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Description
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ToC Escape to Isla Mujeres by Giselle Kovac (p24); Cover: Working Out with Jackie Warner by Stephanie Schroeder (p44); Lesbian Tax Gurus by Allison Steinberg (p56); Fashion Special: Evelicious by Jennifer Corday (p28); Too Hot to Handle by Catherine Plato (p31); Such a Stud by Tania Hammidi (p32); Dinah Shore Chic by Jennifer Corday (p33); Jeans and Tees Photography by Lydia Daniller (p34); Naughty Knitter by Stephanie Schroeder (p38); Femme Fashion by Heather Boerner and Kina Williams (p40): DIY Diva by Catherine Plato (p42); Designing Women by Catherine Plato and Diane Anderson-Minshall (p43); Small-Screen Lesbians: South of Nowhere by Candace Moore (p49); Michelle Babin by Diane Anderson-Minshall (p50); Something Blue by Asiana Ponciano (p51); Janice Dickenson by Catherine Plato (p52); Stormy Skies by Renée Westbrook; Shows We Won't Miss by Diane Anderson-Minshall; Cover photo by Brie Childers.
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issue
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3
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Date Issued
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April 2007
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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_Vol17_No3_April-2007_OCR_PDFa.pdf
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extracted text
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25274 80539
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AKEA STAND
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FranklySpeaking
curve
THE BEST-SELLING LESBIAN MAGAZINE
We've Got Style
We spend nearly $200 every
month on fashion. Of course
it's great when we can use our
VOLUME 17 NUMBER 3
o
1550 Bryant Street, Suite 51
San Francisco, California 94103
Phone 415-863-6538 Facsimile 415-863-1609
Advertising Sales 415-863-6538 ext. 1O 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 Publisher
Associate Editor
Book Review Editor
Music Review Editor
Contributing Editors
economic power to support
our own community, and we
hope you discover some hip
Copy Chief
Proofreaders
new options from the designers we profile in this issue.
Frances Stevens Publisher/Editor in Chief
H
istorically, lesbians have not been widely known for being great fashionistas. In fact, we've pretty
much been the linchpins of the flannel and fleece industries. But times are changing, and our com-
Art Director
Production Manager
Production Artist
Web Producer
Catalog Manager
Catalog Department
Advertising Sales
Frances Stevens
Diane Anderson-Minshall
Sara Jane Keskula
Catherine Plato
Rachel Pepper
Margaret Coble
Julia Bloch, Victoria A.
Brownworth, Sheryl Kay,
Gretchen Lee, Sarah Warn
Laura K. Cucullu
Michelle Ma, Katherine H.
Nelson
Stefanie Liang
Ondine Kilker
Kelly Nuti, Amy Silverman
Nikki Woelk
Holly DeMaagd
Flo Enriquez,
Monier Ziaian
Diana L Beny, Rivendell Media
munity is quickly carving a place in the world of high fashion.
Gone are the days when lipstick lesbians were our only hope for a flannel-free existence. Today our style
is diverse and edgy, with fashion being one of the hottest topics in queer pop culture: AquaGirl in Miami
boasts their own runway show, Honey Labrador has her jean project, The L Word highlights their fashion line, and even CURVE will be rolling out a line of specialty shirts with Rigged OUTfitters just in time
for Pride. In this issue we introduce you to dynamic new lesbian fashion designers who create everything
from handbags to butch attire. And no flannel anywhere.
According to our most recent readers' survey, we spend nearly $200 every month on fashion. Of course
it's great when we can use our economic power to support our own community, and we hope you discover some hip new options from the designers we profile in this issue. On a more mainstream note,
hats off to Macy's for being at the forefront of fashion and the only department store to actively support
CURVE. Chew on that the next time you head to the mall!
One of the lesbians creating her own successful clothing line is our cover girl, Jackie Warner. By now
you've probably tuned in to her Bravo reality show Work Out. The show features Warner - personal
trainer to the stars - and her successful Los Angeles gym. Warner's personal life is weaved into the
show, giving the audience an intimate view of her tumultuous relationship with her mother and the
breakup with her girlfriend of six years.
Warner speaks frankly with us about filming the second season of the show and having the cameras on
24/7. You think your dyke drama is bad? Imagine what it's like when the whole world is watching.
The country has an undying love affair with reality TV, and Warner isn't the only lesbian the cameras
are following these days. Our special section on lesbians and television features yet another lesbian
from America's Next Top Model, Rock Star: Supernova's in-your-face Storm Large, and supermodel
turned reality TV powerho_use Janice Dickinson. I don't know about you, but I'm waiting for the
lesbian versions of Elimidate, The Bachelorette or my favorite, Date My (Lesbian) Mother!
Marketing & PR Manager Bambi Weavil
Marketing Coordinator
Amanda Campa
Marketing Representatives Tammy Lam, Lindsey Taylor
Editorial Assistants Azania Baker, Asiana
Ponciano, Jaime Roca,
Lesley Seacrist
Contributing Writers Kathy Beige, Heather Boerner, Carol
Bryant, Jennifer Corday, Gina Daggett, Michele
Fisher, Tracy E. Gilchrist, Tania Hammidi, Emma
Hersh,Giselle Kovac, Sonia Kreitzer, Kate Lacey,
Char1ene Lichtenstein, Kar1yn Lotney, Candace
Moore, Aefa Mulholland, Aimsel L. Ponti, Stephanie
Schroeder, Ursula Steck, Allison Steinberg, Jocelyn
Voo, Melany Walters-Beck, Renee Westbrook
Contributing Illustrator Katherine Streeter
Contributing Photographers Helen Berkun, Desdamond
Burgin, Brie Childers, Laura Cristinzo, Chris
Cuffaro, Lydia Daniller, Cori Duncan, Kat Fitzgerald,
Will Haddad, Gabriela Hashun, Naomi Kaltman,
Jamie Kivisto, Linda Kligner, John Kopaloff,
Korin Krossber, Dan Lecea, Michael Loccisano,
Cheryl Mazak, Danny Moloshok, Mystic Images
Photography, Maggie Parker, Kevin Parry, Jesse
Robeck, Joan Seidel, Elisa Shea, John Shin,
Randall Siavin, Jordan Strauss, Richard Wicka, Kina
Williams, Todd Williamson, Bill Wilson, Austin Young
Volume 17 Issue 3 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: $49.95/year, $62.95 Canadian
(U.S. funds only) and $71.95 international (U.S. funds only). Returned checks
will be assessed a $25 surcharge. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco,
CA 94114 and at additional mailing offices (USPS 0010-355). Contents of Curve
Magazine may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part, without
written pennission 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 responsibility is assumed for
loss or damages. The contents do not necessarily represent the opinions of
the editor, unless specifically stated. All magazines sent discreetly. Subscription
Inquiries: Please write to Curve, 1550 Bryant Street, Suite 510, San Francisco,
CA 94103, e-mail shop@curvemag.com, or call 818-760-8983. Canadian
Agreement Number: 40793029. Postmaster: Send Canadian address changes
to shop@curvernag.com,
Curve, PO Box 122, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 688. Send
U.S. address changesto shop@curvemag.com,
Curve, PO Box 17138, N. Hollywood,
CA 91615-7138.Printedin the U.S.
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THE BEST-SELLING LESBIAN MAGAZINE
you asked for more
and we delivered!
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life I style I travel
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entertainment & more ...
Features
"WhenI
firststarted
modeling,
I was calling myself
butchy,
boyish,
dyke,punk,
whatever;I
was a
tomboy.I
movedin
witha drag
queen
becauseI
wantedto
learnhow
to be
feminine.
I just love
queenie
boys!"
April 2007
24 Escape to Isla Mujeres Mexico's "isle of
women" makes a sweet vacation. By Giselle Kovac
44 COVER: Working Out With Jackie Warner
If you can pull your eyes from her abs, you'll see
40 Femme Fashion Real live queer femmes strut
their stuff. By Heather Boerner and Kina Williams
42 DIV Diva Fashionista Kingi Carpenter carved her
own way, and you can too. By Catherine Plato
there's more to reality 1V's hottest personal trainer
than a rockin' bod. By Stephanie Schroeder
43 Designing Women Venture off the beaten path
with these hot new lines. By Catherine Plato and
56 Lesbian Tax Gurus We all hate tax season, but a
Diane Anderson-Minshall
little help from these finance-savvy dykes can help
ease the April 15 stress. By Allison Steinberg
Small-Screen Lesbians
49 South of Nowhere We can't get enough of this
Fashion Special
queer teen drama. By Candace Moore
28 Evelicious Model, singer, actor and lesbian Eve
Salvail gets us hot and bothered. By Jennifer Corday
50 Michelle Babin She's a tomboy model and out
lesbian, plus she has a twin sister. Hot. By Diane
31 Too Hot to Handle Lesbian designer Valeri makes
Model Eve Salvail
page 30
Volume 17#3
Anderson-Minshall
purses that aren't totally gay. By Catherine Plato
cc
UJ
51 Something Blue Move over L Word, New York
32 Such a Stud Schquay Brignac's saving us from
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dykes are taking over. By Asiana Ponciano
[
fashion hell, one butch at a time. By Tania Hammidi
52 Janice Dickinson The "world's first supermodel"
33 Dinah Shore Chic Psst! There are hot girls in
is still foxy as ever. By Catherine Plato
bikinis on this page. By Jennifer Corday
around bad ass. Here's why. By Renee Westbrook
4
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have, in a good way. By Stephanie Schroeder
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-55 Shows We Won't Miss Skip out on spring
38 Naughty Knitter Liz Collins makes yarn misbe-
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Photography by Lydia Daniller
Cover photo by
Brie Childers
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54 Stormy Skies We love this rock star, actor and all34 Jeans and Tees Queer meets classic.
en
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sunshine; the 1V's what's hot this season. By
Diane Anderson-Minshall
...J
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Departments
April 2007
I'm nota bigfan
of BritneySpears.
Afterall,she is
a Republican.
However,I am a
bigfan of women
doingwhatthey
wantwiththeir
bodies,so I
applaudher
panty-free
escapades.
page 68
2
Frankly Speaking Founder and publisher Frances Stevens tackles fashion.
8
Contributors Meet the ladies who
make it all happen.
18 Lesbofile Beauty queens behave badly,
and Donald Trump tries to spoil the fun.
19 Astro Grrl Avoid big-mouthed Cancers
touchy subjects, and Lisa Gray-Garcia
offers tips for taking down the man.
62 Music Watch Margaret Coble reviews
this month, and party with fun-loving
new releases from some old favorites,
Geminis instead. You'll thank us later.
and singer Mekole Wells beats the odds.
10 Letters Readers share their thoughts
on Sheryl Swoopes and Jenny Schecter.
20 Ask the Sexperts Fairy Butch is tak-
Plus, news from the front lines of the
ing a break, but Kate Lacey's got some
biphobia battle.
advice you won't want to miss.
64 Tech Girl Can a girl ever have enough
new gadgets? We say no.
65 I Tried It Is it a torture device? A time
21 Lipstick & Dipstick Are open rela-
machine? New Age hippie nonsense?
Force veterans, Sheryl Kay finds lesbian
tionships harmless fun, or a recipe for
Melany Walters-Beck has the answer.
activists in unlikely places.
disaster?
12 Out in Front From sorority girls to Air
66 Dyke Drama Michele Fisher's advice
13 Curvatures Meet BETTY, the
masterminds behind that much discussed L Word theme song, and get the
22 Scene See photos from our famous
L Word party, which has San Francisco
dykes still talking ..
68 Politics Find out what pop provocateur
Britney Spears has in common with
lowdown on Dinah Shore 2007 and other
hot springtime happenings.
on getting over your ex for good.
58 Sapphic Screen Ladies in drag grab
lesbian feminists - we swear.
our attention, and filmmaker Tamika
16 Open Studio Our new favorite
Miller dishes on her latest project.
Japanese word is yuri. Artist Althea
Keaton is the reason why.
60 l_nthe Stacks Rachel Pepper tackles
72 Top Ten Reasons We Love Kristen
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Contributors
"I talk fashion with my straight friends all the time, but somethings
always missing," says freelance writer HeatherBoerner,
who writes about
distinctive femme style on page 40 of this month's issue. "It's rare that I
get to talk shoes and skirts and the finer points of push-up bras with
women who understand what it means to be feminine but a little bent
-
to queer femininity and feminize queerness - and never lose their
senses of style or humor in the process. When I got the chance to do it
professionally, I jumped at it:' Among her personal fashion goals are to
click down the street in a pair of Christian Louboutin peep-toe heels,
apply her makeup at a vintage vanity and drape herself in as much silk
and cashmere as her budget allows. To support her fashion habit,
Boerner writes stories on health, pop culture and real estate for
publications including CURVE,the San Francisco Chronicle, Alternative
Medicine magazine and BabyCenter.com. For more information on her
work, check out heatherboerner.com.
"The energy of the crowd at the L Word party was high and the
celebrities were playful and generous for the lens;' says photographer
CherylMazak,who covered cuRvE's January L Word bash on page 22.
Mazak had the chance to live out a popular lesbian fantasy, getting up
close and personal with Kate Moenning and Leisha Hailey that night.
Mazak's work has been featured in several North American publications.
She has an eye for capturing unique moments and loves to play with colors and contrasts to give her photos their cool and unique edge. Her bold
and vibrant portrait photography can be found in the homes of many art
aficionados within Canada and the United States.
TakeAmerica's
favoriteLGBT
travel
'The brainchild of kid-friendly executive producer Tom Lynch (KIDS
Incorporated), South of Nowhere plays like an afrer-school special version
of The O.C. or Beverly Hills, 90210 transubstantiated into The L Word,
minus on-screen skinny lesbian sex and over-the-top conceit," says
Candace
Moore,who reviews the show on page 49."Still, the show
thankfully implies that - again, skinny - lesbian sex actually takes
place, if somewhere off-screen in our imaginations:' Former film editor
and monthly columnist for Girlfriends, Moore has also written numerous
articles on representations of queer women in the media for CURVE,
After Ellen.com and On Our Backs. A Ph.D. candidate in cinema and
media studies at UCLA, Moore has published essays, available or
forthcoming, in Reading The L Word: Outing Contemporary Television,
Televising Queer Women and Cinema Journal.
"I love exploring and photographing San Francisco! This place is
awesome!" says CURVEphoto assistant TayKriv.Born and raised in
Melbourne, Australia, she completed a degree in photojournalism and
documentary photography before deciding to pack her bags and head off
to the States on her own. A 17-hour flight later - Kriv's first time on a
plane - she ended up in Los Angeles and later traveled to New York and
San Francisco with a handful of cameras and pocketful of film.After a
brief return to Australia, Kriv soon returned to San Francisco to work at
CURVEand experience American lesbian culture. ''I've worked as a
freelancer photographer for queer publications back home, but the culture
here is so different;' she says."It's definitely an eye opener:' She has spent
the last few months traveling and capturing the American culture,
completing a portrait project on the queer community.
s Icurve
Letters
"I am a 35-year-old lesbian living in the'
Bible Belt, and sometimes it can get very
harsh here when people speak of gays
and lesbians. But I always survive and
stand my ground, and I feel those of you
at cuRvEdo as well. Keep up the wonderful,
talented work."
Bi the Way
L Word
actorKristanna
Loken(aboveleft)made
thenewsthisyearby
coming
outasa bisexual
womanwithplentyof
femaleandmalelovers.
Curvemag.com
asked
readers
if you'veever
dateda bisexual
woman.
Theresponse
shows
thatbiphobia
maybe
onthewanebutplenty
of lesbian
andbi girlsstill
don'tseeeyeto eye:
Battling Biphobia
I have to be honest - seeing that poll on your Web site (see
sidebar, left) :wasdisappointing. I'm a bisexual woman, and have
been active and political for and with the queer community for
a long time. I think a quiz on the &ont page of your magazine
site fuels stereotypes about bisexual women. We are different, just as gay women are not all the same. Each individual
has different values, morals and lifestyle choices, and each of
these may vary depending on what place one is in life. I would
be equally offended if the question was: Have you ever dated
31% Arewestillasking
an Asian woman (which I am), and the choices included: 3)
thesekindsof questions?
Hell no! Too nerdy, and who needs them playing that piano
all day?
18%Yes,butI'm not
- Ellen Huang, President and Executive Director of Queer
makingthatmistake
Lounge, Inc.
again!
14%No,butI'm not
opposed
to it
13%Yes,andit wasn't
differentthandating
otherwomen
13%Hellno!I don't
wantto beleftfor a dude
Editor's Note: I completely understand what you're saying and
appreciate the frankness. It can be tiresome to ask these questions,
Editor's Note: I fess up, Penny. But, honestly, I meant it in a
but we were hoping to underscore the ridiculousness of biphobia by
postitive fashion, sort of a po-mo reclamation of the word (kind of
starting a dialogue. We do hear from readers across the country
like "bitch" and "dyke"). Sorry that didn't come across.
constantly about bisexuality among women, and when we cover
issues of interest to bi women ( which I hope you noticed we've been
Back Off, Polygamists
doing much more of lately) we get fierce reader letters from both
In the recent article about the potential similarities of femi-
sides of the proverbial fence. We hate that that poll made you feel
nist and queer communities with polygamist communities
("Strange Bedfellows;• Vol. 17, #1), I think there was one sig-
unwelcome or relegated. We wouldn't want any of our readers to
12%Yes,andit was
great!
experience that.
Print Killed the TV Star
I was so glad to see that even in the fictional world of television
you have enough taste and God-given good sense to denounce
Jenny's book on the Jan.14 episode of The L Word. I can't think
of any other character on TV who is as insufferable and masturbatory, in the sense that she's the writer's idealized version of
hersel£ I've been hoping that they'd kill off Jenny since season
one, but they only get rid of interesting characters whom viewers can relate to or fantasize about. Here's hoping for a random
act of violence in season four to kill her off.
- Monica, Chicago
Backstabbing Feminists?
Out of curiousity, I wonder who wrote the subhead of the article
10
Icurve
on me: "Brilliant feminist, erotic pioneer and possible megalomaniac" (Vol.17, #1). I find it distressing that even in a feminist
lesbian magazine, if a woman sets the record straight about her
work and her role in the world and even mentions the names of
seven other artists in a one-page feature on herself, someone is
still going to title the article "Possible Megalomaniac:• I thought
we were all trying to change the world for women. Like I say in
my all-girl revenge show Bad Reputation, "The failure of feminisim is how women unconsciously compete with other women
and how women betray other women:'
Still CURVE, thank you for the exposure in America among
the lesbian community. In Europe, Britain and Australia I get
regular mainstream exposure for my writing and my performance work but this is a first for me here in the USA.
Cheers and happiness,
- Penny Arcade, via e-mail
nificant fact that was not sufficiently highlighted. The issue was
best represented for me by the article's graphic, which was a
male symbol connected with several female symbols.
One of the major problems with polygamy is that it is
almost exclusively one male with multiple females. There are
few (if any) situations where polygamists are arguing for the
rights of females to have multiple husbands. Of course this is
in conservative communities, and if polygamous marriage were
legalized there would no doubt be a few liberals who would
do this. But one of the key problems with polygamy is that
it is an issue of males having control over multiple wives, in
style as well as structure (given the sheer numbers). The
article touched on the issues of control within the relationships, but neglected to discuss this one-sided gender structure,
and the article's graphic only further contributed to a misperception that polygamy is generally about multiple partners for
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Letters
both sexes. People know about the traditional
polygamist families with many wives, but the
gender disparity needs to be highlighted so that
feminists can clearly see another of the major differences between their fight and ours.
- KatherineDamato, Washington,D.C.
instead of as a sexual perversion; isn't that what we
are striving for? So instead of being so critical of
one another we should be supportive. Remember,
the more negativity we display to each other is just
more fuel for the heteros.
- Sonja Scrimger,OklahomaCity, Okla.
Fifty Times More ... With Feeling
We Love You Too, Kathy!
I couldn't agree more with Margaret Coble's review
of Nervous but Excited's new release, Once More
Hi, my name is Kathy, and I live here in the beautiful state of North Carolina. I just wanted to send
you an e-mail of thanks for everything you do, and
the magazine is great! I am a 35-year-old lesbian
living in the Bible Belt, and sometimes it can get
very harsh here when people speak of gays and lesbians. But I always survive and stand my ground,
and I feel those of you at CURVEdo as well. Keep
up the wonderful talented work!
... With Feeling(Vol.17, #1). I was lucky enough to
attend a small but packed concert last November
in Albany, N.Y. Since then, the CD has perpetually been on repeat in my car. I drive a lot, at least
40 miles a day. So by my estimation I have listened
to the CD at least 50 times, and I am not sick of it
yet. If you have the chance to see them in person
jump on it, as their charisma and personality is
parallel to their muscial prowess.
- CarrieSmith, Albany, N.Y.
Oops, We Goofed
CuRVE is to be commended for recognizing the
efforts for equality being made by lesbians on
behalf of the LGBT population in the South! I
am very-honored to be included in the list of"Ten
Powerful Lesbians in the South" in the January/
February 2007 issue (Vol. 17, #1). As for my
work on behalf of LGBT youth, I would like it
noted that the university affiliation mentioned for
me in the article is incorrect. I served on the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham
(UAB), not the University of Alabama (located in
Tuscaloosa). The two institutions are quite separate and unique, a very important distinction to
be made in the state of Alabama and nationwide!
Pertinent to the article, UAB, with an enrollment
of over 17,000 students in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, was the first, and
to date only public university in Alabama to support administratively and financially a Safe Zone
program and is the first, and to date only, one to
include sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination policy.
- Kathy, via e-mail
Attention Advertisers
I love your magazine. The articles are great, the supportive, friendly and "aha!" feeling while reading it
can't be beat. The only thing that is disappointing
to me is that like every other women's magazine,
the models in the ads are thin and gorgeous. Now
maybe it's just the fact that I never met a lesbian I
didn't find beautiful, but we come in all shapes and
sizes. All looks. I'd feel a little more a part of and
welcomed by the magazine if more of the ads and
features showed big beautiful lesbians like myself.
Lesbians as a group are excluded so often from
mainstream society, to find myself excluded from
the magazine by virtue of my full figure is doubly
painful. Please accept ads and pictures and articles
that represent us in all our glory and full variety of
our natural beauty.
- SharonHeath, via e-mail
Got Something on Your Mind?
E-mail letters@curvemag.com; write to CURVE
Letters, 1550 Bryant St., Ste. 510, San Francisco,
CA 94103; fax to 415-863-1609. Please include
your name, city and state. Letters may be edited
for clarity and length.
- GlendaElliott,Ph.D., Birmingham,Ala.
Cash, Who Cares?
In response to Deb Ferrell from Chicago ("Letters;'
Vol.17, #1) I would just like to say who cares why
Sheryl Swoopes came out of the closet? Swoopes
being in the public eye is a positive for our community regardless of her motivation for doing so.
)
The more people in the public eye who come out
of the closet, the better it is for us. It's as simple
as that. People are starting to look at us as people
Corrections
In the article "Queer Femme Follies" (Vol. 17,
#1), the photo of Dottie Lux in clown drag was
taken by Paul Saviano. The photo with the blue
fans was also of Dottie Lux, and was taken by
Ted D'ottavio. In the article "Ten Powerful
Lesbians in the South;' we misspelled Wendy
Wasserstein's name. CuRVE sincerely regrets the
errors. (That won't stop us from making them,
though.) ■
April 2007
I 11
Laying Down the Law
FamilyTies
Sapphic Sisters
It's easy to list recent key civil rights gains for
As with so many in the military, ValerieLarabee
the LGBT community, but a lot harder to
name the faces behind the dramas.
learned how to be out to herself while still in the
She may have entered school a few years later
than your traditional freshman, but when
closet. Her 10-year career in the Air Force was
Natasha
Burnett
came to University of Memphis
For almost 20 years, Mary Bonauto,
staff
attorney with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and
both a blessing and a curse, she says.
"I experienced wonderful growth, profes-
in 2004 at age 26, she wanted to join a sorority
all the same. Still, those long-established chick
Defenders, has been involved to varying degrees
with almost every major non-AIDS-related
sionally, and dreadful loneliness, personally;' she
says. "Because I was gay, I worked exceptionally
cliques posed some issues for Burnett.
"Whether or not I would be free to be
civil lawsuit brought on by LGBT community
members. Employment discrimination, school
hard to make sure no one had a reason to say
mysel£ meaning could I be open and honest
anything negative about me, and I sacrificed
friendships and close ties because of the fear of
being outed:'
about my sexuality and the fact that I have a
wife and a son, and this is my life;' Burnett
censorship, protection and recognition of gay
and lesbian families, anti-gay ballot measures
and the freedom to marry - Bonauto's had
her hand in all.
While the community has seen some backward movement with many states ratifying
constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, Bonauto says there have been important
recent advances as well.
"Living through any legaljustice struggle this one or any that have preceded it - leaves
you whipsawed;' says Bonauto, 45. 'i\s we live
through it, it's hard to remember that progress
doesn't mean progress on all fronts at all times.
But even our losses can have silver linings if we
are smart about how we use them:'
In the next year, Bonauto will spend time
working on several cases involving LGBT
parenting issues and different aspects of federal discrimination against gay people, in addition to continuing work on the challenge
to Connecticut's ban on same-sex marriage,
Kerrigan& Mock v. ConnecticutDepartment of
PublicHealth.
Her outlook is most optimistic.
"Were moving forward;' she says. 'i\s we
proceed, it won't always feel that way, and there
are harmful losses as well. But equality is within reach in a generation:' - SherylKay
It's not all that different than where she finds
recalls wondering. "Could I talk to them, my
sisters, about that? I don't think so:'
herself today as executive director of the Utah
Pride Center located in conservative Salt Lake
So Burnett hooked up with Beta Phi Omega,
a Baltimore-based national sorority catering
City, home to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, aka Mormons.
mainly to African-American lesbians (although
open and affirming to all women), and she is
Mormons, who dominate the political landscape in most of Utah, all too often work to
silence and shame the lives and contributions of
attempting to register the sorority at UM.
"It allows me to meet other women who
LGBTQ neighbors and taxpayers, says Larabee.
The center does all that it can to counter that.
Bustling with an enormous array of programs,
including social, health, education, advocacy and
sexual or gay and lesbian arena;' says Burnett.
So far, the university's administration has been
youth initiatives, the center also hosts the Utah
Pride. Festival, which attracts about 20,000
open to registering BPO as long as the group
meets identical requirements set for all campus
student groups. One of those requirements is
participants, no small feat in a city that has a
Mormon ward on almost every street corner.
Several months ago, Larabee considered join-
10 members, a goal Burnett hopes the UM
chapter will reach within a year.
Others are opposed to BPO. 'They feel that
ing the American Legion, the nation's largest service organization for veterans, but the group was
about to reaffirm its policy on families, which
includes the following:'The natural family is the
were promoting homosexuality, which, of course,
living in the Bible Belt, is an abomination;'
fundamental unit, inscribed in human nature and
centered on the voluntary union of a man and a
woman in a lifelong covenant of marriage:'
studying criminal justice and works part time,
continues looking for new members and keeps
very involved with the local community. Most recently, she and her BPO sisters have volunteered
for the American Cancer Society's Making
Having reached the rank of captain after a
decade of service,Larabee declined membership,
saying, "To think that my family wouldn't be
embraced by the American Legion saddens me:'
-Sheryl Kay
121curve
share my love of volunteer work and serving
the community, whether it is in the hetero-
Burnett says.
Meantime, Burnett, who carries a full load
Strides Breast Cancer Walk, the Miss Gay
America Pageant and the Memphis Gaymes.
-Sheryl Kay
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Cracked For a Cause
ninth annual awards benefit, Cracked Xmas.
Openly bisexual Bernhard, in attendance to
present an award to Barr, took a minute to
chat with us.
How did you get involved with Trevor?
I haven't done anything actively with the
Trevor Project before tonight, but I'm sure
I'll start now. I've always been very centered and focused in my life,and I think it's
important to be an example to kids who are
sort of off the beaten path, to offer them
inspiration and a little bit of insight and
wisdom along the way. The same way that
people did when I started off in my career.
In December, a bevy of stars - openly gay, straight, bisexual
and, well, unlabeled - smiled and sparkled in the holiday
smog outside Los Angeles' the Wiltern
to
display their sup-
port of the Trevor Project (named for the Oscar-winning
short film Trevor, about a gay teen who attempts suicide). The
project funds a nationwide suicide prevention effort to assist
queer teens in crisis. They run the volunteer-operated, 24-hour
helpline 866-4-U-TREVOR, send 'Suicide Survival' kits to
You've had a long working relationship with Roseanne
Barr and played a character on her groundbreaking
sitcom. What was it like to be a part of a show that
depicted gay and lesbian characters positively so
early on?
We had a lot of fun, and we never took anything too seriously.
teacher._sand guidance counselors and offer training programs
That's why it worked. Everything is serious, everything is funny. The lines are kind of blurry. You can't get too heavy about
in the public high schools.
We caught up with a few of those stars (Sandra Bernhard,
Carmen Electra, Roseanne Barr) and the organization's found-
anything.
For more red carpet outtakes, the skinny on how the Trevor
Project came about or info on making a donation, visit curvemag
ers (Peggy Rajski, Randy Stone and James Lecesne) at their
.com. -
Candace Moore
Hello? Equality Calling
OK, movers and shakers, it's time for LGBT civil rights advo-
how she thinks that the nation's economic stratifications, health
cates to convene at the 2007 Equality Forum Symposium, in
Philadelphia, April 30 to May 6. Highlights include a dinner
with tennis great Martina Navratilova and a panel conversa-
care priorities and political agendas hinder many from probing
civil liberties. "I would like to see a dialogue at the Equality
Forum in which corporate leaders and more progressive mem-
tion with transgender pioneer Dr. Renee Adams.
"As a community, we have an onus of responsibility to ac-
bers of the lesbian community can talk publicly about how we
can work together to address shoddy schools for our kids, the
reality of most women - a lot of them lesbians, who have not
tively campaign for change;' said Michele Bogrette, vice president of the non-profit Equality Forum. "We must confront the
comfort we hold within our closed communities to put a face
on ourselves and our organizations around
the world. Until we do, we remain anortymous, and easy to condemn:'
Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of
International Gay and Lesbian Human
Rights Commission, agrees: "I think that in
had the benefit of a male salary winner -
growing poorer as
we get older, and fighting Congress' attack on real sex education
that could otherwise, in the ideal world, teach
kids the real facts of sexuality, sexual violence,
responsibility and respect;' she added.
Equality Forum, in collaboration with
over 100 organizations and panelists from
across the globe, will address a bevy of topics,
and most core programs are free to the pub-
the somewhat commercialized gay forums,
we never really talk any more about our
commitment and connection as lesbians to
other aspects of social justice:' Ettelbrick, a
lic. The symposium ends with SundayOUT!
Street Festival, which is expected to draw over
30,000. Visit equalityforum.com for more
panelist at the symposium, cited examples of
info. - Jaime Roca
Literary Lesbians
Lit-mindedlesbians
will beheadingin
drovesto NewOrleans'
FifthAnnualSaints
andSinnersLiterary
Festival,
May11to 13,
to celebrateLGBTprose
andpoetry.Heldin the
famedFrenchQuarter,
Sinnersboastsnotable
queerspeakersincluding
JewelleGomez(above),
Dorothy
AllisonandKay
Murphy,aswellasspecialeventsincludingthe
first annualplaywriting
competition
(thewinning
playwill beperformed
at
the MarignyTheater).
"[Thefestival]provides
mewith hopefor a
bettertomorrow,"says
SaintsandSinners
boardmemberand
eroticanovelistAmieM.
Evans,"andjoy at the
incrediblecreativityand
diversityof myqueer
brothersandsisters."
Attendees
thisyearcan
dinewithfeatured
authors,applyfor the
2008Outstanding
Mid-Career
Novelists'
PrizeandseeWonder
Woman:
TheMusical.
Workshops
are$25
each;a weekendpassis
$100.Whetherits samplingBigEasycuisine,
schmoozing
withfamous
queerliteratior honing
yourownliterarytalents,
SaintsandSinners
(sasfest.org)
promisesto
deliver.-Azania Baker
April 2007
I 13
Curvatures
Creating Change
A resounding round of applause is in order for six LGBT rights activists honored at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's 19th Annual
Creating Change Conference held in Kansas City last fall. Now in its 27th
year, The Task Force's mission to build the political power of the gay,bisexual and transgender community from the ground up starts with Creating
Change, their national grassroots organizing and skills-building conference.
Among the honorees were Eli Clare, a genderqueer poet from Burlington,
Vt., for work with the first Queerness and Disability Conference, and
Jovan Sage (left), who was recognized for her work as a student leader and
volunteer. Upon receiving her award, Sage said, "I want to make sure that
every moment of my time is spent giving back to my community:' Visit
creatingchange.org for more info. - Aimsel L. Ponti
My L Word Diary
Whatdoyougetwhen
youcross140lesbians
from37 stateswith
comedian
Suzanne
Westenhoefer
(above),
singerSteffMahan,
prizes,dancing,go karts
andtheAmishfor 72
hours?Fun,of course.
Mypartner,Darlene,
andI have,for two
yearsnow,organized
andhostedtheannual
L Word:Living,Loving,
Since 2006's infamous lesbian promoter split, the rumored 25,000 lesbian visitors to Dinah Shore in Palm Springs have had to
Laughing
Galaweekend.
pick a camp and stick with it. Even we can't stay on top of who's on what side, so for more comprehensive info, see girlbar.com and
Theideabeganshortly
afterwe createdour clubskirts.com. But in the meantime, here's a quick look at who you'll run into come March 28.
ownprivatemessage
ClubSkirtsDinahShore
GirlBarDinahShoreWeek
THEP ~ERS
boardcommunity
Weekend
orTheDinah2007
inspiredby TheL Word
asa sortof 24/7safe
havenfor lesbiansto be
MariahHansen
RobinGansandSandySachs(below,leftandright)
THE GIRLS
out.Weknewwe wanted
BEHINDTHE SCENES
more,evenif just one
magicalweekenda
yearin person.Hence,
ourgalaswereborn.In
Wyndham,
Hilton,Palm
Wyndham,
The
HOT HOST HOTELS
HyattRegency,
Mountain
Resortand
2005,thefirst eventwas
Spa,Marquis
Villas
HotelZoso
in Philadelphia
andfeaturedlesbianphotographerJudyFrancesconi.
Katherine
Moennig,
LeishaHailey,
LucyLawless
THE CELEBRITIES
LastOctober's
galawas
TheaGill,Michelle
Wolff,HoneyLabrador
(above)
(above,
center),
Carmen
Electra,
in Lancaster,
Penn.,with
CeCePeniston,
MicheleBalan
Westenhoefer
at
theforefront.
"In all theyearsI've
L WordandSplashpoolpartiesat
TGIFandSplashpartiesat the
WHATTO EXPECT
livedhereandvisitedthe
theWyndham
Hotel(perhaps
chance
Wyndham
Hotel.Comedy
byBalan
area,this is thefirst time
meetings
withGirlBarrevelers?)
andat
at HotelZoso;Lawless
at thePure
theDoralResort.
Comedy
at oasiswith
WhiteParty.At PalmSprings
I'veeverperformed
here
SandraBernhard;
WhiteDiamonds
and
Convention
Center:
the RA:a Party
for a groupof lesbians,
of EpicProportions
anddancingat
Milanparties.
absolutely
incredible,"
Hunter's
VideoandDanceClub.
Westenhoefer
says.
Nextup?Provincetown,
American
Airlines,
CURVE,
Damron,
Coors
SPONSORS
Mass.,thisfall.
MillerLite,Bacardi,
Light,Finlandia,
Showtime
- CarolBryant
Logo
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•
••
•
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••
•
·• ·Murder Most Foul
In one of the most heinous, underreported crimes of our times,
24-year-old Priscilla Pimentel (nicknamed Peaches) was found
stabbed to death in the bathtub of her Queens, N.Y., apartment
the Friday after Thanksgiving. Pimentel's Jack Russell terrier, also
murdered, lay motionless by her side.
Pimentel grew up in Bethlehem, Penn., and moved to New
York City after coming out four years ago. Reports say that she left
her suburban home in order to feel comfortable enough to explore
her sexuality without disapproval from her mother and smalltown gossip. "I truly believe in my heart that she moved away just
so she wouldn't hurt her mother's feelings;' her stepfather, Raoul
Laracuente, told the New York Times."This is a small town, everybody knows your business. She said she'd go to New York so that
her mother wouldn't be hurt:'
Pimentel's family got worried when phone calls weren't
returned, but it was when she didn't show up for Thanksgiving
dinner that they knew something was wrong. Her brother and sister drove out to find that she had been stabbed repeatedly in the
chest and arms and was left dead, posed dramatically in the bathtub of her Richmond Hill apartment. The same mint-green paint
that covered the walls in Pimentel's apartment was found splattered all over her body, and a large pride flag was found strewn
across the floor.
Pimentel reportedly had a long-term girlfriend in New York
who visited Pimentel's family with her twice in Pennsylvania over
the last couple of years, but the couple was said to have broken up
before the summer.
Police have not yet determined whether this was a hate crime,
and there was no sign of forced entry, but according to the Times,
they have not ruled it out. Nothing has been published on the
murder since the initial news reports last November.
"It's terrible. To think that that could have happened to her;'
said Erica Collao, the sister of one of Pimentel's neighbors, to
the Queens Chronicle.Collao said Pimentel was a fun, outgoing
woman who was friendly with the neighbors, particularly the
younger ones. Whether a lover's quarrel gone horribly wrong, a
premeditated hate crime, or a random act of violence, her death
was certainly a tragedy and a shock. - Allison Steinberg
Patti LaBelle
Cybill Shepherd
"Some girls ... looked like boys. Some. had mustaches
and beards. I'd be walking and be like, how'd that
boy get in here? And it was a girl. They'd want to
have lunch with me, like a lunch date."
>> Martha Stewart on getting asked out
by women in prison, to Us Weekly
"The thing that annoys me ... is the whole idea of me
being the 'female version' of somebody. You
never hear [about] 'the male Madonna."'
>> Lily Allen to Nylon
"Our first kiss was fun, like we'd been dating a while."
>> Alanis Morissette on kissing Nip/Tuck costar Roma Maffia, to Entertainment Weekly
"A scene in the script said that my new love interest
plants a big old kiss on Phyllis' lips. When the
time came, I kissed her instead! I didn't wait for it
the way the script was written, I just felt, wooo! ...
Pedal to the metal. It was fun. It's sexy.">> Cybill
Shepherd on her role as The L Word's Phyllis,
to Time Out New York
"I don't think God discriminates.· ... There are so many
phonies who use the church as a shield to hide
their anger and their deception and their phoniness .... Those people are the kind I try not to be
around.">> Patti LaBelle to Windy City Times
April 2007
I 15
THE
SCALES
81'0 "t ANO 1'11.T:ALTHBAKBATON
.-
II
'
Didja?"
J
Althea Keaton
I
COMIC BOOK WONDER
I
Just 22 years old, emerging artist Althea Keaton boldly creates com,
ics with lesbian overtones. Her work is based on manga, the Japanese
comic book tradition that began around World War II and is char,
acterized by black and white images, often later adapted into anime.
Keaton, born and raised in rural Putnam County, N.Y., now attends SUNY Purchase, a
state liberal arts institution. She is well aware that her work is political; some of it includes
coming,out stories and tales of di;crimination against LGBT people, but she acknowl,
I wastheir mascot.
I
edges that with a mostly straight target readership, 'Just by choosing to make it about
lesbians, but not lesbian issues specifically, that says something about how being a lesbian
is like being a person:'
Keaton's love for comic books extends back to her childhood, which was filled with
Ren & Stimpy and Archie comics. Her interest in Japanese art, though, didn't enter into her
artistic style and vision until she was 15.
"My work started to look more manga, though I had always worked with realistic images, often copying from photos:' Keaton incorporates some
traditional Japanese art influences, such as use of negative space, and her work projects a minimalist approach.
"Her work uses an incredible level of detail and expression, especially in the way the characters are handled;' says Erica Friedman of publishing
house AniLesbocon. Keaton's work is published under Yuricon, a subdivision of ALC Publishing, the first publishing house in the world devoted solely
to yuri, lesbian manga. The company focuses on translating Japanese texts to make them available to English,speaking audiences and on distributing
American artists' work.
Friedman, founder of ALC, started the company in 2003 in order to "address those other stories that we weren't seeing:' Lesbian characters, aside
from villains and victims, are largely underrepresented in the comic book world. ALC's mission, beyond the distribution of texts in English, is "to ere,
ate a cause here in the West that would have an effect on the fans of yuri in Japan:'
Keaton's work can be found in major bookstore chains internationally and on Amazon.com. Her latest work was published in the anthology Yuri
Monogatari: Volume IV. - Allison Steinberg
16
Icurve
Curvatures
Batty for BETTY
CuRVE caught up with BETTY at
the Sing Out for Aids concert held in St.
Petersburg, Fla., on World AIDS Day last
December. By performing at events like this
one, BETTY has helped raise more than
$60 million for various charities over the
years, according to Elizabeth Ziff, the band's
Talking,laughing,loving,breathing,
.fighting,
fucking,crying,drinking.
These lyrics from The L Word's much-discussed theme
song put rocker babes BETTY on the mainstream map. Still
going strong after 20 years together, the femme-fronted quintet
has a new album in the works.
"Were sisters and partners and best friends;' says eccentric,
hilarious and sweetly sincere Amy Ziff, the band's electric cello
player. "We're our own cult. We can't escape each other:'
fire-engine redhead rhythm guitarist.
"We started playing together in the '80s
when AIDS was becoming rampant, and we
had a lot of friends die;' says Elizabeth Ziff.
"But were committed to helping with a lot
of causes - breast cancer, pro-choice, equal
rights:'
BETTY keeps on rocking this year,
writing backup music for presentations
by Gloria Steinem (one of their greatest
heroes), authoring new TV theme songs
and touring internationally as they promote
their latest CD, tentatively tided Soundtrax
and scheduled for release this spring.
Fans might be a bit concerned that after two decades the
girls could start to slow down, especially given th~ high-energy
performances that captivate their audiences.
"We're going to keep playing as long as people still want to
hear us play;' says bass player Alyson Palmer, who was looking lovely at several months pregnant at the St. Pete show.
"We'll keep playing as long as we still want to hear each other:'
-
Sheryl Kay
Skip the ShockJocks
'J\.11girls, all the time' is the mantra
of Rubyfruit Radio, a weekly podcast
radio show, that Atlanta's Heather
Smith has been airing since 2005.
Rubyfruit's music policy is all
encompassing - well, all encompassing as long as women perform lead vocal duties. Tracks played on
air range from the Gossip to Bitch to Dar Williams. Of artists
who are officially out and proud, Smith estimates that about 25
percent of show content is created by lesbian musicians.
Smith had a short-lived college radio show called Rubyfruit
Radio and yearned to get back into broadcasting. She felt the
format of her college-era show filled a gap in the podcasting
realm. She also wanted to "help out indie female musicians who
oftentimes get overlooked;' and have some fun while doing it.
For those not hardwired to every fickle fluctuation of today's
technology, Smith explains, 'J\. podcast is essentially Internet
radio that you can download. You do not need an iPod to listen
to a podcast. This is a common misconception. A podcast is
a file that can be downloaded· and listened to on a computer,
MP3 player or even a cell phone:'
Smith extols the simplicity with which podcasts can be
created. "There are many applications you can use to record
a podcast. Some of these are free. When I started out, I was
using the built in mic on my iMac and an Apple application
called Garageband to record. I have since bought some professional equipment, but as long as you have a voice you can podcast. Many people are even podcasting using their cell phones:'
Smith adds, "Not so many women ... are doing podcasts.
It has been estimated that only 15 percent of podcasters are
female and a large majority of these are women who are podcasting with their husbands or boyfriends .... As far as lesbian
podcasters go, I know of about 20 besides Rubyfruit Radio
that broadcast regularly. Many of these were started because
the podcasters were inspired by Elka and KC of the Planet
Podcast for L Word Fans:'
To read our full interview with Smith, or find out more
about Rubyfruit Radio, Planet Podcast and how to get into
the game, go to curvemag.com or rubyfruitradio.com. - Aef a
Tats for Your Tits
What'sthe newest
underground
trend
to hit thefairersex?
Lovingyourbodywith
tattoos.It maysound
counter-intuitive,
butthesedecalsare
pain-free.IntimateArt
Tattoos- whichcome
in numerous
designs
fromtribalart to intricate
spirals- accentuate
thefemaleformwithan
arrayof temporary
tattoosdesigned
especially
for yourboobies.
IntimateArtfounder
Christine
Vannelli
says
thecompanyhopesto
spreadthe message,
"Loveyourbreasts.
They'repartof your
beautifulbody."While
IntimateArtis already
popularamongwomen
who'veundergone
mastectomies
anduse
thetatsto lightenthe
moodwithnewlovers,
Vannelli
sayslotsof
chicksshould(temporarily)adornthemselves
asa reminderof how
exquisitetheirbodyis.
(Some,likethewoman
picturedhere,usethem
onthe belly,too.)At $7
perpair,weseea new
DykeMarchtrendon
thehorizon.
Available
at
intimatearttattoo.com.
-Azania Baker
Mulholland
April 2007
I 17
Curvatures Lesbofile
Girls Gone Wild
Margaret Cho's got the hottest employee discount in town. I ByJocelynVoo
Beauty queens, politicians' daughters, rock stars and
racy comedians - one thing's for sure: It's been a
busy month!
Cho Me Those Good Vibes
MargaretCho,probably best known for her lewd
and unforgiving stand,up shticks, has just added "sex
toy advocate"to her resume: The bisexual comedian
accepted a seat on the board of directors for San
Francisco woman,centered sex toy company Good
Vibrations. Says Cho, "I am joining Good Vibrations
just in time - my Hitachi vibrator has just fallen
into two pieces after 15 years:'
You and Me and Baby Makes Three
Talk about tension over the family dinner table:
MaryCheney,
lesbian daughter of rifle,happy Vice
President Dick Cheney, is expecting a baby late this
spring with HeatherPoe,her partner of 15 years.
This, of course, sparked much concern amongst
conservatives, despite a statement from the VP's
spokesperson stating, "The vice president and Mrs.
Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation
to the arrival of their sixth grandchild:' This should
make for a very interesting Thanksgiving gathering.
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A Mutual Exchange
•CannenElectra
lived out many a rock groupie's fan,
tasy as JoanJett'slesbian lover in Jett's music video
for 'J\.C.D.C:' However, it was after the cameras
stopped rolling that things got really heated. The
former Baywatch actor, who filed for divorce from
Jane's Addiction guitarist DaveNavarroin August
citing "irreconcilable differences;' was seen getting
hot and heavy with Jett after one of her recent Los
Angeles concerts. "They weren't even trying to hide
it;' a source tells Star magazine. "They were fully
kissing and going at it. There were very physical,
there was lots of hugging, kissing and touching:'
Moreover, Electra's rep didn't even attempt to deny
the hookup: "[Electra) was at the concert. She is a
really big fan of [Jett J's,and I guess this was her way
of thanking her for the front row seats!"Much better
than just getting a bouquet of roses, in my opinion.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Rumors have been swirling that Terminator 3
star KristannaLokenwas hooking up with Lost
actor MichelleRodriguez
afrer the duo was pho,
tographed traipsing around L.A. With their arms
around each other. However, denial seems to be
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getting old! even for Loken. When The Advocate
asked Loken whether she was hooking up with her
BloodRayne co,star, Loken laughed and replied,
"There is the $64,000 question. Um ... I don't even
know how to answer that:' When asked if the pair
had fun partying together, Loken said, "Uh,huh;'
smiling slyly.I don't know about you, but the last
time I was so coy about anything, I was in high
school, and that was not a bruise on my neck from
"accidentally running into something:'
Our Kind of Miss USA
Pageant queens, the only known creatures on
earth who wear more sequins than Las Vegas
Elvis impersonators, are generally known for
their flawless figures and do,gooder personas. But
while some pageant girls are advocates for world
peace or universal health care, our own Miss
USA, TaraConner,
seems to be living a double life.
Conner was on the verge of losing her crown in
December after allegations of excessive partying,
including drug use (which turned out to be true
after a hair follicle sample tested positive for co,
caine), late,night clubbing and entertaining a
stream of men that would put Paris Hiltonto
shame. But perhaps the most eyebrow,raising
news is the fact that Conner and 18,year,old Miss
Teen USA KatieBlairhave been spotted kissing
each other while out partying in bars. Donald
Trump, the owner of the Miss USA franchise, has
since allowed Conner to keep her crown, contin,
gent on Conner's entrance into rehab.
Miss Nevada 2007, on the other hand, was
booted for her Sapphic indiscretions. KatieRees
has been stripped of her crown and tide after Girls
Gone Wild,like photos surfaced in December of
her flashing her breasts and kissing another worn,
an. Though Rees' attorney contends that these
photos were taken five years ago when she was 17
and were "a lapse in judgment;' Trump still gave
the beauty queen the boot. Does what happens in
Vegas really stay in Vegas? Apparently not. ■
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Astro Grrl Advice
April Showers Bring May Love
Virgo (August 24-Sept. 23)
Sex: Hanging around the Xerox machine can
multiply your chances of an office romance this
April. Consider changing your toner every so often, though. Career:They love, love, love you at
work. Do they have you confused with someone
else?
Libra (Sept. 24-0ct. 23)
Sex: Libras have a tigress in their tanks. Grrr.
Roam a few new jungles in search of new 'gayme:•
Career:You have excess amounts of energy and
drive on the job this April. Why waste perfectly
good energy on routine work?
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
Sex:April is the time to cement relationships and
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Sex:Charming Lambda Rams think they are in full control.
But the tables turn, and you end up lassoed, hogtied and
branded. Will you ultimately wind up on the BBQ menu? Let's
hope so. Career:Work is quiet and very mundane this April.
Enjoy it while you can. Things will soon change.
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
Sex:You're finally treated like the royalty you are. April brings
fortune, desire and all the better things in life. Tell April to
bring a friend with her! Career:
Bulls are operating on all four
cylinders, professionally. Who will you run over to get to the
top? Avoid U-turns and skids.
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Sex:April is the time to meet and greet the elite. Not only are
you fascinatiog and charismatic, you also put out. Ah, typical.
Career:Expect some kabooms around the office. Unexpected
changes can bring you fame and fortune. Then again, maybe
not. You will reap what you sow.
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
Sex:Crabs are apt to talk too much and spill a few love secrets
in the process. Loose lips sink ships - among other things.
Use your mouth for better purposes than just fanning the air.
Career:Keep your ears open. You are privy to some high-level information that can be used to your advantage. Take full
advantage.
spoil partners. Seek, and ye shall find her. Career:
Have you been working hard and learning your
corporate lessons? If so, you take a step up now. If not, you will
try, try again. But isn't that too trying?
Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 22)
Sex: This is a lucky time that can lead to dramatic change.
Will you bite off more than you can chew? Remember, more
than a mouthful is just a waste. Career:Day-to-day chores go
smoothly. Archers get most of their boring stuff off their plates
at work. Are you working or are you delegating, lazy girl?
Capricorn (Dec. 23-Jan. 20)
Sex:April is full of fun, parties and light flirtations. Caps are
captivated by a bevy of lovely admirers. How to choose? Why
choose at all? Career:
You are more interested in doing as little
as possible and letting your cheap charm carry you through the
workday. This is bad?
Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19)
Sex:You make a strong first impression with several new lovelies. Hopefully this will not cause any rifts in current relationship - unless that is the plan. Career:
Your finances will have
their ups and downs through the month. Don't quit in disgust
just yet. Wait until May.
Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20)
Sex:Guppies have a secret admirer. Will she reveal herself this
Sex:A cheeky romance can be developed somewhere else on
April? And just how revealing will she be? Career:
All that you
have been working toward begins to pay off. This means that
you need to give professional goals close attention. Move into
the captain's cabin, but don't forget those still swabbing the
poop deck. ■
the body. A certain gal pal may become jealous and reveal her
true feelings. Choices are nice! Career:
You shine in the corporate arena. Will you be a grandstander or a true performer?
For more advicefrom the stars, visit our astrologer,Charlene
Lichtenstein,online at thestarryeye.com.
Leo (July 24-August 23)
Aries,you
thinkyou're
in full
control.But
very soon
the tables
are turned
and you just
mightend
up lassoed,
hogtiedand
branded.
Willyou
ultimately
wind up on
the menu?
April 2007
j
19
Advice Ask the Sexperts
FAIRY BUTCH
ISON
VACATION!
OK,we admitit, we
neverthoughtit would
cometo this,butalas,
FairyButchhasdonethe
unthinkable:
she'staken
a monthoff fromher
infamouslesbianadvice
column.Wecouldn't
besadder,butthe spiel
aboutlettingcreative
dykestakeperiodic
holidaysisn't loston her
editor.Soin her
absencewe'reposting
theveryfirst Fairy
Butchquestionfromthe
September
1997issue.
Trans-Racial
Adoption
MyloverandI arewhite
womenwhoareactive
in the lesbianfeminist
community.Werecently
decidedto adopta beautifulAfrican-American
babyboy,butare
concerned
abouthow
to bestinstilla sense
of culturalpridein our
sonsincewe arewhite
andsoaremostof our
friends.Whatdo
yourecommend?
Tofindout whatFairy
Butchtoldthislesbian
couple,or to offeryour
owntipsonraisingtheir
now 10-year-old
son,go
to curvemag.com.
Taking the Girlfriend Home
Bringing your partner to your parents' house can be a daunting
task. The question inevitably will arise: "Is it OK to share a room
with my girlfriend when visiting my folks?" Now, of course, you
could pose this question to your parents directly, but most of us
choose to avoid topics that are uncomfortable, so here are a few
tips to help you navigate your way through this challenge.
Womb With a View
If your childhood bedroom is exactly as it was when you were
12 years old, complete with butterfly bedding and a Barbie
need to save your energy, time and debate skills for the issues
Dream House, then you can rest assured that your parents
will not be OK with you sleeping with your girlfriend in their
shrine to your lost innocence. You'll need to bunk her in the
but be sure that the two of you suck face on the couch every
time your folks enter the room. Eventually, your parents will be
guest room and sneak in there at 3 a.m. to get some nookie. Do
not allow her to try and sneak into your childhood bedroom
eager to fight the small battles about who sleeps where rather
than engage in an all-out war they have clearly lost.
for some late-night sex, as this will only lead to heart attacks
for your parents (oh, they'll know) and to thousands of dollars
in therapy for you.
If your childhood room is now a personal gym with a futon thrown into the corner, then it's OK for you to bed down
with your girl. Your parents have moved on to focus on their
own lives. It is advised, however, to keep the noise to a minimum
- your parents are indifferent, not dea£ Your exuberant din will
only serve to shatter their sense of parental denial. Ignorance is
bliss and relatively quiet.
All'sFair in Love and War
Ultimately, the rule of thumb should be "pick your battles:' For
example, it is useless to fight to the death over what bed your
girlfriend sleeps in when your parents still say to you, "No, dear,
you're not a lesbian. It's just a stage you're going through:' You
obviously have the Battle of Little Big Horn brewing. You'll
20
I
curve
Do not allowher to try and
sneak intoyourchildhoodbedroomfor some late-nightsex, as
thiswillonlyleadto heartattacks
for yourparents.
that really matter. Put the girlfriend up in the guest bedroom,
Denial:More Than a Riverin Egypt
Your parents are likely floating aimlessly down that famous river,
pleasantly denying that you and your girlfriend are having sex.
You may as well speak Chinese to them when it comes to any
conversation involving you, your girlfriend, sheets, mattresses,
dental dams and vibrators. Your best bet may be to just take your
girl's suitcase into the same room as yours and shut the door.
When asked about the situation, bring up issues that are more
disturbing to your parents to send them further down the river.
Try these gems: "So, I assume you and Dad stopped having sex
a long time ago. How's that working out for yat Or the classic deterrent, "Did you see the naked photos of my sister and
the farm animals onlind Wasn't that interesting? I didn't even
know she liked horses:' Mom and Dad will stop speaking to you
altogether, which is ultimately your goal for a successful visit.
- Kate Lacey
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Lipstick & Dipstick Advice
Straight Chicks? Steer Clear
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick:
I'm a 34-year-old soft butch, and I've been
friends with a straight married chick for
three years. Her husband has no problem
with us hanging out. However, last week,
she asked me to make love to her. At first
I was blown away, but I fucked her anyway. They left town shortly afterward and
while away, she called me. When she heard
another chick's voice in the background,
she got upset and said that I was a jerk and
it didn't take me long to move on, then she
hung up. So, I'm sitting here going WTF?
I'm confused about her reaction and the
whole situation. I still want to be her friend,
but I'm not sure we can pretend it never
happened. - Dazed and Cuntfused
Dipstick: Lipstick, Lipstick, Lipstick. How many
times do we have to tell these ladies not to mess
around with straight women? They just never lis,
ten, do they?
Lipstick:They never do! WTF is right, Cuntfused.
Dipstick:I'm sorry, D.C., but you blew it when you
slept with her. Your friendship is over. What did
you do wrong, you ask? You were only doing what
she asked you to do, right? You of all people should
know that butch,loving is like crack; once a lady has
some, she'll never get enough. The only way you're
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fucking her. But that's not gonna work with hubby
Dipstick:I agree. It's not weird to want to be friends
with your ex; you're a lesbian after all. That said, I
around, is it? Learn from your mistake, and the
can't help but wonder if perhaps Francine is picking
next time a married chick asks you to hold her kitty,
sneeze violently and tell her you' re allergic.
you still harboring feelings for the depressed Dolly?
going to keep this bet in your life is if you continue
Lipstick:You knew better, but you couldn't keep
your hand out of the cookie jar, so now you're pay,
ing the price for licking her poodle ... or rather
stealing a snickerdoodle. Even though we contin,
ue browbeating - dykes won't stop sleeping with
straight chicks! - we do understand that some,
times sex just happens. Pull up your pants and
walk away from this cuntfusion immediately.
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick:
I broke up with my ex a little over a year
ago, and it was ugly. We continued talking
because I thought it would help the grieving process, but once I met my girlfriend,
Francine, my ex spiraled down, sending
threatening messages about suicide. We
didn't speak for many months, but now I'm
trying to rekindle that friendship. It seems
my ex is ready, but now the problem is
Francine. She doesn't like it, and we fight
about it a lot. What should I do? Is it weird
to have the urge to hang out with my ex?
- Friend or Franny
Lipstick: It's so hard to please all the women in
our lives, huh? If one of
them is happy, the other
is whining about some,
thing. Teeter,totter. Tell
both women to build
a bridge and stand up
for what you want. No,
it's not weird to want
to keep in touch with
your ex. Your girlfriend
- unless she's horribly
insecure, socially inept
or just out of the closet
- should know that. If
your intuition tells you
to recapture what you
valued about the ex,
then by all means, grab
it. Some of my rich,
est friendships are with
women I've shagged.
up on something even you don't want to admit. Are
Do you want to be her knight in shining armor, the
one who rescues her from the fire of her own tor,
mented mind? Lay off the ex for a while and see if
Francine is the one who really moves you.
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick:
I am in a three-year, deteriorating relationship. A month ago, I told her that I need to
see dramatic change or else I'm leaving.
At the same time, I told her that either we
break up or we open our relationship. She's
since allowed me to see other people. So
now my question is, is this really a good
idea? I want to explore other options, but
I'm still uncomfortable knowing someone
else besides my girlfriend is going to touch
me. I'm also insecure and look straight. So
the problem really boils down to whether I
should have an open relationship. I really
don't want to. I want to be happy with my
girlfriend. I'm not ready to enter into another relationship. - Even More Cuntfused
Lipstick: Then don't. And looking straight isn't a
problem - you'll be able to scoop up some hap,
less butch in no time.
Dipstick: Hold on there; stay away from the dip,
sticks until you know what you want.
Lipstick: How are you so sure she's the one that
needs to change? Instead of just pointing the fin,
ger, have you considered if your chaotic crosshairs
are part of the problem?
Dipstick: It's important to remember that people
don't change for other people; they change for
themselves. I think you're staying with this worn,
an, whom you don't love unconditionally, because
you fear no other woman will want you. That, my
friend, is a poor reason to stick around. Let her go.
Take out a personal ad and start dating. You'll be
surprised by the number of women who want to
sleep with insecure, straight,looking chicks. ■
Ask us anything about sex, loveor lesbiansat lipstick
dipstick.com.
April 2007
I
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1 From left: The L Word's Pam Grier, Katherine Moennig, Leisha Hailey, Ilene Chaiken
0
and CURVEexecutive editor Diane Anderson~Minshall at cuRvE's L Word bash in January
at the W Hotel, San Francisco 2 Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer (second from right)
gets cozy with the women of burlesque troupe Stilettos & Strap~Ons at the L Word bash
3 Honey Labrador (left) with Shannon Kampa, host of Platinum, the ladies' night at
East/West Lounge in West Hollywood 4 L Word Party Revelers 5 CuRVE marketing and
PR manager Bambi Weavil (left) with a lovely lass at the CURVEL Word party 6 From
left: CURVEproduction manager Ondine Kilker, Maribel and Marisol Arellano and Photo
Assistant Tay Kriv enjoy the night at the CURVEL Word party
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7 Sandra Bernhard (left) and John Goodman at the Trevor Project's Annual Cracked Xmas
party 8 Carmen Electra look s sexy at the Trevor Cracked Xmas Party 9 More revelers at the
CURVE L Word party 10 Women packed Olivia Headquarters in San Francisco for the HRC
L Word Premiere Party in January 11 The W Hotel played host to more CURVE partiers
12 Marissa Jaret Winokur of Hairspray(left) and Lucy Lawless looking sexy at the Trevor
Project Cracked Xmas party 13 Amy Errett, CEO of Olivia, presides over the HRC L Word
Premiere Party 14 Vidalia Paradise (left), of the burlesque troupe Diamond Daggers, and
her lovely friend takes a break from entertaining at the CURVE L Word Premiere Party
April 2007
I 23
IF YOU GO:
Arrange round-trip transportation
between the airport and the
ferry dock through BestDay.com.
The fare should run about $17.
The ferry at Puerto Juarez
runs every half hour.
No reservation needed;
$4 each way.
Lodging varies widely in
price and accommodation.
Vicki at Lost Oasis can
help with any budget.
E-mail vicki@lostoasis.net.
For more information
on Isla Mujeres:
isla-mujeres.net
travelyucatan.com
26
Icurve
During the holidays, my partner and I did not
want to negotiate family politics around either the
Christmas tree or the menorah. I don't know when
we turned into such scrooges, but there we were,
bah humbugging and oy veying all over the place.
We were in serious need of a serious vacation, and
a trip to Isla Mujeres provided the perfect escape.
We landed in Cancun on a sparkling day and
made our way across town to the ferry dock at
Puerto Juarez. The 30-minute ferry ride felt transformative as we left our 100 mph lives behind and
felt the slow, soothing rhythm of the sea beneath
us. Aboard the ferry we met an international crowd
of Cancun exiles - people who were trading in
the action of Cancun for the laid-back authenticity of Isla Mujeres' pristine beaches. The colorful
buildings on Avenue Rueda Medina greeted us
as we approached the shore. It is a short walk to
almost everywhere on the five-mile-long island
and we easily found our charming hotel, Cabanas
Maria del Mar, nestled on the edge of Playa Norte,
Isla Mujeres' most beautiful beach.
Isla Mujeres - "Isla" for short - lies just off
Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Its name translates
to "the isle of women;• and its female inhabitants
boast a long and rich history. The Mayans considered the island a home for Ixchel, their goddess
of fertility, reason, medicine and the moon. They
built her a temple (with ruins still standing on
the south point of the island) and carved it with
female idols in the image of Ixchel and her daughters and daughters-in-law. When Spanish explorer
Francisco Hernandez de Cordova arrived in 1517,
he was so taken with the figures that he named the
island for them. For 300 years, the island served as
a stop for fisherman and pirates. They buried treasure on Isla's sandy white beaches and left their
women there for safekeeping while they sailed the
seas. It's hard to imagine what all of those women
might have done on a beautiful tropical island for
three centuries, but we spent some time under a
shady palm trying.
Suzanne and I spent blissful days dozing on
the warm sand, swimming in the crystal waters
off the playa and watching the sunset. Every day,
we walked past small, brightly painted homes and
a fascinating Mexican cemetery on our way into
Isla's downtown, drawn by the promise of strolling mariachi bands, great people-watching and the
fabulous smells of traditional Mexican foods. The
The Mayans considered the island a home
for lxchel, their goddess of fertility,
reason, medicine and the moon.
restaurants and shops along Avenue Hidalgo pro-
in Tony's boat. When we arrived, we were greeted
vided lots of choices. We made a decadent habit
of drinking mojitos and eating the best guacamole
by swooping frigate birds, cormorants, pelicans,
and a manta ray named Paco. While we snorkeled
and tortillas a gringo could want at Bucaneros.
In the evenings, the entertainment ranged from
in the lagoon, Captain Tony and his daughter
the subtle to the sublime with a gaggle of live
bands, including a sometimes raucous open mic at
and salty, we ate heartily and then walked through
the island's humble museum and nature trails. At
the end of the day, we got back into the boat and
play basketball and skateboard under the stars in
the plaza at the end of the avenue.
plowed through some rough seas and a pelting
rainstorm while nervously referencing Gilligan '.s
Talking with people we just met like they were
old friends became a common pastime. Word of
Island. Just as we were debating why Ginger had
Michigan gave us rave reviews on a man_ named
Captain Tony, who had taken them on an excursion to Conroy, a nearby island and bird sanctu-
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cooked up a sumptuous feast of grilled barracuda
with rice and beans and fresh fruit. Sunburned
Bamboo. Stuffed with tamales one night, we hung
out with the locals and watched the island kids
what to do and whom to do it with spreads quickly
on the tiny island, and new friends readily passed
along recommendations. A couple of women from
Find someone
you clickwith on
pinksofa.com
all of those gowns on a three-hour tour, the sun
burst through the clouds and we saw Isla on the
horizon. We did a little more snorkeling on a reef
just off the shore and swam with beautiful fish
before heading in.
Isla Mujeres' charm and the kind people we
met there enabled us to completely abandon our
ary. Never ones to pass up a great tip, we found
Tony at his home on Calle Matamoros and were
welcomed by his gracious family. We signed on for
city lives. We realized that we were not the only
ones who wandered the island in a state of tropical
euphoria when we encountered a group of visitors
the trip along with folks from France and Eastern
Europe. The hour-long ride to Conroy was full of
lively conversation, and we sailed smooth as glass
on a street corner who were casually discussing
what day of the week it was. No one was really
sure and, in the end, it didn't really matter. ■
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connecting lesbians
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I.)
eve
•
•
ICIOUS
Supermodel Eve Salvail comes out.
By Jennifer Corday
Sexy, androgynous Eve Salvail is more than Evelicious, she's a top model, popular actor and accom~
plished musician who just came out as a lesbian on The Tyra Banks Show. Born in Canada, this New
Yorker has graced magazine covers and fashion ads. She's walked runways from New York to Paris for
international fashion heavyweights like Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace
and Valentino. She has won numerous awards, walked for the silver screen and once tended bar at
a punk rock club in Montreal. She made a guest appearance on Cycle 6 of Americas Next Top Model
and, no surprise, gets lots of attention from the ladies.
You're a model, an actor and a singer; what do you consider to be most important?
I'm actually doing more DJing now. My other music is a more of a hobby, but I wish to take it
further. I love acting, but it is hard, if you really want me to be honest.
What do you mean?
It's just really hard emotionally. If you have to play a part where you're a junkie, or maybe you
lost someone close to you, you have to go through all of those emotions. I have tremendous
respect and admiration for actors - I don't know how they detach themselves after the scene.
Same with nurses and doctors, I don't know how they can do that all day and then go home
and have a normal dinner.
Tell me about your music career.
I started writing and performing with bands when I was 14. Whenever I was traveling [as a
model], I would find a band to perform with. I co~wrote a few songs with Bryan Adams, and
now I'm writing with my cousin David.
Are you working on a CD, or what is your goal?
We've always done it for the fun, never to get rich or famous. It's fun for me; it's relaxing.
It's therapeutic, isn't it?
Exactly.
Did you always want to be a model?
I never wanted to be a model. I was discovered by Jean Paul Gaultier, and within a day I was
working.
Within a day?
Yes! It was a Sunday that I did a fashion show for him, and I remember I stayed in a hotel and
the next day the fax machine was spitting out offers, one after the other. I thought I was just
going back home to bartend!
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You were a bartender? Where?
Are more women approaching you now?
It was a punk club in Montreal called Le Foufoune Electrique. It was cheap
beer, but I was the worst bartender! I never thought I would make it as
a model with a tattoo on my head.
Well, I'm getting a lot of attention. They're either extremely supportive, or
they want to date me.
Are you single?
Yes, tell me about that tattoo on your head - it's a dragon?
Yes.
Yes,I quit modeling, shaved my head and got a dragon tattooed on my head.
Do you watch The L Word?
Why did you want to quit? Was it not going well?
I'm definitely a fan. I used to watch the show religiously, but I've only seen
one [episode] this season. I actually auditioned for the part of Marina,
but I didn't get it. Later my agency asked again but they weren't interest~
ed. They don't like me. They're picky people ... but I'm OK with that.
It was going fantastically! I just never really looked at fashion; I never really
knew anything about it. I was a punk, and I didn't really know what I
was doing. I just said fuck everything - fuck everything!
When did you know you were a lesbian? '
On AfterEllen, you said you didn't want your grandparents to know
A girl pursued me when I was 19, and that was when I had my first sexual
experience. She spoke Spanish.
you were a lesbian. So you're still not out to them?
No. At the time, I learned a little bit, but I don't think we talked that much!
Well, other than my brother and my mom and dad, no one else in my fam~
ily knows. I don't really want them to know, and I don't really want my
niece to know either. She's 14, so I'm at the age where I'm cool.
Oh, I get it. Where did you meet her?
What are you afraid of?
It was at a modeling contest, my first modelingjob. I fell madly in love with
her. She broke my heart to pieces.
Well, it's a different generation. What if she doesn't love me anymore? I
guess there's a glimpse of fear.
You recently came out on The 'fyra Banks Show. Did you plan that
Besides the dragon on your head, do you have any other tattoos?
or did It Just come up?
I have another one on my ankle but I plan to remove it. I'm not a tattoo fan.
It looks pretty with high heels ... but it has the name of the love of my
life underneath it. So it's gonna have to go. Word of advice: don't get
someone's name or you'll break up within a year! It happens every time.
You speak Spanish?
It just came up; she just asked me.
Now that you came out, do you think it will help or hurt your career or affect It in any way?
I don't know .... I don't think so. I don't think it can traumatize any industry
anymore. Gayness is cool.
You got other names tattooed?
Every time I wrote her name, the same girl. I'm still madly in love with her.
Do you still see her?
Every day. I run into her all the time.
That must be hard. I bet that's inspiration for some great songs.
Oh yes, I wrote the best songs about her. All the best songs are about her.
Why did you break up?
We both had our issues. It was not a healthy relationship. I can't speak for
her, but I hope that one day we might reconnect. I hope there's a chance
that we will have a healthy relationship one day. One day.
We can talk about this off the record.
No, that's OK, I hope she reads the article!
Do you think you have an androgynous image? Would you say
you're more butch or more femme? Do you identify with those
words or are you offended by them in any way?
I don't have judgment on words like that. When I first started modeling, I
was calling myself butchy, boyish, dyke, punk, whatever; I was a tom~
boy. I moved in with a drag queen because I wanted to learn how to be
feminine. I just love queenie boys!
I understand you are a pretty shy person and you never make the
first move, but that surprises me. As a model, surely you feel any
woman would be flattered to have your attention?
It's weird, but people have this view of modeling, they have an image of us
airbrushed with perfect lighting and perfect clothes and perfect cam~
eras. But the truth is, I'm rejected every day! Your feet are too small,
you're too skinny, you walk funny, your nose is too big and on and on,
constantly, constantly looking at every inch of you. For 17 years, it was
constant every day. Models become insecure.
Would you ever have plastic surgery to change your body?
Oh hell yeah, I'd love to have big tits ... and a sports car, hello! ■
You canfind Salvailonlineat evesalvail.com
or myspace.com/evelicious
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Too Hot to Handle
Atage24,handbag
designer
Nicole
Valerishatters
stereotypes
aboutlesbian
fashion.
ByCatherine
Plato
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"I really hate the stereotypes that are still around
about lesbians not having fashion sense, and not caring about their image;' says queer fashionista Nicole
Valeri (pictured left), who's spent the past two years
smashing that stereotype with her Sapphic-inspired
designer handbags. Made from hand-colored micro
suede, every bag features a sexy,girl-on-girl smooch
in bright, Andy Warhol-inspired colors.
Valeri, 24, began designing bags during her
senior year as a graphic design student at Columbia
College in her native Chicago. Though she had always been obsessed with fashion and style, Valeri followed her parents' wishes to choose a more practical and
potentially lucrative major."Since they generously helped me pay for my education, I decided to major in graphic design to make them happy;' she explains.
"However, in my graphic design classes I was always sketching out clothes and
thinking about things fashion-related. I remember on my 15-minute breaks
sitting in the hallway outside of a fashion merchandising class,just listening to
the class, wishing I was in there:'
After graduation, she landed a job as a graphic designer for a Chicagobased lesbian party production company, but quickly realized that she wasn't
destined to do graphic design for someone else. After pouring hours of work
into a design that was eventually rejected, Valeri decided to work for hersel£
using her prized Sapphic graphic on her own T-shirts. "I started getting compliments on the design;' she says. 'i\.t this point, I still had no intention on
starting a business, I just thought it was cool I was getting compliments on
something I had created:' A night of brainstorming with a girlfriend inspired
Valeri to put the design on handbags. Though she wasn't a big purse fan
herself ("as most lesbians aren't"), she found the idea more original than
graphic tees and the market less oversaturated.
Meanwhile, Valeri continued volunteering as a stylist at fashion shoots, getting her feet wet in the industry while searching for paid work. As with most
emerging artists, Valeri's introduction to the industry was rather unglamorous.
"I spent months in Los Angeles, sleeping on my friends' co_uch,living out of a
suitcase and trying to make things happen there;' she remembers. "I learned
pretty quickly that there's no such thing as a free lunch in this industry. ... People
don't do things for you without expecting something in return .... Now I make
sure to always think about business as something that must benefit both parties
involved:'
Now back in Chicago, Valeri juggles purse-making with her own freelance
graphic design business and part-time work at a marketing company. It's enough
to make most people keel over from exhaustion, but Valeri says she likes to stay
busy, and sees her side jobs as necessary to the success of her line. "Everything
I take on, career-wise, I try to find a common thread between those jobs and
my handbag business;' she says."That way, I no longer look at it as a job. I look
at it as a learning experience to better myself and my business:• She sells her
designs at boutiques throughout Chicago and Indianapolis, as well as online
at nicolevaleri.com. Later this spring she expects to expand the site to include
more T-shirts and tank tops with her same signature design.
"I want the women who carry my bags to feel more confident, more beautiful and proud to be who they are and what they are. I want women to feel
comfortable enough with their sexuality and themselves to be able to express
themselves with my designs;• says Valeri, whose typical customer she describes
as a trendy, attention-loving woman in her 20s or early 30s. "I hope and I want
women who carry my designs to feel independent and strong:' ■
April 2007
I31
One Los Angeles,based fashion designer is rocking the fashion design
world hard, and that's 23,year,old Schquay Brignac. Lead designer of
Studs Clothing, Brignac makes clothing just for studs, and lesbians can't
high source within me of being black, period, knowing my history of where
my people have come from, the struggles I have gone through. Being black.
seem to get enough of the fledgling design house.
The embroidered emblem"Studs" sits on the front and backs of Brignac's
Being gay. Being a stud:'
When Sparks came out as a lesbian in Kansas, she had not heard of
garments, allowing wearers to open up about their stud identity.
"Right now there are a lot of butches and studs that are not exactly
sure about how they should be;' Brignac admits. "They ... don't know where
stud identity. "I never heard the word [stud) until I started to hang out with
to find clothes for themselves (in) the men's department (or) the women's
one to identify with ... not ever hearing any stories that reflected my own
department. One of my main goals is to represent studs, to represent our,
selves and feel proud of that:'
development stories ... not having any role models ... not being mirrored.
For me that is the crux of the struggle:•
Brignac never laid a hand on a sewing machine before last year. "My
roommate was teaching someone how to sew;' she says."It seemed very fun:'
That's part of why Brignac has become so popular. "Women who are
studs are thankful;' says D'Lo. "Women who are femmes are thankful. ...
She asked him to teach her; a week later, Brignac completed her first pair of
Clothing made by a stud for studs is validation:'
shorts. Something hit the mark right on.
"People around me, in my community, said, 'Why don't you just start
Sparks agrees. "The women love it. The femmes are requesting stud
clothing for femmes:' Brignac has responded to this request with a new
making clothes for all the studs?"' Brignac says. And Studs Clothing was
born. She creates jackets, shorts and a ripped T,shirt line that each signify
line of Studs Clothing for femmes.
"I would like to walk down the street and see a grandmother wearing
a part of the stud journey to selOove and wholeness.
"Schquay's line of clothing is revolutionary;' says the L.A.,based Sri
Studs and knowing what that means;' she admits.
Some might argue that focusing on style is a distraction from the real
Lankan poet and performer D'Lo, who identifies as a stud/boi. "We studs
have trouble just walking down the street:'
But, just what constitutes a stud? D'Lo knows: "Basically,a butch of col,
work of civil rights. In fact, author Valerie Steele once wrote that"fashion is
the F,word of feminism:' Yet feminists, dykes, gay men, trans folks, butches
or ... someone who has mad flavor.... Someone who stands their ground
challenges the stereotype that style conflicts with radical politics.
"Who says we can't fight racism and imperialism looking flyt D'Lo says.
Brignac says the same, in different ways. "When you work to your
true and best ability, you start to create destiny;' Brignac says. One ex,
confidently with their masculine energy and doesn't cower in the face
of homophobia:•
Studs has another fan in Holly Sparks, a recent graduate of a marriage
and family counseling program in L.A. "Quay represents the conjoined re,
lationship between the clothes and our gender;' Sparks says. "It began with
the label. But the patchwork and rips, the multiple colors ... speak to tran,
scending clothing how we know it. We transcend gender:'
Brignac has a strong spiritual core that carries into her fashion design.
"Redefining the clothing is just bringing my love and creativity forward,
and letting it manifest within the clothing.Transferring my spiritual energy
and mental energy to the clothes;' Brignac says.
African,American identity also is important to her work, Brignac says.
32
"That is my basis everywhere. I have a
I curve
black gay folks in L.A. and Long Beach:'
Yet Sparks tells the tale of stud childhood: "Growing up not having any,
and studs are called into the fashion system out of the lack of options. D'Lo
ample: Studs Clothing intends to avoid making the same mistake by
exploiting garment laborers. "Especially in the sweatshops that they use.
They pay everyone from a cent to twelve cents. It is interesting in the fact
that they feel so comfortable exploiting people. They're just greedy:'
Next up for Studs? A national tour that'll take them from L.A. in April
to Oakland, Cali£, in July and New York in October. Whether it's on the
streets of Paris or Korea, Studs Clothing is breaking hard ground. To dress
the stud in your life, check out myspace.com/ studsclothing. ■
Dinah Shore Style
March28 is justaround
thecorner.
Whatwillyoubewearing?
ByJennifer
Corday
Poolside fashion gets taken to a whole new level when lesbians across the
of ink, with tattoos on the majority, and piercings aplenty. Check out the
nation flock to the annual Dinah Shore celebration, a weekend long lesbian
matching suits, mirror images done in reversed designs, a popular trend with
lovefest in sunny Palm Springs, Calif. Sure, there's a women's golf tourna~
couples and best friends. Skulls and crossbones, pirates and tattoo themes
ment -
where it's at these days. You won't get a chaise lounge unless you wake up at
are big, along with rockabilly polka dots. You'll see lots of board shorts on
the athletes and a few thongs between buns of steel. Cowgirl hats are still the
the crack of dawn and hustle down to the pool to claim your spot. Give that
rage, but there's plenty of other headgear including trucker hats (foam, out;
up and stay on your feet.
Dress (or undress) to impress and enter pool area with caution. It's your
ings are great attention~getters, and rumor has it one Dinah promoter will be
the original reason for Dinah -
but we all know the pool parties are
mesh, in), headbands and the occasional visor. Distressed tees with clever say~
continue to raise the bar when it comes to fashion, as trendsetters for the chic
releasing ones emblazoned with Dina Ho and Dinah Virgin on them. These
won't go over so well if you've got a girlfriend, but then again, going to Dinah
and the daring. Arriving in all shapes and sizes, Dinah's bathing beauties will
at all is probably a bad idea if you've got a girlfriend.
chance to see and be seen, with not much left to the imagination. Lesbians
amaze you with their sexy and unique display of pool attire.
Like snowflakes or thumbprints, no two Dinah dykes are exactly alike, but
If you've got it, flaunt it; if you don't, cover it up with style! You've got
there are a few foolproof trends to keep in mind. Big shades are definitely in,
at least seven pool parties to make an impression. And if you've really got
nothing to wear, well, there's always that golf tournament. Right. Better get
and the fauxhawk, Jackie Warner~style, is still hotter than hot. There's plenty
shopping! ■
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April 2007
I33
---------------
Urban Chic
For city dykes, couture jeans,
hand-crafted shoes and funky
statement tees never go out of style.
Photos by Lydia Daniller
•
Jennifer, far left, wears the Boris hat by Goorin
Bros., "Don't Assume That We Prefer Men" T-Shirt
by Dyke Tees, Habitual 'Loft Little Sister in the
City' jeans, 'Sande' Snapboots with Rolled Toecap
by Tamera Lindsay. Krista, center, is in a Lena
Hat from the Cassel Goorin collection, Oxblood
Antique Key Belt by Steel Toe Studios, Kasil
'Ansley in Atlantic' jeans; T-shirt by Artan Hamilton
at ldgogayfor.com. Natalie, right, wears a shirt by
Dyke Tees and 'The Shane' jeans from Love and
Pride designed by Honey Labrador
All jeans except the Love and Pride jeans
supplied by Azalea Boutique in San Francisco,
azaleaboutiquesf.com
April 2007
I35
Opposite Page: Natalie, far left, is in a Lezbots T-shirt by Dyke Tees, Paige Premium Denim 'Laurel Canyon Winter' jeans. Jennifer wears a Dyke Tees
T-shirt, Habitual 'Little Sister Loft City' jeans, Sande boots by Tamera Lindsay. Krista's T-shirt is by Dyke Tees, Kasil 'Ansley in Atlantic' jeans, British
Tan Belt with Butterfly Hinge buckle by Steel Toe Studios. This page, left: Jennifer is in a Boris hat by Goorin Bros., Yakuza Messenger Bag from the
Cassel Goorin line, "One Drink Away from Girl on Girl Action" shirt by Dyke Tees, Habitual 'Loft Little Sister in the City' jeans, Double Antique Key
belt from Steel Toe Studios. Right: Natalie, in front, wears a Pussy Liquors tee, Single Antique Key belt, Paige Premium Denim 'Laurel Canyon Winter'
jeans, Krista is in Goorin Bros.' Boris hat, and Dyke Tees T-shirt. For buying info, visit curvemag.com.
April 2007
I37
Fashion Fetish
Inspired
byBDSM,
queerpolitics
andrawsexuality,
designer
Lii Collins
canmakea setofknitting
needles
dothings
yourgrandmother
neverdreamed
of. ByStephanie
Schroeder
From 2000 to 2004, Liz Collins' name was on her clothing label. She had at
least seven runway shows and was the darling of the fashion world, particu,
lady the Japanese fashion media she has been enthralled by since she was a
teenager. "I made a big splash with my first show, which was a total surprise
since I was new to the high,fashion scene;' says Collins, who today teaches
at her alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned her
BFA and MFA in textile design. An assistant professor in the textile depart,
ment, she extends her excitement about knitwear and knitting techniques into
research that she says blurs the boundaries of the academic and the artistic.
Collins began her fashion career with a boutique in Providence, R.I.,
that she operated from 1994 to 1996 with a friend, and which she now
refers to as "an ongoing designer sample sale:'
"We did one,off pieces and also sold other designer's clothing. It was an
experimental period;' she reminisces. "I learned how to make clothing by
trial and error:' She returned to RISO to obtain her MFA and then created
the Liz Collins brand.
"I find women's bodies perpetually inspiring. Not that men's bodies
can't be beautiful - I enjoy the human structure, but my love for the female
form and queer women's bodies is what inspires me, rather than a certain
fabric or fashion silhouette. It's very visceral for me:' Collins says chat while
out lesbian designers are few and far between, "many are at the helm of
design companies, head designers for big name designers or other players
in the fashion industry, behind the scenes in the way lesbians in television
are as producers and writers:'
Collins laughs when asked about the butch,femme dynamic and her
personal relationship with her partner of two years, AIDS activist and
educator Julie Davids. "Well, it kind of looks like that, and I don't want to
define Julie's identity; however I'd say she is more in the transgender realm
- though she has her bucchy moments. And I'm definitely a girly,girI:'
Bondage and fetish are also a part of Collins' identity as both a queer worn,
an and as a designer. "BDSM and fetish are part of my aesthetic language
and very connected to who I am as an artist and as a person:'
3Slcurve
"BDSM and fetish symbols show up as motifs in my clothing both as
fashion and ideas about how the body can be restrained and experience
different sensations. I translate chat into a visual language. There are a lot
of possibilities in the realm of fashion and clothing, and my way of talking
about it is to show compression, pressure and resistance. For example I use
ropes in my designs;' explains Collins, "I mean I knit long cords out of fab,
ric and then attach them to a garment. It's like self bondage. In some of my
pieces, the wearer can tie herself up or someone else can. It's about restraint.
The viewer can see that the wearer is bound, and both the wearer and the
viewer experience something exciting:'
Additionally, Collins' interests lie in sensations the body receives via
clothing. "Since the female form is such a huge inspiration to me, I feel like I
design clothing to relate to people. Like making a soft and cozy knit dress or
sweater someone wears on a date. I'm not on the date, but I kind of am, you
know what I mean:' Collins refers to one specific dress that is very popular
in her line, "I build elastic into some garments, and I have this dress I do
where the whole torso is elasticized. It's corset,like, and you can feel safe
and held in but not restrained to the point of losing your breath, and it's
very exciting to wear:'
Over the past few years, Collins has taken her ideas from sublimation
in her designs to exploring and incorporating them on a physical and vis,
ceral level in her personal life."Ic all furthers my understanding of what I'm
interested in within the arena of my personal life, which is purely queer.
My personal landscape is queer women and transpeople;' Collins says. "I
think that for a lot of artists, their sexuality is a huge part of what their art
is about:' Collins admits that she thinks making clothes is sexy."It's my way
of connecting to people in a sensual way. It's my urge to connect that feels
right and is honored and is genuine in that tangible connection:'
One other interest that sets Collins apart is her fetish for the reuse of
material - "scraps;' she calls them. "I would rather use leftovers from other
designers or my own work than make new fabrics;' Collins says. She re,
mains firm that all her art be useful if unconventional. "I often think about
ct:
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"My love for the female form and queer women's bodies is
what inspires me, rather than a certain fabric or fashion
silhouette. It's very visceral for me."
making clothing soft and intimate, filled with love and affection and passion, passing from me to other people:•
Collins' knitwear is for the woman who wants to be the center of attention. "The Liz Collins customer is someone who is willing to be seen, talked
to and approached;' she says, "because my designs are so unique and attention-getting, she is also someone who is willing to spend a little more for
the effect:' Her designs are not what she considers lesbian fashion, "whatever that is, and even I don't know:• Collins says a designer such as Parisa
Parnian of Rigged OUTfitters, who specifically caters to butches and the
trans community, definitely "does"dyke fashion. "Patricia Field is, of course,
an out lesbian, too, but she's more of a stylist and tastemaker:•
These days, Collins designs knitwear collections for other top fashion
designers in addition to her own creations. "But;' she cautions, "I don't
know what the next few years hold - whether the Liz Collins brand as
the fashion world knew it will return. It was so much work being the boss
of the firm, running projections and supervising people in addition to designing:• Collins plans to spend two months at a textile factory in Peru this
summer to "refine and resolve some design issues that I never had time to
when I was running my own company:'
Collins lives in Providence with Davids, whom she met online. "I am a
huge advocate of Internet dating;' she says with a laugh, adding that part of
her courting of Davids was to send her an original Liz Collins sweater. "I
am madly in love for the first time, and I am the happiest and busiest I've
ever been:'
As to the raging argument about too-thin models, Collins weighs in on
the issue. "It's a real problem, particularly for young people to see these too-
thin models. But, I think it's advertising more than runway fashion. I mean it's
only a select few who attend runway shows while seeing these skinny women
over and over in magazines is very damaging:' Asked if designers use superthin models as "clothes hangers" so that their designs are more prominent
than the models, Collins agrees but points to innovative designers, such as
Jean Paul Gaultier, who get around the issue. She references Gaultier's show
where mannequins wearing his designs were advanced around the runway
with the kind of machine drycleaners use. "It's designers like that, who take
incredible risks and flout the status quo, who ultimately make an impact:'
Collins' creative impact comes into play with the art she crafts using
knitting machines. She is internationally known for creating 3-D installations in addition to clothing and textiles, and her series of performancebased knitting installations, KNITTING NATION, employs uniformed
knitters working on machines to create a multisensory experience that examines what she calls "my commentary and ruminations on how humans
interact with machines, global trade, fashion, and iconography:' Collins says
that the only part fetishism plays in KNITTING NATION is perhaps in
the uniforms the knitters wear. "You might say I have a uniform fetish;' she
laughs, "in that a group of people doing the same thing wearing the same
costume that defines the labor they are performing is pleasing to me:' ■
KNITTING NATION's Radical Lace & SubversiveKnitting program runs
at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City throughJune 17. A performance by Collins, "Phase 4: Pride," is scheduledfor the afternoon of June
16, during which she and her knitting crewplan to createa giant rainbowflag.
Learn more about her at lizcollins.com.
Aprn 2001
I39
femme fashion
By Heather Boerner
I Photography
by Kina Williams
Callthemretroorgoth:Definitely
callthemsexy.Justdon'taccuse
themoftryingto lookstraight
or,Godforbid,
following
someone
else'sstyle.Lesbian
fashion
isn'tjustaboutwhat'spopular
inthis
month's
Vogue.
Fortheseleftcoastgirlsonthestreet,
fashion
isaboutusingclothes
to
createa distinctly
femme- andqueer- personal
style.
MargauxCowden,
27,LosAngeles
I just got back from living in Paris for a
year, so this is my version of a specific queer
look in Paris. For me, the look has to incorpo,
rate irony. My jeans, for instance, are actually
called "distressed socialite:' For me, the meat of
being femme is that I work on attracting and
managing desire in a specific way.
MissMuffy,25, Oakland,Calif.
I call my style trashy Victorian '80s to '50s
prostitute. It says I'm my own fashion inspira,
tion. I love my ring that says, "Stone Femme:•
CelestinaPearl,32, Oakland,Calif.
My look is meowlicious. It says I enjoy get,
ting dressed up and being fancy. And I enjoy
decorating my body.
But my favorite thing has got to be my sun,
glasses. They're prescription. I got them in Ft.
Lauderdale at a little,old,lady store.
Tuesday
Smille,aka MissDay,24,
Portland,Ore.(right)
My style is militant femme. I love the pearls on
this look. I like to think of my look as fake 'n'
hot. This dress is amazing. It was made for me
by Slovak designers, just for my body.
40
Icurve
Togs That Are Peachy Keen
DIVdivaKingi
Carpenter
talksshop.ByCatherine
Plato
Fashion designer and entrepreneur Kingi Carpenter learned early in life that she just wasn't cut
out to work for the man. By age 24, she had already been fired 13 times. "I thought, if I want to
keep a job, maybe I should hire myself;'.she says. So she did. With little money and no business
experience, Carpenter launched her line of screen,printed clothing, Peach Berserk, in April of
1987.'Tve actually never looked back. It's been so great:'
Only two years earlier, Carpenter had begun screen,printing while in art school. After an
inspiring trip to Paris, she signed up for a class in surface design, determined to make a dress
covered in huge Eiffel Towers. "What followed next was as close to a religious experience as I had
ever had: I laid my screen down on a piece of fabric, squished some ink across with a squeegee,
and lifted the frame to see the resulting print;' she says on her Web site, PeachBerserk.com. 'J\ll of
my favorite things converged beneath that magic screen: my love of drawing, pop art, Paris and, of
course, fabric, because fabric means fashion:'
Today, Carpenter sells hand,printed skirts, tops, jackets and dresses, including funky custom,
ized wedding gowns. Femme prints, bright colors and punk rock,inspired motifs create her sig,
nature look, which has charmed customers including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Portia de Rossi and
Paula Abdul. Carpenter and her daughter, Digby, live above her Toronto studio, which also acts as
her store. There she offers workshops from beginning silk screening to a seminar called Biz Tips
for Misfits, which instructs new artists and crafters on establishing their own creative business.
If you can't make it to Toronto any time soon, be sure to check out Carpenter's 2003 DVD,
SilkscreenWorkshopand Biz Tipsfor Misfits, which is almost as fun as the in,person experience.
Carpenter makes the art fun and accessible, using nearly all homemade equipment and inexpensive
materials. After all, a tight budget isn't always a bad thing."Lack of money makes you resourceful;'
she insists in her DVD. "Like when I started Peach Berserk, I didn't have enough money to have
a separate store and a separate studio. So I put them both together and it really worked, because
people thought it was cool to see my stuff being made as they bought it:' ■
"All of my
favorite things
converged
beneath that
magic screen:
my love of
drawing, pop art,
Paris and, of
course, fabric,
because fabric
means fashion."
0
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42
Icurve
ers
Fashion
isn'tsolely
thedomain
ofL.A.girls.
Thesehotfashionistas
- manyfromtheSanFrancisco
BayArea- arealready
queer
girlfaves.ByCatherine
PlatoandDiane
Anderson-Minshall
BitchGear:
Berkeley, Cali£-based designer Shannon Pickering's line includes a wide range of edgy,
punk rock-inspired threads to suit bois and grrls alike, plus fun gifts and accessories. Even if you're
not in the mood to shop, check out their Web site for band interviews and some kick-ass cocktail
recipes. (bitchgear.com)
PunkCakes:
Jeanna Limpacio's poofy, ultrafemme party dresses are sweet and sexy, plus, her models represent a diverse range of sizes and ethnicities and carry cute little cupcakes as they strut their
stuff. What's not to love? (myspace.com/punkcakes)
StrangeVintage:Think 1940s elegance meets punk rock aesthetics in this innovative line by bisexual designer and model Steeltoe Princess. Married concurrently to a man and a woman, the San
Francisco-based Princess has a distinctly queer eye for fashion, decking her heavily-inked models
out in ruffles, veils and top hats. (myspace.com/steeltoeprincess)
Habibi:Looking for a foolproof cure for lesbian bed death? Try on one of Natalie Qayed's sexy,
fitted, way-above-the-knee minidresses. Sheer lace, flapper-style fringe and creative cuts make her
creations sizzle. Rarr! (myspace.com/natalieqayed)
SpoonfedArt:Jewelry designer Karin Collins uses ordinary spoons to create quirky, punky, wearable art. The sexy pendants are part kaleidoscopic kitsch, part intricate accessory and completely
inimitable. (spoonfedart.com)
StrapCouture:
L.A:s fashion company Hayden Dawn (the brainchild of designers Kate Hayden
Lessa and Alexandra Dawn Yolman) does accessories right by combining old and new, luxury and
kitsch. Their newest hit is Strap Couture, a sexy line of luxury bra straps (the kind you want to
show) in pearl,jade and crystal that lipstick lesbos are gobbling up. (strapcouture.com)
Eenamaria:
Brooklyn-based, Welsh-born lesbian designer Sarah Morgan is a new rock icon
with fans including Margaret Cho and pop star Lori Michaels who, like us, adore her leather
belt bags (not a purse, not a wallet), Dean hip bags, leather cuffs and matching handbags. Perfect
for modern urban nomads and dykes who still sheepishly sport those old-school fanny packs,
Morgan's sophisticated belt bags are sexy, smart and so very cool - a lot like the designer hersel£
(eenamaria.com)
GirlTye:Love men's ties but hate the bulkiness or the boring prints? Original Girl Tye offers the
sexiest thin neckties for women that come in everything from silk solids to hand-painted batik to
metallic polka dot cotton prints (our fave has pink and black dotted lines). Even more exciting, Girl
Tye offers "flaire" - tie tacks made from vintage beads or cast-metal designs. Fun, funky and oh so
queer. ( www.girltye.com)
CocodeMer:Combining high fashion and theatrical millinery, U.K.-based Victoria Grant - who
~
iii
1
counts numerous burlesque troupes among her fans - gives a cutting edge twist to period styles
like pork pies and Jackie O's, as well as the incredibly sexy Trilby hat she designed for Coco de Mer.
(cocodemerusa.com)
~
hl
ID
0
a:
UJ
Cl)
fil
,
Catherine
Coatney:
Fat femmes adore San Francisco goth designer Catherine Coatney for her oneof-a-kind dresses and fetish wear. (We're still dreaming of her Cigarette Girl Dress.) She doesn't do
retail, but you can find her at hip online boutiques like Inkubus. (inkubus.com)
April 2007
I43
e it
Jackie Warner,the muscled
lesbian star of Bravo's
breakout hit Work Out,
dishes on the diva life.
By Stephanie Schroeder
Photography by Brie Childers
Hair by Edward St. George
I Makeup
V
You probably know of Jackie Warner from Bravo's
reality hit Work Out. She's the ultimate personal
trainer with the killer body. But she's also an
entrepreneur, fashion designer, friend, daughter
and lover - one with a killer body, of course.
When CURVE chatted with Warner about the
renewal of her show and how being a TV personality has changed her life, the 38-year-old sudden
star had just returned home from a rare weeklong
break. Warner, who says she craves outdoor activities and spent most of her time hiking and mountain biking, is an ultraregimented Leo.
"My mind is free only when I am with
nature;' she admits. "I push myself constantly and
judge myself harshly. I'm always striving to change
negative situations and negative energy. It's a big
responsibility:'
Now, don't think Warner is some New Age
guru; she'sjust trying to make change.
'Tm very conscious about what I do, very selfaware, which is important [in order] to have better
relationships, like with my mother;' she says without a hint of bitterness. "This season, I'm going
home to visit my mom on camera. I have to have
enough energy and self-awareness to focus on my
mother and myself' It's important to Warner to
reach a higher level of understanding between
herself and her mother. Warner says she doesn't
judge people because of their different ideals. Her
struggle with her mother (highlighted on last season's show) has plagued Warner for years, and she
wants to begin to resolve their differences.
"Some of my high school buddies will be on
camera. I have a half-brother 10 years younger
than me. I haven't talked to him about it, bu{"!
want him to appear. He's married, very intelligent,
a Mormon, and I love him very much:'
How does Warner handle being in the limelight:' "It's a strange place to be, because I'm actually
very down to earth. What people see on TV is not
me. It's Jackie Warner in front of the camera. They
don't know me; I'm a very complex human being:•
Warner says that she is now 100 percent comfortable on camera and that this season will be much
more revealing. The camera will be turned on 24/7,
filming almost every move she makes. And those
moves include introducing her new girlfriend.
Being a sex symbol ain't easy. ''I'd say 50 percent of women who pay for training later ask me
out on a date;' Warner says with some irony. "The
other 50 percent are there for real training. At
this point I can usually spot who comes in for a
lifestyle change and who wants to ask me out:'
Warner is now so famous that women (and
men) fly in from around the world to have her
train them. But Warner has strict boundaries. "I
never date clients, employees or fans;' she says.
How does Warner manage this juggling act:'
"Life is hard work;' she says. "It's all about achieving one's goals:' And helping clients achieve their
goals is what Warner and her Work Out crew do
best. "It's about energy;' says the gym guru. "It affects everyone around us and shows in the way we
carry ourselves:• Warner says that with the right
workout regime, anyone can have a "Jackie Warner
body:' "But;' she cautions, "It really wouldn't be a
'Jackie Warner body' because of the individual
focus of brain chemistry, nutrients and a hundred
other things that are unique to each person on a
diet and exercise routine:'
Warner says most of her clients are women,
and the main complaint they come in with is
trouble sleeping. "This is particularly problematic
for women because of hormone dysfunction that
occurs without exercise. Other chemical deficiencies also result in weight gain:' The other reason
women come to Warner for training is that they
want to fit into that teeny-weeny bikini. It is Los
Angeles after all, folks.
"Women have more issues around weight
than men do;' Warner states. "Women can't eat as
much as men and not gain weight in the same way.
Women are also sexualized in our society. What a
woman's body looks like unfortunately drives how
she is treated. The bar has been raised so high that
when women try to get a real perspective on their
"The bar has been raised so high that when
women try to get a real perspective on their
own lives and feel good about themselves,
the ideals of thinness and wealth that are
the basis for success and achievement just
cannot be matched."
own lives and feel good about themselves, the ideals of thinness and wealth that are the basis for
success and achievement just cannot be matched:'
How does a schedule at Warner's facility, Sky
Sport and Spa, work? "I like to have my clients
jump right into a program, commit to making a
life change and start carrying themselves differently and feeling more positive:' Warner counsels
women with sleep disorders and other problems
to get hooked on a lifestyle program. "I want them
to see and feel results in one to two weeks. If I can
get them to sleep like a baby the night they walk in
and they wake up feeling good the next morning,
they're hooked:'
Warner moved to L.A. after what she calls "a
stifling childhood" in rural Ohio. "I had a terrible
time growing up because I always knew I was a
gay woman. I had to stand up against what society
told me was right and normal;' she recalls. "The
Midwest is not by any stretch a bastion of liberalism. We lived in a very fundamentalist area, and I
was overwhelmed by other people's proselytizing
and other pitfalls of small town life:'
At 18, Warner was accepted into the Fashion
Institute of Design and Merchandising in L.A. "I
applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology in
"First,be inspired!Tomakea
change,you mustbeginthinking
differently.Sincethe brainhouses
the chemicalsthat effectchange
in the body,you'vegotto bothget
in the right mindsetandexercise
yourmind.Sit downfor 1Ominutes
andtakestockof what makes
youhappyandwhatdoesn't.Do
. youfeel like you'refully set up for
life's challenges?
Havea talk with
yourself;write downyourlikesand
dislikes.Stopprocrastinating
about
startinga programandstopbeing
sedentary."
New York City and would be in New York today
had I been accepted;' she says. Her clothing line,
which debuted last season, was designed with a
colleague from FID M.
With a sports facility, a TV show and a clothing line, just what does Warner do in her downtime? "I do a lot of charity events, that's important
to me. I like being outdoors and do a lot of body
boarding, working out outside, hiking, mountain
biking. It's pure joy being outdoors:'
Warner's silly side comes out when she reveals,
"I also like to have house parties where my friends
come over in their pajamas and we drink wine
and just relax:' But that's on the weekends, on her
time. Monday through Friday is her 'work week;
and Warner sticks to a strict regimen of no sugar,
no alcohol and minimal carbs.
"On the weekends, I allow myself ice cream,
a martini or two ... " Does she believe in denying
oneself? Absolutely not.
"Life is a balance, deprivation does not work;'
Warner says adamantly. "The product of a healthy
diet and vigorous exercise is a good-looking body,
but the byproduct is more energy,job satisfaction,
better sex - everything in life gets better:' ■
Whetheryouarelivingpaycheckto-paycheckor rollingin dough,
youcanchangeyourbodythrough
self-education.
"Self-teachyour
mindandbodyto thinkandact
differently.Thefirst stepto selfeducationis to goto the libraryor
bookstoreandcheckoutor buy
the bestmagazine
for tips on good
healthandworkingout:Muscle&
Fitness.Don'tbe embarrassed
by
the covers,"laughsWarner,"it's
the bestguidefor buildingand
toning,anda subscription
costs
like 20 bucks."
"Exercisetwo to threetimesa
week,to fatigue"for demonstrable
change."Evenif youcan't afforda
gymmembership,
youcando push
upsuntil youcan'tdo anymore
thenjump right up anddo squats
untilyou'repooped.
Addmoreexercisesas yougo along.Makeyour
own program.Giveyourbody,who
is yourfriend,whatit needsand
wantsin termsof exercise."
The
chemicalchangesthat takeplace
in yourbrainandmusclesafter
just a weekof vigorousexercise
will encourage
youto stickto it.
What Happened to Mimi?
Warner says that after she and
Mimi split, she processed their
relationship and dated other
women. She focused on the
positive things in her life and
came through to a better state.
Was Mimi just plain mean to
Warner? Is Mimi evil? "It's
easy to say there is a 'bad one'
in a particular relationship,
but it takes two to tango;' Warner cautions. "It
isn't that Mimi was wrong or bad, she was just
wrong for me:'
That's certainly not holding Mimi (born
Milenna Saraiva) back.
"We just finished shooting the second season of Work Out, and I'm in the first two or
three episodes," Saraiva says. "Jackie and I are
shown going to therapy:'
Saraiva is a trainer and artist in her own
right. After six years on a Brazilian aerobics
team where she had to train eight hours a day,
she decided to pursue Iler passion for art. "I
was in Brazil at an art fair looking at colleges
in the U.S., and I was interested in New York,
Florida, Santa Monica and Seattle. I ruled them
out by weather and cost and ended up in Santa
Monica because of the beaches and climate."
Coming out at age 17 to her mother was
not easy, but Saraiva says both her parents
are very supportive of her. She moved to the
U.S. in 1998 at age 18. "I actually met Jackie
at a painting class, and we just talked and then
went our separate ways. We bumped into
each other several months later at the Abbey
and I made the moves on her." The rwo were
together for almost six years. Saraiva says that
she recently met someone "very special, and I
want to see where it goes:'
Saraiva works as a trainer at Equinox in
West Hollywood and also has private clients,
but these days, she's more focused on her art
career. With a seminal artist opening at the
Nuni Gallery in Los Angeles on March 23
and a spot on Americas Top Trainer on FitTV,
she is set on making the most of everything in
2007. "On the show, the audience calls in to
vote for their favorite trainer, and the winner
gets endorsements, a DVD deal and a position
as host of a fitness show on FitTV:'
There has also been conversation about a
spin-off of Work Out, but it's only in the talking stage, Saraiva says. To find out more about
Saraiva, check out milenna.com. ■
Formoreof Jackie& Co.'sfitnesstips,visitbravotv.com/Work_Outltips
April 2007
I47
This month marks the 10-year anniversary of Ellen DeGeneres' famed
on-screen outing. A decade later, small-screen lesbians are still breaking
boundaries, gaining visibility and showcasing our community's diversity.
In the pre-Ellen era, seeing lesbians on 1V pretty much meant you were
watching cable (or late-night pay-per-view smut, of course). These days,
queer girls appear just about everywhere, especially reality 1V, which
seems to hold a special place in its heart for girl-on-girl action. Arguably
one of the gayest straight shows to hit the air,America's Next Top Model,
leads the pack, feeding us a sweet dose of eye candy again this season
with yet another queer contestant - and we're not complaining.
Cable is still kind to its lesbian viewers, and continues to break ground
with shows like The N's South of Nowhere, where queer teens take
center stage. Meanwhile, women like Janice Dickinson who take an unabashed approach to sexuality are changing the landscape for women
of all orientations.
Even though we all love The L Word, options are always nice, and they're
quickly increasing. Whatever your pleasure, the networks are finally
catching up.
48
Icurve
Why We Love
Southof
Nowhere
A hot teen drama with a lesbian
romance is changing the face of
television. And we can't stop watching.
The second season of South of Nowhere opens
as a mussed blonde teen Spencer (Gabrielle
Christian) blinks awake in her besc,friend's sun,
flecked bed to coffee, compliments and tender
strokes. The scene's morning,afrer glow, sugges,
rive for a drama on The N aimed at a demograph,
ic ( 12, 17) below the legal age of consent, is made
exponentially edgier by the fact that Spencer's
partner in bed is King High's sultriest, most re,
bellious and openly queer 16,year old, Ashley
(Mandy Musgrave). Her sheets have surely been
rumpled by more than gossipy whisperings at a
run,of,the,mill
sleepover, a fact confirmed by
a cute act of processing: "Was I OK:"' corn,fed
z
w
§
iu.
:)
(.)
S/2
a:
• Spencer bashfully asks. "Yeah;' Ashley, slightly
more seasoned, assures, "you were:' "Thanks ... "
grins Spencer, 'TU get better:'
After a tantalizing first season of anticipation
for the joined,aMhe,hip duo "Splashley" (the fan,
fie term for the darling melded mush that together
Spencer and Ashley make) to finally lock lips in
season one's finale, producers started season two
did) while juggling diverse topics and supporting
characters can be successful with adolescent and
out with quite a bang. They ended with a bang of
another sort: gunshots fired outside King High's
teen audiences.
In fact, the series has gone so unremarked
prom night, and someone - to be disclosed in
season three - gets wheeled off in a stretcher.
The brain,child of kid,friendly executive pro,
upon for having 'daring' content, chat perhaps
the half,hour drama marks a generational shift
ducer Tom Lynch (KIDS Incorporated),South of
Nowhereplays like an after,school special version
of The OC or Beverly Hills 90210 transubstanti,
aced into The L Word, minus on,screen skinny
lesbian sex and over,the,top conceit. Still the
by the MySpace generation and signals how gay
teens are being considered more as part of a spec,
trum of "normal" by their peers. Last year South
in how LGBTQ issues are received differently
of Nowhere was given the nod of nomination for
a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding dra,
matic series for its honest, home,hitting portray,
show thankfully implies that (again, skinny) les,
bian sex is actually taking place, if somewhere
off,screen in our imaginations, and pleasures
als of the coming,out process and young queer
love. Although the more "mature" Angelinos of
openly in its midriffs, 'kewl' slang and Teen
People,inspired stylings. South of Nowhere,which
that other Los Angeles,based series, The L Word,
won the GLAAD award, there's no doubt that
reaches approximately 54 million households,
handles issues currently relevant to urban high
school,aged kids: drug use and addiction; class,
ethnic, religious and racial differences; using con,
South of Nowhere is gathering its kudos. Sporting
traception and teen pregnancy; handling paren,
cal demands and pressures to succeed in sports or
hitters, including out lesbian directors Donna
Deitch (Desert Hearts) and Rose Troche (Go
school; dealing with cliques and popularity con,
tests; and negotiating single,parent households
and troubled home lives. The second highest,
rated show on MTV's youth cable network, The
Fish, The L Word).
N (after Degrassi: The Next Generation), South
of Nowhere's prime time successes prove that
a show that revolves around a queer romance
(rather than side,showing lesbian love, like Buffy
definitely hopeful. Besides how could they leave
us hanging off a cliff? We have to know for sure
if our dear pair, Splashley, will prevail, hopefully
minus a wound to the heart. - CandaceMoore
a fast,paced handheld,camera
look that shows
off the vibrant cityscapes of Los Angeles, epi,
sodes have been directed by some beloved heavy
While word is not yet out ( as of press time)
as to whether South of Nowhere will be picked up
for a third season, sources on the team say they're
J:
(.)
April 2007
I49
1·was actually secretly hoping to see you and Amanda would be the
first siblings to win Top Model together.
I think a lot of people were hoping that. That was kind of cool.
Was it hard leaving while your sister, Amanda, was still there?
Yeah it was hard. I was definitely disappointed to leave. But I was glad she got
to stay and represent us, so that was cool.
It seemed like the judges thought that you sabotaged yourself so
that Amanda could stay.
I don't think I purposely sabotaged myself; maybe a little subconsciously. I
might have been worried about how she was doing and how her performance was, because I know Nigel and Jay didn't give her very good critiques on her photo shoots, so she was kind of in jeopardy coming into it.
But I don't think I went in there purposely thinking that I was going to
sabotage myself so she could stay. Every time it came to final judges, final
challenges, I didn't do that well. I would just be honest and apparently
they didn't like that.
I think they want people who are extremely self-confident, and it's
hard to be self-confident when you're not sure of things.
Yeah.
When the judges asked you who had the most potential, you didn't
say Amanda though.
My sister was kind of struggling with second-guessing herself and so, at the
time ... she needed to pick herself up. And CariDee just kind of won the
hearts of the judges through her personality, and in today's world personality means a lot.
Was that an area you didn't excel at?
I don't think they disliked my personality, but I didn't have that bubbly, attention-grabbing personality like CariDee or Melrose.
On the show, and I'm sure in real life, you and Amanda get compared a lot. Do you have parts of your life where that isn't the case?
Actually, yeah, basketball is kind of my thing and then theater is her
main thing.
Simpl Life
I was reading your stats. It's amazing; you're like a six-foot tall
basketball MVP with a state champion team. Why weren't you thinking about the WNBA instead of modeling?
America'sNext TopModel spawns
anotherlesbiancelebrity.Tomboy
MichelleBabinhardlyknowswhat
to do with fame.
By DianeAnderson-Minshall
Her queerness certainly wasn't a Top Model first, but before she came our as
a lesbian on prime time, b-baller turned model Michelle Babin was still two
of the show's firsts: She and her twin sister, Amanda, were the first siblings
to make it to the finals and the first twins in Model history. For Babin, the
show was a turning point, leading the self-professed tomboy to a new career
and worldwide fame. The babes, we assume, will soon follow. While making
it to the final five was exciting for the novice, the fun for fans was watching
her squeak by the competition one week (as when she expertly recreated both
halves of lesbian couple Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi) and falling
flat the next (as when she had to canoodle with hunky male model Fabio).
Though an angry bull couldn't take down this Cypress College athlete, some
self-doubt finally did. CuRVE caught up with Babin for a quick one-on-one
about confidence, bi-curious girls and coming out.
I'm not the star player. I'm just kind of one of the background players, so I'm
OK, and I enjoy it, but it's not something that I'm probably good enough
to keep going on to the next level. But I do it for fun, and I enjoy it.
You came out on Top Model, saying that you didn't know if you were
gay or bisexual. Was that spontaneous or planned?
Yeah, it was kind of random. The directors were talking about Megan
and stuff, and they brought up the question of my sexuality, and I just
answered honestly. It wasn't that big of a deal for me. I mean I guess it is
a big deal, but to me it was like, it's who I am, it's part of me, and I don't
really care who knows.
Was it a weird experience having those conversations initially with
people on camera? Many people struggle to have them in real life.
It was interesting, but it just happened. And it just wasn't that big of a deal. I
was kind of worried about how the girls would take it, but they all seemed
pretty cool and they took it really well, so it was. I got lucky.
Megan Morris, another lesbian contestant, told me all the girls in
the house had curiosity about lesbians and bisexuals.
Yeah, there were a couple of people who said they weren't opposed to experimenting or whatever, but they definitely still thought they were straight.
But they weren't opposed to experimenting a little.
~
Do you think that's it's different for your generation than it was for
0
girls your age 1 O or 20 years ago?
w
I
t
0
z
::i
Well it's getting a lot more accepted in today's culture. So it's kind of talked
about a lot more than it used to be. In the past it was like a hush~hush
thing like, if you're [gay]... don't talk about it - kind oflike the military.
Don't ask. Don't tell.
Don't ask, don't tell. Now it's something that's talked about. It still sets off a
bad light in certain people's eyes but, for the most part, people are getting
a lot more accepting about it, so it's kind of easier to talk about it.
One thing that's interesting is how often message boards that
just start out as fan boards about you can turn into debates
about sexuality.
Oh yeah. I have read some scuff, like on LiveJournal .... And it seems like for
the most part a lot of people are OK with it.
Any time someone has a problem, there seem to be a dozen other
people who reply with, "I like Michelle! Leave her alone. It's OK no
matter who she is."
Yeah, it seems like some people are like, oh I would never do it, but it's OK if
someone else does. Some people are, oh hell no! I'd never do it, but it's OK
if someone else does. Which is kind of cool.
The Next L Word?
This New York student project may be the next lesbian
drama you see on TV.
Have your feelings about sexuality changed since you made that
proposition on TV?
Nine lesbians living in Brooklyn, N.Y., have their lives filmed and
No it's much about the same. I'm kind of shy when it comes to relationships
so I haven't done a lot of exploring since. I don't know, I get shy when it
comes to relationships.
somehow keep it real: This may sound like a pitch for another reality
TV drone but it's Something Blue, a queer television pilot written and
directed by lesbian filmmaker Emily Millay Haddad. Filmed for her
master's degree project (she studied acting and lesbian performance at
Antioch University), Something Blue gave Haddad an opportunity to
tell a story of lesbians living a grittier life than the sultry stars of The
L Word.
"I wanted to take a finer and complicated look at characters, relationships, lesbian mothers and their families, which is something you don't
see," Haddad says. She leaned toward television because, she admits,
viewers have a tendency to connect and grow with the charactersof their
favorite series - precisely what she wants from Blue. The pilot centers
around two lesbian mothers with two grown daughters as well as their
polyamorous dyke friend who is navigating the waters of a new, monogamous relationship. Besides creating a show that focuses on relationships
not usually seen on TV, Haddad also wanted to highlight the bonds and
schisms between lesbians of different generations. She says the openness
of the show's younger characters is because of the courage displayed by
lesbians of the older generations.
"The questions I ask are different from what my mother asked, and
they're different from the questions 17-year-olds are asking,"says the 26year-old Haddad, on whose life most of the film is based.
A North Carolina native, Haddad, who lives a poly life in Brooklyn,
was raised by two mothers. She says her move to New York was a
moment of self-discovery, and she translated the city's pressure and pace
by shooting entirely in Brooklyn.
Premiering at the Brooklyn Lyceum to more than 500 people,
Something Blue quickly became a hit among New York'slesbians. The
Caddyshack and Rubyfruit, both popular lesbian bars, will host addi~
tional screenings, then Something Blue hits the LGBT filmfest circuit.
After working on Something Blue for two years, Haddad admits that
seeing her series alongside Showtime's TheL Word would be a dream
come true.
"My show is about and for the lesbian community, and there is a lot the
lesbian community can say about fidelity and integrity,"Haddad says.
To get Something Blue, check out circlesoffireproductions.com.
- Asiana Ponciano
So, no dating yet?
No, not really.
That's amazin·g in a world where there are thousands of women
dying to meet you right now.
Yeah, I know, I get shy.... [Laughs].I'm really a friendly person when it comes
to being in a friendship. It's really easy for me to be outgoing with friends,
but when it comes to someone I like, I just get shy or something.
Is your sister shy, or is she outgoing?
Uh, no. She's pretty outgoing. We're both pretty outgoing, but she's a little
more outgoing than I am.
Were you a fan of reality TV before you were on Top Model?
Yeah, I like reality TV. I think some of the shows are pretty entertaining.
Some of the dating shows are kind of funny
It seems like with your skill set that there are other reality shows
that you may have been better on, like Survivor or something more
physical.
Oh yeah, I like Survivor, too. Survivor would have been cool to go on.
So is Top Model your last foray into entertainment or are you
Hollywood-bound now?
We'll see. I haven't really decided. I'm not going out searching for the next re~
alicy TV show that will take me, but if something comes my way I would
be open to it. Right now, I'm in school playing basketball.
Since you grew up in Anaheim, Calif., the TV industry must not be
too foreign to you.
No, it's not chat new. My oldest sister actually graduated from [the American
Film Institute] in set design.
What does the world not know about Michelle?
·I'm actually pretty basic. I'm a ·lot younger than Megan, so I haven't experi~
enced a lot in life yet.
As a tomboy being on the show, did Top Model make you rethink
0
c3
0
<t:
I
...J
...J
3:
masculinity and feminity in any way?
No. Before Top Model, all through high school, I was a complete and utter
tomboy to the end. But as I got to my senior year and in college, well, I still
Simple Life conrinueJ on page 67
April 2007 I51
Strikea Pose
A littleeccentric,yes, but supermodeland TV star JaniceDickinsonis note
nearlyas insaneas I had hoped. By CatherinePlato
I was a little nervous to speak with Janice Dickinson, self proclaimed the world's
first supermodel, former lover of Mick Jagger and Jack Nicholson, with legions of
drooling female admirers. She partied hard core with beautiful bad girl and lesbian model Gia Carangi, graced the cover of Voguenearly 40 times and authored
an autobiography titled EverythingAbout Me Is Fake ... and I'm Perfect.I was
expecting to meet the ultimate prima donna, an eccentric, unpredictable dyedin-the-wool diva ready to cut me in half with her stiletto-sharp tongue.
I was admittedly a little disappointed to meet a kind-hearted, thoughtful,
mostly normal - all things considered - mother of two, the kind of woman who
is quick with a compliment and leaves with a cheerful "God bless!" Despite her
divalicious on-screen persona, Dickinson is friendly, sincere and (at times) surprisingly humble. Though she was discovered at the tender age of 14, Dickinson
__• claims not to have taken her superstardom for granted, stating that no one could
have predicted her success at the beginning of her career. "I absolutely had to
claw my way to the top;' she admits. "I had to struggle more than anyone:'
After some-years of relative underexposure to the public eye, Dickinson's
umpteenth return to the spotlight came with a role on falling-star reality show
The Surreal Life, and as a judge alongside Tyra Banks on Americas Next Top
Model.Unsatisfied with Banks' approach toward the biz, Dickinson launched her
own agency in 2005, with, of course, its own reality TV show of the same name,
TheJaniceDickinsonModelingAgency,on the Oxygen Network.
So what sets Dickinson apart from Banks as the ultimate reality TV model
scout?"If you look at the Top Model winners, they haven't really done anything;'
she explains. "My models are already booking A-list jobs; for example, French
Vogue.They're getting high money jobs .... It's the real deal:' She prides herself
on finding models with longevity and that certain je ne sais quoi,something
she calls "that capital I-T quality:'
So who in the celebrity world has this "1-T quality"?
Celebrities who nail that would be Angelina Jolie, Sharon
Stone, Cameron Diaz, Kathy Griffin. She has it, believe
it or not. In fact Kathy Griffin, if she were a little bit
taller, should be absolutely a supermodel.
Other than that "1-T quality," would you
say there are any personality traits
that you need for success in the
industry?
There are no personality traits
that we look for.... Models are
at the top of the food chain.
They're separate realities.... I'm
not impressed with people that
don't have a real personality, but you know
it's important just to sparkle. The camera doesn't lie.
What do you find sexy?
Oh, a good smile, a washboard stomach, a tight butt, manicured hands and feet,
a personality, humor, wit.
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"I'vealwayslovedhelpingpeople,givingback to society,givingback
to peoplewho havelessthan I do but I don't subscribeto bullshit.
I mean if someone'sbeinga dick, I'llbe the firstpersonto callthem
out on it. And that'sthat."
You've done so many different things, I mean you've been a photographer; a model, of course; a writer ...
An editor, a soccer mom.
What haven't you conquered yet?
It's politics next for me. Politics. I will definitely run for office.
What kind of office?
A public office. I want to be of service.... My big gifts for the holidays are
person to call them out on it. And that's that.
Out of all the different roles that you've been in your life, what
makes you feel the most sexy or the most powerful?
When I'm clean. When I'm clean, and I've got a good hair going ... then I'm
most sexy. Yeah!
Great.
[Laughs]Yeah, I'm real sexy. You know what else, you know what else I really
want to do? I want to go help the troops ... I would do something for the
troops. The troops need helping.
feeding the homeless.
Wow. I've heard that you've also done a lot of AIDS activism.
Well, millions. I just don't, well, I don't broadcast it. I just do it .... You know, I
In what kind of way? How do you see yourself helping them?
don't need the press. The most important thing is saving a life.
On TV you seem very, very comfortable with sexuality; you're very
That would be great. That would be something different.
sexually open.
I want to pass out sleeping bags to the homeless ... you know, deck them out,
I have a lot of sexual energy, that's true.
Yeah. Have you ever identified as anything other than straight?
What do you most want to be remembered for?
I have .... I've (written] about being with women.
I think I'm going to arrange a lingerie fashion show for the troops.
in you know, designer sleeping bags.
'Are you kind of fluid?
I want to be most remembered by just being honest ... don't you?
For being honest? Yeah, absolutely.
Oh, I'm all over the place.
And also that I've made a difference. That I've written books about incest.
What do you think people would be surprised to know about you?
That I have a very generous spirit. I've always loved helping people, giving
back to society, giving back to people who have less than I do ... but I don't
subscribe to bullshit. I mean if someone's being a dick, I'll be the first
That I've written books about incest, sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll ... I do care
about people out there, even though if I tell them, "You're not quite it, you
don't have the goods to be a model;' but I do care about their feelings, you
know? Oddly enough, I just do. ■
April 2007
I53
There'sa StormComing
She rockedthe stage of Supernovafor one of her manygigs. Now the largerthan-lifesingerworksit with Stormand the Balls.By ReneeWestbrook
Last year was a great year for Rock Star: Supernova finalist Storm Large.
Her single "Ladylike" debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Hot Singles Chart,
she appeared on ESPN and Fox belting out the national anthem and even
made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Bold, bawdy, blonde and
six feet tall, the 37 -year-old diva turns heads wherever she go~s.
As an angsty, pierced, Mohawk-sporting punk rocker, Large floated in
and out of trouble during her teenage years. "I just couldn't get it together
(enough] to give a fuck about expectations and social norms, because I would
never fit in the social norm;' she explains. "I was big, loud, I liked crazy things,
and nobody liked me:'
Susan Storm Large (her real name) was never destined to be the girl next
door. Her mother, a diagnosed schizophrenic, bounced in and out of mental institutions during Larges childhood, leaving their rural Massachusetts
household in constant chaos. "When she was home, it was traumatizing
Though she never set out to be a misfit, it solidified her place as queen of
the offbeat hotties and opened the door to sexual sovereignty. Though you
won't get her to detail her intimate encounters with women, when it comes
to sexual orientation she refuses to limit hersel£ "I consider myself bent. I'm
because she would be attempting suicide at one point or another, in one form
or another;' Large says of her mother, Susie.
certainly not straight;' she says.
The statuesque chanteuse began her studies at The American Academy
Preoccupied with his wife's illness, Henry W. Large Jr., a history teacher,
often left his daughter and her older brothers in the care of a nanny. Faced
with loneliness and no sound female role model, Large learned to become
emotionally self-sufficient - and to define her own femininity in somewhat
unconventional terms. "I associated being a woman with being weak; that was
of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1987. Feeling she lacked the maturity required to become a serious actor, she instead focused on a professional
singing career. During the '90s, she found her niche fronting several San
my first association because my mother was the only woman in my life:'
54
Icurve
Francisco-based bands. Eventually though, Willie Brown politics, high rents
and a diminishing club scene sent her packing.
"I left that town with my fuckin' middle finger up;' she says.
Gluedto the Tube
A few more reasons not to leave your couch this spring.
Large landed in Portland, Ore., and in 2002 formed Storm and the Balls
with Everclear alums James Beaton and David Loprinzi (her live-in partner) and former Motherlode drummer Brian Parnell. Their lounge-core act
consists of originals "I Want You to Die" and "Beautiful;' but the big draw
is their set of live mash-ups that fuse tunes from polar opposite genres into
very cool musical ditties. On this lounge rocker's stage, Abba and
,,,..-----.,..
Sure, we re slavishly devoted to plenty of non gay television (did anyone
else cry when Marissa died on The O.C.?) but lesbian characters appear
in plenty of queer shows, and we couldn't be happier about it. Here are
some of this month's raves. - Diane Anderson-Minshall
Iron Butterfly beautifully coexist within the same song ('J\bbaGadda-Davida''), as do Lynyrd Skynyrd and Sir Mix-A-Lot ("Sweet
Homey Motherfucker").
on Logo, especially with lesbian content, but a handful of
new shows prove the network is doing all right by dykes.
Among our faves are U.S. of ANT (where host/ comic
ANT goes to rural areas like Montana and Alabama to
meet the local queers) and First Comes Love, the on-theway-to-the altar reality show hosted this year by lesbian
comic Elvira Kurt and wedding planner Fern Cohen.
Coming up later this year
are Exes and Ohs, a lesbian
soap starring Heather Matarazzo; director
Amanda Bearse's The Big Gay Sketch Show
(think Saturday Night Live meets queer cultural parodies); and Curl Girls (hot lesbian
surfers - need we say more?). (logoonline
.com)
But make no mistake - the Balls are not a novelty act. They
create an unusual brew of music that sits well with rabid fans.
"Without my fans, without an audience, I'm just a bunch of hot air
in the dark;' she admits. "There's no career, there is no money, there
is no reason to be doing what I'm doing without my fans:' Although
she was dropped from the Rock Star: Supernova tour, she's got a new
album and a solo tour in the works.
"No matter what happens, I've had a career, I'll have a career;' she told the
Portland Tribune's Eric Bartels. 'Tm going to be a musician until the wheels
fall off:' ■
Logo's
Lineup:
Sure, original programming is slow-going
Dirt:Courteney Cox plays a power-hungry tabloid
editor who orgasm only through masturbation c'mon, how often do we see that on TV? Cox's character, Lucy, has a gay brother but better yet, Carly Pope
plays a sexy, lesbian drug dealer to the stars, whom
we do see macking on girls. Heroin hasn't looked this
sexy since Gia. (ix.com)
I'm FromRolling
Stone:
Perhaps because we're in publishing, we can't help
but love a show about interns trying to get a full-time gig at a magazine
that will ay them poorly and drive them to drink. But our love of this reality program has to do with one person: 26-year-old black lesbian poet
Tika Milan. Not only does she offer up a post-feminist vision of butch
lesbianism on primetime, unlike The L Word gals, she actually looks like
lesbians we know in real life. (mtv.com)
Here! Originals:Were utterly devoted to the campy supernatural
thriller Dante's Cove (third season coming up) with openly lesbian actor •
Michelle Wolff, and even though we insist that we know all there is to know on
the subject, we admit to being fascinated
by the new talk show Lesbian Sex and
Sexuality. (heretv.com)
Hex:A dead lesbian usually isn't a goo
thing in a series, but in this gothi
boarding school British drama, the wit
ty dyke in question (Thelma) becomes
sort of spiritual guide from the afterlife,
so it's not too bad. Lots of lesbian refer
ness make this compellingly fun, post-B
April 15, a day more feared than the Ides
of March, is a taxing and troubled time
for many of us. We scramble to find those
crumpled receipts, bank statements, W2s
and 1099s, then try to make sense of the
2 million words that constitute tax law.
A brave minority prepares their own taxes each year.
The rest of us are happy to hand our most private informa,
tion over to someone else to file. One stoic subculture that
does not shiver at the mention of the Internal Revenue
paid to stand on street
corners and count the
number of people wear,
ing seat belts in passing
cars, Zobel decided to
undertake bookkeeping.
"I got fired from my first
job because I had no
idea what I was doing;'
Zobel
says. She then
took accounting classes
•and landed a job with
H&R Block, only to quit two weeks later to start her
own business. Zobel has been practicing for more than
20 years, with offices in San Francisco and Oakland. She
Service is the sisterhood of the lesbian tax preparers.
currently has more than 400 clients, about 75 percent of
whom are LGBT. She also teaches seminars all over the
In a profession dominated by straight white men,
some of our lesbian sisters have carved a successful space
country on tax preparation for self,employed people.
Organizations like GayFinancialAdvisors.com pro,
for themselves. A principal in her own tax practice, Karen
vide exposure for lesbian tax preparers and important
Stogdill, 47, says,"I worked for many years doing tax work
for pension plans in corporate settings, and not only being
financial planning resources for the LGBT community.
Gay Financial Advisors was founded on the idea that
a lesbian, but being a butch lesbian, made it very difficult
to progress beyond a certain level:' Stogdill, among oth,
"gay and lesbian couples can not rely on partners' pension
benefits, social security, joint tax filing, and other benefits
heterosexual couples do receive by marriage:'
ers, has pushed past these parameters by starting her own
practice and servicing thousands of LGBT clients.
Perhaps because we're traditionally socialized
to think of men as exceptional at math, women are
often afraid of numbers. "I think a lot of it goes to
women's phobia about math and numbers, added to a
general fear of taxes;' says Pan Haskins, 57, a CPA from
Oakland, Calif., with an MS in taxation. Haskins ran "the
ultimate lesbian, feminist accounting firm" with eight em,
ployees at the height of her business. "It's important that
we help others establish themselves in this field in which
it is hard to become competent;' she adds.
Tax law is very complicated and can be quite confus,
ing. Between convoluted tax jargon, scary mathematical
,calculations and just generally busy lives, many people
rely on the expertise of tax preparers.
For many communities, such as lesbians and the
selremployed, tax season can be especially daunting.
Jan Zobel, who holds an MBA in accounting, authored
"Tax law was never meant to apply to domestic part,
ners;' says CPA Linda Shear, a tax preparer with an ac,
JAN ZOBEL'S
TIPS TO SELFEMPLOYED
WOMEN
1. Record-Keeping:
It's not sexy. Everyone's
looking for the hidden
deduction. There is no
such thing. It's called
good record-keeping.
2. Don't make the
assumption that you
didn't make enough
to file. Any business
t_hatmakes a profit
of more than $400 is
expected to file.
3. Be real about taxes.
To think you're never
going to have to pay
the piper is not realistic.
Either pay as you go or
get your quarterly estimated taxes going.
counting MBA and a private practice serving 300 clients
in both California and Massachusetts. Shear believes we
live in a community where "lesbians tend to mush every,
thing together. We' re for all intents and purposes married
on the second date. There are tremendous financial im,
plications to that:' Shear prioritizes communication with
her clients. She feels it's important to "navigate my clients
through the complex area of tax law. I know the rules and
push up against them:'
Why go to a lesbian tax preparer? "I think it is very
important that we have competent professionals we can
relate to and trust in dealing with such highly charged
areas as money and taxes - and death, in the case of
estate taxes;' Haskins says.
Minding Her Own Business, a guide to tax preparation for
Freelance journalist Kelsy Chauvin takes her taxes to
a preparer every year. "Now that I'm a freelancer, that can
be complicated. I need as much help as I can get, and ac,
self,employed women.
After tiring of odd jobs, including one where she got
countants cover more ground and get more money for
me;' Chauvin says. ■
April 2007
I57
Reviews
Sapphic Screen
In the Company of Men
I
Lesbians who aren't content in pink collar worlds. By Diane Anderson-Minshall
C
EDITOR'S
PICK
In HerLineof Fire
(Genius/here!):
It's a
longwayfromPersonal
Best,butin manyways
thesexylesbianSecret
Serviceagentwhom
MarielHemingway
plays
hereis a naturalprogression.
Veryseldomdo
we geta queerRamboesqueactionflick with
lesbianmaincharacters
andopenlygayactors
(JillBennettplays
Hemingway's
rookie
reportergirlfriend).
Passthe popcorn.
(libent.com)-Diane
Lesbians in film used to follow a pretty traditional route: a
Anderson-Minshall
tlingly acting chops. And, to boot, Paul, who has a lesbian sister
love with another (often straight) girl and discovers ( usually
in real life, knows pretty damn well how to play gay on screen.
In Trapped, she's Samantha, an Internet security expert strug~
tragically) who she really is. Alas, things have changed so much
that it's hard to determine if a film has a heterosexual woman
in drag, an FTM or transman or an actual dyke as the main
character. Even openly queer cinematic women these days don't
always bother uttering the L~word. But as indie cinema shows,
that's all beside the point anyway.
My Brother's War (Vanguard Cinema)
This little seen indie film is one of a handful of Vanguard's new
indie films with undercurrents of queer or trans themes that
are being marketed to the mainstream. But lesbians shouldn't
miss the attempts at covering new territory that a film like
(aren't they always) and a pouty, petulant teenage daughter,
Gwen. After Samatha and her daughter are kidnapped, she is
forced to hack into the FBI database to locate a witness in pro~
tection. What's most surprising in this ultimate tale of female
empowerment? Just how engaging this slightly unbelievable ac~
tion thriller is. Lesbians, including the so very sexy openly gay
actor Michelle Wolff, are mere icing on the cake. (libent.com)
1888 (Vanguard Cinema)
My Brother's War makes. In it, Gr~ce is torn between her
fiance and her family as the Civil War pits the Union Army and
the confederates against one another. To protect her brother she
chops off her hair, dons his clothes and joins the rebels in his
one thing this modern retelling has all over the way we learned
it in elementary school is a woman in drag. (Text books should,
in fact, have many more women in drag, but that's a whole other
place. Soon she falls in love with a war widow, and the couple
review.) In 1888, Verne joins Italian explorer Stradelli in a trip
finds themselves running through the backwoods to escape the
war. This leads to irrevocable changes for both of the women and
their lives. Production values are mixed at times, but really,when
along the Amazon's Orinoco River. They pick up a stranger
along the way, a woman disguised as a man who is searching
for her father. While the story belongs wholly to Verne especially the sort of absurd events that threaten his life on the
(vanguardcinema.com)
trip - having a character who is read as a transgender man or
a butch lesbian (one imagines, that like with My Brother'sWar,
Trapped (Genius/here! Films)
that interpretation will largely be subjective) does make this
indie flick something a little different than the next historical
biopic. (vanguardcinema.com)■
It doesn't do this film justice to lead off by telling you that
it stars Baywatch babe Alexandra Paul because, unlike a
I curve
gling to better balance a demanding career, a hot girlfriend
This Spanish~language Mexican film uses Jules Verne's own
diaries to tell the "extraordinary voyage" of the Santa Isabel, but
was the last time a movie tackled drag without it being a comedy?
58
number of her former castmates, Paul actually has some star~
butchy girl who didn't fit in falls in (sometimes unrequited)
DVD PICKS
skirtandunwrapherChristmas
package.(frameline.org)
- TracyE.Gilchrist
Hung(Frameline):
Leaveit to
premierpowerlesbianGuinevere
Turnerto bypassthestrap-on
altogether
andfigureout howto
packa realpistol.In hershortfilm festivaldarlingHung,the
screenwriter,
actoranddirector
-who's pennedclassicssuch
as GoFishandearlyL Word
episodes
- explores
the ins
andoutsof wieldinga penis
for a day,includingsex,sizeenvy,peeingontreesandthe
continualquestto getlaid.Like
a modern-day
lesbianJimJones
or a hippyhandingoutacid,
Turner'scharacteradministers
herversionof Kool-Aid
to a
handfulof herlesbianfriends.
Thetinctureproduces
a penis
pergalviaTurner'seye-dropper
to thetongue.
A couplein Turner'spenis
possewakesupwith morningwood,leadingthemto
experiment
withbigenitalsex.
Withinfiniteoptions,thecouple
engagesin anexhaustive
roll
in thesheetsfor mostof their
24-hourendowment
period.
Meanwhile,
oneof the gangdiscoversthejoysof fullyclothed,
hands-on-hips,
Superman-style
urination.
Anothersuffersfrom
the baneof boyseverywhere:
small-penis
syndrome.
A short-skirted,
high-boots
cladTurnertrollslesbianhot
spots,likethe hardware
store,
searching
for viableladiesto
bed.Butevensuperfemme,
supersexy
Turnercan'tfinda gal
to jumpstarthernewpowertool.
Hungis a lighthearted
look
cc
w
at
a
long-standing
taboo
lesbian
-'
-'
fantasy-to unstrapthedildo
~
w
u..
andharnessandto knowfirst-'
0
handhowit feelsto fuckwith
3:
u..
0
a penis.Turnergotit right,save
>(J)
for herownstoryline.Withher
w
....
a:
mojo,she'dhavenoprobfinding
::::,
0
()
a lesbianto reachupunderher
Swimmers
(SkourasFilms):
Thisis thetouchingtaleof 11year-oldEmma,whosefamily
beginsto fall apartwhenshe
needsexpensive
earsurgery.Her
father,a Maryland
oysterfisher,
hasalwaysjust madeenough
to keepthefamilyafloat.Amid
theirunfoldingpersonal
and
interpersonal
struggles,
Merrill,a
mysterious
youngwoman,shows
I PRODUCER I
upin thesmalltown.Emma
andMerrillsoonbecomeclose
Miami native Tamika Miller was just 23 when she produced her first commercial, and
friends,andSwimmers
depicts
since has line-produced more than 60 commercials and music videos. She's directed a
thedeeploveembodied
in a true
series of meditation and martial arts videos, the shore documentary Released:5 Shorts on
friendship,
regardless
of theage
Women in Prison (which featured renowned scholar and activist Angela Davis) and her
difference.
Thefilm'stitle is well
first narrative film,Oucfest winner Giftfor the Living, which garnered the 2005 Showtime
chosen;for notonlyis swimBlack Filmmaker Showcase Grand Prize. Bue char does little to prepare you for the brilmingEmma'sgreatpassion,
the
liance
of her '70s era period filmSarang Song, which - in addition to airing on Logo
movie'spacealsoresembles
a
and Showtime - is part of the new lesbian shores collection She Likes Girls. - Diane
slowbutsteadyswimthroughits
Anderson-Minshall
story.Aswhenyou'reunderwater,the emotionsin Swimmers
don'tnecessarily
touchyouwith
Sarang Song feels so original. Can you tell me how it started?
thefull forceof theirimpact
When I originally thought of the script for what became Sarang Song, I wantbutratherpermeate
thesoul
ed it co be a short film about activist and scholar Angela Davis .... However, I
slowly.(swimmersthemovie.com)
couldn't obtain the rights to cell her story, but I still wanted co tell a story set
- UrsulaSteck
TamikaMiller
LadyVengeance
(Tartan):
After
beingwrongfullyincarcerated
for
13years,onewomanhasonly
onethingonhermind:revenge.
Shesetsin motiona payback
plotthat'ssointricateit makes
KillBilllooksimple.Butafterher
horriblediscovery,
norevengeis
enough.(tartanfilms.com)
TheMaid(Tartan):Singapore's
first homegrown
horrormovie
wasamongthecountry'shighest
boxofficedrawsandwithgood
reason.
Thisfrightfestfollows
Rosa,a maidwhois newto the
countryanda nonbeliever
in the
DVD Picks continued on page 67
amidst the socially and politically turbulent times of the early 1970s. And I
wanted it to be a love story, as the idea of love in the midst of war was very
appealing co me. So I decided it should be a love story of two black women
set amidst the student protest movement, and use chis movement to test their
love. Using the early 1970s as a backdrop was essential for me celling such a
story, particularly a story we've rarely seen. le was a unique and colorful era
- the music, the dress, the politics. It was an era of expression.
How did you so carefully get a feel for the early '70s?
I read about the era and looked at numerous photos and video footage ....
le was an era of protest, and culturally chis expression came through in the
w:1ypeople spoke, the way people dressed and what people communicated
through music. I had a fabulous art director and wardrobe stylist who really
understood the look and feel of the time as well.
Any plans to turn this into a feature or a story like it?
I currently don't have any plans to turn Sarang Song into a feature-length film.
Bue, never say never. As for a story like it, I would love co direct a feature-.
length film about Angela Davis. Her life story fascinates me, and would make
a powerful film. So, I hope chis is in my future. ■
April 2007
I 59
Reviews
In the Stacks
Paperback Writers
Some books are even better the second time around.
Both of these works, by two talented writers, have just come
into their paperback editions. If you missed these titles in
hardcover, now's the time to pick them up and enjoy some fine
fiction. The first is a collection of short stories by one of our
community's most talented lesbian writers, and the other is a
skilled first novel by an author relatively new on the scene who
we hope to see more from.
EDITOR'S
PICK
touchy
subjects
stories, "Through the Night;' could only have been written
by a woman all too familiar with life centered around a newborn: "But even to use the terms night and day was misleading. Day and night were human inventions, Una realized,
and Moya - a startled visitor from another planet - had
never heard of them. There was no longer any night for Una.
... Hers was a work shift that neve~ really ended even when
she was meant to be relaxing, one long day that spun on sickeningly through dark and light, sound and silence:'
The relationship between humans and their pets is also
explored in the book, with often subtly macabre side effects:
the coming together and eventual breakup of a lesbian couple because of a cat, a straight couple's strange obsession with
their dogs.
Other "touchy subjects" explored among her
- a mixture of men and women, gay and straight
cial hair, the perilous results of an act of kindness,
encounter with a special needs man in a cave; a
characters
- are faa woman's
teen boy's
queer sexual awakening on the sports field, and the trials of
communal living, especially when sexual secrets are in the
Ic~rve
air. In the story "WritOr;' Donoghue even takes a poke at
would-be-writers and those charged with their instruction:
'1\fter that, in his head he called them all 'my would-he's;
meaning that they perhaps would have been writers if they'd
been born with a tittle of talent:'
Only a handful of the stories have substantial lesbian
content, including the cat couple in "The Cost of Things" and
the rather unsatisfactory
Touchy Subjects, Emma Donoghue (Harcourt
CryRape,Bill Books)
Lueders
(University
of
Irish author Emma Donoghue is best known to CURVE readWisconsin
Press) ers for past books including Stir Fry and Slammerkin. At age
Veryrarelydotruecrime 37, she is the awardbookstacklewomen's
winning author of nuvictimization
in such
merous novels, short
a strikinglyfeminist
manner- especially stories and nonfiction,
whenthe authoris male. and this latest collection
Evenodderstillthat Cry shows her maturing skill
Rape,a quitecompelling as a writer, as well as the
exposeof thejustice influence of motherhood
system'sreluctance
to
on her work. Tellingly,
admitits capacityfor
the book is dedicated
errorandthe bewildered to her son, Finn, a child
working-class
woman she had with her female
whogetscaughtin the
partner.
middle,showsusthat
From the title story
sometimes
evena liberal
in
the first section,
oasislikeMinneapolis
canget it all wrong. "Babies;' where single
(wise.
edulwiscon woman Sarah plots her future child's conception with an
sinpress)
- Diane old friend, through "Domesticity;' "Stranger," "Desire" and
Anderson-Minshall"Death;' Donoghue always hits her mark. One of the best
60
IBy Rachel Pepper
student-teacher
affair featured in
"Speaking in Tongues:' But all 19 stories in this collection,
which range from very good to sublime, are shaped by the
sensibilities of a talented lesbian writer. There is no doubt
that whether Donoghue is tackling touchy subjects or not,
she is at the top of her craft. (harcourtbooks.com)
Slipstream, Leslie Larson (Random House)
It's a rare first novelist who can create an ensemble of intersecting fictional characters and so artfully meld together
their fates. Winner of the 2006 Astraea Award for Fiction
and a 2006 Book Sense Notable Book, Slipstream takes place
in Los Angeles and focuses on a group of people who work at
the LAX airport, leading mostly low-paid, marginal lives.
The pivotal character around which all the others spin
is Wylie, a straight man
who works as a bartender
in the airport.
Wylie is a quiet observer of human foibles,
but his own calm ideology is about to be tested
when his long-time girlfriend announces she's
----
Stll'lllUl1Blllll
al-Ulll1CI-
pregnant.
Wylie's college-going
lesbian niece, Jewell, is
trying to come to terms
with the end of her rela-
LIPSTREA
:£eJlie :£arJo
tionship with Celeste,
who is leaving her to
reunite with an ex-lover,
Dana. Complicating the picture, Celeste and Dana have a
daughter together, Rachel, part of the new fictional generation being raised by lesbian parents. Throw in an airport custodian named Rudy, his Avon-selling wife, Inez, who's plotting to leave him, and Jewell's ex-con father, Logan, and you
have enough human drama to keep the pages turning.
Larson's careful construction of characters along with her
vivid portrayal of Los Angeles itself are what make the most
lasting impressions. The people of Slipstream seem so real;
their startling faults and cravings, hopes and dreams, and
carefully thought out destinies make the book impossible to
put down. (randomhouse.com) ■
PAGE TURNERS
BentoBoxin theHeartland:
MyJapanese
Girlhood
in
Whitebread
America,
Linda
Furiya(SealPress):Furiya
depictslife asa memberof the
soleAsianfamilyin Indiana,and
howthecomfortof foodhelped
herdealwith racism.Fullof tales
of Japanese
feudalwarlordsand
characters
whosevoicesbrim
withstrengthandpride,Bento
Boxcontainsmanykernelsof
truth.Thestoriesthat immigrantparentsleavewiththeir
American
childrenteachthemof
theirstrongandnobleheritage,
askingthemneverto relegate
themselves
to secondary
status
afterimmigration.
(sea/press.
com)- KimFujioka
It HitMeLikea TonofBricks,
Catherine
LloydBurns(North
PointPress):Television
actor
Catherine
LloydBurnschronicles
two generations
of motherhood
andexplores
thecomplexity
of familyrelationships
in this
sincereandentertaining
memoir.
Portraying
herownmotheras
coldandinsensitive
yetinspiring,Burnsis determined
notto
followsuitwhenherdaughter
Oliveis born.Butherhumorous
andheart-wrenching
journey
arrivesat anessentialuniversal
truth:Yourparentsarejust as
crazyandfucked-upasyou
are.Recommended
readingfor
newmamasandcross-bearingdaughters.
(fsgbooks.com)
- Catherine
Plato
Lisa
Gray-Garcia
I
WRITER, POVERTY SCHOLAR
I
At age 11, Lisa"Tiny" Gray-Garcia was battling being homeless and
helping her single mom struggle with her own childhood legacy of
abuse and neglect. In her excruciating, sometimes darkly comic new
memoir, Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up Homeless in America (City
Lights), Garcia lays bare the roots of poverty and criminalization of
poor folks in this "messed-up reality:' - Diane Anderson-Minshall
Folks might not see that your book is, at its core, a motherdaughter love story. Did you mean for that to shine through?
Oh yes ... It is most definitely one of the most important
points of the book. In the end, my po' mixed-race mama lived
and survived through so much hell and still raised me, and to
this day I still want to make her happy, and I know that this
book would make her feel ... that it wasn't all a waste. [I want]
more mamas and daughters . . . to love each other, protect
each other, live with each other and ultimately care for each
other into adulthood, elderhood, ancestorhood and beyond.
How can we stop the criminalization of poor folks?
First of all, don't feed, believe, work for, overtly or covertly, the
cult of the clean, Disneyfied city where all people who aren't
clean, usually white and traditionally emp_loyedshould never
AppetiteforProfit:Howthe
be seen ... where youth of color are considered loitering when
FoodIndustry
Undermines
Our
they stand together on a corner; where houseless people who
HealthandHowtoFightBack,
are sleeping in their cars or on the sidewalk are cited for just
MicheleSimon(NationPress):
If you'reoverweight
or physically
being there; and where people who don't own their land but
unfit,you'rea lazy,ignorantslob.
who are soliciting work are considered illegal [such as] unThat'swhat"BigFood,"including
documented workers, micro-business people, panhandlers,
companies
likeKraft,Coca-Cola
sex workers, recyclers. Don't buy that terra cotta condo in
andMcDonald's,
wouldhave
a gentrified neighborhood or, if you do, make sure that you
•youbelieve.Publichealthlawyer
don't call the police in your new neighborhood on the people
andnutritionadvocate
Simon
living in the sidewalk hotels or standing on the corner who've
exposes
theshockingdirtyseprobably been living in that neighborhood longer than you.
cretsbehindthefoodconglomerDo you see a disproportionate number of women?
atesandtheirconspiracy
(yes,
Most definitely, [because of] the disproportionate impact of
conspiracy!)
to pushjunkfood
poverty on mothers and women, from welfare deform to a highonyou.Shearguesthat BigFood
Page Turners continued on page 69
er rate of domestic violenceperpetuated against women. ■
April 2007
I61
Reviews
Music Watch
•fslTrying
~L-1
...........
~l~J=~
THERYMIN
on Some New Sound
I
Some artists never go out of style. By Margaret Coble
EDITOR'S
PICK
Liveat theRyman,
KittyRose(WildAffair)
A classiccountrytroubadour,lesbiantwanger
KittyRosestartedout
in thegrandol' country
way:froma Houston
choirto performing
at
the SuperBowlat 12
andhavingherfirst song
published
at 13.Butthis
risingstarleft Nashville
for Hollywood.
Now25
yearslater,she'sback,
freshfromwinninga
2005Outmusic
Award
for herCDKiftr Rose
Music, like fashion, is often about taking risks and trying someGreatest
Hitsandopenthing new. So while it may be a stretch to try to fit folksinger
ingfor bandslikeHootie
andthe Blowfish.
That Patty Griffin's rockin' new set or'80s pop-star Belinda Carlisle's
wasnothingcompared unexpected foray into French chansons into this issue's focus
to this newrelease, on fashion, you got to hand it to these women - as well as
whichis actually1972 American Idol winner Fantasia, whose fresh, new, hip-hop
concertfootagefound flavored sophomore disc definitely is fashionable - for being
by·aconstruction
worker daring enough to step out of their comfort zones and try on a
doingrenovations
on new sound.
the RymanAuditorium
in Nashville.
Thestory Children Running Through, Patty Griffin (ATO
behindthe losttapes
Records)
(bourbon
andCoke
Though not a complete departure by any means (Griffin's 1998
playsa role)andthe
deathof oneof the rock-tinged album Flaming Red comes to mind), it is striking
guestsingers(country upon first listen how much more upbeat and simply rockin' this
starSandeeSaunders sixth studio release by the 42-year-old, Maine-born singersongwriter is in comparison to her recent work. Particularly
whowasdecapitated
in
anaccidentdayslater) after 2004's darkly poetic ImpossibleDream, this 12-song set
makethisa country runs the gamut from folk to country to blues, gospel and rock,
classicin so many and takes the listener a bit by surprise. Griffin's distinctive voice
sensesof theword. may get a little more revved up at moments, but ultimately re(kittyrose.com)
- Diane mains as emotive as ever - as do her literary lyrics - and
Anderson-Minshall
it is nice to hear her lighten up a little, musically. Though the
disc opens with the tender, soft "You'll Remember;' the pace
soon quickens to the bluesy "Stay on the Ride" and crescendos with the electric guitar-filled, roots-rock stomper "Getting
Ready" (my personal singalong fave) and the acoustic romp
"No Bad News:' Fans of Griffin's sad folk-pop songs shouldn't
worry, though, as there's still plenty of those here, interspersed
with the peppier numbers ("Trapeze;' "Burgundy Shoes" and
"Railroad Wings"). Overall, it's a nice mix of moods and beats
62
Icurve
that will perhaps garner Griffin a much-deserved wider audience. (pattygrijfin.com)
Voila, Belinda Carlisle (Rykodisc)
It's hard to know quite what to say when you realize the woman who was one of your adolescent New Wave idols is now
singing Edith Piaf tunes (not that there's anything wrongwith
Edith Piaf). Bringing home the "truth is stranger than fiction''
adage, Belinda Carlisle, former frontwoman of the Go-Go's,
has just released her first album in over a decade and, yes, it's
all in French. The biggest surprise, though, is that it's actually
good! Apparently inspired by her time spent living in France
(off and on since 1994), Carlisle works with Brian Eno on
keyboards and Natasha Atlas on backing vocals, among other
notable bandmates, and manages to come up with a thoroughly
enjoyable 11-track collection of classic covers including Serge
Gainsbourg's "Bonnie et Clyde" and "Contact;' Jacques Brel's
"Ne Me Quitte Pas;' and Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose." Bravo,
Belinda, bravo. (rykodisc.com)
Fantasia, Fantasia Barrino (J Records)
As the winner of the third season of the TV pop-star contest
American Idol, Fantasia Barrino had a lot to prove to the world
with her debut album, 2004's Free Yourself.Despite production help from Missy Elliott and Jermaine Dupri, though, her
first effort earned her comparisons to Patti LaBelle and other
smooch-crooning old schoolers via the album's slick production
and ballad-heavy lyrical content. Though good enough to sell 2
million albums, it wasn't really what Barrino felt represented her
true artistry. This second set busts out with more street savvy
Trying on Some New Sow1d continued on page 67
z
~
ci5
...J
...J
c3
~
OTHER LICKS
jazzandhip-hopfromoneof San
Francisco's
finestunderground
labels.CutsfromformerDigable
PlanetsvocalistLadybugMecca
("DaggStarr")andStrangeFruit
ProjectfeaturingErykahBadu
("GetLive")standout.
(om-records.
com)
SingYouSinners,
Erin
McKeown
(Nettwerk):
Witha freshtakeonsome
lesserAmericanstandards,
Northampton
lesbianMcKeown
shakesupthe likesof Cole
Porter,FatsWallerandJohnny
Mercer,deliveringa gorgeous
13-tracksetthat'sa pure
joy to listento, especially
the
calypso-bumpin'
"PaperMoon."
(erinmckeown.com)
Reflections
(ARetrospective),
MaryJ. Blige(Geffen):
Hoton
the heelsof lastyear'scharttoppingTheBreakthrough,
this
15-trackgreatesthitscollection
fromthe hip-hopsoulqueenalso
featuresherlatesthit "WeRide(I
Seethe Future),"amongcareer
highlights"NoMoreDrama,"
"RealLove"and"BeHappy."
(mjblige.com)
Rejuve,
TammyHall
(Elfenworks):
Oneof the Bay
Area'smostsought-after
jazz
Rubbing
DownDebbie(self·
musicians
releases
this 11-track
released):
Luckilyfor them,
opusof soothingpiano-violinthis Jacksonville,
Fla.,five-girl
percussion
jazzin conjunction
bandhasgotthe noisy,brash
punk-meets-heavy
rockgrooves withthe NorthernCalifornia
&
to backuptheirattention-getting Divisionof the Leukemia
Lymphoma
Society
to
draw
moniker.(myspace.com/
attentionto the diseasewhich
rubbingdowndebbie)
tookthe life of hermotherandto
comfortthoseafflicted.(tammy
hall.com)
Mekole Wells
I
SINGER, SURVIVOR
I
Mekole Wells is a woman with a mission. Her music seeks to empower her audience
to be true to themselves and find time to break it down on the dance floor. The pro~
vocative and reflective quality of her voice reveals the singer as an authority on this
subject matter, and indeed she is: In 1998, Wells was told she would never sing again
after she was stabbed 10 times and her throat was slit in a domestic abuse incident.
Now, eight years later, the lesbian musician has just finished her role in Menopause:
The Musical and awaits the release of her second album. - Sonia Kreitzer
Tell me about your first CD, Full Circle.
Full Circlewas basically written for me and everyone else out there because I
had gone through such a tumultuous time in my life, between my stabbing,
and the loss of my mother and just really searching for mysel£
How did those experiences affect you, and your music?
You know, after my stabbing, I had gone through a lot of stuff and I lived
on skid row for a minute. Not because I was an alcoholic or a drug addict,
because I don't do that. It's because I had too much pride, and sometimes
your demise in life makes you wake up. So I wasn't liquored up when I was
on skid row, I was wide awake. And that, that's even worse .... Someone once
asked me, "Do you believe in the afterlife:"' I said, "I believe in the afterlife,
~
...J
SweetMistake,Adrianne
~
(WAC):
TheL.A.-baseddyke
~
0
(.)
acoustic
rockerunleashes
this
;>.:
I
13-tracksetwith surefireoriginal
a..
~
hitslike"ShootingStar"and
(9
interesting
coversliketheViolent
I
Femmes'"Blisterin theSun."
a..
(f)
~, .(adrimusic.
com)
w
5
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~
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>-
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0
...J
~
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~
OnDVD
Harajuku
LoversLive,Gwen
Stefani(lnterscope):
Whileher
latestCDTheSweetEscape
continuesto rackup salesandchart
successes
despitemixedcritical
reception,
this 14-trackliveconcert DVDfilmedin herhometown
Om:HipHopVolume
One(Om): of Anaheim,Calif.,relivesthe
gloryof herlasttour,featurForthosewhobemoanthe
ing manyhitsfromLove.Angel.
dumbed-down
gangstastateof
as wellas newcuts
commercial
hip-hoptoday,check Music.Baby.
outthis great15-trackcompila- "WindIt Up"and"OrangeCounty
tionof forward-thinking
rap,acid Girl."(gwenstefani.com)-MC
yeah!" I do, 'cause I'm a walking afterlife. When you lose a third of the blood
in your body, and they put you out for the count, and you're still here, you get
it together .... Everyone has got to have something to build their strength. If I
didn't die with tear~stab wounds, I would not be where I'm at today.
Do you feel that you have come full circle?
Yeah, I do. And still learning, still learning .... You know, the song "Crush
on You" was about me coming out. I was married at the time, and I had this
crush on this. girl, and I knew there was something inside that had to be
opened up and explored and truth came through. And Full Circlewas really
my truth, my truth to myself and to everyone else about me and who I am.
Parting thoughts?
The bottom line is just, take a chance. I could have set up in skid row. Yeah!
It's easy, get a free meal, get some clothes thrown at you, but I don't want that.
I can say,"I can't do a CD, I'll never make it:' I ain't worrying about making it,
my voice will be heard, and thank God my voice is being heard. ■
April 2007
I63
Reviews
Tech Girl
Things That Make You Go Hmmm
New toys and tech that you didn't actually know you needed.
IBy Diane Anderson~Minshall
We all know that capitalism is bad, simple life is good (but not in a Paris Hilton way). But occasionally new
products come on the market that are just so damn fun or drool worthy that we can't wait to get our hands
on them, even if it means waiting another month to actually pay rent. Well, here are this month's picks of
things you may not know you need - yet.
This Camera Doesn't Add 10 Pounds
Face it, even when we're cool with our bods, some of us dread that quarterly fat photo that
comes from every amateur photog. But with the HP Photosmart R927, the camera doesn't
add pounds, it takes them off. A couple of button strokes and this camera automatically
slims and lengthens your whole body. Maybe Star Jones should have taken this route? Oh,
yeah, it has 8.2 megapixels and a three-inch screen. ($270, hp.com)
Podcasting Here We Come
There is no simpler podcast-friendly digital voice recorder right now than the Olympus
DS-40. (Well, except the DS-50, perhaps). This voice recorder streamlines podcast downloads so everyone can enjoy them on their desktops. You can download audio books and other
spoken word items as well, up to 136 hours in all, stored on 512MB. It even comes with voice
guidance so it speaks back to you, which is perfect for visually challenged users (even the
manual is an audio file). And yeah, it takes dictation, too. ($200, olympus.com)
A Pool Lover's Best Friend
Whether you're laying out on the beach or standing in the rain listening to "Come to My
Window" for the 40th time, you'll want the water-resistant Ultra Hydra MP3 player. The
Hydra, which supports MP3, WAV, ACT and WMA files, comes in a super cheap 1GB
model and a reasonably priced 2GB model. Lightweight and cute (yellow, black, orange or
pink), it only needs one AAA battery and comes with a USB cable that makes transferring
files easy. ($40, radioshack.com)
The 1950s Live on - In Your Kitchen
If you're like me and want more 1950s style in your kitchen, Mr. Coffee's Classic MRX will
take you back to that simpler pre-Starbucks era. Funky vintage styling combined with new
modern features like auto shut-off, water filtration, cold storage and ambient lighting make
this our favorite new appliance. ($80, mrcoffee.com)
Did This Help Martina?
So you're not Venus Williams, doesn't meant you can't try. Get help from the WristAssist, a
gadget that harnesses physics to help you get your serve on within the optimum hitting zone.
WristAssist helps you feel the correct motion and lock the ideal stroke into your muscle
memory. Creepy? Sure. Successful? Hell yeah. ($70, squarehittennis.com)
I Dance in My Underwear - Does That Make Me Madonna?
Clockwise from top left: Ultra Hydra MP3 Player, HP
Photosmart R927, WristAssist, Mr. Coffee's Classic MRX
64
Icurve
Probably not, but I like to pretend I'm on the Blonde Ambition tour when I plug in the
funky, geeky PlayStation SingStar Rocks! It's a singing game that incorporates actual songs
and videos, lets you sing your ass off (in modes like Freestyle, Pass the Mic and Battle), and
record your performances on a memory card for playback later (possibly at parties in which
you or your girlfriend is extremely drunk). Lest you think this is only for Gwen Stefani or
Gloria Gaynor fans, know that everone from KT Tunstall to the Cure and Lynyrd Skynyrd
are on the playlist. ($50, playstation.sony.com)■
I Tried It Reviews
Feeding the Machine
Space--age torture device or high tech high? I tried it so you don't have to. I By MelanyWalters,Beck
Maybe I don't totallybelievethislittlebox can cureailments,but it has certainlylefta
lastingimpression.I haven'thad so muchas a cold sinceI firsthookedup, and every
timethat I usethe machine,it feelsbetterthan a few glassesof decentwine.
When my mother-in-law first suggested I hook up to the EPFX Biofeedback
Machine, I was skeptical. She's a holistic health consultant who usually keeps
oxide. I had the urge to giggle, and it was as if my entire body heaved a great
big sigh of relief.
me stocked up with antioxidants, vitamins and the latest in nutraceuticals. I
simply smile and take my pills. They can't hurt; they're just vitamins, right?
And I must admit that I do enjoy better than average health. But when she
"That's the relaxation pulse;' my mother-in-law explained.
Up until that time, my concept of the EPFX machine was more or less
that it was a placebo that might have some beneficial effect on my overall
began explaining how this biofeedback machine works with our own bodies
to reduce stress and heal imbalances in pulses with electrical frequencies, I
health. I wasn't prepared to actually feel anything that dramatic or that the
information would be so specific.
decided that I needed to do a little research and try this thing for mysel£
Invented by William Nelson, a transgender professor who has done extensive research in quantum physics, the EPFX is a blue and taupe box about
the size of a small portable DVD player with flashing red, green and yellow
lights. It plugs into a computer, which runs the program. Several black cords
connect to the EPFX and feed into wrist and ankle straps and a headband.
The headband made scary marks on my forehead and since I'm allergic to
metal, the grommet on the wrist strap made a welt on my left wrist. I was
,beginning to wonder if this little experiment was a bad idea.
The first time I "kooked up;' the screen showed a large computer-generated diagram of my ear, indicating an"imbalance" in that area, but I could hear
and they didn't hurt, so as far as I was concerned, my ears were fine.
I continued watching the screen, which is a sickly mosaic of fuchsia, lime
and salmon hues that were seemingly chosen for their ability to hurt the eyes.
I decided to just lay back and relax, when all of a sudden my skin started to
tingle and I felt very lightheaded, as if I were at the dentist under nitrous
During my two-hour session, the machine informed me that I had a congenital heart disorder (which I knew) and that my kidneys and liver were
under stress. Since I had spent a good part of the evening previous to my
session at the local hot spot downing far too many microbrews, this was not
surprising. But the ear thing still really had me stumped.
I didn't need to wonder long. Three days later, after I had completely
forgotten most of what she told me, a bizarre lump appeared in the passage
just above my right earlobe. It grew into an abscess that, disgustingly, had to
be eventually lanced and drained. I know. Gross. But whether it was coincidence or the EPFX detecting tiny currents firing wrong is still very much
up for debate.
Maybe I don't totally believe this little box can cure ailments, but it has
certainly left a lasting impression. I haven't had so much as a cold since I first
hooked up, and every time that I use the machine, it feels better than a few
glasses of decent wine. If it's assisting my immune system to heal my body at
the same time, that's cool, too. ■
April 2007
I65
Dyke Drama
Michele Fisher
What's on Your Emotional Hard Drive?
There's always something there to remind you.
M
y computer finally kicked the bucket. I was expecting it, so there
weren't any tears when I picked up the tower and carted it to the
trash. A few minutes later, I was dumpster diving to get it back. No, I
wasn't struck with a sentimental urge to have it back; I was worried that
some junkie on a mission would retrieve my personal data, credit card
numbers and the like from the hard drive, after a friend told me how easy
it was to steal info from a computer, even a broken one.
If all I needed was a junkie to retrieve my data from my fried hard
drive, then why did I throw the darned thing away in the first place? Why
didn't I just go get a junkie and bring him home to help me? My tech,savvy
friend calmly explained it like this: My data is magnetic and the hard drive
is a big magnet, so my information was still basically. "stuck" on the hard
drive. Even if I could not get to it, somebody with enough time on their
hands probably could.
So what was I supposed to do? She told me that the CIA and big cor,
porations degauss their hard drives before disposing of their computers.
Degaussing is the act of erasing information from a magnetic disk or other
storage device. Deleting data the traditional way leaves traces that can be
discovered and used to reconstruct the data, much like a shaken Etch,
a,Sketch erases a drawing but leaves a faint outline behind. Degaussing
leaves no traces, as it removes every last clinging particle of data by demag,
netizing everything.
It sounded good to me. Then I discovered that degaussers are so expen,
sive that it would be cheaper for me to just give my credit card informa,
tion to a drug addict and take my chances. The other option my buddy
suggested was to take the computer apart and physically destroy the hard
drive. Well, that I could do and did.
A few weeks later, while one of my recently dumped friends was uncon,
"The box" is the collection of your ex,girlfriend's stuff that you use as
vincingly extolling the virtues of the single life through quivering lips and
between nose blows into a well,worn tissue, I thought about degaussing
again. Is it possible to erase a woman from your brain? Can we rid our,
one last ditch effort to get her back. As long as you have "the box;' you have
a reason to make contact with her. It's dangerous; it leaves room for hope
selves of the bits of memory and chunks of emotion that are left behind to
and almost always precedes a painful last fall. Let the record show, "the
torment us at the most inopportune times?
You can try to destroy the emotional hard drive with booze and drugs,
box" is always a bad idea, but that's another column.
but my experience with that technique is that it is imprecise. The wrong
parts of the brain may be damaged, rendering valuable information irre,
After you purge your pantry, do the same with the fridge. Once the
kitchen is reclaimed, move on to the bathroom. Unless you are very broke,
do not let her stomach remedies and headache pills take up space in your
trievable while that which you were trying to forget still looms large in
your consciousness. No, to remove a woman from your brain, you must
medicine cabinet. If she left any good stuff, and federal law prohibits me
from outlining what I mean by that, create your own containers for those
first remove all traces of her from your life.
castoff uppers and downers.
What if you should come across medications that she needs, such
What the recently dumped need most is something to do, something
other than trying to figure out what they can do to get the woman who left
to come back. Women who find themselves suddenly and unwillingly sin,
gle need to degauss their homes and lives so that their brains follow suit.
Tackle the house one room at a time. Hit the kitchen first, especially if
depression makes you hungry.
Get a spoon and open several jars in the cupboard, eat directly from the
containers and savor the rewards. Peanut butter, salsa, pesto, marshmal,
low fluff, it all tastes better from the jar - especially from the same spoon.
Be sure to rid the shelves of any and all things that are hers. How are you
supposed to get over her when her deviled ham spread still stares you in
the face? Should you throw out the deviled ham, or put it in the box?
66
I
curve
as insulin or inhalers? I say, screw her, she should have thought of that
before she stomped on your heart. But if you simply must, toss those
items into "the box:• Her combs and toothbrushes are perfect for groom,
ing the cat, dog or ferret, and then tossing into "the box:• (Oh come on,
nobody is stupid enough to use the combs or toot:hbrushes that come
back to them via "the box.") Finally, give the bathroom a good scrubbing
and get rid of all of her hairs and skin flakes, thus eradicating her pres,
ence from your bathroom.
Move on to the bedroom. Obviously, your sex toys are the first things to
go. Be strong. You don't want to be sitting on your bed blubbering and era,
dling a double,headed dildo, do you? Just grab and toss without a thought
a:
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you really want a reaction. If I knew I was leaving the country, there was no
about where those things have been. Sex toys don't go into "the box" unless
lesbian mystery novels to homes for the aged, where the thrills and chills
•are most likely to be appreciated. Her CDs and that ugly lamp will cer-
way anybody could find me for a few years and I really hated my ex's new
girlfriend, then I would put the sex toys into "the box;' but otherwise, that's
tainly be appreciated by Goodwill.
If you can afford to take a drill and a hammer to the hard drive of the
one of those things better imagined than actually done.
computer you two shared, you will find it very therapeutic. If not, just
delete and overwrite. Or if you have a friend in the CIA, as we discussed
You cannot sleep on sheets that have her on them. Yes, you must wash
all bedding, but it is even better if you can get a new set of sheets. If you
can afford it, get rid of the whole bed. Pull a Farrah Fawcett if you want,
earlier, you can degauss. But if you really have a friend in the CIA, you
. but make sure you take the bed outside before you burn it. Even if I were
appear. Don't forget to fill out that change of address kit for her at the
post office so she's not haunting your mailbox for life. For some reason,
broke, which I have been for most of my life, I would rather sleep on a
mattress on the floor than on a bed I used to share with a woman who left
me. Plus, you can feel way more pathetic and sorry for yourself on a mattress on the floor.
Next project? The closet. You must rid yourself of every stitch that has
her on it. Anything that you two shared should be considered hers and
could probably do something a lot more sinister than making data dis-
dumped lesbians like to keep that "mail" connection going years after the
breakup. I guess if "the box" doesn't work, the old "you got mail" trick
might. Cut that cord right away, and let her deal with her own junk mail. In
fact, sign her up for a few freebies, such as male enhancement products and
tossed. Remember, ugly clothes go into "the box," nice ones- don't. Once
religious literature.
Keep tossing, cleaning, donating and burning until it's like she was
again, she should have thought about what she was going to wear before
she took off on you. The same goes double for shoes.
never there.
To move on, you must move furniture. To clear your mind of her, you've
Once the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom are reclaimed, you should be
got to clear your space of her. You can't get on with your life if, as the song
well on your way to recovery and ready to tackle the little jobs. Is that really
where you want the coffee table, or is that where she wanted it? You don't
goes, there is always something there to remind you. You want your mind
to be a blank canvas so the next woman in your life can make her very own
even read mysteries, so why are they still on your shelf? I love donating
masterpiece of pain out of you. ■
Simple Life continued from page 51
DVD Picks continued from page 59
dress like a tomboy, but I'm cool with wearing
That's definitely a sad statement about our
some girly things. I wouldn't say I'm a full-on
tomboy anymore but I'm still tomboyish. I
won't wear the really short skirts or the spa-
culture.
ghetti straps, like never. I'll go outside with a
tight pair of jeans and a wife-beater. It's not
like I'm a full-on tomboy, but I still got the
editing is a big part [of Top Model]. I think
they're doing an OK job.
I'm interested by how fascinating Top Model
tomboy style.
is to queer women and feminists who would
Well, it's entertainment. They definitely showed
people accurately -
their personalities -
but
I think that's more popular right now, actually.
never be caught dead reading fashion maga-
Yeah, I do too.
zines. Have you noticed that?
I think girls are lucky in that way because
Yeah, a lot of people who I wouldn't expect are
they can wear more masculine clothes and
get away with it, and men can't ever wear
feminine clothes.
Yeah, it's looked down upon.
fans of Top Model. Like some guys who are
totally straight, hard-core guys are like, oh
yeah, I watch it with my girlfriend, it's pretty
entertaining.
darkersideof life.Shedoubtsthe legendthatsays
onthe Chinese
calendar,
duringtheseventhmonth,
the gatesof hellopenandthedeadwalktheearth.
Certainrulesmustbefollowed,butRosa,beinga
nonbeliever,
breaksthemall andsoonmustdeal
withthe consequences.
(tartanfilms.com)
- DAM
SheLikesGirls(Wolfe):Anotherrousingcollectionof lesbianshortfilms,Girlsoffersthequirky
girl-stalks-girlstoryTheUninvited
andthe Canadian
teentomboystoryThisBoy.CasaBellafeatures
two DevilWearsPradaactors:Stephanie
Szostak
andAlexieGilmore,
whilethe bestshortis thesupremelyengagingSarangSong- TamikaMiller's
lesbianblackpowerstory.-DAM
Back to TV. Do you think it's doing a good
Why do you think it has that universal appeal?
job of reflecting diversity and modern
Um, I think it appeals to girls because of the fashion aspect and guys because they like girls.
Trying on Some New Sound continued from page 62
Because they like hot girls. Maybe that's the
and straight-up hip-hop beats, revealing the "real"
Barrino, who, to my ears, sounds more like a hybrid
women?
It still is TV. I mean, some of the times we'd get into
great conversations on the show -
I remem-
appeal for lesbians as well.
ber during casting we got into a great political
debate and ... of course, they [only] showed
And it is real people, so I guess that's kind of a
cool aspect.
the drama. A lot of the girls had many more
sides to them; they had opinions and they had
things they would love to talk about. We'd get
ago saying, "Gee, maybe I think I'm gay or
into arguments about random things and they
were all interesting things and I was like, oh, I'd
like to see that on TV. But most people would
rather see Monique crushing chips and talking
on the phone for hours.
How does it feel to go from just months
bisexual" on TV to being featured in the
largest lesbian magazine?
It's pretty cool. I guess I'm an inspiration to some
for coming out on TV, but to me it wasn't a
really big deal. It was just me being honest. I'm
glad I could do that. ■
of Mary J.Blige and Aretha Franklin. Elliot helps
out again on three tracks (most notably 'Tm Not
That Type"), and Kwame offers one of the disc's
most promising dub thumpers, "Not the Way That
I Do:' The Diane Warren-penned feel-good ballad
"I Feel Beautiful" and old-school soul-sampling
"Bore Me" get my picks, though, over the radiofriendly thug ode "Hood Boy" (featuring Outkast's
Big Boi), which I could do without, despite its
infectious beats. (jantasiabarrino.com)
■
April 2007
I67
Politics
VictoriaA. Brownworth
Oops, She Did It Again
Going without panties wasn't Britney's first mistake.
A
lready this year there has been a flurry of media
#-\attention
paid to Britney Spears. While getting out of a car one night on her way to a club, the
I'm not a big fan of Spears. After all, she is a
Republican. However, I am a big fan of women doing
what they want with their bodies, so I applaud her
25-year-old pop star apparently flashed her genitalia
at the cameras because her skirt was quite short, she
was sans panties, the car's seat was quite low and the
panty-free escapades. I'd also like to see Joan Nestle now,
in her 60s, in that black slip. I bet she still looks beautiful
paparazzi quite avid. Much was made of this lack of
panties. I wondered why this was such an issue. At 25,
she has that self-confidence. As the Spears scandal illus-
and sexy in it. And I know she could pull it off, because
I was living in New Orleans, America's party town,
trated, women may think they control their own bodies,
but society decides when and where and how. The mes-
and I was often sans panties -
either because I pur-
sage in the press was clear: What kind of mother goes
posefully wasn't wearing any, like Spears, or because I
had left them somewhere. Accidentally, of course.
out without panties? There's more to it, of course. Part
of the Spears scandal revolved around the "she was ask-
At 50, I now always know where my panties are, but
ing for it" myth about women's dress (or lack thereof). In
Spears' case, apparently she was asking for the paparazzi
the Spears tempest in a lingerie drawer really did set me
thinking about why anyone cares whether a 25-year-old
is wearing panties. There are some differences between
25 and 50: At 25, my body was in very different shape than it is today, and I am
now married and monogamous, which I most certainly was not at 25. It would
be inappropriate to be flashing my genitalia at just anyone these days.
But is that the issue? It seems that the real issue about Spears - or any other
to stick their cameras up her skirt. But had she later been
raped, her lack of panties would have prompted other
questions and made her vulnerable to that age-old accusation: She asked for it.
In both general society and religious ghettoes, women's bodies are sinful and must be covered to prevent men from committing sin. As a Catholic
schoolgirl, I was forced to wear a uniform, which consisted of a long-sleeved
is that women are supposed to cover
blouse, a skirt below the knee and knee socks that met the skirt hem. In
up. Only bad girls go out without their panties because having your genitalia
readily accessible is tantamount to advertising that you are ready for sex. Plus,
church, girls and women had to cover their heads. Women's hair, according to
St. Paul, was an occasion of sin for men.
woman caught with her panties down -
Spears is the mother of two children. How dare she go out without panties?
She does because she can. A century ago, it would have been a scandal if Spears
or any one of us had gone out without a corset, a bustle, stays and a plethora of
other contraptions to keep the female body in check and under wraps. Now linge-
From time immemorial, women and girls have been expected to cover
their bodies to keep men from acting on sexual urges. Sensual aspects of
women's bodies are perceived as sinful and dangerous, a threat to men. Thus,
rie isn't supposed to be mandatory, but as the Spears scandal shows, it still is.
if women expose their bodies, whatever happens to them is their own fault.
When I was in college, radical lesbians I knew shaved their heads, wore
Back in my gleefully misspent youth, I was in love with lingerie. I found it
incredibly sexy, as did my partners. I had push-up bras and garter belts, merry
overalls, gained weight and divorced themselves utterly from their femininity.
None of these women were butch - they weren't taking on a more masculine
widows and corsets, teddies and camisoles. I even owned a few pairs of panties,
though nothing is sexier than garter belts and stockings sans panties, as any por-
affect - they just wanted to be removed from the maelstrom that surrounds
women's bodies. They neutralized their bodies in order to escape the roles, the
nographer will tell you. I went to many a club dressed merely in an array of carefully layered undergarments. The '80s were meant for underwear as outerwear.
judgments and the danger that accompany being a woman in this society.
One of the reasons I so admired Nestle in her black slip was that she
But when you are young, you really don't care what people think.
Joan Nestle, writer and co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, is
refused to be neutralized. She embraced her sexuality and sensuality with
alacrity. She wasn't afraid of being a woman, nor was she afraid of reproach.
16 years older than I. At 50, she appeared at book signings and readings in a
black slip. I found this both charming and iconoclastic. And, of course, sexy.
Nestle was iconoclasticin chat regard because, as the Spears scandal reminded
us, there is still plenty of reproach when it comes to women and their bodies. We
Nestle had the guts to be bold with her body. Going out in only one's slip
was not just for twentysomethings and Madonna, it was for any woman who
wanted to show off her body and her sexuality, regardless of whether other
are simply not supposed to "flaunt"ourselves,by accident or on purpose.
Fashion has changed over the past century, but the rules of dressing have
changed very little for women. We can dress for success, we can dress butch
people thought it appropriate. Nestle's bold actions gave other women permission to do what they wanted with their bodies.
or femme, we can dress like 50 is the new 40 and 30 is the new 20, but some
things are immutable. No matter what we wear, we are still in female bodies.
Whether we are hidden in chador or sensually out there in a miniskirt sans
Covering up women's bodies has long been a social dictate. But it isn't just
the existence of bras and panties that's distressing, it's why we are told we should
wear them. We need bras so that our breasts don't move and our nipples don't
show. We need panties so that our genitalia aren't evident beneath pants or
skirts. In short, we need underwear to make us more like Barbie - with no
nipples and no genitalia - and less like Britney. Somehow, women are supposed to look sexy,yet retain a demure sexlessness.
68
I curve
panties or a black slip, our bodies are regarded as a threat to society.
Fashion has changed greatly since I was a girl, as have sexual politics. But part
of having control over our bodies is being able to wear what we want and adorn
ourselves the way we want, without fear of scorn or sexual assault. That means
until Spears can go out panty-free (not naked, just sans underwear) and any
woman who wants to can do the same, control of our bodies is not ours alone. ■
Page Turners continued from page 61
I.
portrayshealthyeatingandphysicalfitnessas
meremattersof personalresponsibility.
However,
Simoncontinues,
we can'tmake
soundchoicesaboutdietandexercisewhenmajor
foodcompanies
limitouroptions- andthey
definitelydo.Simoncarefullydocuments
many
examples
in whichBigFoodrefusesto offertruly
healthyalternatives,
sabotages
low-fatand-sugar
schoollunchesanddistributesconfusing,
misleadingnutritionalstatisticsaboutits products.Faced
withthefacts,you'llbewhippedintoa frenzyof
. outragebythe end,eggedonby Simon's(occasionallyoverblown)
rhetoric.Fortunately,
asanexperiencedactivist,Simonclosesherbookwithseveral
chaptersandappendices
full of resources
sothat
youtoocancampaign
for yourrightto eatwelland
healthily.(avalonpub.com)
- Elizabeth
A.Allen
GirlMeetsGirl,DianaCage(Alyson):There's
somethingdeliciouslywickedaboutDianaCage's
hilariousnewlesbiandatingsurvivalguide.From
the openingadmonishments
("Godownon a
bicuriousgirl today!")to moreadvancedlessons
in lesbianattraction(turnsout dykesdon'tcare
if youlooklike Brandoin Streetcaror Brandoin
Islandof Dr.Moreau,as longas youhaveconfidence),Cage'switty little bookis a must-have
pocketguideto all thingsdykeamour.A perfect
readfor anyonewhowantsto navigatethe brave
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all the naughtythingsin between.Cageis witty,
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haveyou,too,screaming,"Showmethe pussy!"
(alyson.com)
- DianeAnderson-Minshall
aboutvampireculturebeforeherenemiesstrike
again.Winnerof the HugoandNebulaawards,
Butlerreimagines
the vampiremythoswith tabooshatteringverve,unafraidto bringup racism,sexism,evendomination/submission
andshadesof
pedophilia.
ButShoriendsup as a preachyshillfor
the author'sglorificationof rational,cooperative
vampireculture,thusdrainingall life fromthe last
third of an otherwisepromisingtale. (sevenstories.
com)-EAA
Swordof theGuardian
(legendsof lthyria#1),
MerryShannon
(BoldStrokesBooks):
Throughout
the historyof folktales,youngwomenhavedisguisedthemselves
asyoungmenfor manyreasons.
Inthecaseof thetoughorphanTalon,acrobatin
a travelingtroupe,shecross-dresses
for selfpreservation
soshecaneasilylookafterhersisters.
Butwhatbeginsasa simplelife-savingmeasure
turnsmorecomplicated
whenTalonbecomes
bodyguard
to Princess
Shasta.First-timeauthor
Shannon
keepsthetensionridinghighlikea pro,as
misunderstandings
andTalon'ssecretidentityseparatethegravitationally
attractedbutchandfemme.
WhenShastabecomeslessof a bratandTalon
lessof a self-doubting
fatalistandthetwofinally
dothedeed,civilwar interrupts,
allowingthemto
demonstrate
theirnewfoundcourage.Shannon
balances
personaldevelopment,
lovestoryand
politicaldramawithconfidence
anda swift,lively
style.Hopefully
Shannon
extendsthis momentum
to bookstwoandthreeof herLegendsof lthyria
series.(boldstrokesbooks.com)
- EAA
AnAlphabetical
life: living It Upin the
Business
of Books,WendyWerris(Carrolland
Graf):Werrisstartedin the bookbusinessat
a youngage,as a clerkin Hollywood's
groovy
705FashionFiascos,MaureenValdesMarch
(CollectorsPress):Thesubtitlesaysit all:Studio
PickwickBookshop
at the turnof the 1970s.From
54 to SaturdayNightFever:Yourguideto thefunky thenon,the energeticsaleswoman
readthe books
flashylooksof the 1970s,wheredisconeverdies
andmettheauthorswho~ere makingheadlines,
anddenimneverfades.Sincefashiontakesabout all whilejourneyingthroughan industryonthe
cuspof computerization.
WhileWerrisrecountsthe
threedecadesto progressfromcoolto embarold-fashioned
camaraderie
andsheereccentricity
rassingto forgottento silly,we arenowreadyto
shefoundin pre-chainstorebookselling,
herlightmercilessly
mockthe 1970s,whichMarchdoes
handedstyleandgreatenergykeepherretrospecwith gusto.Tediouspotshotsat widecollarsand
will
leisuresuitsaside,the lavishlyillustrated,
full-color tivefond,ratherthanmaudlin.Bibliophiles
laughaloud(probably
with someenvy)at Werris'
Fiascosfunctionsas morethanjust a snarkfest.
adventures.
(carrollandgraf.com)
- EAA
Whenthe authorlinkspantsuitsfor womenand
pastelpaisleysfor guysto less-restrictive
gender
WasShePretty?,LeanneShapton(Sarah
norms,hersocialcommentary
makesyourealize
Crichton
Books):
Evernoticehoweverywoman
thatfashionhasa pointbeyondlaughfodderfor
youdateseemsto havea "psychoex" in her
peopleof the future.(collectorspress.com)EAA
past?Inthe averagethree-degrees
lesbiancomthat we are
Fledgling,
OctaviaButler(SevenStoriesPress): munity,it's neverhardto remember
all someone's
(psycho)ex,andthoughShapton's
Whensci-fi grandedameOctaviaButlerdied
characters
aremostlystraight,the samefamiliar
in October,
2005,sheleft this novel,herfirst
themesofjealousyandnigglingcuriosityruletheir
in six years,behind.Theheroine,burnedand
hearts.Hauntingandaddictive,WasShePretty?
bloodyamnesiacShari,soonlearnsshe'smuch
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African-American
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ingto withstandthe sunlight.AsSharitriesto
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April 2007
I 71
Top Ten ReasonsWe Love KristenBecker
When Kristen Becker hits the road with her
Dykes of Hazard comedy tour this spring, you
won't want to miss the show. Having toured with
lesbian funnywoman Jen Kober, Becker is no
freshman comic. Her attitude and style of comedy
will have you laughing so hard that your stomach
cramps and your cheeks ache, but that's just the
start of why we love her. - Emma Hersh
"Peopletellyouthat there'sa certainway to do
things,buttherecan alwaysbe anotherway~So
giveit a whirland see what happens.Why not?"
4. She lovesher family.Becker refers to herself
profanity. Instead of letting restrictions intimi,
as the "stereotypical lesbian aunt;' spending the
date her, she said, "We won't swear, but we'll play
1. Shehasa waywithwords.The comedy tour is
weekends with her nephews and niece, attending
named the Dykes of Hazard, but the girls will travel
their games and goofing off.
with words a bit. Can you imagine a room full of
grownups and you can't say'shit'?"
5. She dreamsof Canada.When at home in
8. She'smodest.Though she is rarely shy, when
Buffalo, Becker lives only five minutes from the
border behVeen the U.S. and Canada. She has
thought about moving and quips, "I always won,
asked to name her best quality, Becker clams up.
"Um, that's a hard one. I'm funny, I guess;' she re,
the country in a van named Clitty Clitty Bang Bang.
2. She'sa hometown
girl.When talking about her
hometowns -
she has moved around quite a bit
Becker boasts about what each place has to of,
fer. She touts the wonders of Buffalo, N.Y:s gay and
arts scenes, and the culture and food of Louisiana's
Shreveport and New Orleans. Speaking of New
Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina, Becker did
not shy away from the city. Instead, she made a
point of going back for Jazz Fest, and she main,
tains her faith in the city's revival.
der if you could file for refugee status in Canada,
citing life as a homosexual in the United States:'
sponds after some hesitation.
9. She'sgot a meanpokerface.An avid poker
stints working as an emcee for a burlesque group.
10. Why not? Becker has a life motto and she
words isn't enough of a clue, just talk with Becker
7. She has a rebelliousstreak.When booking
lives by it. "People tell you that there's a certain
way to do things, but there can always be anoth,
for two minutes and she will find a way to make
you laugh, regardless of the subject matter.
a performance in Richmond, Va., Becker was
72
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nighters" that she teasingly refers to are her one,night
told that the gay bars are closely monitored for
:::>
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player, Becker is often known as the one to beat
when playing with her friends. Armed with a dirty
6. She'sa fanoftheone-nighters.
No, not that kind.
While Becker may be single, she is not the 'cl.i.fferent martini in one hand and a deck in the other, you
town, different girl"kind of woman. Instead, the"one,
never know what she's going to pull.
3. She'shilarious.As if her ability to play with
0:-
er way. So give it a whirl and see what happens.
Why not?" ■
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it'sa matterof pride
Wetakepridein our community.
Pridein our employees,
our customers,
our friends.
Wearefamily.
*
*macys
See all items with this value
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AKEA STAND
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FranklySpeaking
curve
THE BEST-SELLING LESBIAN MAGAZINE
We've Got Style
We spend nearly $200 every
month on fashion. Of course
it's great when we can use our
VOLUME 17 NUMBER 3
o
1550 Bryant Street, Suite 51
San Francisco, California 94103
Phone 415-863-6538 Facsimile 415-863-1609
Advertising Sales 415-863-6538 ext. 1O or 212-446-6700
Subscription Inquiries 818-760-8983
Advertising E-mail advertising@curvemag.com
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Letters to the Editor E-mail letters@curvemag.com
Publisher/Editor in Chief
Executive Editor
Associate Publisher
Associate Editor
Book Review Editor
Music Review Editor
Contributing Editors
economic power to support
our own community, and we
hope you discover some hip
Copy Chief
Proofreaders
new options from the designers we profile in this issue.
Frances Stevens Publisher/Editor in Chief
H
istorically, lesbians have not been widely known for being great fashionistas. In fact, we've pretty
much been the linchpins of the flannel and fleece industries. But times are changing, and our com-
Art Director
Production Manager
Production Artist
Web Producer
Catalog Manager
Catalog Department
Advertising Sales
Frances Stevens
Diane Anderson-Minshall
Sara Jane Keskula
Catherine Plato
Rachel Pepper
Margaret Coble
Julia Bloch, Victoria A.
Brownworth, Sheryl Kay,
Gretchen Lee, Sarah Warn
Laura K. Cucullu
Michelle Ma, Katherine H.
Nelson
Stefanie Liang
Ondine Kilker
Kelly Nuti, Amy Silverman
Nikki Woelk
Holly DeMaagd
Flo Enriquez,
Monier Ziaian
Diana L Beny, Rivendell Media
munity is quickly carving a place in the world of high fashion.
Gone are the days when lipstick lesbians were our only hope for a flannel-free existence. Today our style
is diverse and edgy, with fashion being one of the hottest topics in queer pop culture: AquaGirl in Miami
boasts their own runway show, Honey Labrador has her jean project, The L Word highlights their fashion line, and even CURVE will be rolling out a line of specialty shirts with Rigged OUTfitters just in time
for Pride. In this issue we introduce you to dynamic new lesbian fashion designers who create everything
from handbags to butch attire. And no flannel anywhere.
According to our most recent readers' survey, we spend nearly $200 every month on fashion. Of course
it's great when we can use our economic power to support our own community, and we hope you discover some hip new options from the designers we profile in this issue. On a more mainstream note,
hats off to Macy's for being at the forefront of fashion and the only department store to actively support
CURVE. Chew on that the next time you head to the mall!
One of the lesbians creating her own successful clothing line is our cover girl, Jackie Warner. By now
you've probably tuned in to her Bravo reality show Work Out. The show features Warner - personal
trainer to the stars - and her successful Los Angeles gym. Warner's personal life is weaved into the
show, giving the audience an intimate view of her tumultuous relationship with her mother and the
breakup with her girlfriend of six years.
Warner speaks frankly with us about filming the second season of the show and having the cameras on
24/7. You think your dyke drama is bad? Imagine what it's like when the whole world is watching.
The country has an undying love affair with reality TV, and Warner isn't the only lesbian the cameras
are following these days. Our special section on lesbians and television features yet another lesbian
from America's Next Top Model, Rock Star: Supernova's in-your-face Storm Large, and supermodel
turned reality TV powerho_use Janice Dickinson. I don't know about you, but I'm waiting for the
lesbian versions of Elimidate, The Bachelorette or my favorite, Date My (Lesbian) Mother!
Marketing & PR Manager Bambi Weavil
Marketing Coordinator
Amanda Campa
Marketing Representatives Tammy Lam, Lindsey Taylor
Editorial Assistants Azania Baker, Asiana
Ponciano, Jaime Roca,
Lesley Seacrist
Contributing Writers Kathy Beige, Heather Boerner, Carol
Bryant, Jennifer Corday, Gina Daggett, Michele
Fisher, Tracy E. Gilchrist, Tania Hammidi, Emma
Hersh,Giselle Kovac, Sonia Kreitzer, Kate Lacey,
Char1ene Lichtenstein, Kar1yn Lotney, Candace
Moore, Aefa Mulholland, Aimsel L. Ponti, Stephanie
Schroeder, Ursula Steck, Allison Steinberg, Jocelyn
Voo, Melany Walters-Beck, Renee Westbrook
Contributing Illustrator Katherine Streeter
Contributing Photographers Helen Berkun, Desdamond
Burgin, Brie Childers, Laura Cristinzo, Chris
Cuffaro, Lydia Daniller, Cori Duncan, Kat Fitzgerald,
Will Haddad, Gabriela Hashun, Naomi Kaltman,
Jamie Kivisto, Linda Kligner, John Kopaloff,
Korin Krossber, Dan Lecea, Michael Loccisano,
Cheryl Mazak, Danny Moloshok, Mystic Images
Photography, Maggie Parker, Kevin Parry, Jesse
Robeck, Joan Seidel, Elisa Shea, John Shin,
Randall Siavin, Jordan Strauss, Richard Wicka, Kina
Williams, Todd Williamson, Bill Wilson, Austin Young
Volume 17 Issue 3 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: $49.95/year, $62.95 Canadian
(U.S. funds only) and $71.95 international (U.S. funds only). Returned checks
will be assessed a $25 surcharge. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco,
CA 94114 and at additional mailing offices (USPS 0010-355). Contents of Curve
Magazine may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part, without
written pennission 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
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loss or damages. The contents do not necessarily represent the opinions of
the editor, unless specifically stated. All magazines sent discreetly. Subscription
Inquiries: Please write to Curve, 1550 Bryant Street, Suite 510, San Francisco,
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CA 91615-7138.Printedin the U.S.
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Features
"WhenI
firststarted
modeling,
I was calling myself
butchy,
boyish,
dyke,punk,
whatever;I
was a
tomboy.I
movedin
witha drag
queen
becauseI
wantedto
learnhow
to be
feminine.
I just love
queenie
boys!"
April 2007
24 Escape to Isla Mujeres Mexico's "isle of
women" makes a sweet vacation. By Giselle Kovac
44 COVER: Working Out With Jackie Warner
If you can pull your eyes from her abs, you'll see
40 Femme Fashion Real live queer femmes strut
their stuff. By Heather Boerner and Kina Williams
42 DIV Diva Fashionista Kingi Carpenter carved her
own way, and you can too. By Catherine Plato
there's more to reality 1V's hottest personal trainer
than a rockin' bod. By Stephanie Schroeder
43 Designing Women Venture off the beaten path
with these hot new lines. By Catherine Plato and
56 Lesbian Tax Gurus We all hate tax season, but a
Diane Anderson-Minshall
little help from these finance-savvy dykes can help
ease the April 15 stress. By Allison Steinberg
Small-Screen Lesbians
49 South of Nowhere We can't get enough of this
Fashion Special
queer teen drama. By Candace Moore
28 Evelicious Model, singer, actor and lesbian Eve
Salvail gets us hot and bothered. By Jennifer Corday
50 Michelle Babin She's a tomboy model and out
lesbian, plus she has a twin sister. Hot. By Diane
31 Too Hot to Handle Lesbian designer Valeri makes
Model Eve Salvail
page 30
Volume 17#3
Anderson-Minshall
purses that aren't totally gay. By Catherine Plato
cc
UJ
51 Something Blue Move over L Word, New York
32 Such a Stud Schquay Brignac's saving us from
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dykes are taking over. By Asiana Ponciano
[
fashion hell, one butch at a time. By Tania Hammidi
52 Janice Dickinson The "world's first supermodel"
33 Dinah Shore Chic Psst! There are hot girls in
is still foxy as ever. By Catherine Plato
bikinis on this page. By Jennifer Corday
around bad ass. Here's why. By Renee Westbrook
4
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have, in a good way. By Stephanie Schroeder
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38 Naughty Knitter Liz Collins makes yarn misbe-
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Photography by Lydia Daniller
Cover photo by
Brie Childers
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54 Stormy Skies We love this rock star, actor and all34 Jeans and Tees Queer meets classic.
en
a:
sunshine; the 1V's what's hot this season. By
Diane Anderson-Minshall
...J
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Departments
April 2007
I'm nota bigfan
of BritneySpears.
Afterall,she is
a Republican.
However,I am a
bigfan of women
doingwhatthey
wantwiththeir
bodies,so I
applaudher
panty-free
escapades.
page 68
2
Frankly Speaking Founder and publisher Frances Stevens tackles fashion.
8
Contributors Meet the ladies who
make it all happen.
18 Lesbofile Beauty queens behave badly,
and Donald Trump tries to spoil the fun.
19 Astro Grrl Avoid big-mouthed Cancers
touchy subjects, and Lisa Gray-Garcia
offers tips for taking down the man.
62 Music Watch Margaret Coble reviews
this month, and party with fun-loving
new releases from some old favorites,
Geminis instead. You'll thank us later.
and singer Mekole Wells beats the odds.
10 Letters Readers share their thoughts
on Sheryl Swoopes and Jenny Schecter.
20 Ask the Sexperts Fairy Butch is tak-
Plus, news from the front lines of the
ing a break, but Kate Lacey's got some
biphobia battle.
advice you won't want to miss.
64 Tech Girl Can a girl ever have enough
new gadgets? We say no.
65 I Tried It Is it a torture device? A time
21 Lipstick & Dipstick Are open rela-
machine? New Age hippie nonsense?
Force veterans, Sheryl Kay finds lesbian
tionships harmless fun, or a recipe for
Melany Walters-Beck has the answer.
activists in unlikely places.
disaster?
12 Out in Front From sorority girls to Air
66 Dyke Drama Michele Fisher's advice
13 Curvatures Meet BETTY, the
masterminds behind that much discussed L Word theme song, and get the
22 Scene See photos from our famous
L Word party, which has San Francisco
dykes still talking ..
68 Politics Find out what pop provocateur
Britney Spears has in common with
lowdown on Dinah Shore 2007 and other
hot springtime happenings.
on getting over your ex for good.
58 Sapphic Screen Ladies in drag grab
lesbian feminists - we swear.
our attention, and filmmaker Tamika
16 Open Studio Our new favorite
Miller dishes on her latest project.
Japanese word is yuri. Artist Althea
Keaton is the reason why.
60 l_nthe Stacks Rachel Pepper tackles
72 Top Ten Reasons We Love Kristen
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Contributors
"I talk fashion with my straight friends all the time, but somethings
always missing," says freelance writer HeatherBoerner,
who writes about
distinctive femme style on page 40 of this month's issue. "It's rare that I
get to talk shoes and skirts and the finer points of push-up bras with
women who understand what it means to be feminine but a little bent
-
to queer femininity and feminize queerness - and never lose their
senses of style or humor in the process. When I got the chance to do it
professionally, I jumped at it:' Among her personal fashion goals are to
click down the street in a pair of Christian Louboutin peep-toe heels,
apply her makeup at a vintage vanity and drape herself in as much silk
and cashmere as her budget allows. To support her fashion habit,
Boerner writes stories on health, pop culture and real estate for
publications including CURVE,the San Francisco Chronicle, Alternative
Medicine magazine and BabyCenter.com. For more information on her
work, check out heatherboerner.com.
"The energy of the crowd at the L Word party was high and the
celebrities were playful and generous for the lens;' says photographer
CherylMazak,who covered cuRvE's January L Word bash on page 22.
Mazak had the chance to live out a popular lesbian fantasy, getting up
close and personal with Kate Moenning and Leisha Hailey that night.
Mazak's work has been featured in several North American publications.
She has an eye for capturing unique moments and loves to play with colors and contrasts to give her photos their cool and unique edge. Her bold
and vibrant portrait photography can be found in the homes of many art
aficionados within Canada and the United States.
TakeAmerica's
favoriteLGBT
travel
'The brainchild of kid-friendly executive producer Tom Lynch (KIDS
Incorporated), South of Nowhere plays like an afrer-school special version
of The O.C. or Beverly Hills, 90210 transubstantiated into The L Word,
minus on-screen skinny lesbian sex and over-the-top conceit," says
Candace
Moore,who reviews the show on page 49."Still, the show
thankfully implies that - again, skinny - lesbian sex actually takes
place, if somewhere off-screen in our imaginations:' Former film editor
and monthly columnist for Girlfriends, Moore has also written numerous
articles on representations of queer women in the media for CURVE,
After Ellen.com and On Our Backs. A Ph.D. candidate in cinema and
media studies at UCLA, Moore has published essays, available or
forthcoming, in Reading The L Word: Outing Contemporary Television,
Televising Queer Women and Cinema Journal.
"I love exploring and photographing San Francisco! This place is
awesome!" says CURVEphoto assistant TayKriv.Born and raised in
Melbourne, Australia, she completed a degree in photojournalism and
documentary photography before deciding to pack her bags and head off
to the States on her own. A 17-hour flight later - Kriv's first time on a
plane - she ended up in Los Angeles and later traveled to New York and
San Francisco with a handful of cameras and pocketful of film.After a
brief return to Australia, Kriv soon returned to San Francisco to work at
CURVEand experience American lesbian culture. ''I've worked as a
freelancer photographer for queer publications back home, but the culture
here is so different;' she says."It's definitely an eye opener:' She has spent
the last few months traveling and capturing the American culture,
completing a portrait project on the queer community.
s Icurve
Letters
"I am a 35-year-old lesbian living in the'
Bible Belt, and sometimes it can get very
harsh here when people speak of gays
and lesbians. But I always survive and
stand my ground, and I feel those of you
at cuRvEdo as well. Keep up the wonderful,
talented work."
Bi the Way
L Word
actorKristanna
Loken(aboveleft)made
thenewsthisyearby
coming
outasa bisexual
womanwithplentyof
femaleandmalelovers.
Curvemag.com
asked
readers
if you'veever
dateda bisexual
woman.
Theresponse
shows
thatbiphobia
maybe
onthewanebutplenty
of lesbian
andbi girlsstill
don'tseeeyeto eye:
Battling Biphobia
I have to be honest - seeing that poll on your Web site (see
sidebar, left) :wasdisappointing. I'm a bisexual woman, and have
been active and political for and with the queer community for
a long time. I think a quiz on the &ont page of your magazine
site fuels stereotypes about bisexual women. We are different, just as gay women are not all the same. Each individual
has different values, morals and lifestyle choices, and each of
these may vary depending on what place one is in life. I would
be equally offended if the question was: Have you ever dated
31% Arewestillasking
an Asian woman (which I am), and the choices included: 3)
thesekindsof questions?
Hell no! Too nerdy, and who needs them playing that piano
all day?
18%Yes,butI'm not
- Ellen Huang, President and Executive Director of Queer
makingthatmistake
Lounge, Inc.
again!
14%No,butI'm not
opposed
to it
13%Yes,andit wasn't
differentthandating
otherwomen
13%Hellno!I don't
wantto beleftfor a dude
Editor's Note: I completely understand what you're saying and
appreciate the frankness. It can be tiresome to ask these questions,
Editor's Note: I fess up, Penny. But, honestly, I meant it in a
but we were hoping to underscore the ridiculousness of biphobia by
postitive fashion, sort of a po-mo reclamation of the word (kind of
starting a dialogue. We do hear from readers across the country
like "bitch" and "dyke"). Sorry that didn't come across.
constantly about bisexuality among women, and when we cover
issues of interest to bi women ( which I hope you noticed we've been
Back Off, Polygamists
doing much more of lately) we get fierce reader letters from both
In the recent article about the potential similarities of femi-
sides of the proverbial fence. We hate that that poll made you feel
nist and queer communities with polygamist communities
("Strange Bedfellows;• Vol. 17, #1), I think there was one sig-
unwelcome or relegated. We wouldn't want any of our readers to
12%Yes,andit was
great!
experience that.
Print Killed the TV Star
I was so glad to see that even in the fictional world of television
you have enough taste and God-given good sense to denounce
Jenny's book on the Jan.14 episode of The L Word. I can't think
of any other character on TV who is as insufferable and masturbatory, in the sense that she's the writer's idealized version of
hersel£ I've been hoping that they'd kill off Jenny since season
one, but they only get rid of interesting characters whom viewers can relate to or fantasize about. Here's hoping for a random
act of violence in season four to kill her off.
- Monica, Chicago
Backstabbing Feminists?
Out of curiousity, I wonder who wrote the subhead of the article
10
Icurve
on me: "Brilliant feminist, erotic pioneer and possible megalomaniac" (Vol.17, #1). I find it distressing that even in a feminist
lesbian magazine, if a woman sets the record straight about her
work and her role in the world and even mentions the names of
seven other artists in a one-page feature on herself, someone is
still going to title the article "Possible Megalomaniac:• I thought
we were all trying to change the world for women. Like I say in
my all-girl revenge show Bad Reputation, "The failure of feminisim is how women unconsciously compete with other women
and how women betray other women:'
Still CURVE, thank you for the exposure in America among
the lesbian community. In Europe, Britain and Australia I get
regular mainstream exposure for my writing and my performance work but this is a first for me here in the USA.
Cheers and happiness,
- Penny Arcade, via e-mail
nificant fact that was not sufficiently highlighted. The issue was
best represented for me by the article's graphic, which was a
male symbol connected with several female symbols.
One of the major problems with polygamy is that it is
almost exclusively one male with multiple females. There are
few (if any) situations where polygamists are arguing for the
rights of females to have multiple husbands. Of course this is
in conservative communities, and if polygamous marriage were
legalized there would no doubt be a few liberals who would
do this. But one of the key problems with polygamy is that
it is an issue of males having control over multiple wives, in
style as well as structure (given the sheer numbers). The
article touched on the issues of control within the relationships, but neglected to discuss this one-sided gender structure,
and the article's graphic only further contributed to a misperception that polygamy is generally about multiple partners for
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Letters
both sexes. People know about the traditional
polygamist families with many wives, but the
gender disparity needs to be highlighted so that
feminists can clearly see another of the major differences between their fight and ours.
- KatherineDamato, Washington,D.C.
instead of as a sexual perversion; isn't that what we
are striving for? So instead of being so critical of
one another we should be supportive. Remember,
the more negativity we display to each other is just
more fuel for the heteros.
- Sonja Scrimger,OklahomaCity, Okla.
Fifty Times More ... With Feeling
We Love You Too, Kathy!
I couldn't agree more with Margaret Coble's review
of Nervous but Excited's new release, Once More
Hi, my name is Kathy, and I live here in the beautiful state of North Carolina. I just wanted to send
you an e-mail of thanks for everything you do, and
the magazine is great! I am a 35-year-old lesbian
living in the Bible Belt, and sometimes it can get
very harsh here when people speak of gays and lesbians. But I always survive and stand my ground,
and I feel those of you at CURVEdo as well. Keep
up the wonderful talented work!
... With Feeling(Vol.17, #1). I was lucky enough to
attend a small but packed concert last November
in Albany, N.Y. Since then, the CD has perpetually been on repeat in my car. I drive a lot, at least
40 miles a day. So by my estimation I have listened
to the CD at least 50 times, and I am not sick of it
yet. If you have the chance to see them in person
jump on it, as their charisma and personality is
parallel to their muscial prowess.
- CarrieSmith, Albany, N.Y.
Oops, We Goofed
CuRVE is to be commended for recognizing the
efforts for equality being made by lesbians on
behalf of the LGBT population in the South! I
am very-honored to be included in the list of"Ten
Powerful Lesbians in the South" in the January/
February 2007 issue (Vol. 17, #1). As for my
work on behalf of LGBT youth, I would like it
noted that the university affiliation mentioned for
me in the article is incorrect. I served on the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham
(UAB), not the University of Alabama (located in
Tuscaloosa). The two institutions are quite separate and unique, a very important distinction to
be made in the state of Alabama and nationwide!
Pertinent to the article, UAB, with an enrollment
of over 17,000 students in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, was the first, and
to date only public university in Alabama to support administratively and financially a Safe Zone
program and is the first, and to date only, one to
include sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination policy.
- Kathy, via e-mail
Attention Advertisers
I love your magazine. The articles are great, the supportive, friendly and "aha!" feeling while reading it
can't be beat. The only thing that is disappointing
to me is that like every other women's magazine,
the models in the ads are thin and gorgeous. Now
maybe it's just the fact that I never met a lesbian I
didn't find beautiful, but we come in all shapes and
sizes. All looks. I'd feel a little more a part of and
welcomed by the magazine if more of the ads and
features showed big beautiful lesbians like myself.
Lesbians as a group are excluded so often from
mainstream society, to find myself excluded from
the magazine by virtue of my full figure is doubly
painful. Please accept ads and pictures and articles
that represent us in all our glory and full variety of
our natural beauty.
- SharonHeath, via e-mail
Got Something on Your Mind?
E-mail letters@curvemag.com; write to CURVE
Letters, 1550 Bryant St., Ste. 510, San Francisco,
CA 94103; fax to 415-863-1609. Please include
your name, city and state. Letters may be edited
for clarity and length.
- GlendaElliott,Ph.D., Birmingham,Ala.
Cash, Who Cares?
In response to Deb Ferrell from Chicago ("Letters;'
Vol.17, #1) I would just like to say who cares why
Sheryl Swoopes came out of the closet? Swoopes
being in the public eye is a positive for our community regardless of her motivation for doing so.
)
The more people in the public eye who come out
of the closet, the better it is for us. It's as simple
as that. People are starting to look at us as people
Corrections
In the article "Queer Femme Follies" (Vol. 17,
#1), the photo of Dottie Lux in clown drag was
taken by Paul Saviano. The photo with the blue
fans was also of Dottie Lux, and was taken by
Ted D'ottavio. In the article "Ten Powerful
Lesbians in the South;' we misspelled Wendy
Wasserstein's name. CuRVE sincerely regrets the
errors. (That won't stop us from making them,
though.) ■
April 2007
I 11
Laying Down the Law
FamilyTies
Sapphic Sisters
It's easy to list recent key civil rights gains for
As with so many in the military, ValerieLarabee
the LGBT community, but a lot harder to
name the faces behind the dramas.
learned how to be out to herself while still in the
She may have entered school a few years later
than your traditional freshman, but when
closet. Her 10-year career in the Air Force was
Natasha
Burnett
came to University of Memphis
For almost 20 years, Mary Bonauto,
staff
attorney with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and
both a blessing and a curse, she says.
"I experienced wonderful growth, profes-
in 2004 at age 26, she wanted to join a sorority
all the same. Still, those long-established chick
Defenders, has been involved to varying degrees
with almost every major non-AIDS-related
sionally, and dreadful loneliness, personally;' she
says. "Because I was gay, I worked exceptionally
cliques posed some issues for Burnett.
"Whether or not I would be free to be
civil lawsuit brought on by LGBT community
members. Employment discrimination, school
hard to make sure no one had a reason to say
mysel£ meaning could I be open and honest
anything negative about me, and I sacrificed
friendships and close ties because of the fear of
being outed:'
about my sexuality and the fact that I have a
wife and a son, and this is my life;' Burnett
censorship, protection and recognition of gay
and lesbian families, anti-gay ballot measures
and the freedom to marry - Bonauto's had
her hand in all.
While the community has seen some backward movement with many states ratifying
constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, Bonauto says there have been important
recent advances as well.
"Living through any legaljustice struggle this one or any that have preceded it - leaves
you whipsawed;' says Bonauto, 45. 'i\s we live
through it, it's hard to remember that progress
doesn't mean progress on all fronts at all times.
But even our losses can have silver linings if we
are smart about how we use them:'
In the next year, Bonauto will spend time
working on several cases involving LGBT
parenting issues and different aspects of federal discrimination against gay people, in addition to continuing work on the challenge
to Connecticut's ban on same-sex marriage,
Kerrigan& Mock v. ConnecticutDepartment of
PublicHealth.
Her outlook is most optimistic.
"Were moving forward;' she says. 'i\s we
proceed, it won't always feel that way, and there
are harmful losses as well. But equality is within reach in a generation:' - SherylKay
It's not all that different than where she finds
recalls wondering. "Could I talk to them, my
sisters, about that? I don't think so:'
herself today as executive director of the Utah
Pride Center located in conservative Salt Lake
So Burnett hooked up with Beta Phi Omega,
a Baltimore-based national sorority catering
City, home to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, aka Mormons.
mainly to African-American lesbians (although
open and affirming to all women), and she is
Mormons, who dominate the political landscape in most of Utah, all too often work to
silence and shame the lives and contributions of
attempting to register the sorority at UM.
"It allows me to meet other women who
LGBTQ neighbors and taxpayers, says Larabee.
The center does all that it can to counter that.
Bustling with an enormous array of programs,
including social, health, education, advocacy and
sexual or gay and lesbian arena;' says Burnett.
So far, the university's administration has been
youth initiatives, the center also hosts the Utah
Pride. Festival, which attracts about 20,000
open to registering BPO as long as the group
meets identical requirements set for all campus
student groups. One of those requirements is
participants, no small feat in a city that has a
Mormon ward on almost every street corner.
Several months ago, Larabee considered join-
10 members, a goal Burnett hopes the UM
chapter will reach within a year.
Others are opposed to BPO. 'They feel that
ing the American Legion, the nation's largest service organization for veterans, but the group was
about to reaffirm its policy on families, which
includes the following:'The natural family is the
were promoting homosexuality, which, of course,
living in the Bible Belt, is an abomination;'
fundamental unit, inscribed in human nature and
centered on the voluntary union of a man and a
woman in a lifelong covenant of marriage:'
studying criminal justice and works part time,
continues looking for new members and keeps
very involved with the local community. Most recently, she and her BPO sisters have volunteered
for the American Cancer Society's Making
Having reached the rank of captain after a
decade of service,Larabee declined membership,
saying, "To think that my family wouldn't be
embraced by the American Legion saddens me:'
-Sheryl Kay
121curve
share my love of volunteer work and serving
the community, whether it is in the hetero-
Burnett says.
Meantime, Burnett, who carries a full load
Strides Breast Cancer Walk, the Miss Gay
America Pageant and the Memphis Gaymes.
-Sheryl Kay
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Cracked For a Cause
ninth annual awards benefit, Cracked Xmas.
Openly bisexual Bernhard, in attendance to
present an award to Barr, took a minute to
chat with us.
How did you get involved with Trevor?
I haven't done anything actively with the
Trevor Project before tonight, but I'm sure
I'll start now. I've always been very centered and focused in my life,and I think it's
important to be an example to kids who are
sort of off the beaten path, to offer them
inspiration and a little bit of insight and
wisdom along the way. The same way that
people did when I started off in my career.
In December, a bevy of stars - openly gay, straight, bisexual
and, well, unlabeled - smiled and sparkled in the holiday
smog outside Los Angeles' the Wiltern
to
display their sup-
port of the Trevor Project (named for the Oscar-winning
short film Trevor, about a gay teen who attempts suicide). The
project funds a nationwide suicide prevention effort to assist
queer teens in crisis. They run the volunteer-operated, 24-hour
helpline 866-4-U-TREVOR, send 'Suicide Survival' kits to
You've had a long working relationship with Roseanne
Barr and played a character on her groundbreaking
sitcom. What was it like to be a part of a show that
depicted gay and lesbian characters positively so
early on?
We had a lot of fun, and we never took anything too seriously.
teacher._sand guidance counselors and offer training programs
That's why it worked. Everything is serious, everything is funny. The lines are kind of blurry. You can't get too heavy about
in the public high schools.
We caught up with a few of those stars (Sandra Bernhard,
Carmen Electra, Roseanne Barr) and the organization's found-
anything.
For more red carpet outtakes, the skinny on how the Trevor
Project came about or info on making a donation, visit curvemag
ers (Peggy Rajski, Randy Stone and James Lecesne) at their
.com. -
Candace Moore
Hello? Equality Calling
OK, movers and shakers, it's time for LGBT civil rights advo-
how she thinks that the nation's economic stratifications, health
cates to convene at the 2007 Equality Forum Symposium, in
Philadelphia, April 30 to May 6. Highlights include a dinner
with tennis great Martina Navratilova and a panel conversa-
care priorities and political agendas hinder many from probing
civil liberties. "I would like to see a dialogue at the Equality
Forum in which corporate leaders and more progressive mem-
tion with transgender pioneer Dr. Renee Adams.
"As a community, we have an onus of responsibility to ac-
bers of the lesbian community can talk publicly about how we
can work together to address shoddy schools for our kids, the
reality of most women - a lot of them lesbians, who have not
tively campaign for change;' said Michele Bogrette, vice president of the non-profit Equality Forum. "We must confront the
comfort we hold within our closed communities to put a face
on ourselves and our organizations around
the world. Until we do, we remain anortymous, and easy to condemn:'
Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of
International Gay and Lesbian Human
Rights Commission, agrees: "I think that in
had the benefit of a male salary winner -
growing poorer as
we get older, and fighting Congress' attack on real sex education
that could otherwise, in the ideal world, teach
kids the real facts of sexuality, sexual violence,
responsibility and respect;' she added.
Equality Forum, in collaboration with
over 100 organizations and panelists from
across the globe, will address a bevy of topics,
and most core programs are free to the pub-
the somewhat commercialized gay forums,
we never really talk any more about our
commitment and connection as lesbians to
other aspects of social justice:' Ettelbrick, a
lic. The symposium ends with SundayOUT!
Street Festival, which is expected to draw over
30,000. Visit equalityforum.com for more
panelist at the symposium, cited examples of
info. - Jaime Roca
Literary Lesbians
Lit-mindedlesbians
will beheadingin
drovesto NewOrleans'
FifthAnnualSaints
andSinnersLiterary
Festival,
May11to 13,
to celebrateLGBTprose
andpoetry.Heldin the
famedFrenchQuarter,
Sinnersboastsnotable
queerspeakersincluding
JewelleGomez(above),
Dorothy
AllisonandKay
Murphy,aswellasspecialeventsincludingthe
first annualplaywriting
competition
(thewinning
playwill beperformed
at
the MarignyTheater).
"[Thefestival]provides
mewith hopefor a
bettertomorrow,"says
SaintsandSinners
boardmemberand
eroticanovelistAmieM.
Evans,"andjoy at the
incrediblecreativityand
diversityof myqueer
brothersandsisters."
Attendees
thisyearcan
dinewithfeatured
authors,applyfor the
2008Outstanding
Mid-Career
Novelists'
PrizeandseeWonder
Woman:
TheMusical.
Workshops
are$25
each;a weekendpassis
$100.Whetherits samplingBigEasycuisine,
schmoozing
withfamous
queerliteratior honing
yourownliterarytalents,
SaintsandSinners
(sasfest.org)
promisesto
deliver.-Azania Baker
April 2007
I 13
Curvatures
Creating Change
A resounding round of applause is in order for six LGBT rights activists honored at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's 19th Annual
Creating Change Conference held in Kansas City last fall. Now in its 27th
year, The Task Force's mission to build the political power of the gay,bisexual and transgender community from the ground up starts with Creating
Change, their national grassroots organizing and skills-building conference.
Among the honorees were Eli Clare, a genderqueer poet from Burlington,
Vt., for work with the first Queerness and Disability Conference, and
Jovan Sage (left), who was recognized for her work as a student leader and
volunteer. Upon receiving her award, Sage said, "I want to make sure that
every moment of my time is spent giving back to my community:' Visit
creatingchange.org for more info. - Aimsel L. Ponti
My L Word Diary
Whatdoyougetwhen
youcross140lesbians
from37 stateswith
comedian
Suzanne
Westenhoefer
(above),
singerSteffMahan,
prizes,dancing,go karts
andtheAmishfor 72
hours?Fun,of course.
Mypartner,Darlene,
andI have,for two
yearsnow,organized
andhostedtheannual
L Word:Living,Loving,
Since 2006's infamous lesbian promoter split, the rumored 25,000 lesbian visitors to Dinah Shore in Palm Springs have had to
Laughing
Galaweekend.
pick a camp and stick with it. Even we can't stay on top of who's on what side, so for more comprehensive info, see girlbar.com and
Theideabeganshortly
afterwe createdour clubskirts.com. But in the meantime, here's a quick look at who you'll run into come March 28.
ownprivatemessage
ClubSkirtsDinahShore
GirlBarDinahShoreWeek
THEP ~ERS
boardcommunity
Weekend
orTheDinah2007
inspiredby TheL Word
asa sortof 24/7safe
havenfor lesbiansto be
MariahHansen
RobinGansandSandySachs(below,leftandright)
THE GIRLS
out.Weknewwe wanted
BEHINDTHE SCENES
more,evenif just one
magicalweekenda
yearin person.Hence,
ourgalaswereborn.In
Wyndham,
Hilton,Palm
Wyndham,
The
HOT HOST HOTELS
HyattRegency,
Mountain
Resortand
2005,thefirst eventwas
Spa,Marquis
Villas
HotelZoso
in Philadelphia
andfeaturedlesbianphotographerJudyFrancesconi.
Katherine
Moennig,
LeishaHailey,
LucyLawless
THE CELEBRITIES
LastOctober's
galawas
TheaGill,Michelle
Wolff,HoneyLabrador
(above)
(above,
center),
Carmen
Electra,
in Lancaster,
Penn.,with
CeCePeniston,
MicheleBalan
Westenhoefer
at
theforefront.
"In all theyearsI've
L WordandSplashpoolpartiesat
TGIFandSplashpartiesat the
WHATTO EXPECT
livedhereandvisitedthe
theWyndham
Hotel(perhaps
chance
Wyndham
Hotel.Comedy
byBalan
area,this is thefirst time
meetings
withGirlBarrevelers?)
andat
at HotelZoso;Lawless
at thePure
theDoralResort.
Comedy
at oasiswith
WhiteParty.At PalmSprings
I'veeverperformed
here
SandraBernhard;
WhiteDiamonds
and
Convention
Center:
the RA:a Party
for a groupof lesbians,
of EpicProportions
anddancingat
Milanparties.
absolutely
incredible,"
Hunter's
VideoandDanceClub.
Westenhoefer
says.
Nextup?Provincetown,
American
Airlines,
CURVE,
Damron,
Coors
SPONSORS
Mass.,thisfall.
MillerLite,Bacardi,
Light,Finlandia,
Showtime
- CarolBryant
Logo
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••
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••
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·• ·Murder Most Foul
In one of the most heinous, underreported crimes of our times,
24-year-old Priscilla Pimentel (nicknamed Peaches) was found
stabbed to death in the bathtub of her Queens, N.Y., apartment
the Friday after Thanksgiving. Pimentel's Jack Russell terrier, also
murdered, lay motionless by her side.
Pimentel grew up in Bethlehem, Penn., and moved to New
York City after coming out four years ago. Reports say that she left
her suburban home in order to feel comfortable enough to explore
her sexuality without disapproval from her mother and smalltown gossip. "I truly believe in my heart that she moved away just
so she wouldn't hurt her mother's feelings;' her stepfather, Raoul
Laracuente, told the New York Times."This is a small town, everybody knows your business. She said she'd go to New York so that
her mother wouldn't be hurt:'
Pimentel's family got worried when phone calls weren't
returned, but it was when she didn't show up for Thanksgiving
dinner that they knew something was wrong. Her brother and sister drove out to find that she had been stabbed repeatedly in the
chest and arms and was left dead, posed dramatically in the bathtub of her Richmond Hill apartment. The same mint-green paint
that covered the walls in Pimentel's apartment was found splattered all over her body, and a large pride flag was found strewn
across the floor.
Pimentel reportedly had a long-term girlfriend in New York
who visited Pimentel's family with her twice in Pennsylvania over
the last couple of years, but the couple was said to have broken up
before the summer.
Police have not yet determined whether this was a hate crime,
and there was no sign of forced entry, but according to the Times,
they have not ruled it out. Nothing has been published on the
murder since the initial news reports last November.
"It's terrible. To think that that could have happened to her;'
said Erica Collao, the sister of one of Pimentel's neighbors, to
the Queens Chronicle.Collao said Pimentel was a fun, outgoing
woman who was friendly with the neighbors, particularly the
younger ones. Whether a lover's quarrel gone horribly wrong, a
premeditated hate crime, or a random act of violence, her death
was certainly a tragedy and a shock. - Allison Steinberg
Patti LaBelle
Cybill Shepherd
"Some girls ... looked like boys. Some. had mustaches
and beards. I'd be walking and be like, how'd that
boy get in here? And it was a girl. They'd want to
have lunch with me, like a lunch date."
>> Martha Stewart on getting asked out
by women in prison, to Us Weekly
"The thing that annoys me ... is the whole idea of me
being the 'female version' of somebody. You
never hear [about] 'the male Madonna."'
>> Lily Allen to Nylon
"Our first kiss was fun, like we'd been dating a while."
>> Alanis Morissette on kissing Nip/Tuck costar Roma Maffia, to Entertainment Weekly
"A scene in the script said that my new love interest
plants a big old kiss on Phyllis' lips. When the
time came, I kissed her instead! I didn't wait for it
the way the script was written, I just felt, wooo! ...
Pedal to the metal. It was fun. It's sexy.">> Cybill
Shepherd on her role as The L Word's Phyllis,
to Time Out New York
"I don't think God discriminates.· ... There are so many
phonies who use the church as a shield to hide
their anger and their deception and their phoniness .... Those people are the kind I try not to be
around.">> Patti LaBelle to Windy City Times
April 2007
I 15
THE
SCALES
81'0 "t ANO 1'11.T:ALTHBAKBATON
.-
II
'
Didja?"
J
Althea Keaton
I
COMIC BOOK WONDER
I
Just 22 years old, emerging artist Althea Keaton boldly creates com,
ics with lesbian overtones. Her work is based on manga, the Japanese
comic book tradition that began around World War II and is char,
acterized by black and white images, often later adapted into anime.
Keaton, born and raised in rural Putnam County, N.Y., now attends SUNY Purchase, a
state liberal arts institution. She is well aware that her work is political; some of it includes
coming,out stories and tales of di;crimination against LGBT people, but she acknowl,
I wastheir mascot.
I
edges that with a mostly straight target readership, 'Just by choosing to make it about
lesbians, but not lesbian issues specifically, that says something about how being a lesbian
is like being a person:'
Keaton's love for comic books extends back to her childhood, which was filled with
Ren & Stimpy and Archie comics. Her interest in Japanese art, though, didn't enter into her
artistic style and vision until she was 15.
"My work started to look more manga, though I had always worked with realistic images, often copying from photos:' Keaton incorporates some
traditional Japanese art influences, such as use of negative space, and her work projects a minimalist approach.
"Her work uses an incredible level of detail and expression, especially in the way the characters are handled;' says Erica Friedman of publishing
house AniLesbocon. Keaton's work is published under Yuricon, a subdivision of ALC Publishing, the first publishing house in the world devoted solely
to yuri, lesbian manga. The company focuses on translating Japanese texts to make them available to English,speaking audiences and on distributing
American artists' work.
Friedman, founder of ALC, started the company in 2003 in order to "address those other stories that we weren't seeing:' Lesbian characters, aside
from villains and victims, are largely underrepresented in the comic book world. ALC's mission, beyond the distribution of texts in English, is "to ere,
ate a cause here in the West that would have an effect on the fans of yuri in Japan:'
Keaton's work can be found in major bookstore chains internationally and on Amazon.com. Her latest work was published in the anthology Yuri
Monogatari: Volume IV. - Allison Steinberg
16
Icurve
Curvatures
Batty for BETTY
CuRVE caught up with BETTY at
the Sing Out for Aids concert held in St.
Petersburg, Fla., on World AIDS Day last
December. By performing at events like this
one, BETTY has helped raise more than
$60 million for various charities over the
years, according to Elizabeth Ziff, the band's
Talking,laughing,loving,breathing,
.fighting,
fucking,crying,drinking.
These lyrics from The L Word's much-discussed theme
song put rocker babes BETTY on the mainstream map. Still
going strong after 20 years together, the femme-fronted quintet
has a new album in the works.
"Were sisters and partners and best friends;' says eccentric,
hilarious and sweetly sincere Amy Ziff, the band's electric cello
player. "We're our own cult. We can't escape each other:'
fire-engine redhead rhythm guitarist.
"We started playing together in the '80s
when AIDS was becoming rampant, and we
had a lot of friends die;' says Elizabeth Ziff.
"But were committed to helping with a lot
of causes - breast cancer, pro-choice, equal
rights:'
BETTY keeps on rocking this year,
writing backup music for presentations
by Gloria Steinem (one of their greatest
heroes), authoring new TV theme songs
and touring internationally as they promote
their latest CD, tentatively tided Soundtrax
and scheduled for release this spring.
Fans might be a bit concerned that after two decades the
girls could start to slow down, especially given th~ high-energy
performances that captivate their audiences.
"We're going to keep playing as long as people still want to
hear us play;' says bass player Alyson Palmer, who was looking lovely at several months pregnant at the St. Pete show.
"We'll keep playing as long as we still want to hear each other:'
-
Sheryl Kay
Skip the ShockJocks
'J\.11girls, all the time' is the mantra
of Rubyfruit Radio, a weekly podcast
radio show, that Atlanta's Heather
Smith has been airing since 2005.
Rubyfruit's music policy is all
encompassing - well, all encompassing as long as women perform lead vocal duties. Tracks played on
air range from the Gossip to Bitch to Dar Williams. Of artists
who are officially out and proud, Smith estimates that about 25
percent of show content is created by lesbian musicians.
Smith had a short-lived college radio show called Rubyfruit
Radio and yearned to get back into broadcasting. She felt the
format of her college-era show filled a gap in the podcasting
realm. She also wanted to "help out indie female musicians who
oftentimes get overlooked;' and have some fun while doing it.
For those not hardwired to every fickle fluctuation of today's
technology, Smith explains, 'J\. podcast is essentially Internet
radio that you can download. You do not need an iPod to listen
to a podcast. This is a common misconception. A podcast is
a file that can be downloaded· and listened to on a computer,
MP3 player or even a cell phone:'
Smith extols the simplicity with which podcasts can be
created. "There are many applications you can use to record
a podcast. Some of these are free. When I started out, I was
using the built in mic on my iMac and an Apple application
called Garageband to record. I have since bought some professional equipment, but as long as you have a voice you can podcast. Many people are even podcasting using their cell phones:'
Smith adds, "Not so many women ... are doing podcasts.
It has been estimated that only 15 percent of podcasters are
female and a large majority of these are women who are podcasting with their husbands or boyfriends .... As far as lesbian
podcasters go, I know of about 20 besides Rubyfruit Radio
that broadcast regularly. Many of these were started because
the podcasters were inspired by Elka and KC of the Planet
Podcast for L Word Fans:'
To read our full interview with Smith, or find out more
about Rubyfruit Radio, Planet Podcast and how to get into
the game, go to curvemag.com or rubyfruitradio.com. - Aef a
Tats for Your Tits
What'sthe newest
underground
trend
to hit thefairersex?
Lovingyourbodywith
tattoos.It maysound
counter-intuitive,
butthesedecalsare
pain-free.IntimateArt
Tattoos- whichcome
in numerous
designs
fromtribalart to intricate
spirals- accentuate
thefemaleformwithan
arrayof temporary
tattoosdesigned
especially
for yourboobies.
IntimateArtfounder
Christine
Vannelli
says
thecompanyhopesto
spreadthe message,
"Loveyourbreasts.
They'repartof your
beautifulbody."While
IntimateArtis already
popularamongwomen
who'veundergone
mastectomies
anduse
thetatsto lightenthe
moodwithnewlovers,
Vannelli
sayslotsof
chicksshould(temporarily)adornthemselves
asa reminderof how
exquisitetheirbodyis.
(Some,likethewoman
picturedhere,usethem
onthe belly,too.)At $7
perpair,weseea new
DykeMarchtrendon
thehorizon.
Available
at
intimatearttattoo.com.
-Azania Baker
Mulholland
April 2007
I 17
Curvatures Lesbofile
Girls Gone Wild
Margaret Cho's got the hottest employee discount in town. I ByJocelynVoo
Beauty queens, politicians' daughters, rock stars and
racy comedians - one thing's for sure: It's been a
busy month!
Cho Me Those Good Vibes
MargaretCho,probably best known for her lewd
and unforgiving stand,up shticks, has just added "sex
toy advocate"to her resume: The bisexual comedian
accepted a seat on the board of directors for San
Francisco woman,centered sex toy company Good
Vibrations. Says Cho, "I am joining Good Vibrations
just in time - my Hitachi vibrator has just fallen
into two pieces after 15 years:'
You and Me and Baby Makes Three
Talk about tension over the family dinner table:
MaryCheney,
lesbian daughter of rifle,happy Vice
President Dick Cheney, is expecting a baby late this
spring with HeatherPoe,her partner of 15 years.
This, of course, sparked much concern amongst
conservatives, despite a statement from the VP's
spokesperson stating, "The vice president and Mrs.
Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation
to the arrival of their sixth grandchild:' This should
make for a very interesting Thanksgiving gathering.
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•CannenElectra
lived out many a rock groupie's fan,
tasy as JoanJett'slesbian lover in Jett's music video
for 'J\.C.D.C:' However, it was after the cameras
stopped rolling that things got really heated. The
former Baywatch actor, who filed for divorce from
Jane's Addiction guitarist DaveNavarroin August
citing "irreconcilable differences;' was seen getting
hot and heavy with Jett after one of her recent Los
Angeles concerts. "They weren't even trying to hide
it;' a source tells Star magazine. "They were fully
kissing and going at it. There were very physical,
there was lots of hugging, kissing and touching:'
Moreover, Electra's rep didn't even attempt to deny
the hookup: "[Electra) was at the concert. She is a
really big fan of [Jett J's,and I guess this was her way
of thanking her for the front row seats!"Much better
than just getting a bouquet of roses, in my opinion.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Rumors have been swirling that Terminator 3
star KristannaLokenwas hooking up with Lost
actor MichelleRodriguez
afrer the duo was pho,
tographed traipsing around L.A. With their arms
around each other. However, denial seems to be
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getting old! even for Loken. When The Advocate
asked Loken whether she was hooking up with her
BloodRayne co,star, Loken laughed and replied,
"There is the $64,000 question. Um ... I don't even
know how to answer that:' When asked if the pair
had fun partying together, Loken said, "Uh,huh;'
smiling slyly.I don't know about you, but the last
time I was so coy about anything, I was in high
school, and that was not a bruise on my neck from
"accidentally running into something:'
Our Kind of Miss USA
Pageant queens, the only known creatures on
earth who wear more sequins than Las Vegas
Elvis impersonators, are generally known for
their flawless figures and do,gooder personas. But
while some pageant girls are advocates for world
peace or universal health care, our own Miss
USA, TaraConner,
seems to be living a double life.
Conner was on the verge of losing her crown in
December after allegations of excessive partying,
including drug use (which turned out to be true
after a hair follicle sample tested positive for co,
caine), late,night clubbing and entertaining a
stream of men that would put Paris Hiltonto
shame. But perhaps the most eyebrow,raising
news is the fact that Conner and 18,year,old Miss
Teen USA KatieBlairhave been spotted kissing
each other while out partying in bars. Donald
Trump, the owner of the Miss USA franchise, has
since allowed Conner to keep her crown, contin,
gent on Conner's entrance into rehab.
Miss Nevada 2007, on the other hand, was
booted for her Sapphic indiscretions. KatieRees
has been stripped of her crown and tide after Girls
Gone Wild,like photos surfaced in December of
her flashing her breasts and kissing another worn,
an. Though Rees' attorney contends that these
photos were taken five years ago when she was 17
and were "a lapse in judgment;' Trump still gave
the beauty queen the boot. Does what happens in
Vegas really stay in Vegas? Apparently not. ■
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Astro Grrl Advice
April Showers Bring May Love
Virgo (August 24-Sept. 23)
Sex: Hanging around the Xerox machine can
multiply your chances of an office romance this
April. Consider changing your toner every so often, though. Career:They love, love, love you at
work. Do they have you confused with someone
else?
Libra (Sept. 24-0ct. 23)
Sex: Libras have a tigress in their tanks. Grrr.
Roam a few new jungles in search of new 'gayme:•
Career:You have excess amounts of energy and
drive on the job this April. Why waste perfectly
good energy on routine work?
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
Sex:April is the time to cement relationships and
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Sex:Charming Lambda Rams think they are in full control.
But the tables turn, and you end up lassoed, hogtied and
branded. Will you ultimately wind up on the BBQ menu? Let's
hope so. Career:Work is quiet and very mundane this April.
Enjoy it while you can. Things will soon change.
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
Sex:You're finally treated like the royalty you are. April brings
fortune, desire and all the better things in life. Tell April to
bring a friend with her! Career:
Bulls are operating on all four
cylinders, professionally. Who will you run over to get to the
top? Avoid U-turns and skids.
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Sex:April is the time to meet and greet the elite. Not only are
you fascinatiog and charismatic, you also put out. Ah, typical.
Career:Expect some kabooms around the office. Unexpected
changes can bring you fame and fortune. Then again, maybe
not. You will reap what you sow.
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
Sex:Crabs are apt to talk too much and spill a few love secrets
in the process. Loose lips sink ships - among other things.
Use your mouth for better purposes than just fanning the air.
Career:Keep your ears open. You are privy to some high-level information that can be used to your advantage. Take full
advantage.
spoil partners. Seek, and ye shall find her. Career:
Have you been working hard and learning your
corporate lessons? If so, you take a step up now. If not, you will
try, try again. But isn't that too trying?
Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 22)
Sex: This is a lucky time that can lead to dramatic change.
Will you bite off more than you can chew? Remember, more
than a mouthful is just a waste. Career:Day-to-day chores go
smoothly. Archers get most of their boring stuff off their plates
at work. Are you working or are you delegating, lazy girl?
Capricorn (Dec. 23-Jan. 20)
Sex:April is full of fun, parties and light flirtations. Caps are
captivated by a bevy of lovely admirers. How to choose? Why
choose at all? Career:
You are more interested in doing as little
as possible and letting your cheap charm carry you through the
workday. This is bad?
Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19)
Sex:You make a strong first impression with several new lovelies. Hopefully this will not cause any rifts in current relationship - unless that is the plan. Career:
Your finances will have
their ups and downs through the month. Don't quit in disgust
just yet. Wait until May.
Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20)
Sex:Guppies have a secret admirer. Will she reveal herself this
Sex:A cheeky romance can be developed somewhere else on
April? And just how revealing will she be? Career:
All that you
have been working toward begins to pay off. This means that
you need to give professional goals close attention. Move into
the captain's cabin, but don't forget those still swabbing the
poop deck. ■
the body. A certain gal pal may become jealous and reveal her
true feelings. Choices are nice! Career:
You shine in the corporate arena. Will you be a grandstander or a true performer?
For more advicefrom the stars, visit our astrologer,Charlene
Lichtenstein,online at thestarryeye.com.
Leo (July 24-August 23)
Aries,you
thinkyou're
in full
control.But
very soon
the tables
are turned
and you just
mightend
up lassoed,
hogtiedand
branded.
Willyou
ultimately
wind up on
the menu?
April 2007
j
19
Advice Ask the Sexperts
FAIRY BUTCH
ISON
VACATION!
OK,we admitit, we
neverthoughtit would
cometo this,butalas,
FairyButchhasdonethe
unthinkable:
she'staken
a monthoff fromher
infamouslesbianadvice
column.Wecouldn't
besadder,butthe spiel
aboutlettingcreative
dykestakeperiodic
holidaysisn't loston her
editor.Soin her
absencewe'reposting
theveryfirst Fairy
Butchquestionfromthe
September
1997issue.
Trans-Racial
Adoption
MyloverandI arewhite
womenwhoareactive
in the lesbianfeminist
community.Werecently
decidedto adopta beautifulAfrican-American
babyboy,butare
concerned
abouthow
to bestinstilla sense
of culturalpridein our
sonsincewe arewhite
andsoaremostof our
friends.Whatdo
yourecommend?
Tofindout whatFairy
Butchtoldthislesbian
couple,or to offeryour
owntipsonraisingtheir
now 10-year-old
son,go
to curvemag.com.
Taking the Girlfriend Home
Bringing your partner to your parents' house can be a daunting
task. The question inevitably will arise: "Is it OK to share a room
with my girlfriend when visiting my folks?" Now, of course, you
could pose this question to your parents directly, but most of us
choose to avoid topics that are uncomfortable, so here are a few
tips to help you navigate your way through this challenge.
Womb With a View
If your childhood bedroom is exactly as it was when you were
12 years old, complete with butterfly bedding and a Barbie
need to save your energy, time and debate skills for the issues
Dream House, then you can rest assured that your parents
will not be OK with you sleeping with your girlfriend in their
shrine to your lost innocence. You'll need to bunk her in the
but be sure that the two of you suck face on the couch every
time your folks enter the room. Eventually, your parents will be
guest room and sneak in there at 3 a.m. to get some nookie. Do
not allow her to try and sneak into your childhood bedroom
eager to fight the small battles about who sleeps where rather
than engage in an all-out war they have clearly lost.
for some late-night sex, as this will only lead to heart attacks
for your parents (oh, they'll know) and to thousands of dollars
in therapy for you.
If your childhood room is now a personal gym with a futon thrown into the corner, then it's OK for you to bed down
with your girl. Your parents have moved on to focus on their
own lives. It is advised, however, to keep the noise to a minimum
- your parents are indifferent, not dea£ Your exuberant din will
only serve to shatter their sense of parental denial. Ignorance is
bliss and relatively quiet.
All'sFair in Love and War
Ultimately, the rule of thumb should be "pick your battles:' For
example, it is useless to fight to the death over what bed your
girlfriend sleeps in when your parents still say to you, "No, dear,
you're not a lesbian. It's just a stage you're going through:' You
obviously have the Battle of Little Big Horn brewing. You'll
20
I
curve
Do not allowher to try and
sneak intoyourchildhoodbedroomfor some late-nightsex, as
thiswillonlyleadto heartattacks
for yourparents.
that really matter. Put the girlfriend up in the guest bedroom,
Denial:More Than a Riverin Egypt
Your parents are likely floating aimlessly down that famous river,
pleasantly denying that you and your girlfriend are having sex.
You may as well speak Chinese to them when it comes to any
conversation involving you, your girlfriend, sheets, mattresses,
dental dams and vibrators. Your best bet may be to just take your
girl's suitcase into the same room as yours and shut the door.
When asked about the situation, bring up issues that are more
disturbing to your parents to send them further down the river.
Try these gems: "So, I assume you and Dad stopped having sex
a long time ago. How's that working out for yat Or the classic deterrent, "Did you see the naked photos of my sister and
the farm animals onlind Wasn't that interesting? I didn't even
know she liked horses:' Mom and Dad will stop speaking to you
altogether, which is ultimately your goal for a successful visit.
- Kate Lacey
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Lipstick & Dipstick Advice
Straight Chicks? Steer Clear
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick:
I'm a 34-year-old soft butch, and I've been
friends with a straight married chick for
three years. Her husband has no problem
with us hanging out. However, last week,
she asked me to make love to her. At first
I was blown away, but I fucked her anyway. They left town shortly afterward and
while away, she called me. When she heard
another chick's voice in the background,
she got upset and said that I was a jerk and
it didn't take me long to move on, then she
hung up. So, I'm sitting here going WTF?
I'm confused about her reaction and the
whole situation. I still want to be her friend,
but I'm not sure we can pretend it never
happened. - Dazed and Cuntfused
Dipstick: Lipstick, Lipstick, Lipstick. How many
times do we have to tell these ladies not to mess
around with straight women? They just never lis,
ten, do they?
Lipstick:They never do! WTF is right, Cuntfused.
Dipstick:I'm sorry, D.C., but you blew it when you
slept with her. Your friendship is over. What did
you do wrong, you ask? You were only doing what
she asked you to do, right? You of all people should
know that butch,loving is like crack; once a lady has
some, she'll never get enough. The only way you're
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fucking her. But that's not gonna work with hubby
Dipstick:I agree. It's not weird to want to be friends
with your ex; you're a lesbian after all. That said, I
around, is it? Learn from your mistake, and the
can't help but wonder if perhaps Francine is picking
next time a married chick asks you to hold her kitty,
sneeze violently and tell her you' re allergic.
you still harboring feelings for the depressed Dolly?
going to keep this bet in your life is if you continue
Lipstick:You knew better, but you couldn't keep
your hand out of the cookie jar, so now you're pay,
ing the price for licking her poodle ... or rather
stealing a snickerdoodle. Even though we contin,
ue browbeating - dykes won't stop sleeping with
straight chicks! - we do understand that some,
times sex just happens. Pull up your pants and
walk away from this cuntfusion immediately.
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick:
I broke up with my ex a little over a year
ago, and it was ugly. We continued talking
because I thought it would help the grieving process, but once I met my girlfriend,
Francine, my ex spiraled down, sending
threatening messages about suicide. We
didn't speak for many months, but now I'm
trying to rekindle that friendship. It seems
my ex is ready, but now the problem is
Francine. She doesn't like it, and we fight
about it a lot. What should I do? Is it weird
to have the urge to hang out with my ex?
- Friend or Franny
Lipstick: It's so hard to please all the women in
our lives, huh? If one of
them is happy, the other
is whining about some,
thing. Teeter,totter. Tell
both women to build
a bridge and stand up
for what you want. No,
it's not weird to want
to keep in touch with
your ex. Your girlfriend
- unless she's horribly
insecure, socially inept
or just out of the closet
- should know that. If
your intuition tells you
to recapture what you
valued about the ex,
then by all means, grab
it. Some of my rich,
est friendships are with
women I've shagged.
up on something even you don't want to admit. Are
Do you want to be her knight in shining armor, the
one who rescues her from the fire of her own tor,
mented mind? Lay off the ex for a while and see if
Francine is the one who really moves you.
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick:
I am in a three-year, deteriorating relationship. A month ago, I told her that I need to
see dramatic change or else I'm leaving.
At the same time, I told her that either we
break up or we open our relationship. She's
since allowed me to see other people. So
now my question is, is this really a good
idea? I want to explore other options, but
I'm still uncomfortable knowing someone
else besides my girlfriend is going to touch
me. I'm also insecure and look straight. So
the problem really boils down to whether I
should have an open relationship. I really
don't want to. I want to be happy with my
girlfriend. I'm not ready to enter into another relationship. - Even More Cuntfused
Lipstick: Then don't. And looking straight isn't a
problem - you'll be able to scoop up some hap,
less butch in no time.
Dipstick: Hold on there; stay away from the dip,
sticks until you know what you want.
Lipstick: How are you so sure she's the one that
needs to change? Instead of just pointing the fin,
ger, have you considered if your chaotic crosshairs
are part of the problem?
Dipstick: It's important to remember that people
don't change for other people; they change for
themselves. I think you're staying with this worn,
an, whom you don't love unconditionally, because
you fear no other woman will want you. That, my
friend, is a poor reason to stick around. Let her go.
Take out a personal ad and start dating. You'll be
surprised by the number of women who want to
sleep with insecure, straight,looking chicks. ■
Ask us anything about sex, loveor lesbiansat lipstick
dipstick.com.
April 2007
I
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1 From left: The L Word's Pam Grier, Katherine Moennig, Leisha Hailey, Ilene Chaiken
0
and CURVEexecutive editor Diane Anderson~Minshall at cuRvE's L Word bash in January
at the W Hotel, San Francisco 2 Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer (second from right)
gets cozy with the women of burlesque troupe Stilettos & Strap~Ons at the L Word bash
3 Honey Labrador (left) with Shannon Kampa, host of Platinum, the ladies' night at
East/West Lounge in West Hollywood 4 L Word Party Revelers 5 CuRVE marketing and
PR manager Bambi Weavil (left) with a lovely lass at the CURVEL Word party 6 From
left: CURVEproduction manager Ondine Kilker, Maribel and Marisol Arellano and Photo
Assistant Tay Kriv enjoy the night at the CURVEL Word party
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7 Sandra Bernhard (left) and John Goodman at the Trevor Project's Annual Cracked Xmas
party 8 Carmen Electra look s sexy at the Trevor Cracked Xmas Party 9 More revelers at the
CURVE L Word party 10 Women packed Olivia Headquarters in San Francisco for the HRC
L Word Premiere Party in January 11 The W Hotel played host to more CURVE partiers
12 Marissa Jaret Winokur of Hairspray(left) and Lucy Lawless looking sexy at the Trevor
Project Cracked Xmas party 13 Amy Errett, CEO of Olivia, presides over the HRC L Word
Premiere Party 14 Vidalia Paradise (left), of the burlesque troupe Diamond Daggers, and
her lovely friend takes a break from entertaining at the CURVE L Word Premiere Party
April 2007
I 23
IF YOU GO:
Arrange round-trip transportation
between the airport and the
ferry dock through BestDay.com.
The fare should run about $17.
The ferry at Puerto Juarez
runs every half hour.
No reservation needed;
$4 each way.
Lodging varies widely in
price and accommodation.
Vicki at Lost Oasis can
help with any budget.
E-mail vicki@lostoasis.net.
For more information
on Isla Mujeres:
isla-mujeres.net
travelyucatan.com
26
Icurve
During the holidays, my partner and I did not
want to negotiate family politics around either the
Christmas tree or the menorah. I don't know when
we turned into such scrooges, but there we were,
bah humbugging and oy veying all over the place.
We were in serious need of a serious vacation, and
a trip to Isla Mujeres provided the perfect escape.
We landed in Cancun on a sparkling day and
made our way across town to the ferry dock at
Puerto Juarez. The 30-minute ferry ride felt transformative as we left our 100 mph lives behind and
felt the slow, soothing rhythm of the sea beneath
us. Aboard the ferry we met an international crowd
of Cancun exiles - people who were trading in
the action of Cancun for the laid-back authenticity of Isla Mujeres' pristine beaches. The colorful
buildings on Avenue Rueda Medina greeted us
as we approached the shore. It is a short walk to
almost everywhere on the five-mile-long island
and we easily found our charming hotel, Cabanas
Maria del Mar, nestled on the edge of Playa Norte,
Isla Mujeres' most beautiful beach.
Isla Mujeres - "Isla" for short - lies just off
Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Its name translates
to "the isle of women;• and its female inhabitants
boast a long and rich history. The Mayans considered the island a home for Ixchel, their goddess
of fertility, reason, medicine and the moon. They
built her a temple (with ruins still standing on
the south point of the island) and carved it with
female idols in the image of Ixchel and her daughters and daughters-in-law. When Spanish explorer
Francisco Hernandez de Cordova arrived in 1517,
he was so taken with the figures that he named the
island for them. For 300 years, the island served as
a stop for fisherman and pirates. They buried treasure on Isla's sandy white beaches and left their
women there for safekeeping while they sailed the
seas. It's hard to imagine what all of those women
might have done on a beautiful tropical island for
three centuries, but we spent some time under a
shady palm trying.
Suzanne and I spent blissful days dozing on
the warm sand, swimming in the crystal waters
off the playa and watching the sunset. Every day,
we walked past small, brightly painted homes and
a fascinating Mexican cemetery on our way into
Isla's downtown, drawn by the promise of strolling mariachi bands, great people-watching and the
fabulous smells of traditional Mexican foods. The
The Mayans considered the island a home
for lxchel, their goddess of fertility,
reason, medicine and the moon.
restaurants and shops along Avenue Hidalgo pro-
in Tony's boat. When we arrived, we were greeted
vided lots of choices. We made a decadent habit
of drinking mojitos and eating the best guacamole
by swooping frigate birds, cormorants, pelicans,
and a manta ray named Paco. While we snorkeled
and tortillas a gringo could want at Bucaneros.
In the evenings, the entertainment ranged from
in the lagoon, Captain Tony and his daughter
the subtle to the sublime with a gaggle of live
bands, including a sometimes raucous open mic at
and salty, we ate heartily and then walked through
the island's humble museum and nature trails. At
the end of the day, we got back into the boat and
play basketball and skateboard under the stars in
the plaza at the end of the avenue.
plowed through some rough seas and a pelting
rainstorm while nervously referencing Gilligan '.s
Talking with people we just met like they were
old friends became a common pastime. Word of
Island. Just as we were debating why Ginger had
Michigan gave us rave reviews on a man_ named
Captain Tony, who had taken them on an excursion to Conroy, a nearby island and bird sanctu-
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cooked up a sumptuous feast of grilled barracuda
with rice and beans and fresh fruit. Sunburned
Bamboo. Stuffed with tamales one night, we hung
out with the locals and watched the island kids
what to do and whom to do it with spreads quickly
on the tiny island, and new friends readily passed
along recommendations. A couple of women from
Find someone
you clickwith on
pinksofa.com
all of those gowns on a three-hour tour, the sun
burst through the clouds and we saw Isla on the
horizon. We did a little more snorkeling on a reef
just off the shore and swam with beautiful fish
before heading in.
Isla Mujeres' charm and the kind people we
met there enabled us to completely abandon our
ary. Never ones to pass up a great tip, we found
Tony at his home on Calle Matamoros and were
welcomed by his gracious family. We signed on for
city lives. We realized that we were not the only
ones who wandered the island in a state of tropical
euphoria when we encountered a group of visitors
the trip along with folks from France and Eastern
Europe. The hour-long ride to Conroy was full of
lively conversation, and we sailed smooth as glass
on a street corner who were casually discussing
what day of the week it was. No one was really
sure and, in the end, it didn't really matter. ■
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connecting lesbians
America's fastest growing lesbian website
I.)
eve
•
•
ICIOUS
Supermodel Eve Salvail comes out.
By Jennifer Corday
Sexy, androgynous Eve Salvail is more than Evelicious, she's a top model, popular actor and accom~
plished musician who just came out as a lesbian on The Tyra Banks Show. Born in Canada, this New
Yorker has graced magazine covers and fashion ads. She's walked runways from New York to Paris for
international fashion heavyweights like Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace
and Valentino. She has won numerous awards, walked for the silver screen and once tended bar at
a punk rock club in Montreal. She made a guest appearance on Cycle 6 of Americas Next Top Model
and, no surprise, gets lots of attention from the ladies.
You're a model, an actor and a singer; what do you consider to be most important?
I'm actually doing more DJing now. My other music is a more of a hobby, but I wish to take it
further. I love acting, but it is hard, if you really want me to be honest.
What do you mean?
It's just really hard emotionally. If you have to play a part where you're a junkie, or maybe you
lost someone close to you, you have to go through all of those emotions. I have tremendous
respect and admiration for actors - I don't know how they detach themselves after the scene.
Same with nurses and doctors, I don't know how they can do that all day and then go home
and have a normal dinner.
Tell me about your music career.
I started writing and performing with bands when I was 14. Whenever I was traveling [as a
model], I would find a band to perform with. I co~wrote a few songs with Bryan Adams, and
now I'm writing with my cousin David.
Are you working on a CD, or what is your goal?
We've always done it for the fun, never to get rich or famous. It's fun for me; it's relaxing.
It's therapeutic, isn't it?
Exactly.
Did you always want to be a model?
I never wanted to be a model. I was discovered by Jean Paul Gaultier, and within a day I was
working.
Within a day?
Yes! It was a Sunday that I did a fashion show for him, and I remember I stayed in a hotel and
the next day the fax machine was spitting out offers, one after the other. I thought I was just
going back home to bartend!
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You were a bartender? Where?
Are more women approaching you now?
It was a punk club in Montreal called Le Foufoune Electrique. It was cheap
beer, but I was the worst bartender! I never thought I would make it as
a model with a tattoo on my head.
Well, I'm getting a lot of attention. They're either extremely supportive, or
they want to date me.
Are you single?
Yes, tell me about that tattoo on your head - it's a dragon?
Yes.
Yes,I quit modeling, shaved my head and got a dragon tattooed on my head.
Do you watch The L Word?
Why did you want to quit? Was it not going well?
I'm definitely a fan. I used to watch the show religiously, but I've only seen
one [episode] this season. I actually auditioned for the part of Marina,
but I didn't get it. Later my agency asked again but they weren't interest~
ed. They don't like me. They're picky people ... but I'm OK with that.
It was going fantastically! I just never really looked at fashion; I never really
knew anything about it. I was a punk, and I didn't really know what I
was doing. I just said fuck everything - fuck everything!
When did you know you were a lesbian? '
On AfterEllen, you said you didn't want your grandparents to know
A girl pursued me when I was 19, and that was when I had my first sexual
experience. She spoke Spanish.
you were a lesbian. So you're still not out to them?
No. At the time, I learned a little bit, but I don't think we talked that much!
Well, other than my brother and my mom and dad, no one else in my fam~
ily knows. I don't really want them to know, and I don't really want my
niece to know either. She's 14, so I'm at the age where I'm cool.
Oh, I get it. Where did you meet her?
What are you afraid of?
It was at a modeling contest, my first modelingjob. I fell madly in love with
her. She broke my heart to pieces.
Well, it's a different generation. What if she doesn't love me anymore? I
guess there's a glimpse of fear.
You recently came out on The 'fyra Banks Show. Did you plan that
Besides the dragon on your head, do you have any other tattoos?
or did It Just come up?
I have another one on my ankle but I plan to remove it. I'm not a tattoo fan.
It looks pretty with high heels ... but it has the name of the love of my
life underneath it. So it's gonna have to go. Word of advice: don't get
someone's name or you'll break up within a year! It happens every time.
You speak Spanish?
It just came up; she just asked me.
Now that you came out, do you think it will help or hurt your career or affect It in any way?
I don't know .... I don't think so. I don't think it can traumatize any industry
anymore. Gayness is cool.
You got other names tattooed?
Every time I wrote her name, the same girl. I'm still madly in love with her.
Do you still see her?
Every day. I run into her all the time.
That must be hard. I bet that's inspiration for some great songs.
Oh yes, I wrote the best songs about her. All the best songs are about her.
Why did you break up?
We both had our issues. It was not a healthy relationship. I can't speak for
her, but I hope that one day we might reconnect. I hope there's a chance
that we will have a healthy relationship one day. One day.
We can talk about this off the record.
No, that's OK, I hope she reads the article!
Do you think you have an androgynous image? Would you say
you're more butch or more femme? Do you identify with those
words or are you offended by them in any way?
I don't have judgment on words like that. When I first started modeling, I
was calling myself butchy, boyish, dyke, punk, whatever; I was a tom~
boy. I moved in with a drag queen because I wanted to learn how to be
feminine. I just love queenie boys!
I understand you are a pretty shy person and you never make the
first move, but that surprises me. As a model, surely you feel any
woman would be flattered to have your attention?
It's weird, but people have this view of modeling, they have an image of us
airbrushed with perfect lighting and perfect clothes and perfect cam~
eras. But the truth is, I'm rejected every day! Your feet are too small,
you're too skinny, you walk funny, your nose is too big and on and on,
constantly, constantly looking at every inch of you. For 17 years, it was
constant every day. Models become insecure.
Would you ever have plastic surgery to change your body?
Oh hell yeah, I'd love to have big tits ... and a sports car, hello! ■
You canfind Salvailonlineat evesalvail.com
or myspace.com/evelicious
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Too Hot to Handle
Atage24,handbag
designer
Nicole
Valerishatters
stereotypes
aboutlesbian
fashion.
ByCatherine
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"I really hate the stereotypes that are still around
about lesbians not having fashion sense, and not caring about their image;' says queer fashionista Nicole
Valeri (pictured left), who's spent the past two years
smashing that stereotype with her Sapphic-inspired
designer handbags. Made from hand-colored micro
suede, every bag features a sexy,girl-on-girl smooch
in bright, Andy Warhol-inspired colors.
Valeri, 24, began designing bags during her
senior year as a graphic design student at Columbia
College in her native Chicago. Though she had always been obsessed with fashion and style, Valeri followed her parents' wishes to choose a more practical and
potentially lucrative major."Since they generously helped me pay for my education, I decided to major in graphic design to make them happy;' she explains.
"However, in my graphic design classes I was always sketching out clothes and
thinking about things fashion-related. I remember on my 15-minute breaks
sitting in the hallway outside of a fashion merchandising class,just listening to
the class, wishing I was in there:'
After graduation, she landed a job as a graphic designer for a Chicagobased lesbian party production company, but quickly realized that she wasn't
destined to do graphic design for someone else. After pouring hours of work
into a design that was eventually rejected, Valeri decided to work for hersel£
using her prized Sapphic graphic on her own T-shirts. "I started getting compliments on the design;' she says. 'i\.t this point, I still had no intention on
starting a business, I just thought it was cool I was getting compliments on
something I had created:' A night of brainstorming with a girlfriend inspired
Valeri to put the design on handbags. Though she wasn't a big purse fan
herself ("as most lesbians aren't"), she found the idea more original than
graphic tees and the market less oversaturated.
Meanwhile, Valeri continued volunteering as a stylist at fashion shoots, getting her feet wet in the industry while searching for paid work. As with most
emerging artists, Valeri's introduction to the industry was rather unglamorous.
"I spent months in Los Angeles, sleeping on my friends' co_uch,living out of a
suitcase and trying to make things happen there;' she remembers. "I learned
pretty quickly that there's no such thing as a free lunch in this industry. ... People
don't do things for you without expecting something in return .... Now I make
sure to always think about business as something that must benefit both parties
involved:'
Now back in Chicago, Valeri juggles purse-making with her own freelance
graphic design business and part-time work at a marketing company. It's enough
to make most people keel over from exhaustion, but Valeri says she likes to stay
busy, and sees her side jobs as necessary to the success of her line. "Everything
I take on, career-wise, I try to find a common thread between those jobs and
my handbag business;' she says."That way, I no longer look at it as a job. I look
at it as a learning experience to better myself and my business:• She sells her
designs at boutiques throughout Chicago and Indianapolis, as well as online
at nicolevaleri.com. Later this spring she expects to expand the site to include
more T-shirts and tank tops with her same signature design.
"I want the women who carry my bags to feel more confident, more beautiful and proud to be who they are and what they are. I want women to feel
comfortable enough with their sexuality and themselves to be able to express
themselves with my designs;• says Valeri, whose typical customer she describes
as a trendy, attention-loving woman in her 20s or early 30s. "I hope and I want
women who carry my designs to feel independent and strong:' ■
April 2007
I31
One Los Angeles,based fashion designer is rocking the fashion design
world hard, and that's 23,year,old Schquay Brignac. Lead designer of
Studs Clothing, Brignac makes clothing just for studs, and lesbians can't
high source within me of being black, period, knowing my history of where
my people have come from, the struggles I have gone through. Being black.
seem to get enough of the fledgling design house.
The embroidered emblem"Studs" sits on the front and backs of Brignac's
Being gay. Being a stud:'
When Sparks came out as a lesbian in Kansas, she had not heard of
garments, allowing wearers to open up about their stud identity.
"Right now there are a lot of butches and studs that are not exactly
sure about how they should be;' Brignac admits. "They ... don't know where
stud identity. "I never heard the word [stud) until I started to hang out with
to find clothes for themselves (in) the men's department (or) the women's
one to identify with ... not ever hearing any stories that reflected my own
department. One of my main goals is to represent studs, to represent our,
selves and feel proud of that:'
development stories ... not having any role models ... not being mirrored.
For me that is the crux of the struggle:•
Brignac never laid a hand on a sewing machine before last year. "My
roommate was teaching someone how to sew;' she says."It seemed very fun:'
That's part of why Brignac has become so popular. "Women who are
studs are thankful;' says D'Lo. "Women who are femmes are thankful. ...
She asked him to teach her; a week later, Brignac completed her first pair of
Clothing made by a stud for studs is validation:'
shorts. Something hit the mark right on.
"People around me, in my community, said, 'Why don't you just start
Sparks agrees. "The women love it. The femmes are requesting stud
clothing for femmes:' Brignac has responded to this request with a new
making clothes for all the studs?"' Brignac says. And Studs Clothing was
born. She creates jackets, shorts and a ripped T,shirt line that each signify
line of Studs Clothing for femmes.
"I would like to walk down the street and see a grandmother wearing
a part of the stud journey to selOove and wholeness.
"Schquay's line of clothing is revolutionary;' says the L.A.,based Sri
Studs and knowing what that means;' she admits.
Some might argue that focusing on style is a distraction from the real
Lankan poet and performer D'Lo, who identifies as a stud/boi. "We studs
have trouble just walking down the street:'
But, just what constitutes a stud? D'Lo knows: "Basically,a butch of col,
work of civil rights. In fact, author Valerie Steele once wrote that"fashion is
the F,word of feminism:' Yet feminists, dykes, gay men, trans folks, butches
or ... someone who has mad flavor.... Someone who stands their ground
challenges the stereotype that style conflicts with radical politics.
"Who says we can't fight racism and imperialism looking flyt D'Lo says.
Brignac says the same, in different ways. "When you work to your
true and best ability, you start to create destiny;' Brignac says. One ex,
confidently with their masculine energy and doesn't cower in the face
of homophobia:•
Studs has another fan in Holly Sparks, a recent graduate of a marriage
and family counseling program in L.A. "Quay represents the conjoined re,
lationship between the clothes and our gender;' Sparks says. "It began with
the label. But the patchwork and rips, the multiple colors ... speak to tran,
scending clothing how we know it. We transcend gender:'
Brignac has a strong spiritual core that carries into her fashion design.
"Redefining the clothing is just bringing my love and creativity forward,
and letting it manifest within the clothing.Transferring my spiritual energy
and mental energy to the clothes;' Brignac says.
African,American identity also is important to her work, Brignac says.
32
"That is my basis everywhere. I have a
I curve
black gay folks in L.A. and Long Beach:'
Yet Sparks tells the tale of stud childhood: "Growing up not having any,
and studs are called into the fashion system out of the lack of options. D'Lo
ample: Studs Clothing intends to avoid making the same mistake by
exploiting garment laborers. "Especially in the sweatshops that they use.
They pay everyone from a cent to twelve cents. It is interesting in the fact
that they feel so comfortable exploiting people. They're just greedy:'
Next up for Studs? A national tour that'll take them from L.A. in April
to Oakland, Cali£, in July and New York in October. Whether it's on the
streets of Paris or Korea, Studs Clothing is breaking hard ground. To dress
the stud in your life, check out myspace.com/ studsclothing. ■
Dinah Shore Style
March28 is justaround
thecorner.
Whatwillyoubewearing?
ByJennifer
Corday
Poolside fashion gets taken to a whole new level when lesbians across the
of ink, with tattoos on the majority, and piercings aplenty. Check out the
nation flock to the annual Dinah Shore celebration, a weekend long lesbian
matching suits, mirror images done in reversed designs, a popular trend with
lovefest in sunny Palm Springs, Calif. Sure, there's a women's golf tourna~
couples and best friends. Skulls and crossbones, pirates and tattoo themes
ment -
where it's at these days. You won't get a chaise lounge unless you wake up at
are big, along with rockabilly polka dots. You'll see lots of board shorts on
the athletes and a few thongs between buns of steel. Cowgirl hats are still the
the crack of dawn and hustle down to the pool to claim your spot. Give that
rage, but there's plenty of other headgear including trucker hats (foam, out;
up and stay on your feet.
Dress (or undress) to impress and enter pool area with caution. It's your
ings are great attention~getters, and rumor has it one Dinah promoter will be
the original reason for Dinah -
but we all know the pool parties are
mesh, in), headbands and the occasional visor. Distressed tees with clever say~
continue to raise the bar when it comes to fashion, as trendsetters for the chic
releasing ones emblazoned with Dina Ho and Dinah Virgin on them. These
won't go over so well if you've got a girlfriend, but then again, going to Dinah
and the daring. Arriving in all shapes and sizes, Dinah's bathing beauties will
at all is probably a bad idea if you've got a girlfriend.
chance to see and be seen, with not much left to the imagination. Lesbians
amaze you with their sexy and unique display of pool attire.
Like snowflakes or thumbprints, no two Dinah dykes are exactly alike, but
If you've got it, flaunt it; if you don't, cover it up with style! You've got
there are a few foolproof trends to keep in mind. Big shades are definitely in,
at least seven pool parties to make an impression. And if you've really got
nothing to wear, well, there's always that golf tournament. Right. Better get
and the fauxhawk, Jackie Warner~style, is still hotter than hot. There's plenty
shopping! ■
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April 2007
I33
---------------
Urban Chic
For city dykes, couture jeans,
hand-crafted shoes and funky
statement tees never go out of style.
Photos by Lydia Daniller
•
Jennifer, far left, wears the Boris hat by Goorin
Bros., "Don't Assume That We Prefer Men" T-Shirt
by Dyke Tees, Habitual 'Loft Little Sister in the
City' jeans, 'Sande' Snapboots with Rolled Toecap
by Tamera Lindsay. Krista, center, is in a Lena
Hat from the Cassel Goorin collection, Oxblood
Antique Key Belt by Steel Toe Studios, Kasil
'Ansley in Atlantic' jeans; T-shirt by Artan Hamilton
at ldgogayfor.com. Natalie, right, wears a shirt by
Dyke Tees and 'The Shane' jeans from Love and
Pride designed by Honey Labrador
All jeans except the Love and Pride jeans
supplied by Azalea Boutique in San Francisco,
azaleaboutiquesf.com
April 2007
I35
Opposite Page: Natalie, far left, is in a Lezbots T-shirt by Dyke Tees, Paige Premium Denim 'Laurel Canyon Winter' jeans. Jennifer wears a Dyke Tees
T-shirt, Habitual 'Little Sister Loft City' jeans, Sande boots by Tamera Lindsay. Krista's T-shirt is by Dyke Tees, Kasil 'Ansley in Atlantic' jeans, British
Tan Belt with Butterfly Hinge buckle by Steel Toe Studios. This page, left: Jennifer is in a Boris hat by Goorin Bros., Yakuza Messenger Bag from the
Cassel Goorin line, "One Drink Away from Girl on Girl Action" shirt by Dyke Tees, Habitual 'Loft Little Sister in the City' jeans, Double Antique Key
belt from Steel Toe Studios. Right: Natalie, in front, wears a Pussy Liquors tee, Single Antique Key belt, Paige Premium Denim 'Laurel Canyon Winter'
jeans, Krista is in Goorin Bros.' Boris hat, and Dyke Tees T-shirt. For buying info, visit curvemag.com.
April 2007
I37
Fashion Fetish
Inspired
byBDSM,
queerpolitics
andrawsexuality,
designer
Lii Collins
canmakea setofknitting
needles
dothings
yourgrandmother
neverdreamed
of. ByStephanie
Schroeder
From 2000 to 2004, Liz Collins' name was on her clothing label. She had at
least seven runway shows and was the darling of the fashion world, particu,
lady the Japanese fashion media she has been enthralled by since she was a
teenager. "I made a big splash with my first show, which was a total surprise
since I was new to the high,fashion scene;' says Collins, who today teaches
at her alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned her
BFA and MFA in textile design. An assistant professor in the textile depart,
ment, she extends her excitement about knitwear and knitting techniques into
research that she says blurs the boundaries of the academic and the artistic.
Collins began her fashion career with a boutique in Providence, R.I.,
that she operated from 1994 to 1996 with a friend, and which she now
refers to as "an ongoing designer sample sale:'
"We did one,off pieces and also sold other designer's clothing. It was an
experimental period;' she reminisces. "I learned how to make clothing by
trial and error:' She returned to RISO to obtain her MFA and then created
the Liz Collins brand.
"I find women's bodies perpetually inspiring. Not that men's bodies
can't be beautiful - I enjoy the human structure, but my love for the female
form and queer women's bodies is what inspires me, rather than a certain
fabric or fashion silhouette. It's very visceral for me:' Collins says chat while
out lesbian designers are few and far between, "many are at the helm of
design companies, head designers for big name designers or other players
in the fashion industry, behind the scenes in the way lesbians in television
are as producers and writers:'
Collins laughs when asked about the butch,femme dynamic and her
personal relationship with her partner of two years, AIDS activist and
educator Julie Davids. "Well, it kind of looks like that, and I don't want to
define Julie's identity; however I'd say she is more in the transgender realm
- though she has her bucchy moments. And I'm definitely a girly,girI:'
Bondage and fetish are also a part of Collins' identity as both a queer worn,
an and as a designer. "BDSM and fetish are part of my aesthetic language
and very connected to who I am as an artist and as a person:'
3Slcurve
"BDSM and fetish symbols show up as motifs in my clothing both as
fashion and ideas about how the body can be restrained and experience
different sensations. I translate chat into a visual language. There are a lot
of possibilities in the realm of fashion and clothing, and my way of talking
about it is to show compression, pressure and resistance. For example I use
ropes in my designs;' explains Collins, "I mean I knit long cords out of fab,
ric and then attach them to a garment. It's like self bondage. In some of my
pieces, the wearer can tie herself up or someone else can. It's about restraint.
The viewer can see that the wearer is bound, and both the wearer and the
viewer experience something exciting:'
Additionally, Collins' interests lie in sensations the body receives via
clothing. "Since the female form is such a huge inspiration to me, I feel like I
design clothing to relate to people. Like making a soft and cozy knit dress or
sweater someone wears on a date. I'm not on the date, but I kind of am, you
know what I mean:' Collins refers to one specific dress that is very popular
in her line, "I build elastic into some garments, and I have this dress I do
where the whole torso is elasticized. It's corset,like, and you can feel safe
and held in but not restrained to the point of losing your breath, and it's
very exciting to wear:'
Over the past few years, Collins has taken her ideas from sublimation
in her designs to exploring and incorporating them on a physical and vis,
ceral level in her personal life."Ic all furthers my understanding of what I'm
interested in within the arena of my personal life, which is purely queer.
My personal landscape is queer women and transpeople;' Collins says. "I
think that for a lot of artists, their sexuality is a huge part of what their art
is about:' Collins admits that she thinks making clothes is sexy."It's my way
of connecting to people in a sensual way. It's my urge to connect that feels
right and is honored and is genuine in that tangible connection:'
One other interest that sets Collins apart is her fetish for the reuse of
material - "scraps;' she calls them. "I would rather use leftovers from other
designers or my own work than make new fabrics;' Collins says. She re,
mains firm that all her art be useful if unconventional. "I often think about
ct:
(.)
(.)
UJ
_J
~
"My love for the female form and queer women's bodies is
what inspires me, rather than a certain fabric or fashion
silhouette. It's very visceral for me."
making clothing soft and intimate, filled with love and affection and passion, passing from me to other people:•
Collins' knitwear is for the woman who wants to be the center of attention. "The Liz Collins customer is someone who is willing to be seen, talked
to and approached;' she says, "because my designs are so unique and attention-getting, she is also someone who is willing to spend a little more for
the effect:' Her designs are not what she considers lesbian fashion, "whatever that is, and even I don't know:• Collins says a designer such as Parisa
Parnian of Rigged OUTfitters, who specifically caters to butches and the
trans community, definitely "does"dyke fashion. "Patricia Field is, of course,
an out lesbian, too, but she's more of a stylist and tastemaker:•
These days, Collins designs knitwear collections for other top fashion
designers in addition to her own creations. "But;' she cautions, "I don't
know what the next few years hold - whether the Liz Collins brand as
the fashion world knew it will return. It was so much work being the boss
of the firm, running projections and supervising people in addition to designing:• Collins plans to spend two months at a textile factory in Peru this
summer to "refine and resolve some design issues that I never had time to
when I was running my own company:'
Collins lives in Providence with Davids, whom she met online. "I am a
huge advocate of Internet dating;' she says with a laugh, adding that part of
her courting of Davids was to send her an original Liz Collins sweater. "I
am madly in love for the first time, and I am the happiest and busiest I've
ever been:'
As to the raging argument about too-thin models, Collins weighs in on
the issue. "It's a real problem, particularly for young people to see these too-
thin models. But, I think it's advertising more than runway fashion. I mean it's
only a select few who attend runway shows while seeing these skinny women
over and over in magazines is very damaging:' Asked if designers use superthin models as "clothes hangers" so that their designs are more prominent
than the models, Collins agrees but points to innovative designers, such as
Jean Paul Gaultier, who get around the issue. She references Gaultier's show
where mannequins wearing his designs were advanced around the runway
with the kind of machine drycleaners use. "It's designers like that, who take
incredible risks and flout the status quo, who ultimately make an impact:'
Collins' creative impact comes into play with the art she crafts using
knitting machines. She is internationally known for creating 3-D installations in addition to clothing and textiles, and her series of performancebased knitting installations, KNITTING NATION, employs uniformed
knitters working on machines to create a multisensory experience that examines what she calls "my commentary and ruminations on how humans
interact with machines, global trade, fashion, and iconography:' Collins says
that the only part fetishism plays in KNITTING NATION is perhaps in
the uniforms the knitters wear. "You might say I have a uniform fetish;' she
laughs, "in that a group of people doing the same thing wearing the same
costume that defines the labor they are performing is pleasing to me:' ■
KNITTING NATION's Radical Lace & SubversiveKnitting program runs
at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City throughJune 17. A performance by Collins, "Phase 4: Pride," is scheduledfor the afternoon of June
16, during which she and her knitting crewplan to createa giant rainbowflag.
Learn more about her at lizcollins.com.
Aprn 2001
I39
femme fashion
By Heather Boerner
I Photography
by Kina Williams
Callthemretroorgoth:Definitely
callthemsexy.Justdon'taccuse
themoftryingto lookstraight
or,Godforbid,
following
someone
else'sstyle.Lesbian
fashion
isn'tjustaboutwhat'spopular
inthis
month's
Vogue.
Fortheseleftcoastgirlsonthestreet,
fashion
isaboutusingclothes
to
createa distinctly
femme- andqueer- personal
style.
MargauxCowden,
27,LosAngeles
I just got back from living in Paris for a
year, so this is my version of a specific queer
look in Paris. For me, the look has to incorpo,
rate irony. My jeans, for instance, are actually
called "distressed socialite:' For me, the meat of
being femme is that I work on attracting and
managing desire in a specific way.
MissMuffy,25, Oakland,Calif.
I call my style trashy Victorian '80s to '50s
prostitute. It says I'm my own fashion inspira,
tion. I love my ring that says, "Stone Femme:•
CelestinaPearl,32, Oakland,Calif.
My look is meowlicious. It says I enjoy get,
ting dressed up and being fancy. And I enjoy
decorating my body.
But my favorite thing has got to be my sun,
glasses. They're prescription. I got them in Ft.
Lauderdale at a little,old,lady store.
Tuesday
Smille,aka MissDay,24,
Portland,Ore.(right)
My style is militant femme. I love the pearls on
this look. I like to think of my look as fake 'n'
hot. This dress is amazing. It was made for me
by Slovak designers, just for my body.
40
Icurve
Togs That Are Peachy Keen
DIVdivaKingi
Carpenter
talksshop.ByCatherine
Plato
Fashion designer and entrepreneur Kingi Carpenter learned early in life that she just wasn't cut
out to work for the man. By age 24, she had already been fired 13 times. "I thought, if I want to
keep a job, maybe I should hire myself;'.she says. So she did. With little money and no business
experience, Carpenter launched her line of screen,printed clothing, Peach Berserk, in April of
1987.'Tve actually never looked back. It's been so great:'
Only two years earlier, Carpenter had begun screen,printing while in art school. After an
inspiring trip to Paris, she signed up for a class in surface design, determined to make a dress
covered in huge Eiffel Towers. "What followed next was as close to a religious experience as I had
ever had: I laid my screen down on a piece of fabric, squished some ink across with a squeegee,
and lifted the frame to see the resulting print;' she says on her Web site, PeachBerserk.com. 'J\ll of
my favorite things converged beneath that magic screen: my love of drawing, pop art, Paris and, of
course, fabric, because fabric means fashion:'
Today, Carpenter sells hand,printed skirts, tops, jackets and dresses, including funky custom,
ized wedding gowns. Femme prints, bright colors and punk rock,inspired motifs create her sig,
nature look, which has charmed customers including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Portia de Rossi and
Paula Abdul. Carpenter and her daughter, Digby, live above her Toronto studio, which also acts as
her store. There she offers workshops from beginning silk screening to a seminar called Biz Tips
for Misfits, which instructs new artists and crafters on establishing their own creative business.
If you can't make it to Toronto any time soon, be sure to check out Carpenter's 2003 DVD,
SilkscreenWorkshopand Biz Tipsfor Misfits, which is almost as fun as the in,person experience.
Carpenter makes the art fun and accessible, using nearly all homemade equipment and inexpensive
materials. After all, a tight budget isn't always a bad thing."Lack of money makes you resourceful;'
she insists in her DVD. "Like when I started Peach Berserk, I didn't have enough money to have
a separate store and a separate studio. So I put them both together and it really worked, because
people thought it was cool to see my stuff being made as they bought it:' ■
"All of my
favorite things
converged
beneath that
magic screen:
my love of
drawing, pop art,
Paris and, of
course, fabric,
because fabric
means fashion."
0
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z
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a:
u
~
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::i
42
Icurve
ers
Fashion
isn'tsolely
thedomain
ofL.A.girls.
Thesehotfashionistas
- manyfromtheSanFrancisco
BayArea- arealready
queer
girlfaves.ByCatherine
PlatoandDiane
Anderson-Minshall
BitchGear:
Berkeley, Cali£-based designer Shannon Pickering's line includes a wide range of edgy,
punk rock-inspired threads to suit bois and grrls alike, plus fun gifts and accessories. Even if you're
not in the mood to shop, check out their Web site for band interviews and some kick-ass cocktail
recipes. (bitchgear.com)
PunkCakes:
Jeanna Limpacio's poofy, ultrafemme party dresses are sweet and sexy, plus, her models represent a diverse range of sizes and ethnicities and carry cute little cupcakes as they strut their
stuff. What's not to love? (myspace.com/punkcakes)
StrangeVintage:Think 1940s elegance meets punk rock aesthetics in this innovative line by bisexual designer and model Steeltoe Princess. Married concurrently to a man and a woman, the San
Francisco-based Princess has a distinctly queer eye for fashion, decking her heavily-inked models
out in ruffles, veils and top hats. (myspace.com/steeltoeprincess)
Habibi:Looking for a foolproof cure for lesbian bed death? Try on one of Natalie Qayed's sexy,
fitted, way-above-the-knee minidresses. Sheer lace, flapper-style fringe and creative cuts make her
creations sizzle. Rarr! (myspace.com/natalieqayed)
SpoonfedArt:Jewelry designer Karin Collins uses ordinary spoons to create quirky, punky, wearable art. The sexy pendants are part kaleidoscopic kitsch, part intricate accessory and completely
inimitable. (spoonfedart.com)
StrapCouture:
L.A:s fashion company Hayden Dawn (the brainchild of designers Kate Hayden
Lessa and Alexandra Dawn Yolman) does accessories right by combining old and new, luxury and
kitsch. Their newest hit is Strap Couture, a sexy line of luxury bra straps (the kind you want to
show) in pearl,jade and crystal that lipstick lesbos are gobbling up. (strapcouture.com)
Eenamaria:
Brooklyn-based, Welsh-born lesbian designer Sarah Morgan is a new rock icon
with fans including Margaret Cho and pop star Lori Michaels who, like us, adore her leather
belt bags (not a purse, not a wallet), Dean hip bags, leather cuffs and matching handbags. Perfect
for modern urban nomads and dykes who still sheepishly sport those old-school fanny packs,
Morgan's sophisticated belt bags are sexy, smart and so very cool - a lot like the designer hersel£
(eenamaria.com)
GirlTye:Love men's ties but hate the bulkiness or the boring prints? Original Girl Tye offers the
sexiest thin neckties for women that come in everything from silk solids to hand-painted batik to
metallic polka dot cotton prints (our fave has pink and black dotted lines). Even more exciting, Girl
Tye offers "flaire" - tie tacks made from vintage beads or cast-metal designs. Fun, funky and oh so
queer. ( www.girltye.com)
CocodeMer:Combining high fashion and theatrical millinery, U.K.-based Victoria Grant - who
~
iii
1
counts numerous burlesque troupes among her fans - gives a cutting edge twist to period styles
like pork pies and Jackie O's, as well as the incredibly sexy Trilby hat she designed for Coco de Mer.
(cocodemerusa.com)
~
hl
ID
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a:
UJ
Cl)
fil
,
Catherine
Coatney:
Fat femmes adore San Francisco goth designer Catherine Coatney for her oneof-a-kind dresses and fetish wear. (We're still dreaming of her Cigarette Girl Dress.) She doesn't do
retail, but you can find her at hip online boutiques like Inkubus. (inkubus.com)
April 2007
I43
e it
Jackie Warner,the muscled
lesbian star of Bravo's
breakout hit Work Out,
dishes on the diva life.
By Stephanie Schroeder
Photography by Brie Childers
Hair by Edward St. George
I Makeup
V
You probably know of Jackie Warner from Bravo's
reality hit Work Out. She's the ultimate personal
trainer with the killer body. But she's also an
entrepreneur, fashion designer, friend, daughter
and lover - one with a killer body, of course.
When CURVE chatted with Warner about the
renewal of her show and how being a TV personality has changed her life, the 38-year-old sudden
star had just returned home from a rare weeklong
break. Warner, who says she craves outdoor activities and spent most of her time hiking and mountain biking, is an ultraregimented Leo.
"My mind is free only when I am with
nature;' she admits. "I push myself constantly and
judge myself harshly. I'm always striving to change
negative situations and negative energy. It's a big
responsibility:'
Now, don't think Warner is some New Age
guru; she'sjust trying to make change.
'Tm very conscious about what I do, very selfaware, which is important [in order] to have better
relationships, like with my mother;' she says without a hint of bitterness. "This season, I'm going
home to visit my mom on camera. I have to have
enough energy and self-awareness to focus on my
mother and myself' It's important to Warner to
reach a higher level of understanding between
herself and her mother. Warner says she doesn't
judge people because of their different ideals. Her
struggle with her mother (highlighted on last season's show) has plagued Warner for years, and she
wants to begin to resolve their differences.
"Some of my high school buddies will be on
camera. I have a half-brother 10 years younger
than me. I haven't talked to him about it, bu{"!
want him to appear. He's married, very intelligent,
a Mormon, and I love him very much:'
How does Warner handle being in the limelight:' "It's a strange place to be, because I'm actually
very down to earth. What people see on TV is not
me. It's Jackie Warner in front of the camera. They
don't know me; I'm a very complex human being:•
Warner says that she is now 100 percent comfortable on camera and that this season will be much
more revealing. The camera will be turned on 24/7,
filming almost every move she makes. And those
moves include introducing her new girlfriend.
Being a sex symbol ain't easy. ''I'd say 50 percent of women who pay for training later ask me
out on a date;' Warner says with some irony. "The
other 50 percent are there for real training. At
this point I can usually spot who comes in for a
lifestyle change and who wants to ask me out:'
Warner is now so famous that women (and
men) fly in from around the world to have her
train them. But Warner has strict boundaries. "I
never date clients, employees or fans;' she says.
How does Warner manage this juggling act:'
"Life is hard work;' she says. "It's all about achieving one's goals:' And helping clients achieve their
goals is what Warner and her Work Out crew do
best. "It's about energy;' says the gym guru. "It affects everyone around us and shows in the way we
carry ourselves:• Warner says that with the right
workout regime, anyone can have a "Jackie Warner
body:' "But;' she cautions, "It really wouldn't be a
'Jackie Warner body' because of the individual
focus of brain chemistry, nutrients and a hundred
other things that are unique to each person on a
diet and exercise routine:'
Warner says most of her clients are women,
and the main complaint they come in with is
trouble sleeping. "This is particularly problematic
for women because of hormone dysfunction that
occurs without exercise. Other chemical deficiencies also result in weight gain:' The other reason
women come to Warner for training is that they
want to fit into that teeny-weeny bikini. It is Los
Angeles after all, folks.
"Women have more issues around weight
than men do;' Warner states. "Women can't eat as
much as men and not gain weight in the same way.
Women are also sexualized in our society. What a
woman's body looks like unfortunately drives how
she is treated. The bar has been raised so high that
when women try to get a real perspective on their
"The bar has been raised so high that when
women try to get a real perspective on their
own lives and feel good about themselves,
the ideals of thinness and wealth that are
the basis for success and achievement just
cannot be matched."
own lives and feel good about themselves, the ideals of thinness and wealth that are the basis for
success and achievement just cannot be matched:'
How does a schedule at Warner's facility, Sky
Sport and Spa, work? "I like to have my clients
jump right into a program, commit to making a
life change and start carrying themselves differently and feeling more positive:' Warner counsels
women with sleep disorders and other problems
to get hooked on a lifestyle program. "I want them
to see and feel results in one to two weeks. If I can
get them to sleep like a baby the night they walk in
and they wake up feeling good the next morning,
they're hooked:'
Warner moved to L.A. after what she calls "a
stifling childhood" in rural Ohio. "I had a terrible
time growing up because I always knew I was a
gay woman. I had to stand up against what society
told me was right and normal;' she recalls. "The
Midwest is not by any stretch a bastion of liberalism. We lived in a very fundamentalist area, and I
was overwhelmed by other people's proselytizing
and other pitfalls of small town life:'
At 18, Warner was accepted into the Fashion
Institute of Design and Merchandising in L.A. "I
applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology in
"First,be inspired!Tomakea
change,you mustbeginthinking
differently.Sincethe brainhouses
the chemicalsthat effectchange
in the body,you'vegotto bothget
in the right mindsetandexercise
yourmind.Sit downfor 1Ominutes
andtakestockof what makes
youhappyandwhatdoesn't.Do
. youfeel like you'refully set up for
life's challenges?
Havea talk with
yourself;write downyourlikesand
dislikes.Stopprocrastinating
about
startinga programandstopbeing
sedentary."
New York City and would be in New York today
had I been accepted;' she says. Her clothing line,
which debuted last season, was designed with a
colleague from FID M.
With a sports facility, a TV show and a clothing line, just what does Warner do in her downtime? "I do a lot of charity events, that's important
to me. I like being outdoors and do a lot of body
boarding, working out outside, hiking, mountain
biking. It's pure joy being outdoors:'
Warner's silly side comes out when she reveals,
"I also like to have house parties where my friends
come over in their pajamas and we drink wine
and just relax:' But that's on the weekends, on her
time. Monday through Friday is her 'work week;
and Warner sticks to a strict regimen of no sugar,
no alcohol and minimal carbs.
"On the weekends, I allow myself ice cream,
a martini or two ... " Does she believe in denying
oneself? Absolutely not.
"Life is a balance, deprivation does not work;'
Warner says adamantly. "The product of a healthy
diet and vigorous exercise is a good-looking body,
but the byproduct is more energy,job satisfaction,
better sex - everything in life gets better:' ■
Whetheryouarelivingpaycheckto-paycheckor rollingin dough,
youcanchangeyourbodythrough
self-education.
"Self-teachyour
mindandbodyto thinkandact
differently.Thefirst stepto selfeducationis to goto the libraryor
bookstoreandcheckoutor buy
the bestmagazine
for tips on good
healthandworkingout:Muscle&
Fitness.Don'tbe embarrassed
by
the covers,"laughsWarner,"it's
the bestguidefor buildingand
toning,anda subscription
costs
like 20 bucks."
"Exercisetwo to threetimesa
week,to fatigue"for demonstrable
change."Evenif youcan't afforda
gymmembership,
youcando push
upsuntil youcan'tdo anymore
thenjump right up anddo squats
untilyou'repooped.
Addmoreexercisesas yougo along.Makeyour
own program.Giveyourbody,who
is yourfriend,whatit needsand
wantsin termsof exercise."
The
chemicalchangesthat takeplace
in yourbrainandmusclesafter
just a weekof vigorousexercise
will encourage
youto stickto it.
What Happened to Mimi?
Warner says that after she and
Mimi split, she processed their
relationship and dated other
women. She focused on the
positive things in her life and
came through to a better state.
Was Mimi just plain mean to
Warner? Is Mimi evil? "It's
easy to say there is a 'bad one'
in a particular relationship,
but it takes two to tango;' Warner cautions. "It
isn't that Mimi was wrong or bad, she was just
wrong for me:'
That's certainly not holding Mimi (born
Milenna Saraiva) back.
"We just finished shooting the second season of Work Out, and I'm in the first two or
three episodes," Saraiva says. "Jackie and I are
shown going to therapy:'
Saraiva is a trainer and artist in her own
right. After six years on a Brazilian aerobics
team where she had to train eight hours a day,
she decided to pursue Iler passion for art. "I
was in Brazil at an art fair looking at colleges
in the U.S., and I was interested in New York,
Florida, Santa Monica and Seattle. I ruled them
out by weather and cost and ended up in Santa
Monica because of the beaches and climate."
Coming out at age 17 to her mother was
not easy, but Saraiva says both her parents
are very supportive of her. She moved to the
U.S. in 1998 at age 18. "I actually met Jackie
at a painting class, and we just talked and then
went our separate ways. We bumped into
each other several months later at the Abbey
and I made the moves on her." The rwo were
together for almost six years. Saraiva says that
she recently met someone "very special, and I
want to see where it goes:'
Saraiva works as a trainer at Equinox in
West Hollywood and also has private clients,
but these days, she's more focused on her art
career. With a seminal artist opening at the
Nuni Gallery in Los Angeles on March 23
and a spot on Americas Top Trainer on FitTV,
she is set on making the most of everything in
2007. "On the show, the audience calls in to
vote for their favorite trainer, and the winner
gets endorsements, a DVD deal and a position
as host of a fitness show on FitTV:'
There has also been conversation about a
spin-off of Work Out, but it's only in the talking stage, Saraiva says. To find out more about
Saraiva, check out milenna.com. ■
Formoreof Jackie& Co.'sfitnesstips,visitbravotv.com/Work_Outltips
April 2007
I47
This month marks the 10-year anniversary of Ellen DeGeneres' famed
on-screen outing. A decade later, small-screen lesbians are still breaking
boundaries, gaining visibility and showcasing our community's diversity.
In the pre-Ellen era, seeing lesbians on 1V pretty much meant you were
watching cable (or late-night pay-per-view smut, of course). These days,
queer girls appear just about everywhere, especially reality 1V, which
seems to hold a special place in its heart for girl-on-girl action. Arguably
one of the gayest straight shows to hit the air,America's Next Top Model,
leads the pack, feeding us a sweet dose of eye candy again this season
with yet another queer contestant - and we're not complaining.
Cable is still kind to its lesbian viewers, and continues to break ground
with shows like The N's South of Nowhere, where queer teens take
center stage. Meanwhile, women like Janice Dickinson who take an unabashed approach to sexuality are changing the landscape for women
of all orientations.
Even though we all love The L Word, options are always nice, and they're
quickly increasing. Whatever your pleasure, the networks are finally
catching up.
48
Icurve
Why We Love
Southof
Nowhere
A hot teen drama with a lesbian
romance is changing the face of
television. And we can't stop watching.
The second season of South of Nowhere opens
as a mussed blonde teen Spencer (Gabrielle
Christian) blinks awake in her besc,friend's sun,
flecked bed to coffee, compliments and tender
strokes. The scene's morning,afrer glow, sugges,
rive for a drama on The N aimed at a demograph,
ic ( 12, 17) below the legal age of consent, is made
exponentially edgier by the fact that Spencer's
partner in bed is King High's sultriest, most re,
bellious and openly queer 16,year old, Ashley
(Mandy Musgrave). Her sheets have surely been
rumpled by more than gossipy whisperings at a
run,of,the,mill
sleepover, a fact confirmed by
a cute act of processing: "Was I OK:"' corn,fed
z
w
§
iu.
:)
(.)
S/2
a:
• Spencer bashfully asks. "Yeah;' Ashley, slightly
more seasoned, assures, "you were:' "Thanks ... "
grins Spencer, 'TU get better:'
After a tantalizing first season of anticipation
for the joined,aMhe,hip duo "Splashley" (the fan,
fie term for the darling melded mush that together
Spencer and Ashley make) to finally lock lips in
season one's finale, producers started season two
did) while juggling diverse topics and supporting
characters can be successful with adolescent and
out with quite a bang. They ended with a bang of
another sort: gunshots fired outside King High's
teen audiences.
In fact, the series has gone so unremarked
prom night, and someone - to be disclosed in
season three - gets wheeled off in a stretcher.
The brain,child of kid,friendly executive pro,
upon for having 'daring' content, chat perhaps
the half,hour drama marks a generational shift
ducer Tom Lynch (KIDS Incorporated),South of
Nowhereplays like an after,school special version
of The OC or Beverly Hills 90210 transubstanti,
aced into The L Word, minus on,screen skinny
lesbian sex and over,the,top conceit. Still the
by the MySpace generation and signals how gay
teens are being considered more as part of a spec,
trum of "normal" by their peers. Last year South
in how LGBTQ issues are received differently
of Nowhere was given the nod of nomination for
a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding dra,
matic series for its honest, home,hitting portray,
show thankfully implies that (again, skinny) les,
bian sex is actually taking place, if somewhere
off,screen in our imaginations, and pleasures
als of the coming,out process and young queer
love. Although the more "mature" Angelinos of
openly in its midriffs, 'kewl' slang and Teen
People,inspired stylings. South of Nowhere,which
that other Los Angeles,based series, The L Word,
won the GLAAD award, there's no doubt that
reaches approximately 54 million households,
handles issues currently relevant to urban high
school,aged kids: drug use and addiction; class,
ethnic, religious and racial differences; using con,
South of Nowhere is gathering its kudos. Sporting
traception and teen pregnancy; handling paren,
cal demands and pressures to succeed in sports or
hitters, including out lesbian directors Donna
Deitch (Desert Hearts) and Rose Troche (Go
school; dealing with cliques and popularity con,
tests; and negotiating single,parent households
and troubled home lives. The second highest,
rated show on MTV's youth cable network, The
Fish, The L Word).
N (after Degrassi: The Next Generation), South
of Nowhere's prime time successes prove that
a show that revolves around a queer romance
(rather than side,showing lesbian love, like Buffy
definitely hopeful. Besides how could they leave
us hanging off a cliff? We have to know for sure
if our dear pair, Splashley, will prevail, hopefully
minus a wound to the heart. - CandaceMoore
a fast,paced handheld,camera
look that shows
off the vibrant cityscapes of Los Angeles, epi,
sodes have been directed by some beloved heavy
While word is not yet out ( as of press time)
as to whether South of Nowhere will be picked up
for a third season, sources on the team say they're
J:
(.)
April 2007
I49
1·was actually secretly hoping to see you and Amanda would be the
first siblings to win Top Model together.
I think a lot of people were hoping that. That was kind of cool.
Was it hard leaving while your sister, Amanda, was still there?
Yeah it was hard. I was definitely disappointed to leave. But I was glad she got
to stay and represent us, so that was cool.
It seemed like the judges thought that you sabotaged yourself so
that Amanda could stay.
I don't think I purposely sabotaged myself; maybe a little subconsciously. I
might have been worried about how she was doing and how her performance was, because I know Nigel and Jay didn't give her very good critiques on her photo shoots, so she was kind of in jeopardy coming into it.
But I don't think I went in there purposely thinking that I was going to
sabotage myself so she could stay. Every time it came to final judges, final
challenges, I didn't do that well. I would just be honest and apparently
they didn't like that.
I think they want people who are extremely self-confident, and it's
hard to be self-confident when you're not sure of things.
Yeah.
When the judges asked you who had the most potential, you didn't
say Amanda though.
My sister was kind of struggling with second-guessing herself and so, at the
time ... she needed to pick herself up. And CariDee just kind of won the
hearts of the judges through her personality, and in today's world personality means a lot.
Was that an area you didn't excel at?
I don't think they disliked my personality, but I didn't have that bubbly, attention-grabbing personality like CariDee or Melrose.
On the show, and I'm sure in real life, you and Amanda get compared a lot. Do you have parts of your life where that isn't the case?
Actually, yeah, basketball is kind of my thing and then theater is her
main thing.
Simpl Life
I was reading your stats. It's amazing; you're like a six-foot tall
basketball MVP with a state champion team. Why weren't you thinking about the WNBA instead of modeling?
America'sNext TopModel spawns
anotherlesbiancelebrity.Tomboy
MichelleBabinhardlyknowswhat
to do with fame.
By DianeAnderson-Minshall
Her queerness certainly wasn't a Top Model first, but before she came our as
a lesbian on prime time, b-baller turned model Michelle Babin was still two
of the show's firsts: She and her twin sister, Amanda, were the first siblings
to make it to the finals and the first twins in Model history. For Babin, the
show was a turning point, leading the self-professed tomboy to a new career
and worldwide fame. The babes, we assume, will soon follow. While making
it to the final five was exciting for the novice, the fun for fans was watching
her squeak by the competition one week (as when she expertly recreated both
halves of lesbian couple Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi) and falling
flat the next (as when she had to canoodle with hunky male model Fabio).
Though an angry bull couldn't take down this Cypress College athlete, some
self-doubt finally did. CuRVE caught up with Babin for a quick one-on-one
about confidence, bi-curious girls and coming out.
I'm not the star player. I'm just kind of one of the background players, so I'm
OK, and I enjoy it, but it's not something that I'm probably good enough
to keep going on to the next level. But I do it for fun, and I enjoy it.
You came out on Top Model, saying that you didn't know if you were
gay or bisexual. Was that spontaneous or planned?
Yeah, it was kind of random. The directors were talking about Megan
and stuff, and they brought up the question of my sexuality, and I just
answered honestly. It wasn't that big of a deal for me. I mean I guess it is
a big deal, but to me it was like, it's who I am, it's part of me, and I don't
really care who knows.
Was it a weird experience having those conversations initially with
people on camera? Many people struggle to have them in real life.
It was interesting, but it just happened. And it just wasn't that big of a deal. I
was kind of worried about how the girls would take it, but they all seemed
pretty cool and they took it really well, so it was. I got lucky.
Megan Morris, another lesbian contestant, told me all the girls in
the house had curiosity about lesbians and bisexuals.
Yeah, there were a couple of people who said they weren't opposed to experimenting or whatever, but they definitely still thought they were straight.
But they weren't opposed to experimenting a little.
~
Do you think that's it's different for your generation than it was for
0
girls your age 1 O or 20 years ago?
w
I
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Well it's getting a lot more accepted in today's culture. So it's kind of talked
about a lot more than it used to be. In the past it was like a hush~hush
thing like, if you're [gay]... don't talk about it - kind oflike the military.
Don't ask. Don't tell.
Don't ask, don't tell. Now it's something that's talked about. It still sets off a
bad light in certain people's eyes but, for the most part, people are getting
a lot more accepting about it, so it's kind of easier to talk about it.
One thing that's interesting is how often message boards that
just start out as fan boards about you can turn into debates
about sexuality.
Oh yeah. I have read some scuff, like on LiveJournal .... And it seems like for
the most part a lot of people are OK with it.
Any time someone has a problem, there seem to be a dozen other
people who reply with, "I like Michelle! Leave her alone. It's OK no
matter who she is."
Yeah, it seems like some people are like, oh I would never do it, but it's OK if
someone else does. Some people are, oh hell no! I'd never do it, but it's OK
if someone else does. Which is kind of cool.
The Next L Word?
This New York student project may be the next lesbian
drama you see on TV.
Have your feelings about sexuality changed since you made that
proposition on TV?
Nine lesbians living in Brooklyn, N.Y., have their lives filmed and
No it's much about the same. I'm kind of shy when it comes to relationships
so I haven't done a lot of exploring since. I don't know, I get shy when it
comes to relationships.
somehow keep it real: This may sound like a pitch for another reality
TV drone but it's Something Blue, a queer television pilot written and
directed by lesbian filmmaker Emily Millay Haddad. Filmed for her
master's degree project (she studied acting and lesbian performance at
Antioch University), Something Blue gave Haddad an opportunity to
tell a story of lesbians living a grittier life than the sultry stars of The
L Word.
"I wanted to take a finer and complicated look at characters, relationships, lesbian mothers and their families, which is something you don't
see," Haddad says. She leaned toward television because, she admits,
viewers have a tendency to connect and grow with the charactersof their
favorite series - precisely what she wants from Blue. The pilot centers
around two lesbian mothers with two grown daughters as well as their
polyamorous dyke friend who is navigating the waters of a new, monogamous relationship. Besides creating a show that focuses on relationships
not usually seen on TV, Haddad also wanted to highlight the bonds and
schisms between lesbians of different generations. She says the openness
of the show's younger characters is because of the courage displayed by
lesbians of the older generations.
"The questions I ask are different from what my mother asked, and
they're different from the questions 17-year-olds are asking,"says the 26year-old Haddad, on whose life most of the film is based.
A North Carolina native, Haddad, who lives a poly life in Brooklyn,
was raised by two mothers. She says her move to New York was a
moment of self-discovery, and she translated the city's pressure and pace
by shooting entirely in Brooklyn.
Premiering at the Brooklyn Lyceum to more than 500 people,
Something Blue quickly became a hit among New York'slesbians. The
Caddyshack and Rubyfruit, both popular lesbian bars, will host addi~
tional screenings, then Something Blue hits the LGBT filmfest circuit.
After working on Something Blue for two years, Haddad admits that
seeing her series alongside Showtime's TheL Word would be a dream
come true.
"My show is about and for the lesbian community, and there is a lot the
lesbian community can say about fidelity and integrity,"Haddad says.
To get Something Blue, check out circlesoffireproductions.com.
- Asiana Ponciano
So, no dating yet?
No, not really.
That's amazin·g in a world where there are thousands of women
dying to meet you right now.
Yeah, I know, I get shy.... [Laughs].I'm really a friendly person when it comes
to being in a friendship. It's really easy for me to be outgoing with friends,
but when it comes to someone I like, I just get shy or something.
Is your sister shy, or is she outgoing?
Uh, no. She's pretty outgoing. We're both pretty outgoing, but she's a little
more outgoing than I am.
Were you a fan of reality TV before you were on Top Model?
Yeah, I like reality TV. I think some of the shows are pretty entertaining.
Some of the dating shows are kind of funny
It seems like with your skill set that there are other reality shows
that you may have been better on, like Survivor or something more
physical.
Oh yeah, I like Survivor, too. Survivor would have been cool to go on.
So is Top Model your last foray into entertainment or are you
Hollywood-bound now?
We'll see. I haven't really decided. I'm not going out searching for the next re~
alicy TV show that will take me, but if something comes my way I would
be open to it. Right now, I'm in school playing basketball.
Since you grew up in Anaheim, Calif., the TV industry must not be
too foreign to you.
No, it's not chat new. My oldest sister actually graduated from [the American
Film Institute] in set design.
What does the world not know about Michelle?
·I'm actually pretty basic. I'm a ·lot younger than Megan, so I haven't experi~
enced a lot in life yet.
As a tomboy being on the show, did Top Model make you rethink
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masculinity and feminity in any way?
No. Before Top Model, all through high school, I was a complete and utter
tomboy to the end. But as I got to my senior year and in college, well, I still
Simple Life conrinueJ on page 67
April 2007 I51
Strikea Pose
A littleeccentric,yes, but supermodeland TV star JaniceDickinsonis note
nearlyas insaneas I had hoped. By CatherinePlato
I was a little nervous to speak with Janice Dickinson, self proclaimed the world's
first supermodel, former lover of Mick Jagger and Jack Nicholson, with legions of
drooling female admirers. She partied hard core with beautiful bad girl and lesbian model Gia Carangi, graced the cover of Voguenearly 40 times and authored
an autobiography titled EverythingAbout Me Is Fake ... and I'm Perfect.I was
expecting to meet the ultimate prima donna, an eccentric, unpredictable dyedin-the-wool diva ready to cut me in half with her stiletto-sharp tongue.
I was admittedly a little disappointed to meet a kind-hearted, thoughtful,
mostly normal - all things considered - mother of two, the kind of woman who
is quick with a compliment and leaves with a cheerful "God bless!" Despite her
divalicious on-screen persona, Dickinson is friendly, sincere and (at times) surprisingly humble. Though she was discovered at the tender age of 14, Dickinson
__• claims not to have taken her superstardom for granted, stating that no one could
have predicted her success at the beginning of her career. "I absolutely had to
claw my way to the top;' she admits. "I had to struggle more than anyone:'
After some-years of relative underexposure to the public eye, Dickinson's
umpteenth return to the spotlight came with a role on falling-star reality show
The Surreal Life, and as a judge alongside Tyra Banks on Americas Next Top
Model.Unsatisfied with Banks' approach toward the biz, Dickinson launched her
own agency in 2005, with, of course, its own reality TV show of the same name,
TheJaniceDickinsonModelingAgency,on the Oxygen Network.
So what sets Dickinson apart from Banks as the ultimate reality TV model
scout?"If you look at the Top Model winners, they haven't really done anything;'
she explains. "My models are already booking A-list jobs; for example, French
Vogue.They're getting high money jobs .... It's the real deal:' She prides herself
on finding models with longevity and that certain je ne sais quoi,something
she calls "that capital I-T quality:'
So who in the celebrity world has this "1-T quality"?
Celebrities who nail that would be Angelina Jolie, Sharon
Stone, Cameron Diaz, Kathy Griffin. She has it, believe
it or not. In fact Kathy Griffin, if she were a little bit
taller, should be absolutely a supermodel.
Other than that "1-T quality," would you
say there are any personality traits
that you need for success in the
industry?
There are no personality traits
that we look for.... Models are
at the top of the food chain.
They're separate realities.... I'm
not impressed with people that
don't have a real personality, but you know
it's important just to sparkle. The camera doesn't lie.
What do you find sexy?
Oh, a good smile, a washboard stomach, a tight butt, manicured hands and feet,
a personality, humor, wit.
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"I'vealwayslovedhelpingpeople,givingback to society,givingback
to peoplewho havelessthan I do but I don't subscribeto bullshit.
I mean if someone'sbeinga dick, I'llbe the firstpersonto callthem
out on it. And that'sthat."
You've done so many different things, I mean you've been a photographer; a model, of course; a writer ...
An editor, a soccer mom.
What haven't you conquered yet?
It's politics next for me. Politics. I will definitely run for office.
What kind of office?
A public office. I want to be of service.... My big gifts for the holidays are
person to call them out on it. And that's that.
Out of all the different roles that you've been in your life, what
makes you feel the most sexy or the most powerful?
When I'm clean. When I'm clean, and I've got a good hair going ... then I'm
most sexy. Yeah!
Great.
[Laughs]Yeah, I'm real sexy. You know what else, you know what else I really
want to do? I want to go help the troops ... I would do something for the
troops. The troops need helping.
feeding the homeless.
Wow. I've heard that you've also done a lot of AIDS activism.
Well, millions. I just don't, well, I don't broadcast it. I just do it .... You know, I
In what kind of way? How do you see yourself helping them?
don't need the press. The most important thing is saving a life.
On TV you seem very, very comfortable with sexuality; you're very
That would be great. That would be something different.
sexually open.
I want to pass out sleeping bags to the homeless ... you know, deck them out,
I have a lot of sexual energy, that's true.
Yeah. Have you ever identified as anything other than straight?
What do you most want to be remembered for?
I have .... I've (written] about being with women.
I think I'm going to arrange a lingerie fashion show for the troops.
in you know, designer sleeping bags.
'Are you kind of fluid?
I want to be most remembered by just being honest ... don't you?
For being honest? Yeah, absolutely.
Oh, I'm all over the place.
And also that I've made a difference. That I've written books about incest.
What do you think people would be surprised to know about you?
That I have a very generous spirit. I've always loved helping people, giving
back to society, giving back to people who have less than I do ... but I don't
subscribe to bullshit. I mean if someone's being a dick, I'll be the first
That I've written books about incest, sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll ... I do care
about people out there, even though if I tell them, "You're not quite it, you
don't have the goods to be a model;' but I do care about their feelings, you
know? Oddly enough, I just do. ■
April 2007
I53
There'sa StormComing
She rockedthe stage of Supernovafor one of her manygigs. Now the largerthan-lifesingerworksit with Stormand the Balls.By ReneeWestbrook
Last year was a great year for Rock Star: Supernova finalist Storm Large.
Her single "Ladylike" debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Hot Singles Chart,
she appeared on ESPN and Fox belting out the national anthem and even
made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Bold, bawdy, blonde and
six feet tall, the 37 -year-old diva turns heads wherever she go~s.
As an angsty, pierced, Mohawk-sporting punk rocker, Large floated in
and out of trouble during her teenage years. "I just couldn't get it together
(enough] to give a fuck about expectations and social norms, because I would
never fit in the social norm;' she explains. "I was big, loud, I liked crazy things,
and nobody liked me:'
Susan Storm Large (her real name) was never destined to be the girl next
door. Her mother, a diagnosed schizophrenic, bounced in and out of mental institutions during Larges childhood, leaving their rural Massachusetts
household in constant chaos. "When she was home, it was traumatizing
Though she never set out to be a misfit, it solidified her place as queen of
the offbeat hotties and opened the door to sexual sovereignty. Though you
won't get her to detail her intimate encounters with women, when it comes
to sexual orientation she refuses to limit hersel£ "I consider myself bent. I'm
because she would be attempting suicide at one point or another, in one form
or another;' Large says of her mother, Susie.
certainly not straight;' she says.
The statuesque chanteuse began her studies at The American Academy
Preoccupied with his wife's illness, Henry W. Large Jr., a history teacher,
often left his daughter and her older brothers in the care of a nanny. Faced
with loneliness and no sound female role model, Large learned to become
emotionally self-sufficient - and to define her own femininity in somewhat
unconventional terms. "I associated being a woman with being weak; that was
of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1987. Feeling she lacked the maturity required to become a serious actor, she instead focused on a professional
singing career. During the '90s, she found her niche fronting several San
my first association because my mother was the only woman in my life:'
54
Icurve
Francisco-based bands. Eventually though, Willie Brown politics, high rents
and a diminishing club scene sent her packing.
"I left that town with my fuckin' middle finger up;' she says.
Gluedto the Tube
A few more reasons not to leave your couch this spring.
Large landed in Portland, Ore., and in 2002 formed Storm and the Balls
with Everclear alums James Beaton and David Loprinzi (her live-in partner) and former Motherlode drummer Brian Parnell. Their lounge-core act
consists of originals "I Want You to Die" and "Beautiful;' but the big draw
is their set of live mash-ups that fuse tunes from polar opposite genres into
very cool musical ditties. On this lounge rocker's stage, Abba and
,,,..-----.,..
Sure, we re slavishly devoted to plenty of non gay television (did anyone
else cry when Marissa died on The O.C.?) but lesbian characters appear
in plenty of queer shows, and we couldn't be happier about it. Here are
some of this month's raves. - Diane Anderson-Minshall
Iron Butterfly beautifully coexist within the same song ('J\bbaGadda-Davida''), as do Lynyrd Skynyrd and Sir Mix-A-Lot ("Sweet
Homey Motherfucker").
on Logo, especially with lesbian content, but a handful of
new shows prove the network is doing all right by dykes.
Among our faves are U.S. of ANT (where host/ comic
ANT goes to rural areas like Montana and Alabama to
meet the local queers) and First Comes Love, the on-theway-to-the altar reality show hosted this year by lesbian
comic Elvira Kurt and wedding planner Fern Cohen.
Coming up later this year
are Exes and Ohs, a lesbian
soap starring Heather Matarazzo; director
Amanda Bearse's The Big Gay Sketch Show
(think Saturday Night Live meets queer cultural parodies); and Curl Girls (hot lesbian
surfers - need we say more?). (logoonline
.com)
But make no mistake - the Balls are not a novelty act. They
create an unusual brew of music that sits well with rabid fans.
"Without my fans, without an audience, I'm just a bunch of hot air
in the dark;' she admits. "There's no career, there is no money, there
is no reason to be doing what I'm doing without my fans:' Although
she was dropped from the Rock Star: Supernova tour, she's got a new
album and a solo tour in the works.
"No matter what happens, I've had a career, I'll have a career;' she told the
Portland Tribune's Eric Bartels. 'Tm going to be a musician until the wheels
fall off:' ■
Logo's
Lineup:
Sure, original programming is slow-going
Dirt:Courteney Cox plays a power-hungry tabloid
editor who orgasm only through masturbation c'mon, how often do we see that on TV? Cox's character, Lucy, has a gay brother but better yet, Carly Pope
plays a sexy, lesbian drug dealer to the stars, whom
we do see macking on girls. Heroin hasn't looked this
sexy since Gia. (ix.com)
I'm FromRolling
Stone:
Perhaps because we're in publishing, we can't help
but love a show about interns trying to get a full-time gig at a magazine
that will ay them poorly and drive them to drink. But our love of this reality program has to do with one person: 26-year-old black lesbian poet
Tika Milan. Not only does she offer up a post-feminist vision of butch
lesbianism on primetime, unlike The L Word gals, she actually looks like
lesbians we know in real life. (mtv.com)
Here! Originals:Were utterly devoted to the campy supernatural
thriller Dante's Cove (third season coming up) with openly lesbian actor •
Michelle Wolff, and even though we insist that we know all there is to know on
the subject, we admit to being fascinated
by the new talk show Lesbian Sex and
Sexuality. (heretv.com)
Hex:A dead lesbian usually isn't a goo
thing in a series, but in this gothi
boarding school British drama, the wit
ty dyke in question (Thelma) becomes
sort of spiritual guide from the afterlife,
so it's not too bad. Lots of lesbian refer
ness make this compellingly fun, post-B
April 15, a day more feared than the Ides
of March, is a taxing and troubled time
for many of us. We scramble to find those
crumpled receipts, bank statements, W2s
and 1099s, then try to make sense of the
2 million words that constitute tax law.
A brave minority prepares their own taxes each year.
The rest of us are happy to hand our most private informa,
tion over to someone else to file. One stoic subculture that
does not shiver at the mention of the Internal Revenue
paid to stand on street
corners and count the
number of people wear,
ing seat belts in passing
cars, Zobel decided to
undertake bookkeeping.
"I got fired from my first
job because I had no
idea what I was doing;'
Zobel
says. She then
took accounting classes
•and landed a job with
H&R Block, only to quit two weeks later to start her
own business. Zobel has been practicing for more than
20 years, with offices in San Francisco and Oakland. She
Service is the sisterhood of the lesbian tax preparers.
currently has more than 400 clients, about 75 percent of
whom are LGBT. She also teaches seminars all over the
In a profession dominated by straight white men,
some of our lesbian sisters have carved a successful space
country on tax preparation for self,employed people.
Organizations like GayFinancialAdvisors.com pro,
for themselves. A principal in her own tax practice, Karen
vide exposure for lesbian tax preparers and important
Stogdill, 47, says,"I worked for many years doing tax work
for pension plans in corporate settings, and not only being
financial planning resources for the LGBT community.
Gay Financial Advisors was founded on the idea that
a lesbian, but being a butch lesbian, made it very difficult
to progress beyond a certain level:' Stogdill, among oth,
"gay and lesbian couples can not rely on partners' pension
benefits, social security, joint tax filing, and other benefits
heterosexual couples do receive by marriage:'
ers, has pushed past these parameters by starting her own
practice and servicing thousands of LGBT clients.
Perhaps because we're traditionally socialized
to think of men as exceptional at math, women are
often afraid of numbers. "I think a lot of it goes to
women's phobia about math and numbers, added to a
general fear of taxes;' says Pan Haskins, 57, a CPA from
Oakland, Calif., with an MS in taxation. Haskins ran "the
ultimate lesbian, feminist accounting firm" with eight em,
ployees at the height of her business. "It's important that
we help others establish themselves in this field in which
it is hard to become competent;' she adds.
Tax law is very complicated and can be quite confus,
ing. Between convoluted tax jargon, scary mathematical
,calculations and just generally busy lives, many people
rely on the expertise of tax preparers.
For many communities, such as lesbians and the
selremployed, tax season can be especially daunting.
Jan Zobel, who holds an MBA in accounting, authored
"Tax law was never meant to apply to domestic part,
ners;' says CPA Linda Shear, a tax preparer with an ac,
JAN ZOBEL'S
TIPS TO SELFEMPLOYED
WOMEN
1. Record-Keeping:
It's not sexy. Everyone's
looking for the hidden
deduction. There is no
such thing. It's called
good record-keeping.
2. Don't make the
assumption that you
didn't make enough
to file. Any business
t_hatmakes a profit
of more than $400 is
expected to file.
3. Be real about taxes.
To think you're never
going to have to pay
the piper is not realistic.
Either pay as you go or
get your quarterly estimated taxes going.
counting MBA and a private practice serving 300 clients
in both California and Massachusetts. Shear believes we
live in a community where "lesbians tend to mush every,
thing together. We' re for all intents and purposes married
on the second date. There are tremendous financial im,
plications to that:' Shear prioritizes communication with
her clients. She feels it's important to "navigate my clients
through the complex area of tax law. I know the rules and
push up against them:'
Why go to a lesbian tax preparer? "I think it is very
important that we have competent professionals we can
relate to and trust in dealing with such highly charged
areas as money and taxes - and death, in the case of
estate taxes;' Haskins says.
Minding Her Own Business, a guide to tax preparation for
Freelance journalist Kelsy Chauvin takes her taxes to
a preparer every year. "Now that I'm a freelancer, that can
be complicated. I need as much help as I can get, and ac,
self,employed women.
After tiring of odd jobs, including one where she got
countants cover more ground and get more money for
me;' Chauvin says. ■
April 2007
I57
Reviews
Sapphic Screen
In the Company of Men
I
Lesbians who aren't content in pink collar worlds. By Diane Anderson-Minshall
C
EDITOR'S
PICK
In HerLineof Fire
(Genius/here!):
It's a
longwayfromPersonal
Best,butin manyways
thesexylesbianSecret
Serviceagentwhom
MarielHemingway
plays
hereis a naturalprogression.
Veryseldomdo
we geta queerRamboesqueactionflick with
lesbianmaincharacters
andopenlygayactors
(JillBennettplays
Hemingway's
rookie
reportergirlfriend).
Passthe popcorn.
(libent.com)-Diane
Lesbians in film used to follow a pretty traditional route: a
Anderson-Minshall
tlingly acting chops. And, to boot, Paul, who has a lesbian sister
love with another (often straight) girl and discovers ( usually
in real life, knows pretty damn well how to play gay on screen.
In Trapped, she's Samantha, an Internet security expert strug~
tragically) who she really is. Alas, things have changed so much
that it's hard to determine if a film has a heterosexual woman
in drag, an FTM or transman or an actual dyke as the main
character. Even openly queer cinematic women these days don't
always bother uttering the L~word. But as indie cinema shows,
that's all beside the point anyway.
My Brother's War (Vanguard Cinema)
This little seen indie film is one of a handful of Vanguard's new
indie films with undercurrents of queer or trans themes that
are being marketed to the mainstream. But lesbians shouldn't
miss the attempts at covering new territory that a film like
(aren't they always) and a pouty, petulant teenage daughter,
Gwen. After Samatha and her daughter are kidnapped, she is
forced to hack into the FBI database to locate a witness in pro~
tection. What's most surprising in this ultimate tale of female
empowerment? Just how engaging this slightly unbelievable ac~
tion thriller is. Lesbians, including the so very sexy openly gay
actor Michelle Wolff, are mere icing on the cake. (libent.com)
1888 (Vanguard Cinema)
My Brother's War makes. In it, Gr~ce is torn between her
fiance and her family as the Civil War pits the Union Army and
the confederates against one another. To protect her brother she
chops off her hair, dons his clothes and joins the rebels in his
one thing this modern retelling has all over the way we learned
it in elementary school is a woman in drag. (Text books should,
in fact, have many more women in drag, but that's a whole other
place. Soon she falls in love with a war widow, and the couple
review.) In 1888, Verne joins Italian explorer Stradelli in a trip
finds themselves running through the backwoods to escape the
war. This leads to irrevocable changes for both of the women and
their lives. Production values are mixed at times, but really,when
along the Amazon's Orinoco River. They pick up a stranger
along the way, a woman disguised as a man who is searching
for her father. While the story belongs wholly to Verne especially the sort of absurd events that threaten his life on the
(vanguardcinema.com)
trip - having a character who is read as a transgender man or
a butch lesbian (one imagines, that like with My Brother'sWar,
Trapped (Genius/here! Films)
that interpretation will largely be subjective) does make this
indie flick something a little different than the next historical
biopic. (vanguardcinema.com)■
It doesn't do this film justice to lead off by telling you that
it stars Baywatch babe Alexandra Paul because, unlike a
I curve
gling to better balance a demanding career, a hot girlfriend
This Spanish~language Mexican film uses Jules Verne's own
diaries to tell the "extraordinary voyage" of the Santa Isabel, but
was the last time a movie tackled drag without it being a comedy?
58
number of her former castmates, Paul actually has some star~
butchy girl who didn't fit in falls in (sometimes unrequited)
DVD PICKS
skirtandunwrapherChristmas
package.(frameline.org)
- TracyE.Gilchrist
Hung(Frameline):
Leaveit to
premierpowerlesbianGuinevere
Turnerto bypassthestrap-on
altogether
andfigureout howto
packa realpistol.In hershortfilm festivaldarlingHung,the
screenwriter,
actoranddirector
-who's pennedclassicssuch
as GoFishandearlyL Word
episodes
- explores
the ins
andoutsof wieldinga penis
for a day,includingsex,sizeenvy,peeingontreesandthe
continualquestto getlaid.Like
a modern-day
lesbianJimJones
or a hippyhandingoutacid,
Turner'scharacteradministers
herversionof Kool-Aid
to a
handfulof herlesbianfriends.
Thetinctureproduces
a penis
pergalviaTurner'seye-dropper
to thetongue.
A couplein Turner'spenis
possewakesupwith morningwood,leadingthemto
experiment
withbigenitalsex.
Withinfiniteoptions,thecouple
engagesin anexhaustive
roll
in thesheetsfor mostof their
24-hourendowment
period.
Meanwhile,
oneof the gangdiscoversthejoysof fullyclothed,
hands-on-hips,
Superman-style
urination.
Anothersuffersfrom
the baneof boyseverywhere:
small-penis
syndrome.
A short-skirted,
high-boots
cladTurnertrollslesbianhot
spots,likethe hardware
store,
searching
for viableladiesto
bed.Butevensuperfemme,
supersexy
Turnercan'tfinda gal
to jumpstarthernewpowertool.
Hungis a lighthearted
look
cc
w
at
a
long-standing
taboo
lesbian
-'
-'
fantasy-to unstrapthedildo
~
w
u..
andharnessandto knowfirst-'
0
handhowit feelsto fuckwith
3:
u..
0
a penis.Turnergotit right,save
>(J)
for herownstoryline.Withher
w
....
a:
mojo,she'dhavenoprobfinding
::::,
0
()
a lesbianto reachupunderher
Swimmers
(SkourasFilms):
Thisis thetouchingtaleof 11year-oldEmma,whosefamily
beginsto fall apartwhenshe
needsexpensive
earsurgery.Her
father,a Maryland
oysterfisher,
hasalwaysjust madeenough
to keepthefamilyafloat.Amid
theirunfoldingpersonal
and
interpersonal
struggles,
Merrill,a
mysterious
youngwoman,shows
I PRODUCER I
upin thesmalltown.Emma
andMerrillsoonbecomeclose
Miami native Tamika Miller was just 23 when she produced her first commercial, and
friends,andSwimmers
depicts
since has line-produced more than 60 commercials and music videos. She's directed a
thedeeploveembodied
in a true
series of meditation and martial arts videos, the shore documentary Released:5 Shorts on
friendship,
regardless
of theage
Women in Prison (which featured renowned scholar and activist Angela Davis) and her
difference.
Thefilm'stitle is well
first narrative film,Oucfest winner Giftfor the Living, which garnered the 2005 Showtime
chosen;for notonlyis swimBlack Filmmaker Showcase Grand Prize. Bue char does little to prepare you for the brilmingEmma'sgreatpassion,
the
liance
of her '70s era period filmSarang Song, which - in addition to airing on Logo
movie'spacealsoresembles
a
and Showtime - is part of the new lesbian shores collection She Likes Girls. - Diane
slowbutsteadyswimthroughits
Anderson-Minshall
story.Aswhenyou'reunderwater,the emotionsin Swimmers
don'tnecessarily
touchyouwith
Sarang Song feels so original. Can you tell me how it started?
thefull forceof theirimpact
When I originally thought of the script for what became Sarang Song, I wantbutratherpermeate
thesoul
ed it co be a short film about activist and scholar Angela Davis .... However, I
slowly.(swimmersthemovie.com)
couldn't obtain the rights to cell her story, but I still wanted co tell a story set
- UrsulaSteck
TamikaMiller
LadyVengeance
(Tartan):
After
beingwrongfullyincarcerated
for
13years,onewomanhasonly
onethingonhermind:revenge.
Shesetsin motiona payback
plotthat'ssointricateit makes
KillBilllooksimple.Butafterher
horriblediscovery,
norevengeis
enough.(tartanfilms.com)
TheMaid(Tartan):Singapore's
first homegrown
horrormovie
wasamongthecountry'shighest
boxofficedrawsandwithgood
reason.
Thisfrightfestfollows
Rosa,a maidwhois newto the
countryanda nonbeliever
in the
DVD Picks continued on page 67
amidst the socially and politically turbulent times of the early 1970s. And I
wanted it to be a love story, as the idea of love in the midst of war was very
appealing co me. So I decided it should be a love story of two black women
set amidst the student protest movement, and use chis movement to test their
love. Using the early 1970s as a backdrop was essential for me celling such a
story, particularly a story we've rarely seen. le was a unique and colorful era
- the music, the dress, the politics. It was an era of expression.
How did you so carefully get a feel for the early '70s?
I read about the era and looked at numerous photos and video footage ....
le was an era of protest, and culturally chis expression came through in the
w:1ypeople spoke, the way people dressed and what people communicated
through music. I had a fabulous art director and wardrobe stylist who really
understood the look and feel of the time as well.
Any plans to turn this into a feature or a story like it?
I currently don't have any plans to turn Sarang Song into a feature-length film.
Bue, never say never. As for a story like it, I would love co direct a feature-.
length film about Angela Davis. Her life story fascinates me, and would make
a powerful film. So, I hope chis is in my future. ■
April 2007
I 59
Reviews
In the Stacks
Paperback Writers
Some books are even better the second time around.
Both of these works, by two talented writers, have just come
into their paperback editions. If you missed these titles in
hardcover, now's the time to pick them up and enjoy some fine
fiction. The first is a collection of short stories by one of our
community's most talented lesbian writers, and the other is a
skilled first novel by an author relatively new on the scene who
we hope to see more from.
EDITOR'S
PICK
touchy
subjects
stories, "Through the Night;' could only have been written
by a woman all too familiar with life centered around a newborn: "But even to use the terms night and day was misleading. Day and night were human inventions, Una realized,
and Moya - a startled visitor from another planet - had
never heard of them. There was no longer any night for Una.
... Hers was a work shift that neve~ really ended even when
she was meant to be relaxing, one long day that spun on sickeningly through dark and light, sound and silence:'
The relationship between humans and their pets is also
explored in the book, with often subtly macabre side effects:
the coming together and eventual breakup of a lesbian couple because of a cat, a straight couple's strange obsession with
their dogs.
Other "touchy subjects" explored among her
- a mixture of men and women, gay and straight
cial hair, the perilous results of an act of kindness,
encounter with a special needs man in a cave; a
characters
- are faa woman's
teen boy's
queer sexual awakening on the sports field, and the trials of
communal living, especially when sexual secrets are in the
Ic~rve
air. In the story "WritOr;' Donoghue even takes a poke at
would-be-writers and those charged with their instruction:
'1\fter that, in his head he called them all 'my would-he's;
meaning that they perhaps would have been writers if they'd
been born with a tittle of talent:'
Only a handful of the stories have substantial lesbian
content, including the cat couple in "The Cost of Things" and
the rather unsatisfactory
Touchy Subjects, Emma Donoghue (Harcourt
CryRape,Bill Books)
Lueders
(University
of
Irish author Emma Donoghue is best known to CURVE readWisconsin
Press) ers for past books including Stir Fry and Slammerkin. At age
Veryrarelydotruecrime 37, she is the awardbookstacklewomen's
winning author of nuvictimization
in such
merous novels, short
a strikinglyfeminist
manner- especially stories and nonfiction,
whenthe authoris male. and this latest collection
Evenodderstillthat Cry shows her maturing skill
Rape,a quitecompelling as a writer, as well as the
exposeof thejustice influence of motherhood
system'sreluctance
to
on her work. Tellingly,
admitits capacityfor
the book is dedicated
errorandthe bewildered to her son, Finn, a child
working-class
woman she had with her female
whogetscaughtin the
partner.
middle,showsusthat
From the title story
sometimes
evena liberal
in
the first section,
oasislikeMinneapolis
canget it all wrong. "Babies;' where single
(wise.
edulwiscon woman Sarah plots her future child's conception with an
sinpress)
- Diane old friend, through "Domesticity;' "Stranger," "Desire" and
Anderson-Minshall"Death;' Donoghue always hits her mark. One of the best
60
IBy Rachel Pepper
student-teacher
affair featured in
"Speaking in Tongues:' But all 19 stories in this collection,
which range from very good to sublime, are shaped by the
sensibilities of a talented lesbian writer. There is no doubt
that whether Donoghue is tackling touchy subjects or not,
she is at the top of her craft. (harcourtbooks.com)
Slipstream, Leslie Larson (Random House)
It's a rare first novelist who can create an ensemble of intersecting fictional characters and so artfully meld together
their fates. Winner of the 2006 Astraea Award for Fiction
and a 2006 Book Sense Notable Book, Slipstream takes place
in Los Angeles and focuses on a group of people who work at
the LAX airport, leading mostly low-paid, marginal lives.
The pivotal character around which all the others spin
is Wylie, a straight man
who works as a bartender
in the airport.
Wylie is a quiet observer of human foibles,
but his own calm ideology is about to be tested
when his long-time girlfriend announces she's
----
Stll'lllUl1Blllll
al-Ulll1CI-
pregnant.
Wylie's college-going
lesbian niece, Jewell, is
trying to come to terms
with the end of her rela-
LIPSTREA
:£eJlie :£arJo
tionship with Celeste,
who is leaving her to
reunite with an ex-lover,
Dana. Complicating the picture, Celeste and Dana have a
daughter together, Rachel, part of the new fictional generation being raised by lesbian parents. Throw in an airport custodian named Rudy, his Avon-selling wife, Inez, who's plotting to leave him, and Jewell's ex-con father, Logan, and you
have enough human drama to keep the pages turning.
Larson's careful construction of characters along with her
vivid portrayal of Los Angeles itself are what make the most
lasting impressions. The people of Slipstream seem so real;
their startling faults and cravings, hopes and dreams, and
carefully thought out destinies make the book impossible to
put down. (randomhouse.com) ■
PAGE TURNERS
BentoBoxin theHeartland:
MyJapanese
Girlhood
in
Whitebread
America,
Linda
Furiya(SealPress):Furiya
depictslife asa memberof the
soleAsianfamilyin Indiana,and
howthecomfortof foodhelped
herdealwith racism.Fullof tales
of Japanese
feudalwarlordsand
characters
whosevoicesbrim
withstrengthandpride,Bento
Boxcontainsmanykernelsof
truth.Thestoriesthat immigrantparentsleavewiththeir
American
childrenteachthemof
theirstrongandnobleheritage,
askingthemneverto relegate
themselves
to secondary
status
afterimmigration.
(sea/press.
com)- KimFujioka
It HitMeLikea TonofBricks,
Catherine
LloydBurns(North
PointPress):Television
actor
Catherine
LloydBurnschronicles
two generations
of motherhood
andexplores
thecomplexity
of familyrelationships
in this
sincereandentertaining
memoir.
Portraying
herownmotheras
coldandinsensitive
yetinspiring,Burnsis determined
notto
followsuitwhenherdaughter
Oliveis born.Butherhumorous
andheart-wrenching
journey
arrivesat anessentialuniversal
truth:Yourparentsarejust as
crazyandfucked-upasyou
are.Recommended
readingfor
newmamasandcross-bearingdaughters.
(fsgbooks.com)
- Catherine
Plato
Lisa
Gray-Garcia
I
WRITER, POVERTY SCHOLAR
I
At age 11, Lisa"Tiny" Gray-Garcia was battling being homeless and
helping her single mom struggle with her own childhood legacy of
abuse and neglect. In her excruciating, sometimes darkly comic new
memoir, Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up Homeless in America (City
Lights), Garcia lays bare the roots of poverty and criminalization of
poor folks in this "messed-up reality:' - Diane Anderson-Minshall
Folks might not see that your book is, at its core, a motherdaughter love story. Did you mean for that to shine through?
Oh yes ... It is most definitely one of the most important
points of the book. In the end, my po' mixed-race mama lived
and survived through so much hell and still raised me, and to
this day I still want to make her happy, and I know that this
book would make her feel ... that it wasn't all a waste. [I want]
more mamas and daughters . . . to love each other, protect
each other, live with each other and ultimately care for each
other into adulthood, elderhood, ancestorhood and beyond.
How can we stop the criminalization of poor folks?
First of all, don't feed, believe, work for, overtly or covertly, the
cult of the clean, Disneyfied city where all people who aren't
clean, usually white and traditionally emp_loyedshould never
AppetiteforProfit:Howthe
be seen ... where youth of color are considered loitering when
FoodIndustry
Undermines
Our
they stand together on a corner; where houseless people who
HealthandHowtoFightBack,
are sleeping in their cars or on the sidewalk are cited for just
MicheleSimon(NationPress):
If you'reoverweight
or physically
being there; and where people who don't own their land but
unfit,you'rea lazy,ignorantslob.
who are soliciting work are considered illegal [such as] unThat'swhat"BigFood,"including
documented workers, micro-business people, panhandlers,
companies
likeKraft,Coca-Cola
sex workers, recyclers. Don't buy that terra cotta condo in
andMcDonald's,
wouldhave
a gentrified neighborhood or, if you do, make sure that you
•youbelieve.Publichealthlawyer
don't call the police in your new neighborhood on the people
andnutritionadvocate
Simon
living in the sidewalk hotels or standing on the corner who've
exposes
theshockingdirtyseprobably been living in that neighborhood longer than you.
cretsbehindthefoodconglomerDo you see a disproportionate number of women?
atesandtheirconspiracy
(yes,
Most definitely, [because of] the disproportionate impact of
conspiracy!)
to pushjunkfood
poverty on mothers and women, from welfare deform to a highonyou.Shearguesthat BigFood
Page Turners continued on page 69
er rate of domestic violenceperpetuated against women. ■
April 2007
I61
Reviews
Music Watch
•fslTrying
~L-1
...........
~l~J=~
THERYMIN
on Some New Sound
I
Some artists never go out of style. By Margaret Coble
EDITOR'S
PICK
Liveat theRyman,
KittyRose(WildAffair)
A classiccountrytroubadour,lesbiantwanger
KittyRosestartedout
in thegrandol' country
way:froma Houston
choirto performing
at
the SuperBowlat 12
andhavingherfirst song
published
at 13.Butthis
risingstarleft Nashville
for Hollywood.
Now25
yearslater,she'sback,
freshfromwinninga
2005Outmusic
Award
for herCDKiftr Rose
Music, like fashion, is often about taking risks and trying someGreatest
Hitsandopenthing new. So while it may be a stretch to try to fit folksinger
ingfor bandslikeHootie
andthe Blowfish.
That Patty Griffin's rockin' new set or'80s pop-star Belinda Carlisle's
wasnothingcompared unexpected foray into French chansons into this issue's focus
to this newrelease, on fashion, you got to hand it to these women - as well as
whichis actually1972 American Idol winner Fantasia, whose fresh, new, hip-hop
concertfootagefound flavored sophomore disc definitely is fashionable - for being
by·aconstruction
worker daring enough to step out of their comfort zones and try on a
doingrenovations
on new sound.
the RymanAuditorium
in Nashville.
Thestory Children Running Through, Patty Griffin (ATO
behindthe losttapes
Records)
(bourbon
andCoke
Though not a complete departure by any means (Griffin's 1998
playsa role)andthe
deathof oneof the rock-tinged album Flaming Red comes to mind), it is striking
guestsingers(country upon first listen how much more upbeat and simply rockin' this
starSandeeSaunders sixth studio release by the 42-year-old, Maine-born singersongwriter is in comparison to her recent work. Particularly
whowasdecapitated
in
anaccidentdayslater) after 2004's darkly poetic ImpossibleDream, this 12-song set
makethisa country runs the gamut from folk to country to blues, gospel and rock,
classicin so many and takes the listener a bit by surprise. Griffin's distinctive voice
sensesof theword. may get a little more revved up at moments, but ultimately re(kittyrose.com)
- Diane mains as emotive as ever - as do her literary lyrics - and
Anderson-Minshall
it is nice to hear her lighten up a little, musically. Though the
disc opens with the tender, soft "You'll Remember;' the pace
soon quickens to the bluesy "Stay on the Ride" and crescendos with the electric guitar-filled, roots-rock stomper "Getting
Ready" (my personal singalong fave) and the acoustic romp
"No Bad News:' Fans of Griffin's sad folk-pop songs shouldn't
worry, though, as there's still plenty of those here, interspersed
with the peppier numbers ("Trapeze;' "Burgundy Shoes" and
"Railroad Wings"). Overall, it's a nice mix of moods and beats
62
Icurve
that will perhaps garner Griffin a much-deserved wider audience. (pattygrijfin.com)
Voila, Belinda Carlisle (Rykodisc)
It's hard to know quite what to say when you realize the woman who was one of your adolescent New Wave idols is now
singing Edith Piaf tunes (not that there's anything wrongwith
Edith Piaf). Bringing home the "truth is stranger than fiction''
adage, Belinda Carlisle, former frontwoman of the Go-Go's,
has just released her first album in over a decade and, yes, it's
all in French. The biggest surprise, though, is that it's actually
good! Apparently inspired by her time spent living in France
(off and on since 1994), Carlisle works with Brian Eno on
keyboards and Natasha Atlas on backing vocals, among other
notable bandmates, and manages to come up with a thoroughly
enjoyable 11-track collection of classic covers including Serge
Gainsbourg's "Bonnie et Clyde" and "Contact;' Jacques Brel's
"Ne Me Quitte Pas;' and Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose." Bravo,
Belinda, bravo. (rykodisc.com)
Fantasia, Fantasia Barrino (J Records)
As the winner of the third season of the TV pop-star contest
American Idol, Fantasia Barrino had a lot to prove to the world
with her debut album, 2004's Free Yourself.Despite production help from Missy Elliott and Jermaine Dupri, though, her
first effort earned her comparisons to Patti LaBelle and other
smooch-crooning old schoolers via the album's slick production
and ballad-heavy lyrical content. Though good enough to sell 2
million albums, it wasn't really what Barrino felt represented her
true artistry. This second set busts out with more street savvy
Trying on Some New Sow1d continued on page 67
z
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OTHER LICKS
jazzandhip-hopfromoneof San
Francisco's
finestunderground
labels.CutsfromformerDigable
PlanetsvocalistLadybugMecca
("DaggStarr")andStrangeFruit
ProjectfeaturingErykahBadu
("GetLive")standout.
(om-records.
com)
SingYouSinners,
Erin
McKeown
(Nettwerk):
Witha freshtakeonsome
lesserAmericanstandards,
Northampton
lesbianMcKeown
shakesupthe likesof Cole
Porter,FatsWallerandJohnny
Mercer,deliveringa gorgeous
13-tracksetthat'sa pure
joy to listento, especially
the
calypso-bumpin'
"PaperMoon."
(erinmckeown.com)
Reflections
(ARetrospective),
MaryJ. Blige(Geffen):
Hoton
the heelsof lastyear'scharttoppingTheBreakthrough,
this
15-trackgreatesthitscollection
fromthe hip-hopsoulqueenalso
featuresherlatesthit "WeRide(I
Seethe Future),"amongcareer
highlights"NoMoreDrama,"
"RealLove"and"BeHappy."
(mjblige.com)
Rejuve,
TammyHall
(Elfenworks):
Oneof the Bay
Area'smostsought-after
jazz
Rubbing
DownDebbie(self·
musicians
releases
this 11-track
released):
Luckilyfor them,
opusof soothingpiano-violinthis Jacksonville,
Fla.,five-girl
percussion
jazzin conjunction
bandhasgotthe noisy,brash
punk-meets-heavy
rockgrooves withthe NorthernCalifornia
&
to backuptheirattention-getting Divisionof the Leukemia
Lymphoma
Society
to
draw
moniker.(myspace.com/
attentionto the diseasewhich
rubbingdowndebbie)
tookthe life of hermotherandto
comfortthoseafflicted.(tammy
hall.com)
Mekole Wells
I
SINGER, SURVIVOR
I
Mekole Wells is a woman with a mission. Her music seeks to empower her audience
to be true to themselves and find time to break it down on the dance floor. The pro~
vocative and reflective quality of her voice reveals the singer as an authority on this
subject matter, and indeed she is: In 1998, Wells was told she would never sing again
after she was stabbed 10 times and her throat was slit in a domestic abuse incident.
Now, eight years later, the lesbian musician has just finished her role in Menopause:
The Musical and awaits the release of her second album. - Sonia Kreitzer
Tell me about your first CD, Full Circle.
Full Circlewas basically written for me and everyone else out there because I
had gone through such a tumultuous time in my life, between my stabbing,
and the loss of my mother and just really searching for mysel£
How did those experiences affect you, and your music?
You know, after my stabbing, I had gone through a lot of stuff and I lived
on skid row for a minute. Not because I was an alcoholic or a drug addict,
because I don't do that. It's because I had too much pride, and sometimes
your demise in life makes you wake up. So I wasn't liquored up when I was
on skid row, I was wide awake. And that, that's even worse .... Someone once
asked me, "Do you believe in the afterlife:"' I said, "I believe in the afterlife,
~
...J
SweetMistake,Adrianne
~
(WAC):
TheL.A.-baseddyke
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0
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acoustic
rockerunleashes
this
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13-tracksetwith surefireoriginal
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OnDVD
Harajuku
LoversLive,Gwen
Stefani(lnterscope):
Whileher
latestCDTheSweetEscape
continuesto rackup salesandchart
successes
despitemixedcritical
reception,
this 14-trackliveconcert DVDfilmedin herhometown
Om:HipHopVolume
One(Om): of Anaheim,Calif.,relivesthe
gloryof herlasttour,featurForthosewhobemoanthe
ing manyhitsfromLove.Angel.
dumbed-down
gangstastateof
as wellas newcuts
commercial
hip-hoptoday,check Music.Baby.
outthis great15-trackcompila- "WindIt Up"and"OrangeCounty
tionof forward-thinking
rap,acid Girl."(gwenstefani.com)-MC
yeah!" I do, 'cause I'm a walking afterlife. When you lose a third of the blood
in your body, and they put you out for the count, and you're still here, you get
it together .... Everyone has got to have something to build their strength. If I
didn't die with tear~stab wounds, I would not be where I'm at today.
Do you feel that you have come full circle?
Yeah, I do. And still learning, still learning .... You know, the song "Crush
on You" was about me coming out. I was married at the time, and I had this
crush on this. girl, and I knew there was something inside that had to be
opened up and explored and truth came through. And Full Circlewas really
my truth, my truth to myself and to everyone else about me and who I am.
Parting thoughts?
The bottom line is just, take a chance. I could have set up in skid row. Yeah!
It's easy, get a free meal, get some clothes thrown at you, but I don't want that.
I can say,"I can't do a CD, I'll never make it:' I ain't worrying about making it,
my voice will be heard, and thank God my voice is being heard. ■
April 2007
I63
Reviews
Tech Girl
Things That Make You Go Hmmm
New toys and tech that you didn't actually know you needed.
IBy Diane Anderson~Minshall
We all know that capitalism is bad, simple life is good (but not in a Paris Hilton way). But occasionally new
products come on the market that are just so damn fun or drool worthy that we can't wait to get our hands
on them, even if it means waiting another month to actually pay rent. Well, here are this month's picks of
things you may not know you need - yet.
This Camera Doesn't Add 10 Pounds
Face it, even when we're cool with our bods, some of us dread that quarterly fat photo that
comes from every amateur photog. But with the HP Photosmart R927, the camera doesn't
add pounds, it takes them off. A couple of button strokes and this camera automatically
slims and lengthens your whole body. Maybe Star Jones should have taken this route? Oh,
yeah, it has 8.2 megapixels and a three-inch screen. ($270, hp.com)
Podcasting Here We Come
There is no simpler podcast-friendly digital voice recorder right now than the Olympus
DS-40. (Well, except the DS-50, perhaps). This voice recorder streamlines podcast downloads so everyone can enjoy them on their desktops. You can download audio books and other
spoken word items as well, up to 136 hours in all, stored on 512MB. It even comes with voice
guidance so it speaks back to you, which is perfect for visually challenged users (even the
manual is an audio file). And yeah, it takes dictation, too. ($200, olympus.com)
A Pool Lover's Best Friend
Whether you're laying out on the beach or standing in the rain listening to "Come to My
Window" for the 40th time, you'll want the water-resistant Ultra Hydra MP3 player. The
Hydra, which supports MP3, WAV, ACT and WMA files, comes in a super cheap 1GB
model and a reasonably priced 2GB model. Lightweight and cute (yellow, black, orange or
pink), it only needs one AAA battery and comes with a USB cable that makes transferring
files easy. ($40, radioshack.com)
The 1950s Live on - In Your Kitchen
If you're like me and want more 1950s style in your kitchen, Mr. Coffee's Classic MRX will
take you back to that simpler pre-Starbucks era. Funky vintage styling combined with new
modern features like auto shut-off, water filtration, cold storage and ambient lighting make
this our favorite new appliance. ($80, mrcoffee.com)
Did This Help Martina?
So you're not Venus Williams, doesn't meant you can't try. Get help from the WristAssist, a
gadget that harnesses physics to help you get your serve on within the optimum hitting zone.
WristAssist helps you feel the correct motion and lock the ideal stroke into your muscle
memory. Creepy? Sure. Successful? Hell yeah. ($70, squarehittennis.com)
I Dance in My Underwear - Does That Make Me Madonna?
Clockwise from top left: Ultra Hydra MP3 Player, HP
Photosmart R927, WristAssist, Mr. Coffee's Classic MRX
64
Icurve
Probably not, but I like to pretend I'm on the Blonde Ambition tour when I plug in the
funky, geeky PlayStation SingStar Rocks! It's a singing game that incorporates actual songs
and videos, lets you sing your ass off (in modes like Freestyle, Pass the Mic and Battle), and
record your performances on a memory card for playback later (possibly at parties in which
you or your girlfriend is extremely drunk). Lest you think this is only for Gwen Stefani or
Gloria Gaynor fans, know that everone from KT Tunstall to the Cure and Lynyrd Skynyrd
are on the playlist. ($50, playstation.sony.com)■
I Tried It Reviews
Feeding the Machine
Space--age torture device or high tech high? I tried it so you don't have to. I By MelanyWalters,Beck
Maybe I don't totallybelievethislittlebox can cureailments,but it has certainlylefta
lastingimpression.I haven'thad so muchas a cold sinceI firsthookedup, and every
timethat I usethe machine,it feelsbetterthan a few glassesof decentwine.
When my mother-in-law first suggested I hook up to the EPFX Biofeedback
Machine, I was skeptical. She's a holistic health consultant who usually keeps
oxide. I had the urge to giggle, and it was as if my entire body heaved a great
big sigh of relief.
me stocked up with antioxidants, vitamins and the latest in nutraceuticals. I
simply smile and take my pills. They can't hurt; they're just vitamins, right?
And I must admit that I do enjoy better than average health. But when she
"That's the relaxation pulse;' my mother-in-law explained.
Up until that time, my concept of the EPFX machine was more or less
that it was a placebo that might have some beneficial effect on my overall
began explaining how this biofeedback machine works with our own bodies
to reduce stress and heal imbalances in pulses with electrical frequencies, I
health. I wasn't prepared to actually feel anything that dramatic or that the
information would be so specific.
decided that I needed to do a little research and try this thing for mysel£
Invented by William Nelson, a transgender professor who has done extensive research in quantum physics, the EPFX is a blue and taupe box about
the size of a small portable DVD player with flashing red, green and yellow
lights. It plugs into a computer, which runs the program. Several black cords
connect to the EPFX and feed into wrist and ankle straps and a headband.
The headband made scary marks on my forehead and since I'm allergic to
metal, the grommet on the wrist strap made a welt on my left wrist. I was
,beginning to wonder if this little experiment was a bad idea.
The first time I "kooked up;' the screen showed a large computer-generated diagram of my ear, indicating an"imbalance" in that area, but I could hear
and they didn't hurt, so as far as I was concerned, my ears were fine.
I continued watching the screen, which is a sickly mosaic of fuchsia, lime
and salmon hues that were seemingly chosen for their ability to hurt the eyes.
I decided to just lay back and relax, when all of a sudden my skin started to
tingle and I felt very lightheaded, as if I were at the dentist under nitrous
During my two-hour session, the machine informed me that I had a congenital heart disorder (which I knew) and that my kidneys and liver were
under stress. Since I had spent a good part of the evening previous to my
session at the local hot spot downing far too many microbrews, this was not
surprising. But the ear thing still really had me stumped.
I didn't need to wonder long. Three days later, after I had completely
forgotten most of what she told me, a bizarre lump appeared in the passage
just above my right earlobe. It grew into an abscess that, disgustingly, had to
be eventually lanced and drained. I know. Gross. But whether it was coincidence or the EPFX detecting tiny currents firing wrong is still very much
up for debate.
Maybe I don't totally believe this little box can cure ailments, but it has
certainly left a lasting impression. I haven't had so much as a cold since I first
hooked up, and every time that I use the machine, it feels better than a few
glasses of decent wine. If it's assisting my immune system to heal my body at
the same time, that's cool, too. ■
April 2007
I65
Dyke Drama
Michele Fisher
What's on Your Emotional Hard Drive?
There's always something there to remind you.
M
y computer finally kicked the bucket. I was expecting it, so there
weren't any tears when I picked up the tower and carted it to the
trash. A few minutes later, I was dumpster diving to get it back. No, I
wasn't struck with a sentimental urge to have it back; I was worried that
some junkie on a mission would retrieve my personal data, credit card
numbers and the like from the hard drive, after a friend told me how easy
it was to steal info from a computer, even a broken one.
If all I needed was a junkie to retrieve my data from my fried hard
drive, then why did I throw the darned thing away in the first place? Why
didn't I just go get a junkie and bring him home to help me? My tech,savvy
friend calmly explained it like this: My data is magnetic and the hard drive
is a big magnet, so my information was still basically. "stuck" on the hard
drive. Even if I could not get to it, somebody with enough time on their
hands probably could.
So what was I supposed to do? She told me that the CIA and big cor,
porations degauss their hard drives before disposing of their computers.
Degaussing is the act of erasing information from a magnetic disk or other
storage device. Deleting data the traditional way leaves traces that can be
discovered and used to reconstruct the data, much like a shaken Etch,
a,Sketch erases a drawing but leaves a faint outline behind. Degaussing
leaves no traces, as it removes every last clinging particle of data by demag,
netizing everything.
It sounded good to me. Then I discovered that degaussers are so expen,
sive that it would be cheaper for me to just give my credit card informa,
tion to a drug addict and take my chances. The other option my buddy
suggested was to take the computer apart and physically destroy the hard
drive. Well, that I could do and did.
A few weeks later, while one of my recently dumped friends was uncon,
"The box" is the collection of your ex,girlfriend's stuff that you use as
vincingly extolling the virtues of the single life through quivering lips and
between nose blows into a well,worn tissue, I thought about degaussing
again. Is it possible to erase a woman from your brain? Can we rid our,
one last ditch effort to get her back. As long as you have "the box;' you have
a reason to make contact with her. It's dangerous; it leaves room for hope
selves of the bits of memory and chunks of emotion that are left behind to
and almost always precedes a painful last fall. Let the record show, "the
torment us at the most inopportune times?
You can try to destroy the emotional hard drive with booze and drugs,
box" is always a bad idea, but that's another column.
but my experience with that technique is that it is imprecise. The wrong
parts of the brain may be damaged, rendering valuable information irre,
After you purge your pantry, do the same with the fridge. Once the
kitchen is reclaimed, move on to the bathroom. Unless you are very broke,
do not let her stomach remedies and headache pills take up space in your
trievable while that which you were trying to forget still looms large in
your consciousness. No, to remove a woman from your brain, you must
medicine cabinet. If she left any good stuff, and federal law prohibits me
from outlining what I mean by that, create your own containers for those
first remove all traces of her from your life.
castoff uppers and downers.
What if you should come across medications that she needs, such
What the recently dumped need most is something to do, something
other than trying to figure out what they can do to get the woman who left
to come back. Women who find themselves suddenly and unwillingly sin,
gle need to degauss their homes and lives so that their brains follow suit.
Tackle the house one room at a time. Hit the kitchen first, especially if
depression makes you hungry.
Get a spoon and open several jars in the cupboard, eat directly from the
containers and savor the rewards. Peanut butter, salsa, pesto, marshmal,
low fluff, it all tastes better from the jar - especially from the same spoon.
Be sure to rid the shelves of any and all things that are hers. How are you
supposed to get over her when her deviled ham spread still stares you in
the face? Should you throw out the deviled ham, or put it in the box?
66
I
curve
as insulin or inhalers? I say, screw her, she should have thought of that
before she stomped on your heart. But if you simply must, toss those
items into "the box:• Her combs and toothbrushes are perfect for groom,
ing the cat, dog or ferret, and then tossing into "the box:• (Oh come on,
nobody is stupid enough to use the combs or toot:hbrushes that come
back to them via "the box.") Finally, give the bathroom a good scrubbing
and get rid of all of her hairs and skin flakes, thus eradicating her pres,
ence from your bathroom.
Move on to the bedroom. Obviously, your sex toys are the first things to
go. Be strong. You don't want to be sitting on your bed blubbering and era,
dling a double,headed dildo, do you? Just grab and toss without a thought
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you really want a reaction. If I knew I was leaving the country, there was no
about where those things have been. Sex toys don't go into "the box" unless
lesbian mystery novels to homes for the aged, where the thrills and chills
•are most likely to be appreciated. Her CDs and that ugly lamp will cer-
way anybody could find me for a few years and I really hated my ex's new
girlfriend, then I would put the sex toys into "the box;' but otherwise, that's
tainly be appreciated by Goodwill.
If you can afford to take a drill and a hammer to the hard drive of the
one of those things better imagined than actually done.
computer you two shared, you will find it very therapeutic. If not, just
delete and overwrite. Or if you have a friend in the CIA, as we discussed
You cannot sleep on sheets that have her on them. Yes, you must wash
all bedding, but it is even better if you can get a new set of sheets. If you
can afford it, get rid of the whole bed. Pull a Farrah Fawcett if you want,
earlier, you can degauss. But if you really have a friend in the CIA, you
. but make sure you take the bed outside before you burn it. Even if I were
appear. Don't forget to fill out that change of address kit for her at the
post office so she's not haunting your mailbox for life. For some reason,
broke, which I have been for most of my life, I would rather sleep on a
mattress on the floor than on a bed I used to share with a woman who left
me. Plus, you can feel way more pathetic and sorry for yourself on a mattress on the floor.
Next project? The closet. You must rid yourself of every stitch that has
her on it. Anything that you two shared should be considered hers and
could probably do something a lot more sinister than making data dis-
dumped lesbians like to keep that "mail" connection going years after the
breakup. I guess if "the box" doesn't work, the old "you got mail" trick
might. Cut that cord right away, and let her deal with her own junk mail. In
fact, sign her up for a few freebies, such as male enhancement products and
tossed. Remember, ugly clothes go into "the box," nice ones- don't. Once
religious literature.
Keep tossing, cleaning, donating and burning until it's like she was
again, she should have thought about what she was going to wear before
she took off on you. The same goes double for shoes.
never there.
To move on, you must move furniture. To clear your mind of her, you've
Once the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom are reclaimed, you should be
got to clear your space of her. You can't get on with your life if, as the song
well on your way to recovery and ready to tackle the little jobs. Is that really
where you want the coffee table, or is that where she wanted it? You don't
goes, there is always something there to remind you. You want your mind
to be a blank canvas so the next woman in your life can make her very own
even read mysteries, so why are they still on your shelf? I love donating
masterpiece of pain out of you. ■
Simple Life continued from page 51
DVD Picks continued from page 59
dress like a tomboy, but I'm cool with wearing
That's definitely a sad statement about our
some girly things. I wouldn't say I'm a full-on
tomboy anymore but I'm still tomboyish. I
won't wear the really short skirts or the spa-
culture.
ghetti straps, like never. I'll go outside with a
tight pair of jeans and a wife-beater. It's not
like I'm a full-on tomboy, but I still got the
editing is a big part [of Top Model]. I think
they're doing an OK job.
I'm interested by how fascinating Top Model
tomboy style.
is to queer women and feminists who would
Well, it's entertainment. They definitely showed
people accurately -
their personalities -
but
I think that's more popular right now, actually.
never be caught dead reading fashion maga-
Yeah, I do too.
zines. Have you noticed that?
I think girls are lucky in that way because
Yeah, a lot of people who I wouldn't expect are
they can wear more masculine clothes and
get away with it, and men can't ever wear
feminine clothes.
Yeah, it's looked down upon.
fans of Top Model. Like some guys who are
totally straight, hard-core guys are like, oh
yeah, I watch it with my girlfriend, it's pretty
entertaining.
darkersideof life.Shedoubtsthe legendthatsays
onthe Chinese
calendar,
duringtheseventhmonth,
the gatesof hellopenandthedeadwalktheearth.
Certainrulesmustbefollowed,butRosa,beinga
nonbeliever,
breaksthemall andsoonmustdeal
withthe consequences.
(tartanfilms.com)
- DAM
SheLikesGirls(Wolfe):Anotherrousingcollectionof lesbianshortfilms,Girlsoffersthequirky
girl-stalks-girlstoryTheUninvited
andthe Canadian
teentomboystoryThisBoy.CasaBellafeatures
two DevilWearsPradaactors:Stephanie
Szostak
andAlexieGilmore,
whilethe bestshortis thesupremelyengagingSarangSong- TamikaMiller's
lesbianblackpowerstory.-DAM
Back to TV. Do you think it's doing a good
Why do you think it has that universal appeal?
job of reflecting diversity and modern
Um, I think it appeals to girls because of the fashion aspect and guys because they like girls.
Trying on Some New Sound continued from page 62
Because they like hot girls. Maybe that's the
and straight-up hip-hop beats, revealing the "real"
Barrino, who, to my ears, sounds more like a hybrid
women?
It still is TV. I mean, some of the times we'd get into
great conversations on the show -
I remem-
appeal for lesbians as well.
ber during casting we got into a great political
debate and ... of course, they [only] showed
And it is real people, so I guess that's kind of a
cool aspect.
the drama. A lot of the girls had many more
sides to them; they had opinions and they had
things they would love to talk about. We'd get
ago saying, "Gee, maybe I think I'm gay or
into arguments about random things and they
were all interesting things and I was like, oh, I'd
like to see that on TV. But most people would
rather see Monique crushing chips and talking
on the phone for hours.
How does it feel to go from just months
bisexual" on TV to being featured in the
largest lesbian magazine?
It's pretty cool. I guess I'm an inspiration to some
for coming out on TV, but to me it wasn't a
really big deal. It was just me being honest. I'm
glad I could do that. ■
of Mary J.Blige and Aretha Franklin. Elliot helps
out again on three tracks (most notably 'Tm Not
That Type"), and Kwame offers one of the disc's
most promising dub thumpers, "Not the Way That
I Do:' The Diane Warren-penned feel-good ballad
"I Feel Beautiful" and old-school soul-sampling
"Bore Me" get my picks, though, over the radiofriendly thug ode "Hood Boy" (featuring Outkast's
Big Boi), which I could do without, despite its
infectious beats. (jantasiabarrino.com)
■
April 2007
I67
Politics
VictoriaA. Brownworth
Oops, She Did It Again
Going without panties wasn't Britney's first mistake.
A
lready this year there has been a flurry of media
#-\attention
paid to Britney Spears. While getting out of a car one night on her way to a club, the
I'm not a big fan of Spears. After all, she is a
Republican. However, I am a big fan of women doing
what they want with their bodies, so I applaud her
25-year-old pop star apparently flashed her genitalia
at the cameras because her skirt was quite short, she
was sans panties, the car's seat was quite low and the
panty-free escapades. I'd also like to see Joan Nestle now,
in her 60s, in that black slip. I bet she still looks beautiful
paparazzi quite avid. Much was made of this lack of
panties. I wondered why this was such an issue. At 25,
she has that self-confidence. As the Spears scandal illus-
and sexy in it. And I know she could pull it off, because
I was living in New Orleans, America's party town,
trated, women may think they control their own bodies,
but society decides when and where and how. The mes-
and I was often sans panties -
either because I pur-
sage in the press was clear: What kind of mother goes
posefully wasn't wearing any, like Spears, or because I
had left them somewhere. Accidentally, of course.
out without panties? There's more to it, of course. Part
of the Spears scandal revolved around the "she was ask-
At 50, I now always know where my panties are, but
ing for it" myth about women's dress (or lack thereof). In
Spears' case, apparently she was asking for the paparazzi
the Spears tempest in a lingerie drawer really did set me
thinking about why anyone cares whether a 25-year-old
is wearing panties. There are some differences between
25 and 50: At 25, my body was in very different shape than it is today, and I am
now married and monogamous, which I most certainly was not at 25. It would
be inappropriate to be flashing my genitalia at just anyone these days.
But is that the issue? It seems that the real issue about Spears - or any other
to stick their cameras up her skirt. But had she later been
raped, her lack of panties would have prompted other
questions and made her vulnerable to that age-old accusation: She asked for it.
In both general society and religious ghettoes, women's bodies are sinful and must be covered to prevent men from committing sin. As a Catholic
schoolgirl, I was forced to wear a uniform, which consisted of a long-sleeved
is that women are supposed to cover
blouse, a skirt below the knee and knee socks that met the skirt hem. In
up. Only bad girls go out without their panties because having your genitalia
readily accessible is tantamount to advertising that you are ready for sex. Plus,
church, girls and women had to cover their heads. Women's hair, according to
St. Paul, was an occasion of sin for men.
woman caught with her panties down -
Spears is the mother of two children. How dare she go out without panties?
She does because she can. A century ago, it would have been a scandal if Spears
or any one of us had gone out without a corset, a bustle, stays and a plethora of
other contraptions to keep the female body in check and under wraps. Now linge-
From time immemorial, women and girls have been expected to cover
their bodies to keep men from acting on sexual urges. Sensual aspects of
women's bodies are perceived as sinful and dangerous, a threat to men. Thus,
rie isn't supposed to be mandatory, but as the Spears scandal shows, it still is.
if women expose their bodies, whatever happens to them is their own fault.
When I was in college, radical lesbians I knew shaved their heads, wore
Back in my gleefully misspent youth, I was in love with lingerie. I found it
incredibly sexy, as did my partners. I had push-up bras and garter belts, merry
overalls, gained weight and divorced themselves utterly from their femininity.
None of these women were butch - they weren't taking on a more masculine
widows and corsets, teddies and camisoles. I even owned a few pairs of panties,
though nothing is sexier than garter belts and stockings sans panties, as any por-
affect - they just wanted to be removed from the maelstrom that surrounds
women's bodies. They neutralized their bodies in order to escape the roles, the
nographer will tell you. I went to many a club dressed merely in an array of carefully layered undergarments. The '80s were meant for underwear as outerwear.
judgments and the danger that accompany being a woman in this society.
One of the reasons I so admired Nestle in her black slip was that she
But when you are young, you really don't care what people think.
Joan Nestle, writer and co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, is
refused to be neutralized. She embraced her sexuality and sensuality with
alacrity. She wasn't afraid of being a woman, nor was she afraid of reproach.
16 years older than I. At 50, she appeared at book signings and readings in a
black slip. I found this both charming and iconoclastic. And, of course, sexy.
Nestle was iconoclasticin chat regard because, as the Spears scandal reminded
us, there is still plenty of reproach when it comes to women and their bodies. We
Nestle had the guts to be bold with her body. Going out in only one's slip
was not just for twentysomethings and Madonna, it was for any woman who
wanted to show off her body and her sexuality, regardless of whether other
are simply not supposed to "flaunt"ourselves,by accident or on purpose.
Fashion has changed over the past century, but the rules of dressing have
changed very little for women. We can dress for success, we can dress butch
people thought it appropriate. Nestle's bold actions gave other women permission to do what they wanted with their bodies.
or femme, we can dress like 50 is the new 40 and 30 is the new 20, but some
things are immutable. No matter what we wear, we are still in female bodies.
Whether we are hidden in chador or sensually out there in a miniskirt sans
Covering up women's bodies has long been a social dictate. But it isn't just
the existence of bras and panties that's distressing, it's why we are told we should
wear them. We need bras so that our breasts don't move and our nipples don't
show. We need panties so that our genitalia aren't evident beneath pants or
skirts. In short, we need underwear to make us more like Barbie - with no
nipples and no genitalia - and less like Britney. Somehow, women are supposed to look sexy,yet retain a demure sexlessness.
68
I curve
panties or a black slip, our bodies are regarded as a threat to society.
Fashion has changed greatly since I was a girl, as have sexual politics. But part
of having control over our bodies is being able to wear what we want and adorn
ourselves the way we want, without fear of scorn or sexual assault. That means
until Spears can go out panty-free (not naked, just sans underwear) and any
woman who wants to can do the same, control of our bodies is not ours alone. ■
Page Turners continued from page 61
I.
portrayshealthyeatingandphysicalfitnessas
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However,
Simoncontinues,
we can'tmake
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sothat
youtoocancampaign
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to bookstwoandthreeof herLegendsof lthyria
series.(boldstrokesbooks.com)
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AnAlphabetical
life: living It Upin the
Business
of Books,WendyWerris(Carrolland
Graf):Werrisstartedin the bookbusinessat
a youngage,as a clerkin Hollywood's
groovy
705FashionFiascos,MaureenValdesMarch
(CollectorsPress):Thesubtitlesaysit all:Studio
PickwickBookshop
at the turnof the 1970s.From
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readthe books
flashylooksof the 1970s,wheredisconeverdies
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rassingto forgottento silly,we arenowreadyto
shefoundin pre-chainstorebookselling,
herlightmercilessly
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leisuresuitsaside,the lavishlyillustrated,
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laughaloud(probably
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adventures.
(carrollandgraf.com)
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Whenthe authorlinkspantsuitsfor womenand
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gender
WasShePretty?,LeanneShapton(Sarah
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Crichton
Books):
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I 71
Top Ten ReasonsWe Love KristenBecker
When Kristen Becker hits the road with her
Dykes of Hazard comedy tour this spring, you
won't want to miss the show. Having toured with
lesbian funnywoman Jen Kober, Becker is no
freshman comic. Her attitude and style of comedy
will have you laughing so hard that your stomach
cramps and your cheeks ache, but that's just the
start of why we love her. - Emma Hersh
"Peopletellyouthat there'sa certainway to do
things,buttherecan alwaysbe anotherway~So
giveit a whirland see what happens.Why not?"
4. She lovesher family.Becker refers to herself
profanity. Instead of letting restrictions intimi,
as the "stereotypical lesbian aunt;' spending the
date her, she said, "We won't swear, but we'll play
1. Shehasa waywithwords.The comedy tour is
weekends with her nephews and niece, attending
named the Dykes of Hazard, but the girls will travel
their games and goofing off.
with words a bit. Can you imagine a room full of
grownups and you can't say'shit'?"
5. She dreamsof Canada.When at home in
8. She'smodest.Though she is rarely shy, when
Buffalo, Becker lives only five minutes from the
border behVeen the U.S. and Canada. She has
thought about moving and quips, "I always won,
asked to name her best quality, Becker clams up.
"Um, that's a hard one. I'm funny, I guess;' she re,
the country in a van named Clitty Clitty Bang Bang.
2. She'sa hometown
girl.When talking about her
hometowns -
she has moved around quite a bit
Becker boasts about what each place has to of,
fer. She touts the wonders of Buffalo, N.Y:s gay and
arts scenes, and the culture and food of Louisiana's
Shreveport and New Orleans. Speaking of New
Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina, Becker did
not shy away from the city. Instead, she made a
point of going back for Jazz Fest, and she main,
tains her faith in the city's revival.
der if you could file for refugee status in Canada,
citing life as a homosexual in the United States:'
sponds after some hesitation.
9. She'sgot a meanpokerface.An avid poker
stints working as an emcee for a burlesque group.
10. Why not? Becker has a life motto and she
words isn't enough of a clue, just talk with Becker
7. She has a rebelliousstreak.When booking
lives by it. "People tell you that there's a certain
way to do things, but there can always be anoth,
for two minutes and she will find a way to make
you laugh, regardless of the subject matter.
a performance in Richmond, Va., Becker was
72
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nighters" that she teasingly refers to are her one,night
told that the gay bars are closely monitored for
:::>
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player, Becker is often known as the one to beat
when playing with her friends. Armed with a dirty
6. She'sa fanoftheone-nighters.
No, not that kind.
While Becker may be single, she is not the 'cl.i.fferent martini in one hand and a deck in the other, you
town, different girl"kind of woman. Instead, the"one,
never know what she's going to pull.
3. She'shilarious.As if her ability to play with
0:-
er way. So give it a whirl and see what happens.
Why not?" ■
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