it's only getting
better. Just last month, Indra Nooyi moved up
the corporate ranks to become Pepsi's first-ever
female CEO, as well as the first person of color
to fillthe position. A Pepsi commercial featuring
Queer Eye's Carson Kressley also took home top
honors at the Commercial Closet Association's
2006 Images in Advertising Awards, which
recognizes positive representations of LGBT
folks in advertising.
still a family-owned business.
Best for Frequent Flyers:
American Airlines.
Industry leaders when it
comes to LGBT advocacy,
American is the official airline
of GLAAD, the NCLR and several other civil rights organizations. Last year they added
a section to their Web site,
AAvacations.com/rainbow,
geared specifically to LGBT
travelers. -Catherine Plato
38lcurve
•
3.American
Express:
In addition to great employee
policies, an out lesbian fills one of AmEx's highest
corporate offices.Jody Teeven, vice president of the
JetBlue Card Portfolio, has been with the company
since 1989, and has strongly supported its diversity efforts throughout her
career. Also, in 1995, AmEx began
catering to its LGBT clients with its
Cheques for Two product, which allows two different names to be includ-
Where Women
Are Today in the
Fortune 500
ed on a check -
perfect for families
that can't legally marry and don't share
a last name.
14. 7% of board of director
seats are held by women
4 WellsFargo:When antigay group
3.4% of board seats are held
Focus on the Family closed all its
by women of color
Wells Fargo accounts last December
in protest of the bank's donations to
1. 7% of corporate officer
LGBT causes, Wells Fargo made no
positions are held by women
concessions or apologies. "We're abso-
of color
8 companies are led by female
CEOs
6.4% of women hold top-earner
positions
lutely proud of our support for the gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender community;' spokesman Chris Hammond told the San Francisco
Chronicle. They donated $50,000 to GLAAD in 2006 alone, and continue to financially support
LGBT causes around the country.
5 Ford:Even though it ranks as the fifth largest company on the Fortune 500 list, Ford hasn't forgot-
1 % of women of color hold
ten its commitment to its employees or its consumers. "Including sexual orientation protection helps
top-earner positions
companies tap into the over $600 billion annual U.S.A. gay and lesbian consumer market;' says Allan
Gilmour, their former vice chair and one of the few openly gay execs in corporate America. However,
Stats from catalyst.erg.
pressure from bigots at the American Family Association may have convinced Ford to briefly pulled
What Matters the
Most to You?
its ads from LG BT-themed publications last December. Thankfully, they rescinded the decision just
Finding Love 39%
6 JP Morgan:One of the world's most powerful banking houses is also one of the world's leaders
days later.
in promoting a safe and inclusive workplace. JP Morgan requires every single employee to attend a
diversity training, which includes information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Working
Mother has twice rated it the "Top Company for Women of Color;' and Diversity Inc. has placed it on
Career Building 25%
Having a Good Time 20%
their top 10 lists for best companies for African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos.
Starting a family 9%
Retirement Planning 7%
7 Citigroup:
The eighth largest company on Fortune's list actively recruits LGBT students pursuing
According to a January 2006 online poll at
Curvemag.com.
their MBAs, and supports plenty of LBGT student organizations. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network recognized their many contributions to our community last January at their
Respect Awards. Employees can join resource groups such as Citigroup Pride and Citigroup Women
to connect with other workers in their respective communities.
States Without
Fortune 500
Companies
8 Prudential:
The insurance and investment behemoth made headlines in 2002 when transwoman
You can't turn to big businesses
Margaret Stumpp returned to her job there after gender reassignment surgery, increasing awareness
if you live in Alaska, Hawaii,
Maine, Mississippi, Montana,
of LGBT issues throughout the firm. As a current senior vice president, Stumpp is one of corporate
America's few transgender individuals to hold such a high rank. Prudential has also scored a perfect
North Dakota, New Mexico,
100 on the HRC list since 2003.
South Dakota, Vermont,
West Virginia or Wyoming.
.............
States Without
Fortune 500
Companies That
Offer Protection
Though Utah is home to two
......
.
9 Sprint:Sprint's Managing to Win Program provides 7,000 executives and managers the tools and
skills required to create an inclusive work environment, making it the largest training initiative in the
company's history. In 2005 they began extending employee benefits to domestic partners. That April,
Kansas voters officially declared that "no relationship, other than a marriage, shall be recognized
by the state as entitling the parties to the rights or incidents of marriage:' However, Sprint stood
by its ethics and continued providing benefits to its employee's domestic partners throughout the
Sunflower State.
Fortune 500s (Autoliv and
Huntsman), neither offer
a sexual orientation
nondiscrimination policy.
40
Icurve
10MerrillLynch:
This year Merrill Lynch led Barron's list of the "Top 100 Women Financial Advisors:'
The Securities Industry Association bestowed them with the Diversity Leadership Award three years
in a row, and the company recently launched a series of retirement plans geared toward LGBT business owners. They also sponsor the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. ■
Take My Moneyand Run
Twopowerdykesin SanFranciscomakefinancialplanninglook.well. sort of sexy
By DianeAnderson-Minshall
Ever wonder what is the most common finan,
cial mistake women make? San Francisco
lesbian financial planner Rachel Robasciotti
will be the first to tell you: "Underestimating
how much it will actually cost to retire," she
says without pause. "A lot of us know that
we need to save more than our parents did
in general, but we don't understand the mag,
. nitude. We're living in a completely different
financial world from our parents and grand,
parents. Not only do we have to save more
because we're expected to live longer and
can't rely on pensions or social security, but
the exponentially rising high cost of housing,
education and health care get in the way of
our ability to save what's needed:'
Once a leading financial planner at a
Fortune 500 financial services firm (which
shall remain nameless), Robasciotti left cor,
porate America when the pressure to "sell"
the company's insurance
and investment
products - even when they weren't the best
option for clients - became too tough.
So she put out her own shingle in 2004
as Robasciotti & Associates, Inc., with one
part,time staff member in a two,room office.
Today there are five staffers including her
business partner, associate financial planner
"We'vefoundthat mostwomen,regardless
of theirfinancialstatus,stillharborthis
universalfear of becominga bag ladyin
theirold age."
Maya Philipson.
Philipson had experienced some of the
same big,firm concerns. "Rachel and I met in 2005 and I was surprised
to find a firm with values so similar to my own, and one that focused on
helping women and the LGBT community:'
Today the women work side by side, and nearly all of the firm's di,
ents are queer.
"We chose to make working with women and the LGBT community
z
I
0
--,
t--=
en
~
m
UJ
0
of how those concerns can shape women's ability to plan. Philipson, on
the other hand, grew up in Berkeley, Cali£, as part of a lesbian family
where both of her mothers were well,educated professionals.
"So, we have a wide range of experiences that help us to truly
empathize with our clients' various economic situations," Philipson
says. "Women and LGBT families seem to be attracted to our femi,
a priority in our practice because these are our communities and they are
traditionally excluded from financial planning," Robasciotti says.
''.And, ironically, our communities tend to need it more;' Philipson
nist approach to financial planning:' For example, the duo takes great
care to understand and integrate their clients' values into their planning.
"When it's time to make decisions, our clients know what their options
adds. "Women are more likely to live longer and have an underfunded
retirement. Lesbian and gay families have multiple complex financial
are, what we recommend for their situation and chat they will be fully
supported regardless of their choice:'
needs as a result of our inability to legally marry:'
That doesn't mean that because they need it, they actually get it
though: "Weve found that most women, regardless of their financial
status, still harbor this universal fear of becoming a bag lady in their
old age," Robasciotti admits. "The fear around financial planning usu,
The duo has made it a mission to dispel the myths about financial
planning, especially the notion that it's for the wealthy. "Most new di,
ally comes from the association that people make between money and
personal survival. And it's a real association. In our culture, if you don't
have money, you don't have access to the basics:'
Robasciotti, who, despite her slight resemblance to an L Word,era
Jennifer Beals, was raised in a socio,economically disenfranchised rural
community in a family with two disabled parents, is particularly aware
ents coming to financial planning are middle,income people who need
help figuring with their employee benefits, saving for retirement, bud,
geeing and debt management;' says Robasciotti.
And unlike most commission,only advisors, fee,based planners like
she and Philipson aren't hard,pressed to find high,net,worth clients
in order to be successful. They do, though, believe that education goes
both ways ("we stay open to learning from them as well") and chat they
should always "eat our own cooking;' which is a folksy way of saying
Take My Money and Run continued on page 63
November 2006
I41
eJs
A VERY FREAKY
I
The lovely lesbians of television's queer, new,
supernatural series, Dante's Cove.
By
Diane Anderson-Minshall
Hair by
I Photography by Brie Childers
Christian Anthony/Cloutier Makeup by Jennifer Daranyi/The Rex Agency
Styling by Caley Lawson Photo assistance by Welch Golightly
Say what you will about Showtime's The L Word, but no matter what, the little drama that should simply
can't be all things to all dykes. And since Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air three years ago (wow,
has it alreaey been that long?), taking with it a couple of the more fully realized lesbian characters on
prime-time TV, there was a giant swooshing sound as a vacuum was born in the world of girl-centric
thrills, chills and spills. That void has, thankfully, been filled by a breakout queer television show called
Dante's Cove, which rose from a unknown indie production to become here! TV's top-rated series ever.
And guess what? It's filled with lesbians. Hot lesbians. Lesbians who have sex, solve mysteries and deal
with tons of drama in their almost entirely LGBT world. It's highly addictive, imminently watchable and
ranks among the guiltiest pleasures on television. It even has about the same ratio of openly gay actors
as The L Word. So why aren't you watching?
November 2006
I43
that lived up the street from us always ... take care of us -were
that used to
a gay couple. My
manager is gay. My agent is gay. My friends are gay.
So, obviously, the gay and lesbian community has
a special place in my heart. So, when I found out
about Dante's Cove ... it really resonated inside of
me. I wanted my position on gay and lesbian rights
to be out there for the rest of my career. To do a
show like this as my first big role, I knew there
would never be a question of where I stand. This
is a fantastic opportunity for me to show my allegiance to the gay and lesbian community:'
Of course, the fact that she has a juicy role as
an all-American Midwestern lesbian who, under a
spell, forgets her girlfriend exists and begins a torrid affair with another woman, was also a bonus.
"I knew what kind of journey my character,
Michelle, was going to take and it's something that
no actress in her right mind would turn down. As
Michelle, I get to play every emotion. I get to take
the ride of my life as an actress:'
Openly lesbian actor Michelle Wolff, who
plays lesbian scuba instructor Brit, liked her character's journey, too.
"One thing about Brit is that she's able to use
her sexuality, to kind of get herself into situations
that aren't the healthiest;' Wolff admits." I think
that's definitely been a characteristic of mine at
times in my life, maybe not always the ones I'm
most proud of, but I get why - especially if you're
good at that -
why people use you. It's like she
kind of wiggles her way into something and flirts
her way into something that maybe she probably
shouldn't, but she can. That I can relate to. I think
that happens a lot in the gay community. I think
we've all been in a similar situation:'
As excited as she was about her character's arc,
Wolff became even more impressed with the TV
series' milieu.
"I love the genre of Dante's Cove. It's fabulous.
Erin Cummings is ready for her close up. The pretty, raven-haired actor
sports a pair of relaxed-fit jeans and a close-cropped white tee, yet there's
a dangerousness to her. No doubt, that's why she's been cast in a fistful of otherworldly television shows including Supernatural,Star Trek:
Enterpriseand Charmed.On the last of that list, she played goth girl Rose
McGowan's demonic alter ego, so it's of little surprise that the producers
of Dante'sCove,the first queer supernatural television series, liked her.
For Cummings though, her attraction to Dante's Cove is anything
but a mystery: "I live with a gay couple;' Cummings begins. "The friends
44
Icurve
It's important for the gay and lesbian community
to have all things .... Now we've got this reality stuff on Bravo and we've
got the drama, we've got the comedy, we've got the drag queens, we've
got The L Word. So to have something of a cross between The OC and
Buffy the VampireSlayerand Charmed ... it's like kind of a whole combination of all of that, but it has all of that, all of the gay sexuality which
I think is just great:'
Wolff, best known for her starring role in the lesbian film Mango
Kiss, is becoming quite a familiar face on prime time, with guest spots
on numerous TV shows including Veronica Mars, Without a Trace,
ChicagoHope,Providenceand ER under her belt.
''I've heard a lot oflesbians grumble about The
L Word because they're like, 'I don't feel like I'm
being represented. I feel like it's all this one thing:
And I'm like, because that's what it is! You have to
accept it for what it is. Don't try and make every
project be for everybody, that's the whole point. It's
a very diverse community. Let The L Word be The
L Word; it has its audience. Let Dante's Cove be
Dante's Cove;don't try and make it more serious
than it is, don't make it deeper than it is. It is what
it is and you got to let it be that:'
Sexy ParanormalDrama
When here! TV, Americas innovative but second
best-known
gay television network, launched
Dante'sCove in 2005, critics lauded the show as a
hybrid of Buffy the VampireSlayerand The OC for
its gothic horror, surf culture and a certain unspoken knowingness indicative of the Myspace.com
generation. Blending the paranormal with LGBT
culture, Dante'sCoverevolves around Hotel Dante,
a possibly haunted resident hotel on a mysterious
island with a seemingly sinister past.
Like The L Word cast, Dante's Cove'sis a mix
of gay, bi and straight actors, with Michelle Wolff
being the only out lesbian among the main stars
of the show.
"I think that was important to [the producers]
to also be pushing there, to have out actresses on
the show, to have out actors;' Wolff says of the cast.
"Not everybody's going to be gay and not everybody's going to be straight, but it's just important
to keep that balance there. They wanted her to be a
little bit more butchy, and a little bit more edgy and
a little bit more gay,I think. It's like bringing in that
[more masculine] element ... allthe other girls have
the long hair and the real feminine appeal:'
While there are a handful of boys on Dante's
Cove - and ladies, be warned, the guys aren't shy
about full-frontal nudity - women aren't merely
Diana Childs (played by Queer as Folk'sThea Gill) and lesbian artist Van (a central figure in seasons one and two, played by newcomer
Nadine Heimann). And, of course, there's Grace, a nearly 200-year-old
witch whose spell helped make the hotel the spooky spot it is today.
The cast's best-known actor, Tracy Scoggins, plays Grace full tilt
made her debut on The Dukes of Hazzard (the TV show, not the Jessica
Simpson movie), Scoggins has been a prime-time TV fixture who has
headlined several shows including Dynasty, The Colbys,Babylon5 and
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
Still, Scoggins admits that Dante's Cove may have had an effect on
how she views sexuality.
"Or it may have just reminded me how I view sexuality;' she says. "I
with untapped sexuality and unbridled rage. A former model who
think that might be a more accurate description of it. Like participating
relegated to secondary characters but instead take center stage on the
show. In addition to Brit and Michelle, there's retro-sexy queer witch
November 2006
I45
Showtime's Queer as Folk, few fans expected to
see her play gay again. But Gill, who has received
awards for her work with the LGBT community
from PFLAG and GLAAD, was excited to work
for her friend Paul Colichman, founder and presi~
dent of here! TV.
"I just got it offered and I thought, well, I just
haven't played a witch before, so it looks kind of
fun and kind of a good time in Hawaii. I know it's
a great little network. I knew Paul when he was
starting it up and I really admire him a lot:'
Someone else she admires is her co~star and
witchy counterpart Scoggins.
"She plays my sister. Tracy is a very strong
woman and very powerful in herself and [it] comes
through in her eyes;' Gill says. "So it was like very,
oh, titillating and exciting to like look into her
eyes. She's an iiberwoman, that's for sure:'
Witches Gone Wild
For Cummings, a Dallas native who moved to Los
Angeles five years ago and got her Screen Actors
Guild card in two weeks (virtually unheard of in
in the gay pride events reminds me of the obligation I have to make a
little bit of a difference, if that's possible. And while a show like Dante's
Cove - we bill ourselves as a guilty pleasure, we're not pretending to
solve any big problems or have some social agenda. But I think we're
providing entertainment ... for a neglected demographic and I think
that's a great thing. I know there have been times when I've been down
and I've watched something that hit a cord in my heart, and it made a
difference to me:'
Thea Gill concurs. After years portraying lesbian Lindsay on
46
Icurve
a world where actors toil for years culling together
enough credits to gain membership to SAG),
increased lesbian story lines and portraying a"real"
lesbian were big priorities.
"In season one ... there were girls who would
randomly hook up ... but you couldn't tell who
was a lesbian and who was bisexual;' she says.
"Whereas [in] season two, we establish in the
first episode that Michelle and Van are together.
The first thing you see me do, is I'm bringing her
breakfast. We're obviously the lesbian couple and
there's a whole story line that revolves around that,
so I think the lesbian story line is much larger,
which is fantastic. This season, the here! network
and the writers went to great lengths to be sure to
include the lesbian audience with things that they
are going to want to watch:'
And Cummings and Wolff, who make up two parts of a sexy love
triangle, are very much worth watching.
"I have a lot of gay men in my life, but I was looking around think~
ing,'OK, where are the lesbians?"' Cummings says of her initial research.
"I realized that I didn't have any lesbians in my life that were out ... I
had friends that considered themselves bisexual and would occasionally,
you know, have sex with other girls, but never, 'OK, this is my girlfriend.
I'm legitimately a lesbian and I can give you some honest feedback: So
I went to the Abby, which is the gay bar around the corner [in West
Hollywood], and I went there for lunch one day
and I asked the waiter, 'Do you know any lesbians?
Because I need to talk to them. So, if you know
any lesbians that wouldn't mind talking with me,
let me know: So a little while later he comes back
and says, 'Oh yeah, these two women over here
said they'd talk to you:"
Cummings and her new friendly chums sat
down for a beer and some Q and A.
"Not that I think that lesbians are these totally
different people or they act different," Cummings
continues. "I just wanted to see if there were cer~
tain things about how they interact with one
another when there isn't a man around. Does a
woman look at another woman the same way that
a straight woman looks at a man?"
That lunchtime chat turned into a visit L.A:s
infamous dyke hangout GirlBar. "That was fan~
tastic because I literally got to see ... women with
their girlfriends, women whose ex~girlfriends were
with other girls. It was fascinating and it was fan~
tastic, and I learned a lot. And the women were very
excited to share their experiences ... and part of that,
I think, was because they knew I was from the show
and they knew the show was trying to do something
to accurately portray lesbians, not just sort of Girls
Gone Wild, two hot chicks getting it on sort of thing.
That's not what were interested in:'
Of course, two hot chicks do get it on in Dante's
Cove. In fact, lesbian sex scenes abound in season
two, from Gill and Heimann's hoobup to Wolff
and Cummings episode two entanglement. The
latter brought here! TV vice president Meredith
Kadlec to the set.
"She was on set a lot. Shes a very busy woman,
and she came out twice to visit the set. The night
before [the sex scene] we had a meeting and we all
talked about what we wanted to do and how we
wanted it to be portrayed and we were very open
about making sure - this is something that we
don't care if this is something that a straight man
thinks is hot. We want to make sure a lesbian is
going to watch this and go, 'Yeah, they got it right.
That turns me on: And that was very important to
me, and I said, you know, let's go as far as we can
go, as long as we get it right:'
"I said, 'Meredith, I really need some help
because I don't want this to be me directing every~
thing,"' Wolff recalls. "I need another lesbian saying, 'Well, what about
that?' So I felt a little of that pressure off of me and I got to be a lot of
the actress, too. Once we got into it, honestly it was really, really easy.
You know it was like we had our basic choreographed moves, telling us
where to start, make sure you're hair isn't here, your hand isn't there, and
then we're going to doll you up like_this, so we kind of mapped it all out
and then when we got to actually shooting it, it really was easy, and part
of that was just the connection that Erin and I had. We had had time
to really get to know each other on that really nice friendship level; you
know when you like feel safe with each other. And the first night I got
there Erin left me a note at the front desk saying, you know here's my
number and call me, because we both knew this scene was coming:'
"Meredith was very instrumental," Cummings concurs. "Sam Irving,
the director, let her take the reins on it, saying 'Look, I don't know what
lesbians do, and I don't really know what lesbians want to watch, so you
ladies have free rein: Meredith and Michelle Wolff, who obviously had
done lesbian sex scenes before, were very instrumental in creating the
reality of the sexuality. I was so grateful to have them there:'
For Wolff, the resident butch, the lesbian sex scenes on Dante's were
a bit of a revelation.
"Dante's Cove shows a lot - there's a lot of skin!" Wolff exclaims.
'i\.nd they wanted it really, really hot. I mean, there's a lot of lesbian love
November 2006
I 47
But working on QAF helped Gill master her
own sexuality - on-screen and off. "I had to bare
all, and I had to believe in me and my body and my
tits and my ass and rubbing up against Michelle
and, you know, being all crazy and sexy;' laughs
Gill. 'J\nd through all that I started going 'Hey,
yeah, this is pretty fun. I became a late bloomer:'
In Dante's, Gill has "a really wonderful lesbian
love scene" with actor Nadine Heimann, the halfGerman, half-Filipino, 100-percent pulchritudinous actor who plays Van. "She's a beautiful girl
inside and out completely;' says Gill. "She's stunning and very intelligent:'
Strong Roles, Strong Women
Nearly all the women of Dante's Cove are still,
months after filming, raving about their roles. "It
was sort of a compelling psychological experience
as well;' Gill says, laughing. "That is why I was so
excited about playing a witch. I knew that, I would
have to find the witch in me, you know?"
"You know how you hear actresses in
Hollywood piss and moan about no strong
women? They must have missed this part;'
Scoggins admonishes."[ Grace] is very strong, and
she becomes more complex as we go along. And, I
was just very much drawn to her:'
Scoggins, the daughter of a Golden Glove
boxer and a top-ranked tennis player, is equally
complex. Often cast as a strong, self-reliant
woman, she's a fierce competitor and skilled athlete - and so are most of her female counterparts
on the show.
"When you have a very competitive sports
background, you don't quit. You don't take no. You
don't quit. Naysayers are usually what I call cheerleaders. If somebody tells me I can't do something,
it's like, 'Really? Well, watch this:"
scenes that are just kind of mediocre, they just don't push the envelope
at all. And Dante'sCove,in pushing the envelope with the boys said they
wanted to push the envelope with the girl stuff too, they wanted to put
it out there and ... do a really hot lesbian sex scene:•
Gill got some sexy scenes, too. A year after Queer as Folkwent off the
air, the actor was as surprised as anyone to find herself playing gay again
on TV.
'J\ft:er you've done a show that has had so much acclaim for a while,
a year after that you're really struggling not to become a has-been;' Gill
admits of the last year."You're always scared that you're never gonna get
something like that again:'
48
I curve
Like Cummings, Scoggins credits her mother with some of her progay politics. Her mother, a champion tennis player nationally ranked
second in her age group, rode with her daughter in last year's gay pride
parade and has a doubles partner who is a lesbian.
"It was fun. She rode in the parade in Houston. Or maybe it was Las
Vegas. She had her rainbow boa in the front seat ... she comes from a
life of competitive sports too, so ... this is nothing new for her:'
Cummings and Wolff are also experienced athletes. Wolff is a surfer
and scuba diver in real life (a lucky coincidence) while Cummings is a
bit of a self-defense freak who has mastered Jeet Kune Do, hand-tohand combat, kickboxing, gunmanship and sword and knife weaponry.
She put some of that to use on one man who hit on her a bit too
forcefully; she broke his hand.
"I remember I felt so powerful and I was like, no one's ever going to
grab my butt again;' Cummings admits. "I think that there's something
innately powerful about a woman who knows how to move and knows
how to defend herself:'
That matters little on Dante's Cove, or the tiny hamlet in Hawaii
that subs for their set as everyone seems part of a virtual love fest.
"I felt like when I was working on Dante's Cove, I was living in the
world as it should be;' Cummings admits. "I felt like I was at home,
where women could be with women and men could be with men and
women could be with men and everyone could live together in harmony.
That, to me, it felt like home. And then to have to come back to a world
where I say I was playing a lesbian and people would laugh or someone
would go, 'Oh, my gosh, how was that?' What do you mean how was
it2 It was great! I kissed a girl, and she didn't have a scruffy beard ... it's
better because there's no chin scruff:'
"The first time we were on the island shooting the show;' Heimann
adds, "it was my first time with a professional cast with all of these amaz,
ing people, a lot of them sexually open and just really open,minded
people in general, artists and, you know, talented people, and it totally
broadened me. It did - sexually. I was just like whoa, this is amazing
all of these open people, there are no qualms, there's no, there's no dis,
crimination ... it's beautiful and I really enjoyed that:'
Back in Black
While most of these women have other roles on TV (Wolff and
Scoggins both have juicy spots on Nip/Tuck this season) and in films
(Cummings co,starred with Sanoe Lake in the upcoming Rolling), they
all can't. wait to see how Dante's Cove does this year -
and whether
they'll be packing up for a season three.
"It's really up to the community to support it;' Wolff says insistently.
"If there's not the money you can't do the programming. I don't want to
hear you bitch - kind of like if you didn't vote you don't get to bitch
about the president you know. If you're not supporting these networks
I don't want to hear the fact that you don't feel like you're being rep,
resented. Get out there and support them, because the more that you
do that, the bigger the audience, the more money there is to create all
different types of networking:'
Scoggins concurs. "I think sometimes the other networks, they
think they are doing something good, and they're just stereotyping. And
I think that's especially the difference in here!"
While some lesbian projects, and the lesbian organization POWER
UP, seem to be making some headway these days, Wolff hopes more
dykes begin to wield power in Hollywood.
"I think there are some powerful (lesbians] in Hollywood;' she
admits. "I think that the ones that are really, really powerful don't do a
whole lot to support the gay projects as much ... I think the gay men do
a lot more of that than the lesbians:"
While Wolff waits for Hollywood to catch up, she knows that the
viewers will come out for Dante's Cove. So, too, do all the other wickedly
watchable women. And in the end, that's all they're hoping for today
- a few hours of guiltless fun for lesbians who find themselves in front
0£ and on, the telly.
"I hope they have a good time;' Scoggins says of the show's viewers.
"I hope they can spend the time and just relax and look at some beauti,
ful people and some gorgeous scenery and some fun dialogue and with a
little bit of magic thrown in there, and just go to sleep with a smile:' ■
November 2006
I49
More Ways to
Get Involved
them involved.
Registering LGBT individuals and allies is the first step
Here are some more
toward a victorious campaign. Visit your county's election
resources on LGBT
office and get deputized to register voters. The process generally takes no more than 15 minutes. Pick up as many voter
causes, campaigns and
candidates:
registration cards as possible and plan locations where you
can hold voter registration drives. Be creative and try venues
Project Vote Smart:
Provides nonpartisan
information on the voting
records of elected officials and the positions of
their opponents.
vote-smart.org
such as bars, restaurants, stores and coffee shops.
Bar Outreach
If you're already planning to go out to a bar with friends,
make the evening productive in two ways: get people signed
up for the campaign that you are working on and meet new
like-minded individuals -
and maybe even some cute activ-
ist girls for your post-election victory celebration.
The Human Rights
Campaign: Works
nationally on a bipartisan
level for LGBT advocacy.
hrc.org
Beyond cruising, the bottom line is GOTV, as in "Get Out
The VotC:'It's fun to go with a group of your friends and arm
yourselves with clipboards, voter registration cards, pens, and
campaign literature and stickers. Make it your mission by the
end of the evening to have everyone at the bar registered to
vote and eager to learn more about the campaign. Stickers are
a great way to get an individual to remember the name of the
campaign the next morning as well as to keep track of whom
message to your friends. Emphasize why it is so important
and explain that once they have voted, the reminders will
stop - that may be incentive enough!
I
wWe Gan Win 1n
Election Day
Most campaigns desperately need volunteers on Election Day. Check with the campaign you are working on about such activi-
ues take center stage at elections this November, victory
each one of us itchin in. B
a Hersh
ties such as passing out campaign literature
at the polls, answering phones in the office,
and participating in last-minute GOTV
work. Encourage friends to participate in
you have already spoken with. Encourage everyone you sign
up to put on a sticker so that you don't approach them again
later on.
the volunteer work with you to make it more fun.
Put the Party Back in Politics
After all the hard work is finished, celebrate election night
GOTV With the People You Know
with a party. On the invitation, remind your guests to make
There are numerous ways to make sure that your friends
sure they have voted.
Be creative - have a theme that's associated with the
vote, and I encourage you to use a combination of the fol-
work harder and have more fun if you're truly passionate about the candidate and issues.
To learn more about candidates in your area, educate yourself by reading
ing election is important to you and how the results of the
election will affect your furore. Encourage others to get
Some Final Thoughts
involved, volunteer, and donate. These letters may take time,
Campaign work can be taxing and time-consuming, but
but personal pleas are invaluable to campaigns.
Do a series of follow-up phone calls directly prior to the
election. Remind individuals to vote and bring at least five
becoming involved in issues that you care about is also
incredibly rewarding. Taking an active role in public service
Candace Gingrich, Senior Youth Outreach Manager for the Human
the local newspaper, watching the news, looking at the campaign signs around
town and visiting political Web sites (see our sidebar to get started). Most states
have local LGBT rights organizations, so do an online search for groups in your
area to learn which candidates and ballot issues are being endorsed.
Rights Campaign, points out that, "The GLBT vote is enough to change an
election. Historically this community's vote is around 4 percent, equal to the
Once you have found the perfect campaign, contact the field staff and seek
out volunteer opportunities. Offer your own ideas and expertise to the cam-
other people with them.
E-mail a reminder to everyone in your address book
and know that you have helped to shape your future.
When Gingrich makes her GOTV tours around the
Jewish vote. That's nothing to take lightly. It's important because the fight for
paign and find out how you can create and mobilize your own team.
about voting. Because e-mails are often deleted prior to
country, she reminds new activists of three vital points:
being read, make sure that the subject line clearly states the
"Personalize, educate and motivate. Help people take ownership for their future and show them that their vote is a
equality is at stake here. We are fighting for our own rights:'
Don't miss this month's opportunity to make our voices heard. Here's how
you can get involvedin campaign work, get out the LGBT vote for candidates and
issues, and even have some fun in the process.
First Things First
Find the campaign that best addresses your values and concerns. You'll
50 I curve
purpose: "Remember to vote for Candidate x:•
If you use an instant messaging service, include a comment
Register People to Vote
The easiest and most efficient way to make a difference in the next election is to
vote. Sounds simple enough, right? According to a U.S. Census Bureau release in
May 2005, only 7 4 percent of eligible citizens were registered to vote in the 2004
presidential election. Of those registered to vote, 89 percent did so.
Make an effort to find unregistered people in your community and get
0
a:
0
0
a:
J:
in your profile and on your away message about voting. Create
links to the Web site of the campaign that you are working on
and to a list of the voting locations in your area.
Don't worry that you're constandy repeating the GOTV
National Stonewall
Democrats: Advocates
for LGBT individuals
within the Democratic
Party.
stonewalldemocrats.org
Log Cabin
Republicans: Fights
for LGBT rights within
the Republican Party.
logcabin.org
particular campaign or candidate you've been supporting.
lowing tactics:
Write personal letters to your family, friends and neighbors a month prior to the election. Explain why the upcom-
Your vote in this election could make the difference. You've heard it all
before as political activists and volunteers show up at your front door,
call your house and approach you on the streets. They're right: your
vote and those of your friends, family members and neighbors could
be the decided victory for us in the upcoming elections.
The National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force:
Participates in the fight
for LGBT rights on a
grassroots level.
thetaskforce.org
Serve food and drinks accordingly, and encourage people to
dress up.
allows you to take pride in your constitutional right to vote
pass to make the country a better place for everyone. Educate
people about the issues so that they understand why it's so
important to get involved. Motivate by giving all of the reasons why they should vote:'
Let's get out there and make it happen. ■
November 2006
I 51
We cornerlesbianactorand activistCynthiaNixonat a Planned
Parenthoodbenefitand resistthe urgeto make a pun out of the
formerHBO TV seriesthat made her a householdname.
By Andy Wright
C
ynthia Nixon is perhaps best known as Miranda Hobbes,
On television, we are seeing more explicit sex scenes and younger
the practical, acerbic lawyer on HBO's popular comedy Sex
characters having sex, while in the classroom, the trend has
and the City. Miranda was given to lounging around her
been toward abstinence-only education. Why do you think that
apartment in oversized sweatshirts and tossing out one-
dichotomy exists?
liners about eating cake out of the garbage. She was perhaps
the most believable of all the characters: funny, a little bitter and striking a
answer. They may not have thought that 10 years ago, but I think they
are partly reacting to what they see on TV and partly to what they see
Sex and the City was a fluffy fantasy for single straight girls everywhere.
Racy depictions of the main characters mounting men, discussing their
grooming habits and debating the lack of men (and men's lacking in general)
and hear in the world around them. And I guess I sort of identify with
them. I understand that they want, for whatever reason, to return to a less
made up the bulk of the show. Sure, there was Samantha's short-lived lesbian
relationship (which ended after it had devolved into a marathon of deep talks
riage - which was always a little bit of a sham anyways - I think that,
in terms of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, also
and long baths) and Carrie's chaste kiss with a spin-the-bottle participant
just in terms of satisfying sex lives, I really don't want people operating in
ignorance and fear, like it's something we have to control, like we have to
was a straight girl's show. But lesbians loved it.
Perhaps that's why lesbian fans and supermarket tabloids had a field
day when it was revealed that one of the series' lead actors was living with a
woman. In late 2004, both the New York Daily News and the New York Post
published front-page articles declaring that Nixon, a mother of two who had
been in a long-term relationship with childhood sweetheart Danny Mozes,
was in a relationship with another woman. One could almost hear the collective hum of laptops as celebrity gossip columnists everywhere tried to come
up with a new headline that played off the tide of Nixon's show. Even The
Associated Press snarked: "Former 'Sex' Star Nixon Switches Roles:'
When questioned about the coverage, Nixon demurred to the press, "My
I appreciate that these people think our world is out of control, but it's
going to be a lot more out of control if we put sex back in the closet.
You have a daughter in public school. Does she receive an
abstinence-only education?
I don't think so. I hope not! What I was fascinated by was that they actually were teaching HIV/ AIDS education starting in kindergarten. I don't
know what they could be teaching a kindergartener other than you should
wash your hands, but it was a big deal. They sent notes home, and we all
had to know it was happening - and if we didn't want it to be happening,
we had to promise to talk to our children about AIDS if we kept them
home from school.
will say is that I am very happy:'
Since then, the media frenzy has died down and Nixon, an accomplished
stage actor, has gone on to win a Tony Award for her role as a grieving mother
in the play Rabbit Hole. And she's still with her girlfriend, education activ-
work they're trying to do under a Democratic president?
Absolutely. I think it would be easier for them to do the work they're trying
to do under any other president. Things would be very different in this
country, in this realm and in many other realms, if we had a Democratic
ist Christine Marinoni. The two women, it turns out, met when working
together on a campaign to increase school funding and decrease class size.
Queer women often get left out of the debate over reproductive
The project was spearheaded by the Alliance for Quality Education, of which
Marinoni was the New York director. The couple bonded over their passion
affect us. How can organizations include queer women in
for improving public education (yes, Nixon sends her kids to New York pub-
the conversation?
lic schools).
Nixon's zeal for political activism becomes apparent in the roles she has
I do a lot of Planned Parenthood and NARAL events and I keep trying to
find a way to make the joke like, "This is why I don't date men anymore.
inhabited over the years. She appeared onstage as the pill-popping wife of
a closeted Mormon in Tony Kushner's Angels in America, co-starred in the
I'm so concerned about abortion rights in this country. God forbid something should happen to me. That's why I now have a girlfriend:' I can't find
a way to make that joke. You know, look, it's not a pretty answer, but even
Warm Springs.
It's little surprise, then, chat when we finally caught up with Nixon, it
was at the Planned Parenthood Golden Gate Gala in San Francisco. Nestled
w
Cl)
among well-polished teapots and the glare of bright lights, Nixon spoke fervently about women's right to health care, the mental state of our president
~
somehow contain it. I think that we have made tremendous strides and
Do you think it would be easier for Planned Parenthood to do the
z
zw
sexually active time. But this desire to return to virginity prior to mar-
private life is private. But at the same time, I have nothing to hide. So what I
HBO miniseries Tanner on Tanner (written by Gary Trudeau of Doonesbury
fame) and, most recently, played Eleanor Roosevelt in the HBO movie
a:
CD
other. I think that people in this country really feel like abstinence is the
much-needed balance between the emotionless sexual appetite of Samantha,
and Charlotte and Carrie's relentless search for Mr. Right.
(played by Alanis Morissette), which sent her running down a flight of stairs
as her voice-over opined she was just "too old" for that stuff. Let's face it: It
(!)
Well, if I'm going to be really honest, I think that one is a reaction to the
and where queer women fit into the debate.
president, or even a sane Republican president.
rights because there's this erroneous assumption that it doesn't
if you have sex with women, you can get raped and you can get pregnant.
And you need to know there's a place you can go. Obviously, we all care
about the things that affect us the most directly. If you're the one most
likely to get pregnant, then you're the most concerned. But we should all
be concerned: for our girlfriends, for our sisters and daughters and nieces,
for women who live in the next building who we'll never meet. We should
all be concerned. ■
November 2006
I53
Reviews
Sapphic Screen
Les Femmes Fatales
Three foreign films offer up women on the verge. j By Diane Anderson-Minshall
EDITOR'S
PICK
FilmMovement
Thinkof thisasthethinking
chick'sNetflix.Founded
byfansof arthouse,indie
andforeigncinemawho
werefrustrated
when
Sundance
andCannes
flicks
didn'tcometo them,Film
Movement
is a membership
program
wherefor $159a
year(orabout$20a month)
youskipthetheaterand
waitforthemoviesto come
to you.Eachmonthyouget
anaward-winning
indieor
foreignfilmthat'schosenby
a curatorial
boardmadeup
of topfilm-festival
directors.
EachDVDholdsa featurelengthfilm,anacclaimed
shortandspecialfeatures
thatcanonlybefoundonthe
FilmMovement
DVDs.
And
LGBT
voicesaren'tunheard
of here;thelesbianfilm
MarionBridgewasoneof
thefirsttheyreleased.
This
year'shitsincludereleases
starringSandraOhand
PhillipSeymour
Hoffman.
(filmmovment.com)
- DAM
Every winter, a slew of quiet and meditative dramas, lush
than the other characters, which makes them even more thrill-
period pieces and fast-talking but not fast-acting characters
ing to watch. In theaters now. (elfavor.com)
rake in critical acclaim, if not big box-office sales. The change
is almost always a welcome one for fans of queer cinema as
Cold As Summer (Parlour Pictures)
smaller, gender-bending and lesbian films finally have a chance
to be seen. Three new foreign flicks fit that bill.
grave and disconcerting. Director Jacques Maillot's gripping
El Favor (Casque D'Or)
French drama- the second DVD release from upstart Parlour
Pictures - follows Rachel, a young, single mother who seems
I'm usually the quickest to critique lesbian films made by male
directors when the complexity of dyke lives are hidden under
aloof, depressed and nearly devoid of both parenting skills and
emotional attachment to her child. At one point she leaves the
the vestiges of entertainment. But. I'll be the first to admit that
there's no film in theaters right now as wholly satisfying as
Pablo Sofavich's lesbian sex farce, El Favor. This Argentinean
baby in her crib while she goes out to shop, urging her not to cry
when shes gone. Maillot's meandering lens and sunny backlighting leave us wondering how we should feel throughout the film.
comedy - strikingly reminiscent of early Almodovar works
like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - introduces
Does Rachel have postpartum depression? Is she overwhelmed?
Is she a monster? Viewers must decide.
Soon enough, Rachel abandons her daughter and travels to
us to Mora and Roberta, a lesbian couple desperate to join the
ranks of motherhood.
Before weve even met them, they've hatched a plan to get
Mora's brother Felipe, by trade a turkey inseminator (and don't
think they don't milk that for all it's worth), to, uh, naturally
inseminate Roberta. But in grand vaudevillian fashion, things
don't go as smoothly as planned when sort of flamboyant Felipe
is both shocked to see his sister in a lesbian relationship and
seemingly disinterested in Roberta altogether. If his girlfriend
didn't show up part way through the film, Felipe himself may
have set off our gaydar.
Set amid the brightly saturated hues of Latin American
film, El Favor is wacky and sublime and unabashedly demented,
and its lesbians, thankfully, aren't held up to higher standards
54
Icurve
As bright and farcical as El Favor is, Cold as Summer is both
the French Montpellier coast where she falls into a passionate
affair with a lesbian petty thief who is unaware of her past. Not
as simplistically joyful as Heavenly Creatures, Cold as Summer
nonetheless has the feel of a love story that is at the heart of a
monstrous crime.
Disturbing Rachel's new life is Claire, an infertile detective who grows increasingly obsessed with finding Rachel and
bringing her to justice. By the time the women find each other,
the viewer is left wondering how things could have gone as far
as they had. Alternately melancholy and lush, Cold is as meditative a drama about choice as we've seen in recent years. In
French with subtitles. (parlourpictures.com)
Sapphic Screen continued on page 63
OTHER PICKS
TheLostTribe(PonyFilms):Meet
SueAnnPost:lesbian,
Aussie,exMormon,
comedian.
Whensheaccepts
a conference
invitefromAffirmation
(anLGBTMormon
organization),
Post
mustrevisitherchildhood
of isolation,
intolerance
andfear.Equally
painful
andhumorous,
thisdocumentary
followsherthroughSaltLakeCityfor
theweekend
conference,
tellingPost's
personal
storyaswellasoutlining
the
religion'shistoryof persecution.
(wmm.
com)- Catherine
Plato
promises
to makeTimheterosexual
seemslikehisbigchance.
Hisgay
friendsareoutraged,
Sallyis hopeful,
andtheresultof theexperiment
changes
everything
Timhascometo
knowabouthimself.HardPillis a provocative
littlemovieabouta bigissue.
Theendingis a tadtoosmoothin light
of theheavyquestions
raised,butthe
filmiswellacted,entertaining
and
definitely
worthwatching
in orderto
getthatoldthoughtcarousel
spinning.
(hardpi/1.com)-UrsulaSteck
ThisFilmIs NotYetRated(IFC
Films):Justin caseyouneedanother
reminder
thatnearlyall mediaare
controlled
bya relatively
smallgroup
of conservative
dimwits,directorKirby
Dickoutlinesit prettyclearlyin this
funny-in-a-disturbing-way
documentary.Thenamesof theindividuals
comprising
theMPAA
ratingboardare
oneof thiscountry'smostcloselyguarded
secrets,
yetDickmiraculously
exposes
themwiththehelpof private
investigators.
Alsoexposed
aremassmarketed
homophobia
andsexual
repression.
Filmsareapparently
much
morelikelyto receive
anNC-17rating
if anyhomosexual
activity(alsoknown
as"abberational
behavior")
occurs.
Viewers
getsomeinsiderinfoonhow
theratingsactuallyaffecta director's
abilityto marketanddistribute
films,
andwhomissesoutasa result.
(ifcfilms.com)
- GP
BillieJeanKing:Portraitof a
Pioneer(HBO):
Evenif youthinkyou
knowallaboutthispioneer
athlete,
there'ssomething
newin thisin-depth
lookat herriseto international
acclaim,
for everyone
fromtennisloversto
lesbians.
Andespecially
lesbian
tennis
players.
(hbo.com)
- DAM
BeenRichAll MyLife(Toots
CrackinProductions):
Feeling
lazy?
TheSilverBelleswillprobably
make
youfeelmoreso.Thefivemembers
of thisAfrican-American,
all-woman
dancetrouperangein agefrom84to
96,andregularly
performat venues
likeLincolnCenterandCarnegie
Hall
to standing
ovations.
Inthe1930s,
theseweretheoriginalchorusdancers
in legendary
Harlemhotspotssuch
astheApolloTheater
andtheCotton
Club,andthey'rehotaseverin their
goldenyears.Dancers,
jazzbuffs
andtheyoungat heartwillallfall in
lovewiththisupliftingdocumentary.
(tootscrackin.com)
- GP
Dante'sCove:SeasonOne(here!):
If youloveourcovergirls,you'lllove
this.Thefirstseason
DVDof this
supernatural
gaythriller(thinkBuffy
meetsTheOCmeetsEverything
's
Relative)
combines
queerlife- and
a fairnumber
of cutedykesasmain
characters
- withgothichorrorand
surfculture.Sounds
strange?
Well,it is,
butit worksdamnit, andafterwatchingjust30 minutes
of thispopular
TV
show,viewers
aresureto behooked.
Rentthisandyou'llbereadyto catch
season
twoonhere!TVthismonth.
(dantescove.com)
- DAM
AsLuckWouldHaveIt (Picture
This!):Chaosbreaksoutin Swiss
university
professor
Jean-Pierre's
life
whenhebecomes
thelegalguardian
of a teenage
boy.Hevehemently
tries
to shakeoffthisobligation;
there's
toomuchto hide,suchashisyoung
boyfriend,
thecuteCubanmassagetherapist
Armando.
Themore
Jean-Pierre
wiggles,
though,themore
hebecomes
hopelessly
entangled
in
hisownsecretsaswellastheboy's
problems.
Contributing
to theoverall
confusion
is Jean-Pierre's
neurotic
andcomicwife,whomhemarried
for mutualconvenience.
Ofcourse,
theimage-conscious
professor
will
HardPill(Stoebner/Baumgartner beforcedto standupforhistrue
gentlyassisted
bythebunchof
Co.):Miserable,
lonelyTim(Jonathan desires,
eccentric
yetkindpeoplearoundhim.
Slavin)longsfor love;theoccaJean-Pierre
hasto
sionalblowjobhegiveshisunavailable Theritesof passage
complete
ratherlatein lifearemostly
bisexual
buddyDon(MikeBegovich)
funnyto watch,sometimes
contrived,
leaveshimonlymoredesperate.
And
butthesweetendingrewards
forthe
thenthere'sTim'sbestfriend,Sally
trip.l,picturethisvideo.com)
- US
(Susan
Slome),
whowouldmarryhim
in aninstant,if onlyhecouldfallfor
a woman.
A drugtrialfor a pillthat
Julie Goldman
I
COMEDIAN
I
Julie Goldman has been cracking up the masses since age 15, when she got her first
stand-up gig at Boston's Comedy Connection. She currently works as a writer for
New York City drag king Murray Hill, and as a member of the politically minded
comedy troupe Laughing Liberally. If you can't catch Goldman live in the Big Apple,
look for her at your next LGBT film festival: you may have seen her as Orea McClay
in The D Word, a New York City parody of that famous Sapphic soap, or more
recently as Linda in Erin Greenwell's film Mom. Look for her next in The Big Gay
Show, a new Logo series co-produced by Rosie O'Donnell. - CatherinePlato
What's The Big Gay Show all about?
It's a sketch comedy show. It's sort of like a gay Mad TV if you will.
Your Web site features a great original musical composition,
"Monogamous Slut." Do you ever perform it live?
I do perform "Slut" live occasionally. "Slut" is technically Indigo Etheridge's
song. She's my lesbian folk singer character. I haven't performed as her in a few
years. But "Slut" and Indigo are going to make a comeback in our next feature:
Co-Dependent-"Obsessive-Love-Ain't-So-Bad"-So-Leave-the-Window-Open:
The Real IndigoEtheridgeMovie.
You and Mom director Erin Greenwell are friends. Have you worked on
anything else together?
We worked the video of "Monogamous Slur:' Erin edited and directed it. She
has also done a million things as far as graphics and all chat kind of stuff for
me over the years. And I have tried to help her in whatever ways I can, holding a light, or doing voice-overs or whatever. We have just written a script
together and I look forward to working with her more in the future.
Did she write the part of Linda especially for you?
She did not write Linda especially for me, but I chink in her mind she knew I
could do it and add a special 'Je ne sais lez;' if you will. ■
November 2006
I 55
Reviews
In the Stacks
Old Friends in New Spaces
Some of our favorite writers take a look back. I By Rachel Pepper
In this month's picks, three talented ladies reflect back while
trying something new. In GirlBomb, blogger Janice Erlbaum
proof that you can. (randomhouse.com)
looks back on a turbulent childhood in New York City, while
spoken-word superstar Daphne Gottlieb dips into new territory
with the graphic noveljokes and the
Unconscious and comic book artist
Ellen Forney gathers her greatest
hits into the collection I Love Led
Zeppelin.
Jokes and the Unconscious, Daphne Gottlieb
and Diane DiMassa (Cleis Press) and I Love Led
Zeppelin: Panty Dropping Comics,
Ellen Forney (Fantagraphics)
GirlBomb: A Halfway
Homeless Memoir, Janice
Erlbaum (Villard)
Imagine you're a teenager, living with
your single mother. Unfortunately,
she's never single for long. Even
Generation
T:1OBWays more unfortunately, your mother's
to Transform
a T-Shirt,
taste in boyfriends ranges from
MeganNicolayandStitch
distasteful to extremely abusive.
'NBitchCrochet:
The
HappyHooker,
Debbie Between her short-lived relationStoller(Workman) ships, life returns to a more pleasCraftygirlscelebrate
with
ant and stable state. But then, one
thesetwohipDIVguides
named Dave ends up staying too
to a betterlife.Nicolay
long, emotionally and physically abusing both your mother and
deconstructs
fashionin the
you. Mom gets pregnant, she and Dave get married, and your
formof thetee(whichcan
become
a halter,legwarmers baby brother is bon:i. After continued violence and anguish, your
or aniPodcozy)forfunand
mother makes Dave leave,only to take him back soon after. After
funkyonthecheapanddown
several rounds of fighting and forgiveness, you threaten for your
low.Meanwhile
BUST
editor
own sanity to run away if Dave ever re-enters the picture. Mom
Stoller,
a knittingsuperstar
in
theyoung,hipcraftersmove- promises he won't. But when promises fail,what do you do? Faced
ment,offersupsexyand
with this situation, 15-year-old Janice Erlbaum runs away.
ingenious
crochetprojects
It's 1984, the height of a crack epidemic in New York City,
(retroclutchpurse,pompom
and not an easy time for a teenage. girl to be on her own. How
caplet,anarchy
ironyhat)
that'lldelighteveryone. does she do it? In GirlBomb, Janice edgily retraces her tangled
(workman.com)
- DAM teenage steps to independence. Her path takes her through
the trial by fire of shelter and group home existence, dealing for more than a year with mean-spirited fellow runaways
and not always empathetic workers. She survives high school
despite a growing drug addiction, seeking solace in the club-kid
nightlife of downtown New York and a steady stream of boyfriends. She cautiously reconnects with her mother after Dave
actually leaves for good, finds sanctuary with a gentle junkie
boyfriend, and finally sheds her own demons by book's end by
getting clean and applying to college.
Erlbaum, an active blogger at girlbomb.typepad.com, a columnist for BUST magazine and a shelter volunteer, is relentless in her own story's retelling. It's the kind of wild ride of
a book you read in one sitting, fully submerging yourself into
this troubled teens quest to survive her own adolescence.
Luckily she does, and in looking back at her teenage years,
Erlbaum shows how much it takes to make it, but is living
EDITOR'S
PICK
56 I curve
Poet Daphne Gottlieb has teamed up with comic
artist Diane DiMassa to bring some of her loosely
autobiographical writings to life in Jokes and the
Unconscious.Gottlieb captures well the grief that
swirls around a family as it loses its patriarch,
intersecting this with her main character Sasha's
job at the very same hospital. Keeping the story
from being too dark is a tender lesbian love affair
between teenage Sasha and dashing skateboarder
Jet. DiMassa's snarky art is a perfect pairing for
the tale, making the book and its sentiment stronger for her efforts. But fans of DiMassa's expecting
Hothead Paisan to appear will have to keep their
expectations muted - this is Gotdieb's tale, after
all. The award-winning author of poetry books
Final Girl, Why Things Burn and Pelt, Gottlieb
is well-known in performance and poetry circles.
Now she proves
she can write prose
too, although most
readers will find
it's DiMassa's artwork that keeps the
story moving and
the pages turning.
Visit Gottlieb online
at daphnegottlieb.
com; find more on
DiMassa at hot
headpaisan.com.
(cleispress.com)
EllenFomey'snew
comic collection, I
Love Led Zeppelin:
Pantry
Dropping
Comics, gathers together a bounty of strips published within
the last few years in magazines and newspapers. Forney's artwork, jam-packed with funny details and text, are particularly
appealing in this oversize book, lush with glossy paper and
color pages. CuRVE readers will especially like stories such
as "How to be a Fabulous Fag Hag" written with comedian
Margaret Cho, the hilarious "My Date with Camille Paglia;'
and two collaborations with gay writer Dan Savage called "My
First Time;• and "My First Time in Drag:' You can see more of
Forney's artwork at ellenforney.com. (fantagraphics.com) ■
PAGE TURNERS
Ou~NatsuoKirino(Vintage):
Recipient
of Japan'sGrandPrixfor
CrimeFiction,Outisthethrillingtaleof
a brutalmurderbya youngworkingclassmotherinTokyo.
Afterstrangling
herabusive
husband,
maincharacter
Masako
seekshelpfromherfemale
co-workers
in covering
hertracks.
Smashing
thestereotypes
of Japanese
women,
thefemalecharacters
in Out
aredaring,cunning
andpossess
infinitecourage
whentheworlddemands
it. (randomhouse.com/vintage)
- Kim
Fujioka
BiAmerica:
Myths,Truths,
andStruggles
ofan Invisible
Community,
WilliamE.Burleson
(Harrington
ParkPress):Callus
closeted,
callusconfused
- the
truthis,bisexuals
havebeenaround
fora whilenowandprobably
won't
renounce
ouridentityanytime
soon.Looking
firstat ourcultural
construction
of sexualidentityand
latertacklingissueslikemonogamy,
HIVanddiscrimination,
Burleson
paintsa comprehensive
pictureof
whatit means
to bea "fence-sitter"
in oursociety.
Highlyrecommended
reading
forbisexuals
andthewomen
wholovethem.(haworthpress.com)
- Catherine
Plato
Davina
Kotulski
IAUTHOR, GAY MARRIAGE ACTIVIST I
Ever wonder who wrote the book on gay marriage? That would be
Davina Kotulski, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and long-time activist
in the freedom-to-marry movement. In her book, Why You Should
Give a Damn About Gay Marriage, Kotulski enlightens and inspires
everyone, gay or straight, on the importance of being proactive
toward equality for all citizens. -Carol Bryant
How can we get straight Americans to pay attention to
your book?
Read it and pass it on to a family member. Often, those pre-
viously opposed suddenly "get" the message. The key is to
educate, get people talking.
With so many recent legal setbacks in court, how can we
not become discouraged?
This is not the tale of Cinderella, and these judges are not
our fairy godparents. Their gavel does not make us equal; we
need to do that ourselves. If we change the hearts and minds
of our fellow Americans, they will step up for us and decide it
is no longer acceptable to discriminate.
What about the "marriage is heterosexual" retort within the
LGBT community?
Any LGBT person who is or wants to be in a relationship will
feel the sting of marriage inequality in some form. Tragedies
Voiceofan Outcast,
Dr.Nija
occur, people lose everything. You don't have to get married,
L.Walker(Revealing
Reality
but please don't stand in the way of equal rights.
Publishing):
AnAfrican-American
Do
you
believe that calling them "civil unions" has a better
lesbian
anda devoted
Christian,
Walker
chance
versus "marriage" of becoming legal?
presents
a trulyuniqueperspective
on
theintersection
of religion
andsexualNo. Asking for less than equality means getting inequality.
ityin herdebutcollection
of poems.
In Connecticut, we asked for marriage and got civil unions.
Whilehereffortslacktheawareness
In California, we asked for marriage and got the creation of a
andpolishof a moreexperienced
domestic partner registry. Why are we good enough for civil
writer,sheoverflows
withspiritand
unions but not marriage? We must demand equal treatment.
sincerity.
Plus,anylesbian
poetwho
earnestly
compares
Jesusto Michael
What can readers do right now to become proactive?
Jordanis worthchecking
outat least
Talk to people, get educated and pass it on. Join an organizaforthebizarreness
factor.
tion that works towards marriage equality, have letter writing
(revea/ingreality.com)GP
parties, raise funds, but be involved. ■
Indecent:
HowI MakeIt and
FakeIt asa GirlforHire,Sarah
Katherine
Lewis(SealPress):From
humblebeginnings
asa lingeriemodel
in anunderground
Seattle
"tanning
salon"to stripping
onBourbon
Street,
Lewisreminisces
onherdecade-long
careerin sexwork.Ashervariousprofessions
covera broadrangeof safety
andlegality,
hervoiceremains
sharp,
upbeatandsexy,withoutglamorizing
thestruggles
of lifeasa workinggirl.
(sea/press.com)GP
November 2006
I57
Reviews
Music Watch
The Righteous Babe Returns
After some time off, Ani's back and rocking hard. I By Margaret Coble
STAFF PICK
Crushing
Love,SomeGirls
(KochRecords):
Ledbythe
legendary
JulianaHatfield,
thisrocktrio'ssophomore
release
screams
originality
andgrowthsincetheirlast
record.Crushing
Loveshowcasestheband'sversatility,
fromyoursweetsummer
songsto slap-you-in-thefacebadgirltunes.These14
trackswillkeepyousinging
yourheadoff in yourcarin
notime.(some-girls.com)
-Amanda Poulsen
For the second year in a row, I'm filing my monthly column
from the woods while working long crew at the Michigan
Womyn's Music Festival. So it feels only appropriate to spotlight three indie artists who fit right into the musical landscape
here: Ani DiFranco, who's played Michfest in the past, and The
Wailin' Jennys and Jenn Lindsay, who ought to be on the festival producers' radar for future consideration.
Days, which garnered them rave reviews, several spots in A
PrairieHome Companion,and a 2005 Canadian Juno Award
for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year. This muchanticipated follow-up does not disappoint, with 13 cuts that
infuse pop, rock, and alt-country into their already strong folk
and bluegrass base, making comparisons to the Dixie Chicks
not far off the mark. Several tracks strike me as radio-worthy,
including the opening finger-picker "Devil's Paintbrush Road"
Reprieve,Ani DiFranco (RighteousBabe)
I alternate between really loving Ani DiFranco and feeling
really ambivalent about her music, but over her now two-decadeplus career, one feeling remains constant: I've got nothing but
respect for her politics, and the fact that she lives, breathes and
sings them. So having said that, Reprievehas been in heavy rotation on my iPod since I got it. Admittedly, some of my interest
may be its New Orleans-centric vibe (it was partially written and
recorded there, interrupted by Hurricane Katrina, and resumed
shortly thereafter), especially the pointedly political, scathing
commentary of "Millennium Theater;' the album's centerpiece,
which aptly captures the anger and frustration with the Bush
administration post-levee failure in New Orleans, even though
it was written months before Katrina ever existed. But aside
from all that, it's also just a pleasure to listen to, with DiFranco
offering 13 exquisitely produced, atmospheric compositions,
ranging from the spoken-word tide track, minimally accompanied by violin and acoustic guitar, to fuller-sounding cuts
like "Half-Assed;' with organs, wah-wah pedals and electronic samples adding layers of sonic texture. A must-have
for fans, and definitely worth checking out even if you're not.
(righteous
babe.com)
Firecracker,The Wailin' Jennys (Red House)
The Canadian female roots trio with impeccable three-part
harmony has been on a roll since their 2004 debut release 40
ss curve
I
and the pop-country "This Heart of Mine;• while the waltzlike "Swallow;• traditional a capella "Long Time Traveler" and
mesmerizing ':A.pocalypse Lullaby" rank as personal favorites.
If you haven't heard them already, give them a listen; I think
you're going to be hearing a lot more about these gals very soon.
( thewailinjennys.com)
Uphill Both Ways, Jenn Lindsay (No Evil Star)
A current staple of the East Village antifolk scene, Lindsay has
paid her dues touring the country, opening for such kindred
spirits as Melissa Ferrick, Toshi Reagon, Bitch and Animal,
and Alix Olson. Uphill Both Ways is her sixth studio album,
a complete joy from beginning to end and a welcomed surprise
among the towering stack of previously unheard-of artists' discs
accumulating on my desk. From relationship tales like the gently
rollicking opening tide track to the sparser, more melancholy
"In Brooklyn;• Lindsay masterfully tells her captivating stories, sucking you into her confessional vignettes, while offering
hypnotic, compelling melodies that make you want to sing
along. "Memphis" is a bluesy, twangy traveling song on par
with the best Dolly Ranchers' fare, and her "House In New
Orleans" is a politically spot-on adaptation of "House of the
Rising Sun;' incorporating stanzas of''.A.mazingGrace;' all filled
with post-Katrina commentary (a personal favorite). One listen
and I guarantee you'll be hooked; this album is hard not to love.
(jennlindsay.com)■
6()
~
LL
e.
I
()
z
:J
()
>z
z
i3
OTHER LICKS
It CanHappentoAnyone,
Elisabeth
Withers(BlueNote):The
ColorPurpleBroadway
starbustsout
withdebutfull of soulful,sexyR&B,
gospelandpopwitha littlecabaret,
rockandevenreggaethrownin.Note
thequeer-positive
cut"TheWorld
Ain'tReady."
(bluenote.com/elisabeth)
Salt& Water,
SaraJaffe(Cherchez
la Femme):
WithhelpfromTaraJane
O'NeilandtheQuails'Julianna
Bright,
theformerEraseErratamember
presents
anaddictive
solo5-trackEP
of sad,sparse,girl-loves-girl
songs.
(cherchezlafemmeprojects.com)
Vicki Randle
I
VOCALIST AND PERCUSSIONIST
I
You may not recognize the name, but chances are you've heard
her music. From the Tonight Show Band to Cris Williamson's lat,
Something
Real,MegandDia
(Doghouse):
Pop-friendly
rocktunes
seemto floweffortlessly
fromthe18and21-year-old
SaltLakeCitysister
act,onthishook-laden
11-track
debut.(megananddia.com)
GSSP
RMX,TheGossip(KillRock
Stars):Thissix-songEPoffers
remixes
of thequeerdance-punk
band'srecentsingle"ListenUp"by
Mstrkrft,ArthurBakerandA Touchof
Class,plusa coverof Aaliyah's
"AreU
ThatSomebody."
(gossipyouth.com)
est tour, Vicki Randie's been popping up everywhere. Among the
most sought,after vocalist,percussionists in the business, she's per,
formed with names ranging from Herbie Hancock to Celine Dion.
September marked the long,awaited release of Randie's first solo
album, SleepCity:Lullabiesfor Insomniacs.-
Laurie K. Schenden
After years in the biz, why are you just now going solo?
I realized long ago that I could make a consistent living, as well
as gain recognition, working for others. I didn't have to take
the emotional risks or personal hits, nor bear the ultimate
responsibility. Pretty good deal, actually. But inside of me was
brewing a need to tell the stories that only I can tell. When I
could no longer turn away and when I felt strong enough to
become all of myself, I was ready to make this record.
AroundtheCity,ElianeElias
What are some of your favorite songs on the CD?
(Bluebird/RCA
Victor):The
Gee, all of the songs are significant in some way.... I'm par,
Brazilian-born
jau singer,
pianistand
ticularly pleased that I get to show my acoustic guitar side
composer's
18thalbumis a danceable
to the world. Many people have no idea I play guitar, even
delight,
filledwithelectronica-tinged
though that's my main instrument.
bossanovagrooves
anda fewsurprisWhat's your favorite alubum you've worked on?
inglyenjoyable
covers,
including
Bob
Marley's
"Jammin."
(elianeelias.com)
Some of my favorites may not be ones that sold very many
copies ... Ferron's Still Riot is one of my all,time favorites ...
Everything
BadandBeautiful,
Aretha Franklin's Whos Zoomin' Who was pretty special,
SandraBernhard
(Breaking):
both because it was Aretha Franklin and because it was the
Another
hilarious
soloshowfromthe
last time I got to work with Sylvester.
boisterously
bicomedian,
partstandup,partmusic,recorded
livelastMayin How has your image as a high-profile musician ranked on
NewYorkCity.(breakingrecords.com)
the babe-magnet scale?
I've had astonishingly bad luck with hooking up with some,
BlackDoves,
AmeliaWhite
one who has just seen a show, [but] I had a girl chase me from
(Funzalo):
TheNashville-based
singer-songwriter
servesup11
England once! I gave her my phone number and returned to
twangyalt-country
cutswitha pop
California. Next thing I knew she was calling me from [the]
sheenonherthirdfull-length
album,
San Francisco airport, telling me she'd left her husband.
traversing
bothpersonal
relationAre
you
in a committed relationship now?
shipsandpost-9/11political
terrain.
Um, do my two Siberian huskies count? ■
(ameliawhite.com)
- MC
November 2006
I59
Reviews Tech Girl
•Baby Is a Centerfold
Yay, it's snapshot season again. I By Diane Anderson~Minshall
Holidays like Thanksgiving can be a bit of a bear, what with all those once a year relatives coming out of the
woodwork, patting your butt and asking you what lesbians really do in bed. Maybe that's just my family.
But still, the best way to combat holiday blues? Get behind the camera. Every fam needs an official archivist
and a great way to avoid Aunt Selma's annoying questions or cousin Jamal's snot-nosed baby is to be the
official photographer. These groovy new cameras will make the job all the sweeter.
It Doesn't Get Sexier Than This
The Leica C- Lux 1 from Leica Camera AG is the first model in a new line of Leica digital
compact cameras and Leica's smallest camera to date and boy, what a sexy beast it is. With an
ultracompact design and fully retractable optics, the C- Lux 1 has great color rendering even
in wide-angle or telephoto formats. An integrated optical image stabilizer counteracts camera
shake even in difficult light conditions. The camera's 2.5-inch display is great for photo composition, and the speed with which it takes and displays photos, with minimal shutter delay,
is breathtaking. Did we mention that this 2-inch by 4-inch black-and-chrome camera looks
good? With precise auto focus and a battery strong enough for up to 320 photographs, it's a
great camera to take on your next lesbian cruise. Featuring a resolution of 207,000 pixels (your
arty girlfriend understands what that means), the camera comes with a 64 MB SD memory
card, a battery charger, battery, an AV, USB and AC cable, and an extensive software package
including Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0. ($495, leica-camera.us)
Clockwise from top
right: The Olympus
Stylus 740; Olympus's
FE-180; Rolleiflex's
MiniDigi; and the
Leica C-Lux 1.
Make Her Feel Like a Movie Star
There's a saying that an actor can tell she's a star when a Rollei has photographed her. That's
a Rolleiflex, a twin-lens reflex German camera developed in the 1920s that's become synonymous with Hollywood as it's the preferred tool for serious portrait photographers. If
you've always wanted a Rollei you're not alone. The new Rolleiflex MiniDigi is the perfect
intro. This new digital camera - a close replica of the famous Rolleiflex 2.8F - offers the
great old school features (like 6x6 cm square frame format, two lenses and a crank lever) in
an up-to-date digital version. No shutter opportunity so you never lose time determining
vertical or format position; you just aim then shoot from the waist (which is even better for
photographing kids and dogs). It has a 2 MP sensor and SD memory card. One downside,
there's no USB port. ($350, rolleiJp/e/)
For Tech Lovers Everywhere
For modern capabilities and iibertechie features, Olympus's new Stylus digital cameras and
the new SP-510 simply can't be beat. The compact 7.1 megapixel Stylus 740 comes with a
5X optical zoom lens tucked inside a streamlined, all-weather body. Despites its slimness, the
Stylus 740's 2.5-inch LCD and the exclusiveTruePic TURBO Image Processor render brilliant blue skies and accurate flesh tones to produce crisp, high-quality, large-format prints (we
could have shot our cover photograph with it, in fact). With the Bright Capture Technology,
this camera is a perfect gift for that girlfriend who loves her WNBA games. The new Stylus
730 model, designed with beginners in mind, makes it a great fit for those new to digital
technology. The 3-inch LCD makes reviewing photos a snap, and a Simple Mode offers easyto-use auto settings so you don't have to be Ansel Adams to actually capture your girlfriend
in front of Mt. Hood. A Perfect Fix mode offers editing tools to remedy red eyes, underexposures and blurs. ($350 and $400, respectively,olympusamerica.com)
Girls on Budgets Can Still Shoot
If $10 disposable cameras are near and dear to you, making the switch to digital might seem
like a steep investment, but Olympus's new affordable FE series offer great digital features
(6 megapixels, 2.5-inch LCD and built-in helper guides for novices) in a slim little camera
with a slightly lower price. ($150 and up, olympusamerica.com)
60
Icurve
VictoriaA. Brownworth Politics
A History Lesson
Remembering our story is a full--time job.
T
here should be a special career day for
all the centuries before Stonewall freed us from the
queers. I have been a college professor for
repression and oppression we had suffered under
for over a millennium.
more than 20 years, have taught a wide range
of students - some queer, most of them not
-
and counseled many on what career path
All that uncharted territory. All that terrain to
be plumbed for the artifacts of our (female, queer or
they should take.
both) existence - an existence that would continue
This semester one of my students, a young
Vietnamese-American man, wrote a piece
to be challenged again and again, even by our own.
We needed to have a history; we needed to know
for one of my nonfiction courses in which he
what we had been capable of in the past to know
revealed that his parents were among the boat
what we could be capable of in the future.
History, of course, is an evolutionary discipline.
people fleeing Vietnam in the final days before
the fall of Saigon. He was only a few months
old at the time, and other people in the teaming boat on the choppy and dangerous seas
believed it would have been kinder to drown
There is new history being made every second:
women's history, lesbian history, queer history. But
is our history now in peril?
In the 1970s the flurry of scholarly work, expo-
the baby than to have him suffer. But his parents protected him, got him to America, and
sitions of and expeditions into our collective past,
was everywhere. New journals sprang up. Presses,
through intensely hard work, went from collecting government cheese and milk to running
publishers and imprints were created to handle this
work and promote it to both the academic and sec-
their own small grocery store. They achieved
their American Dream for their children.
ular milieux. Soon there were experts in a field that
hadn't even existed a decade before.
My student joined the Marines afrer high
school and did a tour of duty in Iraq, coming
full circle metaphorically and actually from
Vietnam to Iraq. Now in his mid-20s, he is in college, trying to achieve his
Through this work, this discovery, we began to
know ourselves and feel pride in our accomplishments. We now had a retinue to whom we - the
outcasts, the outlaws, the second-class citizens -
finally belonged. That is
own American Dream of being a writer.
Although he's not queer, his story is very much representative of minority
how important all this work was; that was the giftof our history to ourselves.
culture in American society. I have urged him to be a historian of his own life,
a life unknown to most Americans.
In talking to this student, I began to think about our own queer culture
the intensity began to wane, and the flow began to slow.
Now I worry that our history, and more importantly the record of it, is
"presumed:' Where once we had nothing, our lives seemingly tabula rasa,
and our own undocumented and undiscovered history.
When I was in college in the 1970s, women's studies was a developing
the early explosion of work by people like Lillian Faderman and Martin
Duberman made us complacent. Their work and that of so many others made
discipline, an off-shoot of "real" history. It would be another decade or more
us real to ourselves. And once on the map, how could we disappear from it
ever again?
until queer studies became yet another tributary of minority history.
I was among the students and faculty who helped to found the women's
studies department at my university. It was an intensely exciting time. All we
could think about was that we were both making and uncovering history. I
remember those years as a time of constant revelation. I had given up my first
love (the career choice I had made at 6, to be a doctor) and dropped out of
medical school afrer several years of study. I couldn't imagine finding something
else that I would love as I loved medicine and the prospect of saving lives.
And then I discovered history: my own women's history.
Oprah Winfrey would call it a "light-bulb moment;' the recognition of
something large and amazing that spread before me, of which I was indeed a
part. Where I had once wondered where women fit into the annals of the millennia, I now knew. We existed; we had just been erased, our names, achievements and very lives unrecorded or recorded over.
As a historian it would be my job - my vital and endless job - to
uncover, recover and record what women had done in the world up until now.
Later that would be extended to lesbians and then other queers: where we
had come from, how we had lived in previous eras, what life had been like in
The research continued, books and articles were published regularly, but
History needs historians to record it. Like my student whose story has yet
to be archived among American immigrant tales, our stories must continually
be told for our history to remain the living, vibrant entity that history must be.
The life of a historian need not be pedantic and tedious; I have found
it exciting, evolutionary and vital. But just as only a Vietnamese American
can tell the authentic tale of Vietnamese-American life, only we as queer
Americans can tell our stories, because it is we who have the investment, we
who most need to know who we are and to share that information with others like ourselves.
There are many who would indeed like to see us removed from the map
of history, to return us to the shadows and obscure our achievements. Our
history is embattled because our very lives remain embattled. We cannot
afford complacency.
Our history is our story, our lives recorded for posterity. There may be
careers as important as being an historian, but little is more important than
knowing where we came from and where we can go in the future. ■
November 2006
I 61
Dyke Drama Michele Fisher
Know When to Hold 'Em
When it's over, it's over. Unless you're a lesbian, of course.
Y
ou homo history buffs will remember that Harvey
Mille endeared himself to the entire populous of San
Francisco, not just the gays, when he pushed for and succeeded in passing pooper scooper legislation. Yes, he was
a gay hero, but he was also the guy who literally cleaned
up the streets of San Francisco. If he were alive today, he
would certainly be pissed about all the poo on the streets
of his once pristine city.
The worst of it is that the queers are the biggest offenders now.
The Castro used to be teeming with horny boys and
girls who wanted to have sex with as many other horny
boys and girls as they could get their collective paws on.
Love was in the air all day and all night. Everywhere you
looked somebody was either making out in a corner or
humping in a doorway.
Now, every homo wants a family. And what is a family without Fido? Find a homo without a pet in San
Francisco, I double-dog dare you! Many thanks to those
of you considerate enough to pick up your pooch's poo off
the sidewalk with a plastic bag, but how about that smear
you left? Forget training Rex to play chopsticks on the
piano, I would be so much more impressed if you could
get him to crap on the grass, at the dog park.
Not too long ago, my wife and I were taking our
nightly stroll and keeping a close eye on the pavement as
we chatted.
As we walked by a sidewalk cafe, I caught a glimpse
of a woman I had dated in the early '90s. She was sitting
at a table for two with another woman, and they were
both wearing sunglasses, drinking wine and smiling. I was
pretty sure it was her, but I would have had to look back to
make absolutely sure of it. I didn't look back.
How could I resist looking back at a woman with
whom I had once been hopelessly obsessed?
The romance between Lesbian X and I had been as powerful as it had
been brief. She was one of the "L girls": I had told her that I loved her and
had stepped in a big old pile of dyke drama. After a quick apology for bothering me, he moved swiftly back up his driveway and into his home.
I knew I had to find her, but how?
she had said it back. We had nothing in common and we both agreed on the
Madame X had left no forwarding address or phone numbers and she
had quit her job. The poor woman just couldn't stand to be in the same city
first date that a liaison between us would end badly. We were so tragically
incompatible that it was romantic.
I hadn't seen her since the breakup.
We had vowed to each other, the night that we parted, never to speak
again. It would be too painful to take a stab at friendship and pointless to
pretend that we would ever have a future as a couple.
I kept my promise for about a year.
I was out on a date with a woman who actually told me that I was not
her type and then proceeded to ask me out on a second date, all in the same
breath, when Madame X came roaring into the front of my brain. I became
instantly and powerfully convinced that Dyke X was the one for me and that
I had to get her back if I was ever to be happy again. I drove immediately over
to her apartment. As I was sitting on the curb outside of her place contemplating my next move, one of her fag neighbors recognized me and asked me
how X was doing. Apparently, my pained expression let him know that he
62 I curve
with me and not be with me. How awful it must have been for her.
My best friend told me that X was always moving and quitting her jobs
because she was a flake who was constantly screwing people over, but my
friend didn't know X like I did. She may have moved other times and quit
other jobs for other reasons, but this time it was all about me.
Sometimes late at night, after several cocktails, I would get on the computer and search for X in cyberspace.
Dyke X was an artist who could pass in the corporate world. She was
brash and self-confident, and she never worried about where her next guitar
was coming from. My best friend said X was a con artist who played me like
a fiddle, but she never gave X a chance.
Me and X didn't travel in the same circles, which was a big reason it didn't
work out between us. I met a couple of her friends, but it wasn't fun. They
were angry, hip and bored, and I was, well, really anxious to get away from
a:
w
ti:i
w
a:
t;
w
z
a:
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I
~
them. X and I at least had sex in common, but I didn't feel like screwing her
friends to get to know them.
However, I found out a few months before the breakup that X had slept
with one of those friends one night while I was at work. X explained that she
didn't really want to but did it because she felt sorry for the girl who had such
"When it's over, it's over;' X said. That was her entire explanation. The
woman had not done anything to X, except be a part of her past.
I never wanted to be that woman.
I can't explain why X owned all of my romantic fantasies for years. Maybe
because she was the one that got away.
low self,esteem. She was shocked at how petty I was to begrudge some sad
dyke a pity screw.
Except she didn't really get away; I sent her away.
We really stunk as a couple. My feelings were always hurt and she was
I ended up in front of Pity Screw's house the night I found out that X was
always mad. We spent way more time not talking than talking. She was into
gone. I didn't even realize that I knew where the girl lived until I was parked in
social Darwinism and I was into masochism. I was always calling one of my
friends and whining about how insensitive or inconsiderate X was. Nobody
front of her house. There was no plan; I just sat there looking at Pity Screw's
house thinking that I could always go up on the porch and ring the bell.
I spent about a dozen nights in front of that house over the next few years.
liked her and nobody liked me with her. When I was with X, I became one of
Madame X never came by while I was there, and Pity Screw never spotted
me. I sat out there in my car dreaming of our storybook reunion.
miserable relationship.
I was relieved when I left her apartment for the last time.
It was more like intermittent obsession. I didn't pine for X all of the time,
just when things weren't going my way romantically. I remained convinced,
for years that X was going to rescue me from all my woes one day.
those boring miserable people who talks about nothing else but their boring
I realized as my wife and I hit the first corner that I hadn't thought about
Madame X in almost five years. We took a right and I never looked back.
"Did you see those women at that cafe eating on the sidewalk?" My wife
But that never happened.
I remember one time Ms. X and I were walking hand in hand down the
asked me.
"Uh,huh:' I casually answered to hide my escalating anxiety level. Here
street when we ran into one of her old girlfriends. The gal seemed pleasant
enough, but Ms. X treated that dyke like she had a major case of poo shoes.
She muttered a hello, didn't bother to introduce me and stretched my arm a
I was so proud of myself for leaving a big chunk of my embarrassing past
behind me, and then my girl, the reason for my well,adjusted and happy pres,
full inch trying to pull me down the street with her. I couldn't wait to hear
about what horrible things this lezbo had done in order to warrant such
shabby treatment.
ent, was going to dig the whole stinking thing up again.
"There is no way I could eat in a minefield of dog shit:' She said.
"Me neither:' I said, chancing a step on unexamined ground to look up at
her and smile. ■
Sapphic Screen continued from page 54
Take My Money and Run continued from page 41
Ryna (Life Size)
that the women insist on taking their own advice.
"Because we do that, sometimes we realize that
inability to marry:'
That fiscal activist, Robasciotti says, makes it
what were recommending isn't practical and that's
great for helping us to refine the experience and
advice that were giving people:'
all worthwhile. She also serves on the Board of
Directors of the National Center for Lesbian Rights
Doroteea Petre garnered the Best Actress Award
at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival for her stunning
portrayal of 16,year,old Ryna, a rather handsome
girl whose abusive father has raised her as a boy
in the striking Danube Delea region of Romania.
While she's working as an auto mechanic at her
father's shop, it's clear to all who meet Ryna that
"he" is really a"she;' despite shorn locks and grease,
stained coveralls.
After her mother abandons her to her father's
physical and emotional abuse, Ryna eventually
rebels, deciding to "come out" as female, in this
case simply by wearing a dress to the town fair.
What could have been a simple one,note drama
that ended there, does not: Ryna's reward for
unwillingly tackling gender norms - even if that
means living as a feminine woman after years of en,
forced gender ambiguity - is as vicious as can be
imagined. As Ryna survives the violent ordeal, the
richly,hued, sepia,toned film (now on DVD)
takes a unique look at a woman's ability to endure
regardless of geography or time, as well as how pov,
erty, sexism and oppression can work together to
enforce the status quo. Not surprisingly, director
Ruxandra Zenide, a Swiss and Romanian film,
maker, is a woman. In Romanian and French with
subtitles. (lifesizenetertainment.com) ■
But does being a lesbian make you a better
financial planner:'
"We think so;' Robasciotti says. "Since most of
what won't automatically happen because of their
and the Foundation to End Sexual Violence.
"I believe that NCLR is the single most effec,
tive organization doing work for the queer com,
munity;' Robasciotti says. 'i\nd the mission of
our clients are from the LGBT community, we're
definitely able to empathize with the special chal,
FESV gives me hope for the future. I give my time
to these organizations because I can't imagine not
lenges that they face. We've had clients tell us that
it's a huge relief to work on with their finances -
being a part of these causes and because I person,
ally need to participate in the communities that I
care about in order to feel like a whole person:'
an already emotionally charged subject - without
the discomfort of having to 'explain' how their re,
lationships work:'
Philipson agrees, but admits that their LGBT
clients can still surprise them.
"It's really amazing that, even with all of the
recent media coverage, some people still don't un,
derstand that we can't legally be married anywhere
in the U.S. according to the federal government;'
she says. "Even if we do have domestic partner,
ship in California, there are so many benefits that
come with the ability to legally marry that we still
having to Jerry rig' our financial and legal affairs to
match our wishes. They come in with assumptions
about what will happen to their assets when they
die and we spend a lot of time educating them on
Robasciotti and Associates walks their talk,
too, by offering new clients discounts to member
donors of several groups including NCLR, the lo,
cal NPR channel and the Golden Gate Business
Association. Even when the discount turns out to
be more than the cost of membership itsel£ the
women think it's still worthwhile.
"We're a relentlessly idealistic group of people;'
Philipson says.
"We believe that the work that we do with our
clients has a real impact on the world," Robasciotti
chimes in. "We believe that we can be successful
and socially responsible at the same time and that
the smartest financial decision is pointless if it
doesn't support the life that you want to live:' ■
November 2006
I63
-
World AIDS Day
December 1st, 2006
Please Join us at 7:30pm
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St. Petersburg, Florida.
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www.Al9SPartnershipinc.org
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World ~IDS Day is not just about raising money,
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November 2006
I67
'-----✓
VOL.16#8
VOL.16#7
VOL.16#6
VOL.16#5
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November 2006
I 71
Top Ten ReasonsWe Love Kritik
When CURVE traveled to the 2006 Pride celebration
in Boise, Idaho, one name grabbed our attention
wherever we went: Kritik (sounds like "critique").
Nee Kate Neal, she's the hottest thing to come out
of Boise's hip-hop scene since, well ... since anyone
knew Boise had a hip-hop scene. Talented, cute and
queer, she opened a pre-Pride show for lesbian rap
icons God-des and She, then made the ladies drool
with her mainstage performance on festival day.
With biting, socially aware lyrics and a captivating stage presence, she won't stay Boise's best-kept
secret for much longer. - CatherinePlato
1. Sheposesa seriousthreatto thestatusquo.As
a queer white chick from Idaho, Kritik falls pretty
far outside expectations for a hip-hop superstar.
2. Success
wasa totalsurprise.
Her first rap was
a class assignment that took off. "I wrote a rap
about the time my little brother knocked my four
front teeth out with a swing set and performed it
for my class, and then I just started. I write a lot-of
poetry so I started turning my poetry into lyrics,
got a beat-making program, and it kind of took
off:' Her first public appearance as Kritik was in a
performance of TIJeVaginaMonologues.
3. She'smulti-talented.
Not just a rapper, she's also
a guitarist, bassist and drummer who's been playing in bands since junior high and grew up rocking
out to bands like Led Zeppelin. These days though,
she's got her niche pretty well carved out. "I think
that hip-hop is where I need to be;' she says.
4. She alwaysrapsfor a cause.She wrote and
performed new material for Boise's Martin Luther
King Day ceremony, themes of social justice predominate her lyrics, and she never hesitates to
speak her mind. As her hit "Rebel" says, "It's been
this way since before I could talk/Been a rebel from
birth since before I could walk:' We dig it.
5. She'sinto helpingout otherartists.Steering
clear of the competitive vibe that often tangle~ up
emerging artists, she has helped organize benefit
shows in her home state, to promote other musicians just starting their careers, and often works
with Boise's resident drag troupe, the Bois of
Boise, comprised of some of her close friends.
6.She'sgothometown
pride.Kritik's found the notoriously red state ofldaho surprisingly warm and welcoming.'T~e never had anyone say anything negative
about my music. I've performed for people who I've
assumed would not be interested in my music and
they are' She adds that Boise's relatively small size
makes it supportive and friendly to new musicians.
72
Icurve
"Iwrotea rap aboutthe time my littlebrotherknocked
my fourfrontteethout witha swingset and performedit
for my class... and it kindof took off."
7. Whileshe takes her musicand politicsseriously,she still makes us laugh. In "Roll Wit Me;'
time to write new music as well as play a handful
of gigs each month.
she raps: "Caught the second wind/Back to the bar
for a double gin/No coke, no rocks, just straight
up/No, not straight, I'm GAY as fuck!"
9. There'ssomething
kindof hotabouta girlwith
a pirate fetish. Kritik named her record label
8. She'sa workhorse.A senior at Boise State,
Shipwrecked Records and titled her 11-song debut
album A Pirate'sLife.Arr!
Kritik holds down a job at the campus Cultural
Center while she majors in creative writing and
minors in theater. After all of that, she still finds
10.She'ssingle.You can cyber-hit on her online at
myspace.com/kritikl 7. ■
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