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Description
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ToC Chicago Hope bye Sarah Terez Rosenblum (p36); To Russia with Love by Merryn Johns (p38); Still Imagining by Dave Steinfeld (p41); Cover: Ilea Matthews; Red Hot Ruby Rose by Tiffany Lowana (p48); 2013 Holiday Gift Guide (p51); Who's That Girl by Merryn Johns (p64); Web Series Boom (p66); Cover Photo By Seluvaia Fonua.
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Holiday Gift Guide
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issue
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10
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Date Issued
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December 2013
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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_Vol23_No10_December-2013_OCR_PDFa.pdf
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extracted text
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o
74470
80539
~BEST
"" "'
PLACES TO WORK
2013
for LGBT Equality
DEC
2013
FEATURES
36
CHICAGO HOPE
Midwestern comic
Cameron Esposito is
blazing her way to the front
of the comedy trail.
By Sarah Terez Rosenblum
38
TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE
An insider's view of Putin's
anti-LGBT agenda.
By Merryn Johns
~1
STILL IMAGINING
Yoko Ono discusses her
new album, abuse against
women, and Chinese food.
By Dave Steinfeld
51
2013 HOLIDAY
GIFT GUIDE
Our ultimate guide to
fabulous finds for everyone
on your list.
6~
WHO'S THAT GIRL
Ilea Matthews, star of Kiss
Her I'm Famous is on the
rise. By Merryn Johns
66
WEB SERIES BOOM
lndie lesbian projects are
flourishing online. Meet the
trailblazers of this digital
entertainment frontier.
(.'.)
'.:;
COVER PHOTO BY SELUVAIA FONUA
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
1
DEC
2013
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////.4
IN EVERYISSUE
4
EDITOR'S NOTE
6
FEEDBACK
7
CURVETTES
8
THE GAYDAR
80
STARS
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
TRENDS
REVIEWS
9
THIS IS WHAT A
LESBIAN LOOKS LIKE
Model and schoolteacher
Shaunna "Holliwood"
Spivey-Spinner.
29 FILM
Lesbian filmmaker Kim "Rocco"
Shields makes waves with her
short film Love Is All You Need?
By Merryn Johns
10 BEAUTY
Protect your skin with this
season's most soothing
skincare products.
31 MUSIC
Pansexual pop star Samia is
fighting for marriage equality
one song at a time.
By Dave Steinfeld
12
HOT TEE
14
LESBOFILE
15
SHE SAID
VIEWS
16
OUT IN FRONT
16 IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT ... News from across the
country.
17 POLITICS
Tis the season to remember
the less fortunate, specifically
those without homes.
By Victoria A. Brownworth
19 THE TWO OF US
Our monthly profile of lesbian
couples who live, love and
work together.
21
ADVICE
23
LIPSTICK & DIPSTICK
25
TRUTH OR DARE
28 SCENE
Curve and the cast of Venice
The Series party it up at The
Abbey in West Hollywood.
2
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
33 BOOKS
Lesbian author Lyndsey
D'Arcangelo puts the T (as in
teen) in LGBTwith her stellar
young adult fiction series.
By Kim Hoffman
35 FOOD
This season's cocktails grow a
conscience-and that's worth
toasting to.
Curve's online selection of must-do, must-try, must-have extras.
NEVERENOUGH NICOLE
Curvette Fiona Dawson, the host and producer of the show Who
the F Cares?, sat down for a live web, one-on-one with actor Nicole
Pacent. They discussed bisexuality, marriage equality, Pacent's
latest projects and going nude on the webcam-check
out the full
video at curvemag.com
HITTINGALL THE RIGHTNOTES
Inspired by the OUTmusic Awards, also known
as the LGBT Academy of Recording Arts
(LARA), we hosted a three-part live video interview series revolving around queer music. We
sat down with Diedra Meredith, Krissy Krissy,
Diana King, Billie Myers, Jen Foster and more!
Watch all three parts at curvemag.com
CURVEGOES COAST TO
COAST
America's best-selling magazine means
business and is coming to a town near
you! Last Pride saw Curvette Robin Perron
travel the country and spread the joy
of Curve to readers, young, old and in
between! Read this article on how to get
involved with Curve and get Robin to an
event near you!
Want more
Curve?
If you crave more
Curve, head over to
Curvemag.com for
daily celesbian news,
visit facebook.com/
curvemag and
meet our social
media team or
visit YouTube.com/
TheRealCurve to
watch all our
latest videos.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
3
RONT /
MERRYN'SMEMO
curve
THE BEST-SELLING
DECEMBER
Happy
2013
»
LESBIAN
VOLUME
MAGAZINE
23 NUMBER
PUBLISHERSilke Bader
FOUNDINGPUBLISHER Frances Stevens
7Jolid'}..!/s
r's what we all assume to be possible at this time of year-Happy
Holidays.
But the reality is, it's not that simple. Truth be told, our holiday rituals are
shaped not by you and me, but by larger forces: our place in mainstream
society, our socio-economic class, our race or cultural background, the religious
denomination we belong to or come from. How we choose to spend this time
of year is often no choice at all, but depends on your relationship with our loved
ones-on their assessment of us. To that extent, this can be a tricky time of year for
the LGBT community.
Going home (assuming that you have one)
often means going back to your parents and
your hometown. I am from Australia-an
expatriate. And my mother effectively disowned
me when I came out. So I'm an orphan at this
time of year. Rather than feel disadvantaged
I've chosen to luxuriate in the possibility of
holding a"waifs and strays" (read: orphans)
Christmas and making my own traditions, or
spending he holiday with my girlfriend's family.
In other words, with people who accept me for
who I am.
But it's always troubled me that this time
of year has its roots in fundamentalism of
one sort or another. Christmas, especially, is a
symbolic heteronormative moment that honors
church going and procreativity. Of course,
there's nothing wrong with church going and procreativity if we are all included!
But it can be used as a moment to reject rather than include-as Pope Benedict
did last year, when he took his Christmas message as an opportunity to denounce
marriage equality. God-given gender roles, he believes, have been forsaken in
pursuit of sexual preference. It seems that many religious dignitaries, and many of
those who hold the basic tenets of faith, cannot see the value in all self-determining
individuals.
I write this having just watched the short film Love Is All You Need?,written and
directed by a lesbian filmmaker, Kim "Rocco" Shields. The film exposes the roots
of prejudice by flipping our expectations: Shields takes us into a homonormative
world where a young girl is bullied for loving someone of the opposite sex. I
challenge anyone of any sexual identity or religious faith to watch this and be
unmoved. Read our interview with Shields on page 29, and believe, as I do, that one
day, especially on holidays that should bring us together, we truly can celebrate our
similarities and differences in harmony and happiness.
merryn@curvemag.com
EDITORIAL
EDITORIN CHIEF Merryn Johns
MANAGINGEDITOR Rachel Shatto
COPY EDITOR Katherine Wright
CONTRIBUTINGEDITORS Victoria A. Brownworth,
Gina Daggett, Jillian Eugenics, Sheryl Kay, Stephanie
Schroeder
EDITORIAL
ASSISTANTMia Manns, Kristen Youngs
PROOFREADERElizabeth Harper
OPERATIONS
DIRECTOROF OPERATIONS Jeannie Sotheran
EVENTS& MEDIA RELATIONSCOORDINATORRobin Perron
ADVERTISING
CURVE'SMEDIA KIT ourmediakit.com
NATIONALSALES
Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021, todd@curvemagazine,com
BUSINESSDEVELOPMENT
Sallyanne Monti (510) 545-4986, sallyanne@curvemag.com
ART/PRODUCTION
ART DIRECTOR Graham Jones, Meghan Musalo
PRODUCTIONARTIST Kelly Nuti
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melany Joy Beck, Kathy Beige, Jenny Block, Adam L.
Brinklow, Kelsy Chauvin, Lyndsey D'Arcangelo, Traci
Dinwiddie, Maria De La 0, Elizabeth Estochen, Jill
Goldstein, Lisa Gunther, Kristin Flickinger, Gillian Kendall,
Kim Hoffman, Charlene Lichtenstein, Karen Loftus,
Sassafras Lowrey, Jess McAvoy, Emelina Minero, Laurie
K. Schenden, Stephanie Schroeder, Janelle Sorenson,
Allison Steinberg, Stella & Lucy, Dave Steinfeld, Edie Stull,
Yana Tallon-Hicks, Sarah Toce, Tina Vasquez, Jocelyn Voo
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lauren Barkume, Alex Styles, Meagan Cignoli,
Sophia Hantzes, Janet Mayer, Syd London, Cheryl Mazak,
Maggie Parker, Robin Roemer, Leslie Van Stelten
CONTACT INFO
Curve Magazine
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Volume 23 Issue 10 Curve {ISSN 1087-867X) is published
monthly (except for bimonthly January/February and July/
August) by Avalon Media, LLC, PO Box 467, New York NY 10034.
Subscription price: $59.90/year, $59.90 Canadian (U.S. funds
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or photograph of any persons or organizations appearing,
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specifically stated. Curve welcomes letters, queries, unsolicited
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4
CURVE
DECEMBER
10
2013
POST
ON
FACEBOOK!
Thebestcomment
posted
each
month
could
winyouafree
digital
subscription!
part oflife prior to Western
influence and communism. It's
encouraging to see lesbian culture in Taiwan flourishing today
and being generally accepted by
the wider community without
stigma or hatred. I would like
to see more articles on Asia and
queer Asian culture in Curve.
-Via email
Timely Taipei
Thank you for the article
on the lesbian subculture of
Taipei [Vol. 23#9]. As an Asian
American I have often felt
discriminated against, invisible
and misunderstood. As a queer
Asian American I only recently
came out to my parents but I
am still not out to many of my
family because they would not
understand.What frustrates me
is that homosexuality in China
was an accepted, if unusual,
Feminist Flavor
I appreciate the articles with
good social emphasis in Curve
and hope for them to continue with positive content and
pro-feminist flavors. It's so
important to go beyond celebs,
body beautiful and consumerism, as where else but in a
lesbian publication will lesbians
read informed lesbian-focused
content?-Lavender, Lismore,
New South Wales, Australia.
Feels So Good
Receiving your magazine each
month is a pure delight. Every
time I open it up it surprises,
Ei•ii@:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::H
WHAT'S
YOUR
FAVORITE
HOLIDAY?
3%
Valentine's Day
2%
Hanukkah
7%'
I don't celebrate any
15%
Halloween
19%
Any that gives me a
day off
to: Curve magazine,
PO Box 467, New York, NY 10034
WRITE
LISISend
Email: letters@curvemagazine.com
Fax: 510.380.7487
Online: curvemag.com/letters
6
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
entertains and educates me. It
also looks great. I don't know
how you find so many talented,
interesting, inspiring and hot
women to feature each month.
Keep up the good work! -Erica
L. Randall, Cold Springs N.Y.
He's No Lesbro!
Honorary Lifetime Lesbian
Membership to New Jersey's
Chris Christie:' [Vol. 23#9]
Really Curve? Our self-serving governor has gone out of
his way to thwart same-sex
marriage repeatedly. He has
vowed to continue appealing a
Superior Court judge's ruling all
the way to the Supreme court
and why? Because he wants the
Republican presidential nod in
2016 and knows he won't get it
unless he bars us from marrying. I was disgusted to see his
smug mug in your November
issue. "Honorary Bully" is more
like it. -Nikki Busch,
Fair Lawn, NJ.
I recently got the November
issue of Curve magazine.
While thumbing through, I
came across my favorite article
"Gaydar:' Nothing could have
prepared me for the shock.
Under "Honorary Lifetime
Lesbian Membership" sits
Governor Chris Christie, who
drafted a legal brief with the
State Attorney General Paula
Dow that barred gay couples
from getting married. So it
seems Christie believes that
banning gay conversion therapy
(an act that should be deemed
a war crime by the Geneva
Convention) gives him a pass
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OURFACEBOOK
FANS
DROOLOVERDELICIOUS
NICOLEPACENT
Got my new issue in the mail
today. Can't wait to sit and
read it. NicolePacentlooks
beautiful. -Jessica Meisch
She'sgorgeous!!!
-Wendy Ortiz
All I have is WOW....
-Betty Rubble
Toobad the fridge is
empty... -Meredith Ur
Hawt!!!!!Stunning!!!!
-Amy McCord
Uhmm*picking tongue off
floor and rolling back in
mouth** Lovelyindeed!!
-September Desiree
to hold back gay rights.
-Andrew ]air Speck,
Cinnaminson, New Jersey
''
WE
BELIEVE
ANY
TIME
GAY-TO-STRAIGH
CONVERSION
THERAPY
ISBANNEDREGARDLESS
OF
BY
WHO
OR
WHYIT'S
REASON
TO
CELEBRATE.
''
Editor's note: We hear you
loud and clear! And you can
bet come 2016 we won't be in
However, we believe any time
gay-to-straight conversion
therapy is banned-regardless
of by who or why-it's reason
to celebrate.
SARAH TEREZ
ROSENBLUM
A writer with an MFA in
Creative Writing from the
School of the Art Institute of
Chicago, Sarah freelances
for publications and sites
including The Chicago
Sun-Times, Afterellen.com
and Pop Matters. Her fiction
has appeared in literary
magazines such as kill author
and Underground Voices,
and she was a 2011 recipient
of Carve Magazine's Esoteric
Fiction Award. Her 2012 debut
novel, Herself When She's
Missing was called "poetic
and heartrending" by Book/ist.
When not writing, Sarah
supports herself as a figure
model, spinning instructor
and creative writing teacher
at The University of Chicago's
Graham School.
KRISTENYOUNGS
JULIETRAVIS
Kristen ended up in the great
city of New York by way of
Dallas. Her roots are in the
fitness industry as a personal
trainer, but she also loves
writing, often about LGBT
issues and international
development concerns. Her
passions outside of those
realms include doing anything
and everything outdoors and
traveling the world. Exploring
Manhattan's endless parks
brings refreshing clarity to her
day-to-day life. Spending time
abroad, from Peru to Taiwan
to London, has given her a
solid understanding of world
culture, which contributes to
her written views and outlooks.
Julie writes horror and
dark fantasy fiction, widely
published in the British and
North American small press
for the last two decades.
A Londoner, ex-Lesbian
Avenger and co-founder of the
Queeruption festivals, she now
lives by the sea in the far west
of the U.K. As an occasional
interviewer of interesting
people, when she came across
two village Wisewomen casting
a spell for good weather at a
local Midsummer festival, she
decided she had to know more
about them. Read her inteview
with them on page 19.
(ju Iietravis.word press.com)
FRANCESCA
"FRANZI" LEWIS
Francesca is a queer feminist
and freelance writer from
Yorkshire, England. She got her
bachelor's degree in English
Literature and Creative Writing
from Lancaster University.
Her life-long passions include
feminism, fat acceptance,
popular culture, psychiatry,
navel-gazing and knee socks.
She is a member of the Social
Media Team at Curve and
her vlog, The Lens, analyzes
pop culture through a queer
feminist lens. Her favorite thing
about working for Curve is
finally having an arena in which
she no longer has to dial back
her use of Americanisms.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
7
NDS/
THE GAYDAR
p
I
I~e~ o~~Ye~!one?
Let our gaydar help
?0 you decide who's hot, who's not, who's
~ shaking it and who's faking 1tin lesboland.
~
BY RACHEL SHATTO
~
No, it's not make believe,
Toys"R"Us has announced it's
going to stop gender-specific
marketing of toys
Oprah gets our honorary les
nod for the "Gay In Hollywood"
episode of Oprah's Next
Chapter, featuring Wanda
Sykes and Jesse Tyler
Ferguson. In other words, she
really OWNs her ally status
(sorry, we couldn't resist)
Barilla Pasta dishes up a healthy
serving of homophobia and
sexism with their declaration that
their products are for the "classic
family where the woman plays a
fundamental role." Consider
all future purchases
Chef Boyar-denied
Tina Fey shows her
sexy Sapphic side as
lesbian porn star "Lejean
Noween" of Rock, Paper,
Scissoring volumes 1, 2
and 4 fame on SNL.
(Side note: We would so
watch all of those)
El
z
g
X
~
~w
<)
<)
z
>
There goes the
bride! U.K. study
shows lesbians are
twice as likely to end
civil partnerships
than their gay male
counterparts
Ever since the
Batwoman
debacle we have
been on the hunt
for our new comic
book obsession,
and we've found
it: Red Sonja. Now
being written by
Gail Simone it
has everything
we want-action,
adventure, a sassy
ginger heroine
and a lesbian
subplot to boot
Dot-Marie
Jones is getting
hitched! The Glee
star proposed ----~.to her girlfriend
Bridgett Casteen
in the most
magical place on
earth, Disneyland
w
Well the Sapphic
cat is out of
the bag-our
favorite saucy
Aussie Ruby
Rose let it slip
that she and
X-Factor hottie
Demi Lovato
hooked up.
Kiss and tell
(us everything!)
Alison Bechdel's brilliant
autobiographical graphic novel
Fun Home gets an Off-Broadway
musical adaptation. Bravo! Encore
It's on! Jodie Foster has
a new boo, former Curve
cover girl (and Ellen flame)
Alexandra Hedison
8
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
Bex Taylor-Klaus, our
favorite baby butch from
The Killing, (currently
kicking butt on Arrow) is
back on our gaydar with
her new genderqueer role
on House of Lies
Lesbian funny lady duo
Julie Goldman and Brandy
Howard yuk it up on Bravo's
new show The People's
Couch. Someone get these
two a regular TV gig, stat!
(j)
g
Ck'.
w
Cl.
Cl.
~
r-
e,:
w
Cl.
::,
°'
PICKS
»
PRODUCTS
»
PEOPLE
»
Shaunna
"Holliwood"
Spivey-Spinner
Schoolteacher by day, androgynous
model by night, Holliwood is
breaking gender stereotypes, and
helping youth do the same.
BY ELIZABETH ESTOCHEN
NDS!BEAUTY
BOOM CHICK!
Balm Chicky Balm Balm is a supersize and innovative lip balm (it has a
"friend end" for sharing with your gal
pal) with a sexy approach to keeping
lips kissable. With awesome retro
packaging and cheeky names like Juicy
Melons, Sweet Baby Ginger and Huge
Cucumber, you'll keep your pucker
perfect through the coldest months.
($12, balmchicky.com)
SOOTHINGSALVE
All Good Goop can be applied to everything from
burns and blisters to chaffed elbows and chapped
lips. This organic, herbalicious balm is not goopy at
all-it goes on silkily and leaves you feeling naturally
moisturized when you need it the most.
($9, elementalherbs.com)
POPYOURCORK
'Tis the season to
indulge, and we can
think of no better way
than with LUSH's ohso-decadent Celebrate
body lotion. Drink in the
light champagne scent,
blended with orange
flower, lime and cognac
oil, while a combination
of almond oil and cocoa
butter hydrate and soften
even the driest skin.
($30, lushusa.com)
TRULYOUTRAGEOUS
Body lotions and potions
may be fine but what you
really need in winter is good
body oil. (seed) Body Oil is
now available in Relaxing
Blend (herbal lavender and
clary sage essential oils),
Therapeutic Blend (ginger,
clove, peppermint and
rosemary essential oils),
and Decongesting Blend
(eucalyptus, peppermint and
marjoram). Rub it into your
skin at the end of a hot
shower to banish dryness.
($14, seedbodycare.com)
WinterWarnters
NOURISHYOUR FACEANO BODYWITH THE SEASON'SBEST
BALMS,OILS ANO CREAMS.
YULETIDEGLOW
Don't let the cold winter weather
play reindeer games with your
complexion. Combat its drying
effects with this festively themed
facemask from the always-luxurious
LUSH. Rudolph Fresh Face Mask
is created with fresh cucumber,
oatmeal and tofu. This soothing
mask helps restore skin and
reduces redness-while the
lavender oil soothes your senses.
($7, lushusa.com)
emerginC
earth
hydratingphytelene cream
SKINSAVIOR
UDDERLYAMAZING
Originally developed in 1897 for treating chapped teats
and udders of dairy cattle, farmers noticed the healing
effect on their own hands as well as on their bovine
companions. Now, Udder Ointment is used as a home
remedy all across the country. ($10, drhess.com)
10
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
tfor
dlip,,
~in,
'Heals,
ling
IOrt.
EmerginC's Earth Hydrating Phytelene Cream is
perfect for winter skin and is chock-full of active
ingredients such as magnesium, amino acids,
ceramides, olive oil, green tea, vitamin E, wheat
germ, lemon, rosemary, myrrh, pine cone extract
and vitamin A to rehydrate dry, irritated skin
during the colder months. ($82, emerginc.com)
WHAT'S
WEIRDER,
METALKING
TOYOU
ABOUT
YOUR
BUM,
ORYOUNOTUSING
WIPES
ONIT?
•=n!I
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,,._,
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*vs.comparable
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products
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■■
Here are five lezzie T-shirts we'd love to unwrap.
sv RACHEL
■■■
SHATTO
1
Smart
~t~~l~
;-J'.·"
-■
Holiday
I Helper
■
■■ Forget energy
1
■■■
■■
■■■
■■■
■■■
■■■
■■
■■
■■
■-■■
■■
Your sweetie will appreciate this
Orange ,s the New Black 1nsp1red
tee because nothing says true
love like the willingness to toss
a perfectly good pie-and no,
that's not a euphemism.
($30, humorapparel etsycom)
Let that the sexy stud In
your life know how you really
feel about her aggressive
presenting self-that
she Is hot, hot, hot ($16,
alternat1velyspeak1ngtees
com)
BATTER UP
ROCK STEADY
:!~'.'
~~a:{~~~
~:::~~ll~~~nout
~:~~o~:t~'::~a~~l;y '~~he
Perfect for butches, hipsters,
femmes and everything In
between. One love indeed
12
CURVE
DECEMBER
T-shirt from Dyke Tees Cute
and good advice, we call that
a two-fer ($25. dyketees com)
2013
Does someone on your
holiday 11stswing both ways?
Show her acceptance with
this Bisexual Love tank
from Res1l1entIntent Don't
understand why that's an
awesome gift? Perhaps you
should pick up their Evolve
Lotus tee while you're at It
($15 res11ient1ntent
etsy com)
Our friends at NT Factor wish
you happy holidays, and
they've invented a perfectly
del1c1ous
way to keep the
~~~~;:
■■
::f~~~1~~t;1~l~~~~~~:::~l~,y
13 calories, and yet deliver
energy to your cells naturally
■
~;~:~::~~r~::~~r~~hrad1cal
damage) that results In a lack
■-■■
TOLERANTTHREADS
KROKUS
■
■-■■
■■
TEE FOR TOPS
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~he:~:1;Ja~
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Ruby kisses and tells, Miley clashes with S1nead
and the WNBA goes PDA.
~
BY JOCELYN VOO
The Ex Factor
ladies. Still, perhaps it wasn't
It seems that singer and
pure coincidence that Lovato
"I was just trying to make
X Factor judge Demi Lovato
just joined the cast of Glee as
sweet love ...That's about it,"
of motherliness and with love"
has been focusing on more
bisexual Dani, the new love
said Taurasi. That gives a
praising Cyrus for her singing,
than just the girls on the TV
interest of Santana ...
whole new meaning to
but also advising her to be
"personal fouls."
cautious of self-serving music
show, if certain tweets are to
open letter offered "in the spirit
be believed. Australian DJ Ruby
Full Court Press
Rose recently fired off a series
Turns out that sometimes the
Miley, Miley, Miley!
influence on Cyrus's recent
of tweets that allege that she
best offense is a good ...lip lock.
Say what you will about
slew of overtly sexualized per-
slept with Lovato in the past.
execs who might have a strong
WNBA players Diana Taurasi
Miley Cyrus and her recent
formances: "You have enough
Though Lovato remained
and Seimone Augustus have
campaign of wild-child antics,
talent that you don't need to
silent on the matter, her fans
been playing basketball since
which include stripping down
let the music business make a
took to the Internet with fury,
they were teens, but when the
for the camera, smoking salvia
prostitute of you."
causing Rose to delete the
pair got into a minor scuffle
or twerking all over cable
tweets-but
jostling for position during a
television, the pop star is never
a tweet likening O'Connor to
she still main-
Cyrus's response? Posting
tained her position, claiming
recent game, rather than re-
boring. The singer's latest feud
the spiraling Amanda Bynes,
on lnstagram that she was "the
sorting to the usual elbows and
is with none other than music
and attaching several years-old
one person Demi has slept with
smack-talk, Taurasi decided to
icon Sinead O'Connor.
tweets in which a mentally
that didn't sell naked photos
end the feud by planting a kiss
of her."
on Augustus's cheek.
In the past Lovato hasn't
After the final buzzer
The dispute started innocently when Cyrus told the
press that she looked up to
distressed O'Connor publicly
solicits psychiatric help.
And now the gloves are off.
been shy about stepping out
Augustus had this to say about
O'Connor, and that "Nothing
O'Connor vows to sue "fuckin'
with her male partners (Wilmer
the kiss: "As far as me and Diana
Compares 2 U" was the key
stupid" Miley Cyrus, Cyrus
Valderrama and Joe Jonas, to
and the tango dance that we
inspiration for her "Wrecking
mocks O'Connor further saying
name two), but she hasn't been
had, I always say she just wanted
Ball" music video.
she's too busy performing, and
romantically linked with any
some of my deliciousness."
14
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
O'Connor responded with an
the drama is still unfolding.•
TRENDS/SHE
"I like girls. I've said
that [before]. I know
be shocking, but I actually do Ii
pussy. It just depends on whose pu
it is ...lt's similar to how I feel about gu
I like them because I find lesbians to
way more daring than straight men,
when it comes to coming on to you.
And I really like that.
-Lady Gaga on Watch What
Happens Live
s
st
PROFILE
Amy Vesper
NewMexico» CivilRightsActivism
At 23, Amy Vesper has already spent several years
actively working for LGBT civil rights and inclusion.
Ever the tomboy-preferring
make-believe-Vesper
to play sports rather than
grew up with endless taunts,
and while it was no fun then, the bullying she endured
inspired her to join the fight for social justice, to
improve the lives of others. "Without the bullying, I
would not have such a high level of intolerance for
injustice," she says. "It definitely motivated me to take
■
I ~~~tl~s~~n~~~s1
b~c~t!t~~tP~e~son
to
row solo from Japan to Alaska. Outen spent
150 days at sea, traveling 3,750 nautical miles.
On the journey, during which her boat capsized five times, Outen got engaged to her
longtime girlfriend via a satellite phone call
from the middle of the North Pacific Ocean.
a stand and fight for what is right."
For the past two years, Vesper has served on the
board of GetEQUAL New Mexico. As the outreach
coordinator, she builds relationships with other
organizations and plans events and political actions.
At one point, she met with the state's highest-ranking
elected official, Governor Susana Martinez, to talk with
her about LGBT rights and same-sex marriage in New
Mexico. She co-founded, and now leads, a coalition of
student organizations at the University of New Mexico
called the UNM Social Justice League, and she has
worked tirelessly to motivate the university to remove
Chick-fil-A from the UNM campus.
Activism, says Vesper, is exciting and challenging,
but also extremely rewarding. When asked why she
takes on these challenges, why she stays the course,
Vesper explains, "For every time a kid has been called
a faggot, for every time a boy who is gay got beaten up
by a group of other boys, for every time a girl has been
called a dyke, for every time an LGBT person was fired
from work because of sexual orientation or gender
identity, for every time a loving same-sex couple was
told no when applying for a marriage license."
With the recent judicial wins for the community,
she has seen some progress, but Vesper is under no
illusions, noting the many obstacles that still stand in
the way. "In 29 states, it is still legal for someone to be
fired based solely on sexual orientation, and DOMA
BYA64-35VOTE,
THEU.S.
only ceases to identify marriage as between one
man and one woman, but it doesn't grant same-sex
marriage to couples who live in states that don't grant
same-sex marriage licenses," she says. "So we do need
to continue pushing for full LGBTequality." -Sheryl Kay
16
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
BONNIE
CLEMENT
AND
Helen Thorgalsen, a lesbian
couple who have been together
for 12 years and co-own a
general store In Kennebuck,
Maine, became friends, over the
years, with the 41st president,
George H W Bush, and his wife,
Barbara, who own vacation
property In the town So, when
Clement and Thorgalsen were
married this fall, they asked
the Bushes to be witnesses
INSOUTH
AFRICA,
KAYE
ALLY, Clement comments, "Who
an out lesbian and the chief
would be best to help us
organizer for the Johannesburg
acknowledge the importance of
Pride Festival, has survived
our wedding as our friends and
several violent attacks against
as the former leader of the free
her In the run-up to the 2013
world When they agreed to do
festival In October The violence
so, we Just felt that It was the
began In August, when three
next acknowledgment of being
men broke into her home
'real and normal'"
while she slept and held her at
gunpoint, In another attack, she
ONWATCH
WHAT
HAPPENS
Live With Andy Cohen, Lady
was beaten and Tased, again In
September, she was attacked
Gaga put to bed some
near her workplace. Ally now
rumors about her lesbian past
travels with security but remains
and opened up about her
committed, saying, 'Tm not
experiences dating women,
saying that they amounted to
going to let petty criminals sway
my ded1cat1onto Pride" The
more than Just experimentation
She also discussed her time as a
Senate has confirmed out lesbian
Elaine Kaplan to serve as the
director of the US Office of
Personnel Management Kaplan
was nominated for the posItIon
by President Obama back In
March Prior to this, Kaplan
served as the head of the U S
Office of Special Counsel-a
posItIon former President Bill
Clinton appointed her to.
» FOR
ANOTHER
OUT
INFRONT
PROFILE
GOTOCURVEMAG.COM
-
POLITICS
»
ADVICE
»
COMMUNITY»
curve
Room in the Inn
There is enough to go around, so why are we still doing without?
BY VICTORIA
I
A. BROWNWORTH
was thinking about poverty a lot back in September-when
Congress cut the food
stamp program by $40 billion, and when the sequester, which was supposed to be
temporary, was established as the new normal, catapulting many people into poverty and homelessness. Fast-forward to the holiday season-the season of giving.
As we contemplate what to give, and to whom, I wonder if we've thought about the plight
of our own LGBT poor, our own LGBT homeless?
Last spring-on Holy Thursday-I
was headed to Mass. As I came up the block to
my church, which is just off Rittenhouse Square in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods
in Philadelphia, I saw a young woman sitting on the steps. She looked gay to me. She was
holding a piece of torn cardboard on which were written the words 'Tm hungry:'
Three men in Armani-esque suits were walking ahead of me. One turned and said
something to her-I didn't hear what-and the men all laughed, then continued on. No
one gave her a cent.
I didn't have much cash. I live pretty
much hand-to-mouth, as do most writers.
I gave her what I had-$20-and
started
to go into the church. As I opened the big
red door, I turned back and said to her,
"I just need you to know that I see you.
I know that a lot of people don't. But I
couldn't go inside here if I didn't tell you:'
She said, "Please pray for me;' and reached
out her hand.
I went in and prayed for us both.
It was a beautiful spring night. The
daffodils were out all through the churchyard, and the magnolia tree was in bloom.
It's a well-traveled area, with lots of upscale
restaurants and shops. I wondered how
many people had passed her that night as
if she were invisible, never thinking that
she might be their daughter, their sister,
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
17
their niece, or their cousin. That she might
very well be Jesus. I hoped no one had
stepped over her on the way to Mass.
I'm still thinking about her, all these
months later.
I should have done more. Now, as
Christmas approaches, I think of Jesus
being born in a stable because Mary and
Joseph were a transient couple-and there
was no room for them in the inn.
Not much has changed in 2,000 years.
The homeless have virtually become a
criminal class in recent years. City after city
has passed ordinances barring homeless
people from areas just like the one where
my church, which has both a homeless
ministry and an AIDS ministry, is situ~
ated. Last year, my own city banned the
feeding of the homeless in the Art Museum
District, where vans used to line up to
feed them. The reason given was that it
was "degrading" to feed people outside.
If I were homeless and hungry, I
wouldn't much care where I was being fed.
I was homeless for a few months, years
ago. Recently out of college, in a strange
city, I didn't have enough money for a place
to live. I wasn't actually on the streets for
long-I moved from friend's sofa to friend's
sofa. I finally landed in one of those SRO
hotels-single
room occupancy-where
I lived for some months with a bunch of
other transients. My room had a single
bed, sink, wardrobe and hotplate. The
communal shower was down the hall.
I've done several series on home~
less LGBT people over the years. My
award~winning four~part series for the
Philadelphia Gay News in 2009 was
18
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
called "Hiding in Plain Sight:' Working
on the series, I met dozens of homeless
lesbian, gay, bi and trans people.
Despite the perception that all LGBT
people are wealthy, an idea promulgated
by our leadership, the reality is that pov~
erty and homelessness are more likely to
impact us than straight people. The young
woman on the steps of my church is not
anomalous-it's
just that, as my series
suggested, we don't see her.
U.S. census figures state that there are
1.56 million homeless people in America.
If 10 percent of the population-the figure
most widely used-is LGBT, then there are
156,000 homeless queers out there.
If indeed there are only 1.56 million
homeless. The large number of homeless
people in cities like Los Angeles and New
York would suggest that the figure should
be higher, and most agencies serving the
homeless assert that the number has
escalated since the recession. Census fig~
ures underestimate the transient homeless
population and also don't count demo~
graphic figures year~to~year, which means
that calculating the number of homeless
is very different from counting people in
stable households.
But if the census places one in six Amer~
icans at or below the poverty level-that's
50 million people-it's
inevitable that
there are more homeless than the census
recorded.
The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) gives a range of
criteria for homelessness, from actually
living on the streets to what I was doinghaving no fixed address or immediate
prospects of one. The reasons for home~
lessness are unsurprising: unemployment,
illness, family disintegration, mental ill~
ness or disability, and addiction.
A friend's lesbian sister is butch, Afri~
can American, and homeless. Although
she attended an Ivy League college, her
bipolar disorder has made it difficult
for her to maintain a job. Being gay and
mentally ill has thrust her into HHS's
at~risk category for homelessness. Being
estranged from her family has given her
few options. She's gone from the sofas of
cousins to shelters to the actual streets
and back. The last time she called me,
ranting, I took her to the ER in the hope
that she'd be put on a 72~hour hold, which
would help her access a social worker and
stable housing.
One consequence of the recession is that
more women over 40 are out of workmost of them permanently. Women already
constitute the largest segment of poor and
homeless Americans. How many middle~
aged lesbians are on the verge of homeless~
ness, if not already there?
The fact is, we have no services in the
LGBT community for people in poverty.
We have services for people with HIV/
AIDS; a myriad of services for LGBT
youth, including homeless youth; services
for people in transition; services for addic~
tion. But for poor and homeless adults?
It's off our collective grid. Yet if 50 mil~
lion Americans are living at or below the
poverty level, and 10 percent of those are
LGBT, that's 5 million LGBT Americans
with no access to agencies or organizations
devoted to their special queer needs-and
that's an alarming number. It's a truism
that poverty forces people to lie about
their circumstances. How much truer is
it for LGBT people in poverty? How does
the butch lesbian, the femme gay man, the
transgender person feel about accessing
the local food bank?
Homelessness makes people acutely
vulnerable. Men are assaulted, women are
raped. All are vulnerable to exploitation,
particularly trafficking. LGBT people on
the street who look their identity will be
that much more at risk for homophobic/
transphobic violence.
At the holidays, we are always more open
to sharing, caring, giving. We embrace those
we love with arms wide, gifts flowing.
But what about those 5 million LGBT
people living in poverty in America
and the tens of thousands without a
home this Hanukkah/Solstice/Christmas?
We've addressed gays in the military and
marriage equality as a community. Poverty
must be our community's next big focus.
We cannot let another holiday season pass
while LGBT people are reduced to begging
for food on the steps of churches. We can't
ignore our sisters and brothers hiding in
plain sight. We must make room for them
in our inn.•
VIEWS/
TWO OF
etitia&
sandra
Village Wisewomen,
practising the ancient
craft from their home in
Cornwall in the U.K.
BY JULIE TRAVIS
HOW
THEY
MET
LAETITIA: I'd seen Cassandra at
Pagan Conferences but hadn't spoken
to her. I'd wanted to get to know her
anyway, but it wasn't until I moved
down here from Kent-South East
England-that a friend of mine asked
me if I'd be interesting in being a
'Teazer' for Penglaz, because of my
history in Morris Dancing in Kent. It
was only when Cassandra rang that
I realised she was the current Teazer.
We set up an interview and found a lot
of our past experiences matched and
so we really understood each other. The
magical work was talked about and I was
interested in that, too.
ONBEING
WISEWOMEN
INTHEIR
VILLAGE
COMMUNITY
CASSANDRA: Even people who don't
agree with what I do recognise me as
part of country ways. There's always
been a history of that sort of thing here.
We've had no problems in the village
whatsoever; even through the bad
times, they've totally backed us up.
LAETITIA: It caused quite a stir in the
village when we got together! But
they're OK with it now.
WORKING
TOGETHER
ASPART
OFAN
ANCIENT
TRADITION
LAETITIA: Cassandra's very good at
tarot reading and I work as a spirit
medium, so we work together. While
she does the readings I tune in and I
get spirits around the client. I'm able
to tell them who's around them and
about experiences from the spirits'
lives that maybe the client didn't
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
19
st TWO OF US
know of, which might guide
connected to the past in that
thing is that people come
prosperity, love life, whatever.
the client through their own
way. I'm not sure what my
presenting symptoms. What's
Again, they send me a contact
choices.
bloodline is, but I can claim
the cause? Why is this person
item and I tell them when I'm
CASSANDRA: I believe that as
a 'craft link,' as I've ended up
feeling like this? If something
going to charge the charm
a Wisewoman you need to live
doing the same thing as my
keeps repeating itself then
magically and get them to
on your wits, to be able to act
predecessors, like a mason or a
there's usually a pattern. That's
tune in, and then I post it to
very instinctively and sponta-
carpenter would.
what you have to go back and
them with instructions. We've
neously at times. Anyone can
have a look at. You help people
had really good feedback
from that.
learn it but it's hard work-you
THE
PEOPLE
THEY
HELP
help themselves.
really have to want it. Certain
CASSANDRA: Being a
LAETITIA: Lately we've also
people are born with more of
Wisewoman is just a different
been getting a lot of success
a leaning towards the craft;
slant on the other things I do
with distant readings with peo-
ONHAVING
"FAMILIARS"
RATHER
THAN
PETS
LAETITIA: Clutterbuck the cat
you have to have the ability to
as a nurse and counsellor.
pie from London, or even from
walk between the worlds, to
The ordinary, general public
other countries. They send us
is my familiar. Not all animals
live on the edge, to be slightly
vastly outweighs the amount
a contact item, details about
are interested in magical
anarchic. You have to have that
of Pagans that come to us.
themselves and what they'd like
things, but whenever I'm
spark, that connection with
Our clients are people who
to know from a reading. We do
setting up the altar, he's there,
the land and the spirits. It's
are at the end of their tether.
a tarot reading and send them
sniffing around. He puts his
actually a very unspooky way
There are specific areas, such
the results. It works really well.
paws on charms when I'm
of being. It's very earthy, the
as bad luck or cursing-that
CASSANDRA: We also get
making them. He helps me
grubby end of witchcraft! And
bring people to us a lot-or
them to link in at the other
with things. I've even got po-
there are others still practising.
hauntings. They want to know
end, light a candle at a certain
tions with his fur in. Mab the
I feel privileged to hold the
about the same things as
time so we're concentrating
cat was Cassandra's familiar.
role of Wisewoman of Buryan.
people have done in the past:
together.
She's no longer alive but she's
It gives you a really nice sense
their relationships, health, their
LAETITIA: I make a lot of
still very much here in spirit.
of belonging. It's good to feel
animals and stock. The important
charms for people, to do with
(villagewisewoman.co.uk)
20
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
•
My Mourning Run
How cardio helps heal a broken heart.
BY JILL SLOANE GOLDSTEIN
twas a dreary January morning run
that I'd never forget. A light drizzle
was coming down, making the cold
damp air even more frigid. With
every stride I took, I felt as if 50-pound
weights were strapped to my ankles. My
lungs burned. The hills were like mountains. And yet I ran. In fact, I ran so hard
and fast that I nearly ran out of neighborhood streets to travel. It was the only thing
I could do to release the pain in my heart
and the terror in my mind.
Blocks away, my father lay in bed under
hospice care. He was losing his 17 -year
battle with prostate cancer. I had flown
down to spend what would be my last visit
with him. As much as I understood the
likelihood that he wouldn't live through
the month, I managed to vehemently deny
the unbearable reality. It was simply too
painful to accept. For nearly 16 of those
17 years, my father had lived with his cancer.
There were good years and so-so years,
but his situation was never grave. Early
into his diagnosis, it was business as usual.
I
He worked five days a week, spent the
weekends with family and friends. When
he was fortunate enough to retire, 10 years
later, he built his dream house with my
mom and indulged his passion for golf. He
used to joke that he'd only play on days of
the week that ended in "y:'Overall he felt
well, his treatments keeping the disease at
bay. When it did become troubling, there
were always plans in place-new
medications to try, advanced studies to take
part in. Options always seemed as plentiful as the assurances we'd receive from
his doctors. So I maintained a sense of
calm, believing that he'd be OK. But truth
be told, it wasn't as much the promise of
breakthrough treatments that kept my
heart and mind at ease-it was the ardent
sense of denial I maintained. I was a virgin
to this type of heartache and tragedy. Of
course I'd suffered loss before, but never
had I dealt with it this close to home,
with an immediate family member. This
was my daddy; a man I looked up to; a
man I respected; a man whose heart was
overflowing with love, acceptance, generosity, and laughter; a man who provided
me with all the opportunities he could
gather as I grew up; a man I truly appreciated. And my head and heart couldn't
conceive of losing him. So I lived without
my dad's cancer.
Part of maintaining a sense of normalcy
(read: denial) in my day was sticking to a
routine. For me, that came in the form of
exercise. I awoke each morning and laced
up my running shoes because it was what
I knew. I hit the pavement or the treadmill, cranked up my music, and diligently
knocked out my mileage requirements. It
was a regimen I'd performed five days a
week for nearly 20 years. So continuing
the pattern preserved the status quo ... or
so I thought.
I realized something on that early
January morning that would change the
way I ultimately grieved. I wasn't running
just to fool myself into thinking everything in my world was fine and under
control. I was running to feel the pain -
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
21
not just physically but emotionally. Every
step I took down those residential streets
did bring the usual discomforts to my
stressed~out body. But more noticeably, it
engendered a deep ache in my heart and
mind that I couldn't ignore. You see, I was
alone in this space, face to face with myself.
There were no distractions as I ran, no
excuses. Just a stark, honest window into
my life, and my life was about to become
fatherless. I had no way to escape my reality,
''
3~month~old son, a wife, a whole family
to be present for, not to mention my dad's
lifelong wish for my happiness, which I
vowed to honor.
So I continued running. As hard as it
was on those sleep~deprived mornings,
when my stress and anguish were at an
all~time high and my energy levels were
at their lowest, I forced myself to do it.
Nearly a year later, I'm still going at it,
working out both mentally and physically.
Some days, I cry so hard I can't see the
road in front of me. Or I spend an hour on
the treadmill cursing the universe for tak~
ing him too soon. Other days, I reflect on
his life and how every choice he made led
to me and, ultimately, to my son, Adler. I
want to teach Adler about his grandfather
so he grows up knowing what a wonderful
man he was.
My emotions fluctuate. Truth be told,
they change hourly. Yet, regardless of
how I'm feeling, I've noticed that I always
manage to feel a tiny bit better when I'm
finished working out. It's as if my coping
mechanisms are strengthening along with
my muscles. A self~fulfilling prophecy per~
haps, but physiology supports the idea
that exercise is a powerful aid in dealing
with life's difficulties. Aerobic exercise en~
hances the action of endorphins, chemicals
that circulate throughout the body. These
endorphins can improve natural immunity
and reduce the perception of pain. Exercise
also stimulates the neurotransmitter norepi~
nephrine, which significantly contributes to
mood stabilization. It's a process I've come
to depend on when I can't seem to manage
the grief through cognitive activity alone.
Exercise has always played an import~
ant role in my life. For nearly 20 years,
I've worked hard to keep healthy and fit.
For the past five years, I've written about
its wealth of physical benefits. But it
wasn't until this past year that I realized
just how powerfully effective exercise
can be for the soul. And suddenly, the
principles I've practiced and the advice
I've preached have taken on a whole new
meaning. The very notion that the more
discomfort you feel, the more you'll ex~
perience a transformation has never rung
truer. My father's passing has opened me
up to an enlightening spirituality, which
helps me to feel his presence whenever
I take the time to meditate. Turns out,
my father accompanies me on my runs
every day. •
RUNNING
BtCAMt
MY
THtRAPY.
WHAT
ONCt
WAS
ATASK
MARKtD
BYMINUTtS
lffT AND
MlltSTOGO
BtCAMt
ACATHARTIC
ACTIVITY
THAT
AffORDtD
Mt
THtTIMt,SPACt
AND
PRIVACY
TOPROCtSS
AND
GRltVt.
''
even under the guise of doing something
normal. So with each stride, I let my faucet
of grief and fear leak a little, then trickle,
until I allowed it to pour out.
Running became my therapy. What
once was a task marked by minutes left and
miles to go became a cathartic activity that
afforded me the time, space and privacy to
process and grieve. I won't say it made me
feel better, but the exercise helped me to feel,
which was better. I started (slowly) acknowl~
edging what was happening to my father
and it opened up a sea of anger, devastation,
self pity and fear.
My father lost his fight with the disease
on January 31, 2013. As expected, it abso~
lutely crushed me. No amount of prepa~
ration eased the pain. He was taken away
from me and it felt drastic and sudden
and unfair. I wanted to crawl into bed and
pull the covers over my head. But I had a
22
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
THENONRUNNER'S
MARATHON
GUIDE
FORWOMEN:GET
OFF YOUR BUTT
ANDON WITH
YOURTRAINING
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Dawn Dais has written an
entertaining
and inspiring
manualfor the exercise-averse.
As a self-confessed couch
potato, she's set out an easyto-follow guide on how to go
from struggling to walk around
the block to completing a
26-mile run. This humorous
book is interspersed
with
journal entries and workbook
space that will help train and
educate you as you read. Pick
up this book and give yourself
a winter fitness makeover with
someone who understands
late-night
carb bingers
whose idea of a marathon is
digesting the entire season
of Orange Is the New Black in
one night, and who don't own
a stitch of spandex. Dais has
your number, and is offering
her services as your personal
running buddy, guiding you
step by step toward rewardswith some fun along the way.
Georgia Krokus
tfvNONRUNNER'S
MARATHON
GUIDE
FOR
WOMEN
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I am a 32-yearold pre-med lesbian. I am what most
people would describe as very attractive.
I have held several leadership positions
at my school and, as far as I can tell, my
classmates and teachers think highly of
me. I'm president of an awesome club that
I've worked hard to create, and am also a
member of two honor societies. I have been
out for five years and am the single parent
of a 9-year-old, who is also very active. I love
people, learning and life.
I don't really know what the problem
is, but mostly I hear that people are
intimidated by me. Is that really something
I should be concerned about? Should
someone really try to be less than what she
wants to be out of respect for other people's
comfort levels? And more importantly, if I
keep doing what I do, do you think I will still
be single in 10 years? -He/la Good Catch
Dipstick: I think your friends
you've had in your life. It's not
are kindly trying to tell you that
about trying to be less, it's
you need to practice some
actually about trying to be
humility. People would not be
more: more giving, more open,
intimidated by all your achieve-
more loving, more humble.
ments if you were warm and
open and loving, and seemed
Lipstick: Dip has hit this right
to be genuinely interested in
on the head. Mystery is a sexy
what they had to offer. The
thing, so keep future dates
next time you meet a potential
in the dark a little, regarding
date, don't talk about yourself
your awesomeness. You sound
at all, just ask her about
like a well-rounded keeper,
herself, her accomplishments,
but I assume that when those
and her dreams. Stop trying to
potential girlfriends hear about
sell yourself-enumerating
all the things you're doing,
all
your great achievements-and
your gunning overachievement
instead see what you can do
reminds them of their own
to make someone else feel
failings. After 30, people start
good about herself. While
to carry around a sinking feel-
it's great to be proud of what
ing, wondering, "Am I doing
you've achieved, remember to
enough with my life? Am I on
appreciate your privilege and
the right path? Will I ever fulfill
know that there are many other
my dreams? Do I even have
smart, talented, attractive
the courage to start chasing
women out there who haven't
them?" Meeting a woman who
had the opportunities that
has burned her own path with
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
23
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I~YOU'Rt
DATING
A
WOMAN
WHO
HAS
BttNWITH
MtNINTHt
PAST
AND
ITBOTH
ms
YOU,
TAKt
AMOMtNT,
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''
did you? Even if you had broken up, you
picked the one thing that you knew would
devastate her and went and did it. To me,
that's the crux of the issue here. What
you did was mean and hurtful. It was a
dick-slap to her face, and I highly doubt
your relationship will be able to recover.
She doesn't trust you. Once it's lost,
trust is difficult to regain. She fears that
anytime you're pissed off at her, you're
going to run off again into the arms of
some he-man, to roll around in his musky
sheets. You need to stop saying "I love her
blazing chutzpah can really shine a light
so much" and instead act on it. Work on
on someone else's shortcomings. And
being a trustworthy, honorable human
that feels shitty. Get to know someone
being who doesn't run off and hurt some-
on a deeper, more important level before
one else when you're upset. I'm pretty
cataloging your titles and successes. The
sure you've blown it on this one. Learn
truth is, in life, these bullet points-aside
your lesson, so you don't repeat it with the
from motherhood-will
next innocent girl who comes along.
not matter at all
one day. What will matter is how we loved,
how we forgave (this includes ourselves),
Lipstick: Time out! They were broken up,
and how we were true to our own spirit.
Dip. Even though she did the nasty with
These are the things we'll weigh on our
a thrust of spite, they weren't together
deathbed-not
anymore, so I don't think there is any need
titles, degrees and
fleeting physical beauty. Let these be the
foundation of your dating life and on New
Year's you won't be toasting alone.
On yQur
for guilt here, or apologies.
Slipped, has it been like this from the
beginning? Was her insecurity the reason
you broke up? While I agree with Dip on
PC/MAC
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Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: My girlfriend
one thing-that
(I'll call her Claire) and I have been together
situation by your choices-I
you've totes enflamed the
a year and half. I have previously had
root problem is your girlfriend's insecurity,
sexual relationships with men, and it's
and that, actually, has nothing to do with
something that bothers her immensely.
you. I've come across other lezzies like
She has known about it from the get-go,
Claire, who freak out about dude history-
believe the
but it comes up quite a bit. We did break
here on the page and also in my own
up once, and I, out of spite, slept with
dating life. To them, I'd like to send this
someone else (a guy). But before we
message: If you're dating a woman who
got back together I told her what I had
has been with men in the past and it both-
done, and she still took me back. Claire
ers you, take a moment, breathe deeply,
has times when she can't stop thinking
and chill the fuck out. You're allowing ego
about it. She falls into a terrible depres-
to make it all about you, and that, ladies,
sion and can't shake it. I can't change
will steer you wrong every time. Gender
what happened any more than she can.
shouldn't matter. And neither should the
It get's so bad that she makes herself
choices your girlfriend made before you
sick and obsesses about it, even when
even knew each other. No one likes to
I'm not with her. I don't know what to do.
be judged, or shamed, especially when
We love each other so much, but I can't
it's about something from their past they
help thinking that I'm hurting her. Please
cannot change. If you keep it up, I promise
he/pl-Slipped
you'll eventually drive her away. Reroute
Up
that energy into something constructive,
Dipstick: Slipped, if you love her so much,
like feeling good about yourself and what
and you know she's obsessed about you
you have to offer-she's
sleeping with men, then why in the hell
after all!•
with you now,
VIEWS/
TRUTHOR DA
turning the water flow all the
way up would injure my vagina.
Lesson learned.
I really liked looking at naked
people. Whether I was sneaking
glances at dirty magazines or
breaking into my ex-boyfriend's
computer to shuffle through his
floppy disks full of sexy clips,
porn has always been a part of
my life.
Porn introduces me to new
kinds of people and experiences. During law school,
when I lived in the conservative
town of Jacksonville, Fla., a
friend showed me Buck Angel's
website. Shocked, I really didn't
know what to make of "the
man with a pussy." On TV all I
saw were stories about maleto-female transsexuals. Buck
represented a different world
to me-a totally separate idea
about what a "man" can be.
On the other hand, porn is
often misleading. Since we
do not have any form of real
sex education in this country, I
looked at porn as a "how to" for
sex, particularly lesbian sex.
When I first started sleeping
with women, I didn't know what
to do. Touching women was so
different from touching men.
Men show their arousal through
external means: hard-ans. How
could I know when a girl was
turned on?
What was also incredibly
daunting was the pervasive
idea that "women know what
other women want, because
The Good Girl's Guide
women know their own bodies."
to Porn
sexual discovery, everything
BYJINCEYLUMPKIN&CARLINROSS
Such a statement is totally
untrue! Swept up in a state of
felt foreign and adventurous
to me. I had to adjust to an
JINCEY:
tional in nature, and I remember one scene
intense level of connectedness.
I've always loved porn.
where a woman in a shower masturbated with
I found out that I didn't even
a detachable showerhead. Seeing the woman's
really know what turned me on!
While perusing through my Dad's collection of
Oscar-winning films, I found a VHS tape wedged
ingenious use of water gave me the idea to strad-
in between two drawers. The video was instruc-
dle the faucet in my tub. I did not realize that
I found myself mimicking
what I saw in girl-girl porn
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
25
WS/
TRUTHOR DARE
instead of allowing myself to
sex with them. Socially, my
break down walls; it helps you
spend time with people who
communicate about what really
appetites are deemed to be
find the words and realize your
aren't sexually open. But that
felt good.
Porn can't be your road-
male: I love sex, I love dirty
sexual potential-the
talk, I love role-playing,
of "monkey see, monkey do."
map to sexual pleasure. Just
love porn. With that said, I do
because you see someone else
have boundaries-boundaries
desire to kink up my vanilla sex
enjoying something on screen
that I discovered by trying
life. What I didn't realize was
does not mean you will enjoy
new things. If something
it. Furthermore, porn does not
made me uncomfortable,
convey the "right" way to have
had to know why.
sex. Sure, you certainly might
and I
I
When I was still practicing
old idea
I became unabashed in my
doesn't mean that I need to be
topped or wowed or surprised
in bed.
What it means is that I need
to be with a partner who's
that real life sex is different
willing to take chances and
than porn sex.
try new things. I don't care
My first foray into sexual
what they look like, what their
liberation was bringing home
gender is, or what they do for
be exposed to new ways to
law, I stumbled upon a server at
another woman. I met her at
a living; none of that matters.
have sex while watching porn.
work named "Big Hard Cock."
a high-end private club and
What matters is that they're
You might even want to try
I sat at my desk looking at the
felt instant chemistry. Our first
open and willing to take our
different experiences, but your
server directory in a state of
kiss curled my toes. I don't
relationship to new places sex-
guidepost should always be
mild shock; however, I clicked
remember thinking, "Let's go
ually and emotionally, because
how you respond. Does dirty
on it. There were thousands
home and fuck my boyfriend."
I know that's the best way to
talk and slapping your lover
of porn clips catalogued by
Somehow it just happened.
make it last.•
turn you on? Great! As long as
actor. None of their names
The sex was fantastic. I loved
you and your partner are on the
were familiar because I'd never
it. The next morning I walked
same page, go right ahead and
watched porn before, but, in a
downstairs and hailed her a
embrace your rough side. Trust
matter of weeks, these women
cab. As soon as I walked back
me, it does not make you less
became my sex sisters.
through the door, my boyfriend
of a feminist if you don't like
making love.
Real intimacy is built on
truth and respect. Concealing
I loved Jenna Jameson's
demanded, "Do you always do
snaggletooth, her all-knowing
that?" I looked back stunned.
smile, and the way she loved
What was "that?" Why was I
getting off. Janine Lindemulder
somehow more culpable? In
your desires or being unable
became my favorite. She was
that moment, our relationship
to communicate will stunt your
always cast in the threesome
ended. I wasn't going to share
personal growth and make it
scenes, and you knew that the
my life with someone willing to
difficult, if not impossible, to
women preferred her touch
pull the slut card on me.
continue building a strong,
to the porn actor in the clip.
stable and happy relationship.
Janine pleasured women with-
Want to know the cure for
While I nursed my broken heart, I started seeing
out a shred of guilt or shame,
a married woman. Maybe I
lesbian bed death? Be honest
and watching her was the first
figured her infidelity granted
about what you want, even if it
time I saw a woman do that.
me a certain latitude or sexual
meansyourpartnerdoesnot
I watched hours of porn
like what you have to say.
until I found the ultimate clip.
trysts, I uttered some sort of
It was a foursome with all my
filthy comment that I wish I
CARLIN:
favorite stars: Jenna, Janine,
could remember. Suddenly,
I grew up with an older brother
Nikki Tyler and another woman.
everything stopped. She physi-
and I followed him everywhere.
Usually, Janine inflicted the
cally recoiled. Just because she
Christmas morning my Barbie
pleasure, but in this clip all
was a woman with a cuckold
Dream Pool sat virtually
three women were holding
husband didn't mean that she
untouched. Well, I did put the
Janine down while they stim-
was kinky. Ultimately, the sex
freedom. During one of our
stickers on, but apart from
ulated her body. They used
shut down, and that ended our
that, I was too busy playing
all sorts of toys and said the
relationship.
with my brother's Hot Wheels
filthiest things. I couldn't help
Race Track.
it; I was turned on.
My good relationship with
There came a point when
Looking back on my past
sexual adventures I understand
the role pornography played in
In next month's column
we're going to delve into
sexual stigmas. What's
"dick ick"? How do we
talk about sexual health
and hygiene with our
partners? Why do we
panic over our pussies?
UNTIL THEN,
CONNECT WITH
US ONLINE!
Jincey at Jincey.com and
her hot lesbian porn at
JuicyPinkBox.com
Carlin's amazing
sex education at
DodsonAnd Ross.com
Take to social media and
chat about #GoodPorn!
What do you like about
porn? What disgusts you?
Why do you love your vag?
@JuicyJincey
@DodsonAndRoss
@TheRealCurve
my brother is probably why
I wanted to try the things I'd
my development. I guess you
I'm so comfortable
seen these women do in real
could say that it was my "gate-
Photos by Victoria Janashvili
life. In this way, I think pornog-
way drug." I don't really watch
Makeup by Karina Montoya
raphy is beneficial. Porn helps
explicit clips now. I don't really
Hair by Stacia Nicole
men. My connection
around
to men
is probably why I still have
26
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
WHERE
THE
GIRLS
ARE
Curve and Venice party at The Abbey, West Hollywood.
When in West Hollywood, be sure to visit the world's No. 1 LGBT
bar and nightclub, The Abbey, on Wednesdays for GirlBar. GirlBar
was founded in 1990 by Robin Gans and Sandy Sachs and continues
to host fantastic women's parties such as Curve's "Venice" party on
Sept. 4 at The Abbey. Sponsored by GirlBar and Visit West Hollywood,
the Curve party was a huge success with a live performance by Jen
Foster and appearances by Venice The Series cast members Crystal
Chappell, Nadia Bjorlin, Hilary B. Smith, Judi Evans and Harrison White.
Lucky Curve reader Susan Matties and her partner won a trip to L.A.,
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
27
three nights accommodation
at
the Ramada Hotel and VIP passes
to the Venice The Series and Jen
Foster Meet and Greet Party at
The Abbey. Other celebrities
attending the event included
Curve cover girl Anyone But Me
actor Nicole Pacent, Natasha
Henstridge and Michelle Carter.
Catch up on all the drama of
Season four of Emmy Awardwinning Venice The Series,
currently available by subscription
only at venicetheseries.comm
and
tune in to Jen Foster's new music
video "She" featuring special
guest Nicole Pacent, directed by
multiple award-winning filmmaker
Nicole Conn and produced by
multiple award-winning
WingSpan Pictures.•
28
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
Wind Beneath Our
Wings
A short film about bullying has Hollywood taking notice.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
I
n January 2012, WingSpan Pictures released
the short film Love Is All You Need? In just 60
days the film received 3.6 million views on You~
Tube and 10 million views on Facebook. It has
screened at over 30 film festivals and won numerous
awards. Reviews have been glowing and international
fans have even translated the film into their languages.
What's all the fuss about? How can a short film garne
such attention?
REVIEWS/
FlLM
Timing is everything. This film emerged
from a media debate that had been brewing
around the topic of bullying. Writer-director-producer Kim "Rocco" Shields was watching TV one night and saw a program on
bullying where experts were baffled by how a
young person could be driven to the drastic act
of suicide.
A victim of bullying herself, Shields woke
up the next morning with an idea. "If I flip it
and I make a film for mainstream media and
if I switch all of the stereotypes and create a
homonormative society and not a heteronormative society-if the tables were turnedthey would understand:'
In the alternative universe of Love Is All You
Need?same-sex marriage is the norm, religious
rulers are female, and heterosexuals are outcasts disparagingly referred to as "breeders:' But
trouble ensues for adolescent Ashley, who loves
and obeys her lesbian moms, but finds herself
a target of bullying when she is romantically
drawn to a boy her own age.
What then occurs is all the prejudice and
hatred that we know have driven LGBT teens
to self-harm and suicide. The film is all the
more shocking for flipping it and portraying
what the mainstream considers to be customary
as taboo.
Shields was so focused on getting the project
out as a high concept film that she wrote the
script in a week and used her production company and its fully fledged studio to create her
vision. The film is now screened in schools as
an educational tool and teachers and students
30
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
write Shields daily telling her about its impact
on their lives. But this has not been without
controversy. One child in a Canadian school
fainted when the film was shown in class, and
afer a screening at the film festival Frameline
a proponent of ex-gay indoctrination recanted
his views. Shields says the response to the film,
even when contentious, is "a dream come true:'
As co-founder of WingSpan Pictures her
mission is to use the film medium to educate
through projects that make a difference.
"Instead of teachers in a classroom giving a
lecture they can show a film that illustrates the
topic in a compelling way using Hollywood
production values;' she says. "We are trying
to give students a realistic viewpoint:' WingSpan has made educational films on other hot
topics such as PTSD and abuse, opening up
discussion in an engaging way at some of the
best schools and major Ivy League institutions
in the country.
As an out lesbian and an admirer oflesbian
filmmakers Nicole Conn and Angela Robinson, Shields is dedicated to telling lesbian
stories in a way that "weaves them in there
but doesn't just make the storyline about
them:' Her goal is to challenge stereotypes,
to stop representing LGBT people as a "tragic other;' and to assimilate the representation
of minorities into mainstream media to create equality.
For Shields, there is no limit to how far
this can go, she says, citing Conn as groundbreaking in her representation of lesbians and
Robinson as bringing a queer sensibility to
mainstream hits such as True Blood. Shields
is delighted to reveal that the short for Love Is
All You Need?will be made into a mainstream
feature film. The casting agent, Mary Vernieu,
who cast Academy Award-winning films Black
Swan and The Wrestleris on board and A-list
talent is gravitating toward the project. "The
response from everybody is they love this and
want to be involved right away;' says Shields.
The feature will expand the narrative, introduce new characters and, Crash-style, follow a handful of individuals whose storylines
intersect. "One small prejudice against one
person can ripple into something very large;'
says Shields.
"Being gay hit me like a ton of bricks out
of college. I was bullied for varying reasons,
and kids are cruel. But as a filmmaker you
need to be well-versed in things around you
and I read about various things that make
me so upset. The only way I can change them
is to make something that brings awareness.
Love Is All You Need? is that:' (loveisallyouneedthemovie.com)
•
REVIEWS/MUSIC
MUSIC»
She Has the Right!
Samia rallies for marriage equality on her debut EP.
BY DAVE STEINFELD
T
hey say timing is everything and it was no acodent that Manhattan-based
singer Samia unveiled her
song "We Have the Right" in support of
marriage equality just as DOMA was
about to be struck down this past summer. "It was the end of March [and] I
was thinking about the issue a lot;' she
remembers. 'J\nd the chorus of"We Have
the Right" kind of popped into my head.
It was one of those things where I was
on the subway one minute, just thinking,
and the next minute I had the chorus of a
song. I realized that I should really finish
it and record it and put it out in time for
Pride-that could be a way to contribute
to the cause:' The song, which references
Stonewall in its opening verse, is a popdance anthem of sorts and the last of six
tracks on Samia's self-titled EP.
After Samia wrote and recorded "We
Have the Right;' the next step was to shoot
a video for it. Just three weeks before the
song's release, she enlisted the services of
her friend Caskey Hunsader, a director/
producer. They shot the dip in Manhattan, at the Posh Bar & Lounge in Hell's
Kitchen.
Around the same time that she released
the song, Samia wrote a piece for the Huffington Post's Gay Voices section in which
she frankly discusses her own sexual history,
which has lead to her disdain for labels in
general. "If you need labels to understand
a human being's sexuality;' Samia writes,
"you could say I'm a gender-bent pansexual polyamorist:' When we speak on the
phone, she elaborates a bit. "I identified
as bisexual for a really long time. Now,
depending on the day, I identify as either
pansexual or queer. I'm probably one of
the most sexually fluid people you'll ever
meet, 'cause I've gone through the gamut. I
identified as a lesbian for two years, when
I was, like, 23, 24. During that time, I was
very much not attracted to men, and I saw
myself only dating women for the rest of
my life. And then my life started transitioning to another place. Now I've realized
that what I'm really attracted to are people
who ride the line, in one way or another,
between male and female. I'm a weird
one!" Perhaps, but she's also honest and
brave-qualities
she says she inherited
from her mother.
Though Samia is best known thus far
for "We Have the Right;' her music is
almost as fluid as her sexuality. The best
track on her EP, to this writer's ears, is the
first one, a rocker called "Lose Me;' which
showcases her impressive vocal range."That's
actually one of my favorites, and it's one of
the first songs that I wrote for [my current] band;' says Samia."It was inspired by
a relationship I had where I was very much
in love with the person, and very devoted,
and he wasn't. Over the course of a twoyear relationship, it began to dawn on me
that I wasn't being very appreciated, and I
wound up ending it. And when I ended it,
he suddenly turned around and was super
in love with me! I was his soul mate and
all this stuff. Instead of being super happy,
I just got angry. You know, if I had gotten
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
31
REVIEWS/
MUSIC
that level of love and goodness before, I
would have been the happiest girl ever. So
that's how that song came about. It was
really a very sad situation. Everyone got
their heart broken in the end:'
Samia does plan to follow up this first
EP with a full album, but the details are
still being worked out-partly
because
she's still deciding what direction to go in,
musically. "The EP has a very strong rock
feel to it, which I love;' she states. "But
I'm also very interested in exploring more
electronic music. And I have a whole other
set of songs that are completely different
than the ones on the EP. So there will be
an album, but I'm not sure right now what
genre it's gonna fall into. There's a world of
possibilities!" (samiamusic.com) •
HOT
LICKS
))BYMIAMANNS
Joan
Jettand
theBlackhearts
Unvarnished
(BlacKneart
Records)
The newest record from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Unvarnished,
proves JJ still loves rock 'n' roll, and she has plenty of it left in her
soul. This is an album that could only exist in the world of 2013.
The triumphantly punky "TMI" has that throwback sound but its
lyrics are unapologetically modern. Joan's definitely still got that
crazy rockstar lifestyle vibe with songs like "Reality Mentality" and
"Different," and she's still the fearless front woman we know and
love. The first single, "Any Weather," is rocking and rebellious, the
raucous punk vibe occasionally giving way to a glam guitar solo
but without losing power. "If we love" is the refrain, so add some
counter-culture hippy-dippy flare to the eclectic mix. With themes
of rebellion set to simple punk power chords, Joan Jett remains
unvarnished indeed.
JESSIEJ
Jessie
J
Alive
(Lava/Repuolic)
Alive is the second studio album from singer-songwriter and openly
bisexual bombshell Jessie J. The first track, "It's My Party," opens
with a guitar-led anthem and Jessie J's patent roaring vocals, and
while the party starts with rock, it soon transitions to dance-friendly
electronic beats. The slow rolling "Thunder" and the hypnotic "Square
One" are ballads that show off Jessie J's vocal prowess then give way
to instant club hits like "Sexy Lady" and "Wild." Through the up-tempo
dance tunes and the more laid back tracks, there's a sense of her soul
in every song. It's an intimate album that examines Jessie J close-up
from every angle-putting her under the microscope, and we like
what we see-and hear.
32
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
REVIEWS/
BOOKS
and is currently
compiling the
groundbreaking
anthology, My
StoryIs Out High
SchoolYears.
In The Trouble with Emily
Dickinson,some
of the author's
real-life experiences are coupled with her
love of Dickinson's poetry.
The novel's
protagonist, JJ,
is a secret poet
and an out lesbian. JJfalls for a popular
cheerleader, Kendal McCarthy, and the
unlikely friendship grows into something
more. ]J's confidante and lesbian best
friend, Queenie McBride, appears to be
more experienced, and more cynical, than
JJ, and fears for her impending disappointment.
This tender coming out tale may elicit
your own memories of self-discovery and
lead you to recall your high school achievements, infatuations and revelations.Add one
honeyed dose of Emily Dickinson's
soul-to-pen
language and the story
becomes downright enchanting.
Since we know that life goes on after the
senior prom, DJ\rcangelo followed Troublewith The Educationof QueenieMcBride,
a story that spotlights a problem within
the LGBT community that too often goes
unnoticed. We follow Queenie to college,
where she has a chance encounter with
Pudge, a 14-year-old who's been kicked
out of her home for being gay. Queenie,
who is not adjusting well to the new challenges college life is imposing on her, is
finally compelled to reconsider what she
values most.
"LGBT teen homelessness is an overlooked problem in our community. It doesn't
get talked about nearly enough. It's almost
an afterthought, and that's troubling," Says
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo channels poetry and puts the T-for teenDJ\rcangelo. To properly research Queenie
McBride, the author studied statistics and
in LGBT novels. ev KIM HOFFMAN
was disturbed by her findings. "I wanted to
give the issue a face-a reality:'
friends with a werewolf And it was so good
rowing up in Buffalo, N.Y.,
that my teacher thought I must have copied
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo always
Where Troubleis a jocular glimpse into
it:' Today, DJ\rcangelo is the award-winning
knew she was a writer. "In the
the budding sexual lives of teenagers, who
fourth grade, I wrote an aweauthor of The Troublewith EmilyDickinson are, as DJ\rcangelo emphasizes, "fumbling
and its sequel,TheEducation
ifQueenieMcBride, around and figuring each other out;' Queenie
some story about a boy who becomes
Writing Down the Feathers
G
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
33
wrote to me:'
Not only is D'Arcangelo providing
us with the stories that she didn't have
growing up, she's also passionate about
documenting athletes' stories, "whether
it's the rise to glory or the fall from grace:•
Especially the stories of lesbian athletes
"who aren't afraid to be honest about
who they are and talk about the balance
between personal and professional lives:•
Like LGBT homelessness, it's a topic that
tends to be ignored or disregarded much
of the time. "I think the best stories reach
through the pages and tug at your heart,
whether it's a feel~good story or a sad
story. When you find yourself rooting for
or feeling for the main characters, that's
the mark of a good author;' says DJ\.r~
cangelo. She is working on an anthology
for LGBT teens, My Story Is Out: High
McBride unearths a very raw element that
facebook.com/lotlrescue
bonds the characters to one another, and
the reader to the characters. It navigates
past locker room romances and into the in~
tricacies of adult life. You may come away
from the novel inspired, but overwhelmed
by the daily realities that homeless LGBT
youth must face merely to survive.
"Many of the kids that I talk to have
this very fear [that if they come out to
their parents, they'll get kicked out of the
house]. I tell them that coming out to your
family is something that should be done
with care, and that if they feel their par~
ents might not be understanding or recep~
tive, that they should wait until they are
old enough to support themselves;' DJ\.r~
cangelo says, referring to the GSA groups
she's met with. "I think there should be a
better system in place for those teens who
don't have any other recourse:'
DJ\.rcangelo was 23 when she came out
to her own parents, who have supported
her completely all along the way.
Sharing stories can be empowering.
"Much like any other community, it's im~
portant for us to keep our stories alive for
future generations. We want our youth
to know what came before them and the
struggle it took to get there. I just wanted
to write stories that LGBT teens can relate
to and enjoy;' to which she adds a senti~
ment that resonates with us all-"stories
that I wish I could've read when I was a
teen:' It was Emily Dickinson, of course,
who famously wrote "Hope is a thing with
feathers;' but the reclusive poet also wrote
"This is my letter to the world, that never
IJUST
WANTED
TOWRITE
STORIES
THAT
LGBT
TEENS
CAN
RELATE
TOAND
ENJOY-STORIE
THAT
IWISH
I
COULD'VE
READ
WHEN
IWAS
A
TEEN.
''
School Years, real~life stories and experi~
ences from teens all over the country.
D'Arcangelo is working on the third
and final book in her Trouble with Emily
Dickinson series. 'Tm pretty sure that a
wedding will be in the plot;' she teases,
proving once and for all that it certainly
can get better. (lyndseydarcangelo.com) •
REVIEWS/
BEVERAGES
Cocktails with
Conscience
Festive beverages that give back.
BY GEORGIA KROKUS
BEVERAGES»
J
t
$
l-
~
VanGogh
I
h--,(1..,__
ONEH,,PE
BRUT
FAIREST
OFTHEM
ALL
COMFORT
COCKTAIL MAGNIFICENT
MARQUISCHARITABLE
CHAMPERS
As more LGBT individuals and
businesses dump Russian vodka,
brands from other nations are
taking the opportunity to support
their queer customers. FAIR. Spirits,
the maker of FAIR. Quinoa Vodka,
is the first artisanal spirits brand to
help developing countries through
Fair Trade. From the Bolivian co-op
farmers who grow the quinoa, to
production in France, to sponsoring
LGBT nonprofits such as Live Out
Loud-FAIR is socially responsible.
Sip this award-winning, full-flavored
vodka neat or try the cocktail below.
($30, fairspirits.com)
While vodka has recently become
a controversial spirit with queer
cocktail enthusiasts-thanks
to its association with Putin's
anti-homosexual law-there's no
question where Van Gogh Vodka's
loyalties are. Earlier this year the
Dutch vodka label partnered with
the Give a Damn Campaign, and
we were introduced to their PB&J
flavored vodka. Like peanut butter
and jelly it's a match that's meant
to be. Early notes are smooth and
nutty, followed by a bold berry
finish with just a hint of vanilla.
Unique and delightfully tasty it's like
comfort food in cocktail form, and a
guaranteed crowd pleaser.
($25, vangoghvodka.com)
MixIt:FAIR.
Ouinoa
Flip
From a small artisan distillery in
Poland using only hand-selected rye
harvested from its sustainable farm
comes Marquis Vodka. Contrary
to what its lofty name or elegant
appearance may suggest, the
opulently designed black bottle
donates 20 percent of its retail
revenue to worthy causes. This
brand is for bon vivants who believe
in doing good while having a good
time. Scan the code on the bottle
or download the charitable giving
app to select 1 of 4 charities that
will receive the percentage of your
purchase. One bottle of awardwinning Marquis Vodka generates
anti-bullying outreach to 10 LGBT
adolescents through the Trevor
Project or provides a maternity kit
to a pregnant woman in the Congo.
So spread some virtue while you
indulge in your favorite vice.
($40, marquisvodka.com)
Pop the cork at midnight on New
Year's Eve to help needy kids!
ONEHOPE Wine has partnered
with Share Our Strength's No Kid
Hungry campaign to help make
sure 16 million undernourished
kids in America get the food
they need to grow and thrive by
donating 50 percent of profits from
this California Brut Sparkling. This
bubbly benefactor displays aromas
of crisp green apple, nectarine and
freshly baked bread. Refreshing
and delicious, it's a fabulous
way to ring in the New Year and
support a national effort to end
childhood hunger in America. To
date, ONEHOPE has helped deliver
250,000 meals to children in need ...
and every bottle counts. Cheers to
that. ($20, onehopewine.com) •
Mix ingredients in
a shaker with 8 ice
cubes. Serve neat in
a martini glass with
an orange garnish.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
35
FEATURES/
LAUGHTRA
ay Leno may have only recently declared Cameron Esposito
the future of comedy, but her lesbian fan-base has known
the truth for years. Affable, yet capable of blistering social
critique, the 31-year-old comic honed her material in Chicago
comedy clubs and on national tours. Almost exactly one
year after moving to Los Angeles, Esposito appeared on Craig Ferguson
and Chelsea Lately, displaying her distinctive mix of charisma leavened
with Midwestern sincerity. Clearly, the hardworking comic is earning the
national attention she is due.
J
What separates a comic from that funny
friend at a dinner party?
Hours and hours and hours of stage time.
Also a desire be really, really serious about
jokes. In my experience, most comics
aren't too funny at parties. Jokes are for
the stage; dips are for parties-unless
it's a party of all comics, in which case
the jokes will be ceaseless, and you better
bring your A game.
What was the first funny thing you ever
said?
When I was a newborn my timing was
impeccable. I can't remember topics, probably like formula and what's the deal with
strollers:' But I had great timing.
How do you feel about the term "lesbian
comic?''
Stoked on it/ neutral about it. It's just a
description of who and what I am. Like
also: alternative comic-different
than
alternative lifestyle, it's a standup subset-or former Chicago comic or current
L.A. comic or incredible dancer.
Ever worry about getting pigeonholed?
Nah. I work all kinds of rooms, alongside
all different types of comics, all over the
country. Just want to do the work and keep
evolving and stay the course. I do sometimes worry about pigeons, though-they
are so aggressive!
Why did you decide to make the move
to L.A.?
There's no industry in Chicago. It's a great
city to come up in; you can fail and learn
and get strong, but doesn't have the sustainable career offerings of Los Angeles. It
was purely a practical decision.
You've been working as a stand-up
for years, but recently you've gotten
national attention. What would we be
surprised by about that experience?
I don't own a television. Not because I'm
super fancy or snotty or anything. I just
watch stuff on my laptop. So, yes, I've been
on TV, but I haven't seen myself on TV.
I'm looking forward to that, whenever it
happens.
What went through your mind when
Jay Leno called you the future of
comedy?
Nothing. Not a thing. I was completely
in the moment and just digging it. It was
after walking back to the green room and
seeing the folks there to support me that
I realized. They all stared at me with their
mouths opened and asked, "Do you realize what just happened:"'
You have a podcast, post essays to
your website, and write for Vice. How
important is it for a comic to multitask?
Right now, so important. And also so useful. Comedy has really been democratized
enormously in the last decade-viewers
and listeners and readers can choose who
they want to follow, not just be fed comedy by TV and film. I am trying to produce
as much content as I can-while keeping
that content high quality-so
that folks
who dig me can stay engaged and excited
about my comedy.
You have a bit about watching gay
male porn. I can't tell you how many
lesbians I've heard express an interest
in gay male porn. Why do you think
that is?
To me, lesbian porn seems to be either
geared toward straight men and grosses
me out, or really emotionally driven if
created by women for women. I like the
equality between two men together, the
honesty in who the porn is being created
for, and the excitement and energy of the
scenes. It just works for my taste.
And on an unrelated note,
what are your plans for the
holidays?
I'll be in home Chicago a bit.
Maybe in Akron, [Ohio],
too, with my fiance. Midwest is always best.
You've said, "If I stop
talking about my life and
my sexuality, then comedy is just a sea of dude
comics miming wieners
onstage forever. I'll represent myself.
I'm happy to." Do you ever feel tired of
representing?
Sure. And no. I really don't know any
other experience. I mean, I feel exhausted
by trying to get my viewpoint out there.
Maybe that's how all comics feel. I do
have to fight to get folks on board with
my ideas, but that fight has made me a
better comic. I can't really get too lazy
about my jokes-and
that's a good thing.
( cameronesposito.com) •
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
37
TURES/
ISSUES
AN INSIDER'SVIEW OF PUTIN'SAGENDA.
BY MERRYN JOHNS//
PHOTOS BY DARIA SKACHKOVA
ussia has never been good
for gays. Under the Soviets,
homosexuality was a criminal
offense. Moscow and many
other cities have banned Pride parades,
and LGBT-rights groups suspected of
being supported by a "foreign agent"
can be fined and shut down. In March,
the queer-feminist activists Pussy Riot
were arrested for violating Russia's
anti-protest laws, and under Putin, as of
June 30, a law prohibits all "propaganda
of nontraditional sexual relations." Even
tourists who visibly identify as LGBT
may be detained, jailed and deported.
Needless to say, the homophobic
messages sent by such legislation have
resulted in an increase in attacks on gays
and lesbians. And yet, on September
26 the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) announced it was satisfied that
Russia's anti-gay propaganda law does
not violate the anti-discrimination clause
in the Olympic Charter. Cumulatively, this
has created a climate that would appear
to endanger Russia's LGBT citizens and
those who visit the country for the 2014
Olympic Games in Sochi. I spoke with
Milena Chernyavskaya, the 25-year-old
editor of the lesbian magazine Agens, to
find out what it feels like to be a lesbian
in Russia today.
R
38
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
--
2012,l4tffl!PBbJOCB/1iWefflfUiJM11EnpyNighlath,Koowr-ayrHa
/1oo1ocne,0:n:ipmopTl&fbD<flf5T~.MCKvsCm.~
.. -cww/P)r(JelQlocm.Jc:li/
LL.JI'-'-
Agensis
Russia's
lesbian
magazine.
Since
"homosexual
propaganda"
isillegal
inRussia,
how
can
anyone
buy
this
publication?
We have an agreement with kiosks that
they can sell our magazine, and we have
five points of sale in Moscow and St.
Petersburg, and you can buy it online.
The kiosks were very kind to us. It
was not a problem for them to sell our
magazine, and the response to Agens was
great. But with this law, we lost every
single advertising client we had. We are
struggling with financing. It is not an easy
time for us.
Tell
meabout
thetitle
ofthemagazine
and
why
you
chose
it.
We wanted a magazine that was classy
and appealed to lesbians. Our art director
found the Latin word for "moving force:' It
feels right because we are that force.
Launching
anLGBT
glossy
magazine
these
days
isvery
expensive
and
inRussia
could
be
dangerous.
Why
not
just
goontheInternet?
That's a good question. I can assure you
that we are not so like the U.S. We still
need printed magazines and newspapers.
I was in California last January, and I see
how you guys are transitioning from print
media to online and this is very exciting,
but we are more conservative and we still
read a lot of magazines and newspapers.
We don't have so much progress [toward
digital technology]. But as I look at
what is going on with our finances, I
think maybe it would be a solution for
FEATURES/
ISSU
.
-
us. Because we want it to continue and
women who read the magazine want us
to continue it.
Why
ishomophobia
sostrong
inRussia?
I think because we don't have a history of
democracy. The Soviet Union fell about
12 or 13 years ago and we still don't know
how to use democracy properly. I feel like
Aseditor-in-chief
ofamagazine
that
could
be
misconstrued
as"homosexual
propaganda,"
do sometimes we are more like a monarchy,
where public opinion follows the strong
you
fear
foryour
sat
ety?
leader-not
only regarding LGBT rights
I hear a lot of stories right now that are
but human rights as well. I wrote about
very dangerous: People are beaten up since
the repeal of DOMA in the summer issue
this law passed. A lot of LGBT people are
of Agens. It was very inspiring that you
treated like shit-beaten
on the streetguys
fought for your rights. We don't have
and it's dangerous from the point of view
the
power
to decide what we want to do,
that you want to stay alive and any minute
what's
right
or what's wrong. First we need
you could be dead. I'm more afraid for my
to figure out how to live in a democracy,
closest friends and family, and I worry
and then after that we can figure out what
about how they would be treated. I'm not
to
do for LGBT rights.
afraid for myself because this is what I do.
This is what I love to do.
You
mentioned
you
have
lost
allyour
advertisers.
there
beanother
issue
ofAgens?
The
LGBT
community
intheU.S.
isworried Will
and
outraged.
What
can
wedotohelp?
Many Well, we planned a really good issue for
people
arecalling
foraboycott
oftheOlympicthe autumn. It was an issue about lesbian
Games,
ofRussian
products
like
vodka,
but
will parenthood. We [lined up] interviews
that
help?
with real Russian lesbian families with
kids, women who were open about their
names and who gave us their photos, and
it was a huge deal for me personally and
for the magazine and for the community,
but after the law passed about 70 percent
of them refused to give interviews with us.
So we don't have the autumn issue, but
I still hope we can do this in the winter
or the spring. We need to do this because
You'd
like
tosee
Western
countries
adopt
more we have some opportunities here-for
favorable
immigration
laws
forasylum
seekers?example, a lot of lesbian couples use in
Yes, because I don't think it's going to
vitro fertilization, which is legal here for
lesbians.
change here for another 10 years.
Sorry, but it means nothing. As I see it, the
Russian government will do whatever they
want. If they hate the LGBT community,
they will continue that. While [boycot~
ting] is helpful from a moral point of view,
my honest opinion of what the West really
can do for us is to give us the opportunity
to emigrate. To leave.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
39
TURES/
ISSUES
That
seems
quite
contradictory,
thatlesbians rent here, I
can
access
IVFinRussia.
the landlord.
don't have a problem with
I don't feel like I have any
Yeah, exactly! And single people can adopt,
problems! But I am a creative person,
so there are some lesbians and gays who
and in the creative sphere you don't have
adopt as single persons and raise the kids
as many problems as you would if you
with their partners. Russia is kind of weird.
worked for the government. I feel like I
can stay here, but I feel like I have fewer
Did
you
have
any
sense
that
Putin
would
move
in and fewer opportunities to create some~
this
direction
and
make
gay
people
scapegoats?
thing great here. I can't lie to you: I see
When we decided to start the magazine,
an opportunity for me to emigrate, if the
most of us didn't think it would go into
magazine doesn't work. I'll give it about a
federal law. So when it passed this year
year and see what's going on. I don't want
in our Parliament, when Putin did sign, it
my energy and my creativity to drop out
was a huge surprise for us, because no one
and be forgotten.
really expected it.
It's like sitting on a powder keg every day.
You don't know what's going to happen
tomorrow. It's uncomfortable and weird
and depressing. We all want to live happily
ever after with our partners and our kids,
and we don't have that opportunity here
right now.
One of our activists died. His name was
Alexei Davydov. Some people said that a
police beating might have been the cause
of his death. Tilda Swinton donated
money for his funeral.
The new Russian law proposes remov~
ing gay parents' children from them. If it
passes, it would be horrible for all of us.
Will
Moscow
ever
have
aPride?
Does
Putin
really
hate
gays?
Unlike Americans, we do not discuss
issues and problems from two points of
view. We have one direction. We hear all
the time that people in Russia really hate
gays, so that must be the most popular
point of view, and Putin decides to stay in
this direction. But we really don't know
what's on Putin's mind because nobody
really knows. We only know that people
in Russia are not so tolerant of gays.
Putin tried to deliver this to Russian
society. Nobody really talks about it. I
think that foreigners are talking about it
more than we are.
I actually cannot imagine that there will
ever be a street parade with naked bod~
ies, because Russian people are so gray
and frozen inside and not emotional. We
are more closed, the nation is closed, so
I cannot imagine a Pride like you have,
but I don't know. There might be a Pride
organized by some organizations, but I
cannot say what will happen or if it will
happen in this century. With our con~
servative government right now, it really
doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
What
isitlike
living
asalesbian
inMoscow?
That's a really good question. I think that
our lesbian community is very young. It's
Did
you
start
themagazine
inresponse
tothe
mostly young girls. The upper age is 35,
anti-gay
feelings
inRussia?
really. And we have just a few women
older than that, so in this way we don't
No, it was a professional and personal
passion of mine, and of our art director.
have anyone to tell us what it was like
Because this political side of the LGBT
to be a lesbian 20 years ago. Everything
community in Russia wasn't so huge last
is new, and we don't have much support
year, and we decided to do it for us-for
from the older generation.
the LGBT community. We are surprised
Most of the time, if you want to enjoy
that we are accidentally in the center of the
being with your girlfriend in public you
law, but in the first place it was our own
feel like an exhibit in a museum, because
desire to do something with real Russian
everybody stares at you-not
because
stories, because we re seeing a lot of what is
they want to beat you up, but because
going on in America and in Europe and we
they probably want to ask you a lot of
primitive questions. Most of the time,
don't hear great stories that happen here in
Russia. That was our original goal.
they keep silent and stare at you. So it's
kind of disturbing, it feels uncomfortable,
How
has
thecurrent
situation
inRussia
impacted
really uncomfortable, and that's why most
your
own
life,
personally
and
professionally?
girls don't appear in public together.
Since starting the magazine I've felt closer
I think most of them like holding
hands, but they don't kiss so much in
to my parents, who gave me some good
advice about starting my own business.
public. They're mostly closeted at work.
I wasn't fired from my main job as the
They're more open at universities.
public relations director for a restau~
Describe
themood
intheLGBT
community
now?
rant chain. Even the apartment that I
40
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
Doyou
think
many
LGBT
Russians
willwant
to
leave
their
country
ifthis
continues?
Yeah, it has happened before, at the
beginning of the 20th century, and in the
1990s. And it makes sense again. You
can't be yourself here. It's depressing and
conservative.
I have felt like an American girl since
I was a kid. My sister gave me Tupac
Shakur to listen to when I was 6 years
old. I have been there twice, New York
and Los Angeles. It's so great, with the
entertainment and publishing businesses.
Americans like to work, and here, people
don't like to work so much. There, people
are at Starbucks to work, to check their
email, and here, people are at Starbucks to
talk, to gossip. It's depressing to me because
I really like to work!
Most gay guys and girls, they don't
know what to do-to
try and emigrate
or stay for a while and see what's going on
here. Most of them really hope that things
will change.
We're
thinking
ofyou
and
wishing
you
thebest.
Thank you very much. Thank you for your
support. Curve magazine was one of the
magazines that I took with me and I loved
it very much. You do a good job with it.
Thank
you!
I'llsend
you
asubscription.
Hard
copy
ordigital?
Digital would probably be best, because
the Russian postal system is a mess.
11
I also
don't
want
tosend
anyhomosexual
propaganda"
toyour
apartment
building!
(Laughs) It will be fine. They're not open~
ing all the packages!•
FEATURES/
YOKO
ONO
DISCUSSES
HER
NEW
ALBUM
ARTWORK
AND
CHINESE
FOOD.
THE L L ST
Yoko Ono has
led a singular life,
to put it mildly
who turns 81 in February-was
leading a
very interesting life e en before she entered the public consciousness as John Lennon's lover, creative muse and general partner in
crime) Born into a wealthy Japanese family, she spent her childhood nd adolescence moving between Tokyo, San Francisco and
Ne York. The youn Yoko rejected her parents' more materia 1st1Can tra 1t10na aspirations, enrolling at Sarah Lawrence
College, where she studied music in an environment that nurtured her fondness for the arts and the avant-garde. She was in
her 30s when she met Lennon, by which point she had already
been married twice; had a daughter, Kyoko, with her second husband Anthony Cox; seen her hometown of Tokyo bombed; done
time in a mental hospital; and become a minor celebrity in her
own right for her unique brand of performance art. Cut Piecein
particular-a
performance work from the mid 1960s in which
she invites audience members to cut off pieces of her clothing
until she is naked-helped
cement her reputation.
Her 15 years with Lennon (1965 through 1980) were simultaneously the happiest and the hardest. By the time they'd met,
the Beatles were the biggest band in the world, and from the start
of their relationship Ono was frequently characterized as a bad
influence on Lennon and even seen by some people as the cause
of the band's breakup. The controversy surrounding her has not
entirely gone away, either. I wasn't aware of just how divisive a
figure she remains until I interviewed her for this piece. Many
people-particularly
in the U.K.-still see her as having forged
her own career entirely on Lennon's. This is ridiculous, of course;
whether you like her work or not, if there's one thing Ono has proven
over the past 50 years, it is that she is an artist in her own right.
She and Lennon made several albums together, notably the
brilliant Double Fantasy,which was released right before his murder in 1980. Double Fantasyis a song cycle that contains 14 tracks
( seven by Lennon and seven by Ono) and focuses on their love for
each other, their son Sean, and their determinedly domestic lifestyle. Essentially, it chronicles the couple's ups and downs on their
road to romantic bliss. Shortly after Lennon's death, Ono released
a much darker solo effort, Season of Glass, which was followed a
couple of years later by a posthumous collaboration with Lennon
called Milk and Honey.
In the three decades since then, Yoko Ono has continued to
42
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
lead a unique life-as an artist, as a woman, as a human being.
She has recorded and released music periodically, and has remained
active in other media as well. Her new album, Take Me to the Land
of Hell, arrived in September and marks her first studio release
in four years. Co-produced by Sean Lennon, Yuka Honda (Cibo
Mattos co-founder and Sean's former girlfriend), and Ono herself,
Take Me to the Land of Hell also brings in some heavyweight guest
talent, ranging from Lenny Kravitz to Nels Cline ofWilco.
Musically, the new album covers a lot of disparate styles, which
parallels Ono's career in general. "There's No Goodbye Between
Us" (which may or may not be dedicated to John) hearkens
back musically to "Hard Times Are Over;' the song that closes
Double Fantasy, while the whimsical "Leaving Tim" echoes that
same album's "Yes, I'm Your Angel:' And there are more experimental songs, like the winter-themed opener, "Moonbeams;'
and the danceable, improvisational "7th Floor:' But the disc
also features some lovely ballads, such as "Little Boy Blue (Your
Daddy's Gone)"-which
was written for Sean-"Watching
the
Dawn;' and "There's No Goodbye Between Us:' The strangest
track on the disc is probably "N.Y. Noodle Town;' which Ono
FEATURES/
says was inspired by an actual restaurant
in Chinatown. "Go to New York Noodle
Town;' she implores me before we hang
up. "It's incredible! People just queue to get
in there because the food is very good and
it's not expensive:' Hey, when Yoko Ono
recommends a restaurant in Manhattan,
you take her advice!
As for "Moonbeams;' Ono says she was
originally going to use that song as the
album's title track. " 'Moonbeams' is a bit
more abstract [than Take Me to the Land
of Hell];' she says."I love snow. And conse~
quently, I love winter. I'm not particularly a
sun person in the sense of going to islands,
swim and get brown. That's not me ... Most
people love to go to the ocean. I don't:'
Take Me to the Land of Hell-which is
actually credited to the Plastic Ono Band,
a name she and Lennon coined more than
four decades ago-is by no means the only
project Ono has been working on lately.
One of these is a powerful art installation
called Arising, which she recently presented
at the 2013 Venice Biennale and will likely
be exhibited in other cities, too. Her idea
was to raise awareness of female victims of
physical abuse. "I wanted women to report
to me about the abuse they took in their
lives;' she explains."So I said,'Write about
[your] abuse and don't send me your full
photo, because it might be dangerous for
you. Just send me your eyes: And they all
did. On the walls, I had photos of their
eyes and also their statements. The room
was very small. So [I thought] all I needed
is maybe 10 women. I was thinking, 10
letters from people [describing their
abuse], and there were 84 in the first
day!" When I ask Ono whether the
women who participated were victims of
physical or emotional abuse, she replies,
"I think, physical abuse, sadly. But of
course, there [was] some mental abuse
as well. I think it goes together:'
Another issue that Ono has been trying
to raise awareness about is fracking. Earlier
this year, she unveiled a series of posters
in Manhattan-including
one that read
"Imagine No Fracking" -in an attempt
to persuade Governor Andrew Cuomo to
pursue other methods of extracting oil and
gas. She has also been an outspoken mem~
ber of Artists Against Fracking, an orga~
nization that also includes Ringo Starr.
"[People] will say, 'Oh, we don't want to
see Yoko again, talking about fracking; "
she tells me. "We [need] new faces, be~
cause fracking is really very poisonous
and dangerous. It could kill us. And the
gas companies are lying. Don't take their
word for it:'
On the subject of gay marriage, Ono is
much more upbeat. "I think it's crazy that
the world didn't give [the gay community]
the right [to marry] up to now;' she says,
unequivocally. "It's crazy! I mean, they had
the rights in Rome and Greece a long time
ago. I think it's the Christian influence, or
something like that:'
After all these years, Yoko Ono is still
pushing herself as an artist and imagining a
better world for us all. (imaginepeace.com) •
THE L L ST
""
I WANTtD
WOMtN
TORtPORT
TOMt
ABOUT
THtABUSt
THtY
TOOK
IN
THtlR
llVtS.
''
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
43
When Rosie O'Donnell's 10-year-old daughter discovered The Fosters,
you could hear her relief. "Finally," she said, "a show like our family."
Next year, art will imitate life for O'Donnell, whose cachet is
sure to drive The Fosters' ratings through the roof. O'Donnell joins
the show as Rita Hendricks, a "tough yet compassionate" woman
who works in the child welfare system, and becomes something of
a mentor to a member of the Foster family.
'Tm very excited;' O'Donnell says. "It's a great show. I Tweeted
about it, and one of the producers is actually someone I know from
doing Queer as Folk, Peter Paige. He asked me if I'd like to do a
couple of episodes, and I was like,'Totally:"
If you are one of the-possibly very few-people yet to steal
delight from The Fosters, I dare you to watch the aired episodes
in more than one sitting. It really is that good. You have two lesbians-chemistry
aplenty-who
also happen to be two moms to
a biological son from a previous marriage, adopted twins and two
foster kids. Throw in some sexual tension and real connection
between the biological son and one of the foster kids, and you're in
for some serious drama. Oh, and the kids are a glorious mishmash
of ethnicities. Sound like anything you've seen on TV before?
'Tm thrilled;' O'Donnell says,"It's about foster kids. It's about
family. It's about everything I really care about:' And gratitude
pulsates down the phone line. We'll see her in three episodes
when the series returns to ABC Family this January. It will be
the second half of the show's first season, and as we speak, word
comes out that-I'm
not sure I can stop smiling-there
will be
a second season.
The role is a new one for O'Donnell, but the territory is not.
About five years ago, she was executive producer and star of
America, a movie for Lifetime that tells the story of a boy who
"ages out" of the foster care system-in
other words, he turns
18. O'Donnell herself was a foster mom. She and her family
nurtured a child into their home, intending to adopt, but due
to Florida's ( then) ban on gays and lesbians adopting, unbelievably-and excruciatingly-she
could only stand here and watch
as that child was removed from her home.
It's why she came out. "I wanted to have a reason to do it;' she
says. "You know, when you could not adopt a foster child if you
were in a homosexual relationship in the state of Florida, it felt
like a really good reason and really good timing to do it then. I was
just surprised that people were surprised. I thought it would be
like, 'Yeah, so what?' But I think some people were really shocked.
I mean, didn't I have a crush on Tom Cruise, and didn't that mean
I was heterosexual? I had to go to great lengths to tell them I just
wanted him to mow my lawn wearing Speedos!" she laughs.
Last year, O'Donnell made a 'bucket list: But then again, you
probably would, too, if your doctor had just told you that your
recent heart attack should have killed you. "I kept waiting for the
breast cancer bus to hit me and I was run over by the heart attack
tractor. I thought if anything health-related was going to happen
44
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
to me in a huge way, it would be breast cancer-my mother died of
that. I didn't know that heart attacks are the leading cause of death
for women in the U.S. and I think that most women don't know
that:' A veritable baptism by fire? "To know that I came so close
to dying was a really huge wake-up call, in a way that nothing had
been before. I'm angry at myself that it took that:'
Yet it was this anger that inspired O'Donnell's latest material.
"When you look at it, historically, most comedy is not happy: It's
about things that infuriate you, things that you actually spend
your time thinking about. And in some ways, it's relatable to this
new comedy show I have, because I was a little furious at myself
for not knowing the signs of a female having a heart attack, and
also for not really taking care of myself. When I was leaving the
hospital, I started writing down all these new ways of thinking:'
The owner of Levity Live in West Nyack, N.Y., was no doubt
gob-smacked when the stand-up laureate strolled in and said that
her friend Jessica Kirson, the headliner, was letting her do a
20-minute set. "I realized I had over an hour of material. I think
it's a little more poignant and thought-provoking than my other
stuff:' And to welcome in the new year, off she'll go to share the
laughs with Australia: the world's tiniest continent has enormous
clout on Rosie's bucket list.
And family. It always comes back to family. O'Donnell and her
wife, Michelle Rounds, saw their family increase and their love
swell when they adopted baby Dakota in January. Now, O'Donnell,
who is from a family of five, is a mother of five-and the parallels
don't stop there. Lose a parent as a child, O'Donnell says, and the
effects will bleed right into your adult life. When she turned 10,
Rosie lost her mother and felt parentless. When her kids turned
10, Rosie didn't know what to do. "I never was parented after the
age of 10, and it's quite a shock to see my kids grow older than that.
I had absolutely no frame of reference for it. I think in many ways
I'm far too lenient with my kids. My wife now says that with the
new baby, it's not gonna be like that! I want so much to be part of
their lives and be there for them, and I've never had a template of
how you're supposed to navigate the waters of adolescence:' And
what she says next seems to cut the very air-"I think losing a
parent so early on creates a tremendous void in your soul and in
your ability to count on 'forever' and 'stability: And just to trust in
general that people will stay: I realize I am holding my breath.
O'Donnell's voice changes when we talk about the other
relatively recent addition to her family. "Michelle is ... gosh:' She
sighs. "She has a wonderful heart and a tremendous worldview.
And she's shown me how important it is to take care of myself.
And my things. You know, we'd been together a few months
and she put on this dress, and I said, "Oh my God, that's so
nice! Is that new?" And she said, "No, I bought it 14 years ago
when I was in Italy:' The fact that she has clothes that, No. 1,
CLOSE
Rosie O'Donnell on love, family life, touring and her new role in The
BY TIFFANY LOWANA
--
-
- - - --------
u111n2111111111111
still fit her, and that are still in good enough shape to look like
they're ... She's someone who really takes care of everything-of
relationships, of material possessions, of her emotional life. I think
she's really taught me how to do that. It's been a huge blessing and ben~
efit for me as a human being. She's made me feel content, free, happy
and secure, and you really can't ask for anything more than that:'
O'Donnell believes, as Skunk Anansie growls, that "everything's
political:' And "especially nowadays in the United States:• Her
activism sprawls far and wide, especially when it comes to kids. She
knows the fragility of those little people who are not long in this
world and completely at the mercy of adults. Like she's offering a
reassuring hug, O'Donnell-child~like
enthusiasm intact-helps
kids in underprivileged schools via Rosie's Theater Kids, giving them
the chance to 'change the trajectory of their lives' through the~
ater. Then there's her For All Kids Foundation, which provides
not~for~profit organizations with funding for at~risk children,
parents, caregivers and teachers. She also co~created the LGBT
family vacation company, R Family Vacations, filling a niche and
affirming that yes: queers with kids can travel and it need not be
a roller~coaster kind of ride.The most important thing she wants
to teach her own kids is empathy. ''I've learned that you can teach
a child empathy, regardless of what situation they were born into.
I think it's the most important lesson of being human:' When one
of her sons was teased by a boy on his swim team-"He has two
moms, he must be gay!"-he came to her for advice. "I said, 'You
should just say,'Why? You looking for a date?'" Of course it worked.
And if we really didn't get it before, we really do get it now: just how
much The Fosters collaboration means to O'Donnell.
Speaking of politics, she says she was "shocked" at how she
reacted to the repeal of DOMA. "I thought there was a good
46
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
chance it was going to be struck down. I was driving alone and I
had to pull over. I just started crying. And a few weeks later I was
walking to my car after going to therapy, and I see these 16~year~
old girls holding hands. And I stopped them and said, Tm a
50~year~old gay woman, and it's pretty amazing to see you kids: I
think DOMA made me feel like I was, in fact, equal. I think before
you're actually legally equal, you don't know what that would feel
like. My wife is 9 years younger than me and will very often hold
my hand in public and not even think about it ... sometimes when
we're in a place that doesn't seem like it's very gay/hip, I'll look
around- reticent. But after DOMA, I don't feel like that at all:'
Loud. Angry.'The Queen of Nice: Such loaded terms, and each
has worked its way into the rhetoric people use when they talk
about O'Donnell. Is she a walking contradiction? Actually, she
says, "Some people think I walk on water. That I'm some sort of
hero. Others think I'm the reason the United States is in crisis,
and that I'm personally responsible for the whole [government]
shutdown. I think people have celebrities in the narrative movie
of their brain: Whatever they want to make true, they make true.
Hero or villain? In the end, you can't believe either one:' Her
rumored rift with Oprah-following
the cancellation of The Rosie
instance, is just that-specula~
Show which aired on OWN-for
tion. And it happens to depart wildly from the truth. But "I do
have a rift with Donald Trump!"-in
case we were wondering.
"If you're a woman and you speak your mind, a feminist and a
lesbian-I think I take all of it with a grain of salt:' Hmm, celebrity
is such a circus, isn't it? "Fame is the impending, glittering disaster;'
she decrees, quoting Boy George. "You know that who you are is
not determined by the narrative of the media:' At the end of every
day, she says, "you come home:'•
OT
I
TIFFANY
LOWANA
AUSTRALIA'S
RUBY
ROSE BY
PHOTOS
BYJAG
CHANNELS
HER
ANDROGYNY
FOR
THELATEST
DENIM
LOOKS.
The out Aussie"It" girl has a couple of new high-profile projectsAroundthe Block,an international feature film co-starring Christina
Ricci,and a fashioncampaign for Jag Jeans.
Rosehas gone on the record about being bullied as a teen,
wrestlingwith depression,and using the art of ink to reclaim
her body identity.As a former model, she is well versed on the
pressuresboth to conform and to change; so, as a guest judge on
Australia'sNext TopModel, she was keen to dispense useful and
affirmingfeedback to contestants."When I was judging, I was just
giving them advice on how to be savvier. I really didn't want to be
judging their appearance or anything else they can't change."
As for the modelingcampaignfor Jag, Rose was pleased to
presenther male and female sides: "Ruby and Reuben!" she
laughs."Reuben'smy alter ego. I dress like a tomboy in my day-today life. We wanted to explorethat. It was heaven. I like being able
to play myself."
When I suggestthat her two personas, Ruby and Reuben, look
like a lesbiancouple, she agrees. "I think they do. It looks like a
femininewoman with a more androgynous female."
Since the iconicAussiedenim brand began its re-launch
strategy with Roseas its star, Jag sales have increased significantly.
'm sure that a lot of those people buying are gay and lesbian,"
says.
And while Rosemight look like she's part of a lesbian couple for
his photo shoot,you'll be pleased to know she's single. "I'm one
of those people who won't be with someone unless I think I'm the
best person I can be at that time." With her fortunes once again
on the rise, it will be interesting to see who next steals the heart of
Ruby Rose.
I
••
I DRESS
LIKE
ATOMBOY
INMY
DAY-TO-DAY
LIFE.
WEWANTED
TO
EXPLORE
THAT.
ITWAS
HEAVEN.
I
LIKE
BEING
ABLE
TOPLAY
MYSELF
.
••
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
49
CURVE
JUSTGOT
TOUGHER.
VIDEO
+
ANIMATION
+
INTERACTIVE 380 DEGREE VIEWS
-
NOW AVAILABLE ON IPAD, ANDROID TABLET, FIRE KINDLE, AND NOOK
,
~
,
,.
(
~-----
,
~=.-
,,.
,,.
-
,
Our ultimate guide to fabulous finds for
everyone on your list.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
51
1.Girl
Crush
Michonne
Racertank
GOODIES
THATGIVEBACK:
The Walking Dead's Michonne is
one badass gal, and now you can
profess your crush on the katanawielding zombie hunter with this
tank. ($25, heruniverse.com)
3.Girls
Inc.
Bistro
Mug
2.The
Public
Zoo
Mobile
Speaker
Smaller than a tennis ball, this
battery powered cord-free
Bluetooth speaker is perfect for
grab-and-go music listening. Plus,
it's s kawaii motif is super-adorable.
($60, bemwireless.com)
This may look like a typical coffee
mug, but its purchase price goes
towards non-profit programs and
mentorships that provide girls
across the country with inspiration
in math, engineering, science and
technology. ($10, girlsinc.org)
4.Steampunk
Switch
Give the simple act of turning
lights on and off Victorian flair with
these mesmerizingly mechanical
switch plates ($40 and up,
uncommongoods.com)
it to make digital copies or all your
records. ($180, crosleyradio.com)
5.Muzik
Headphones
7.Jem
and
She-Ra
Love
Cuff
These high-tech headphones
combine style, superior sound and
social media. Control playback and
share songs to Facebook, Twitter
and more without missing a beat.
($299, muzikofficial.com)
6.Advance
Turntable
Bring your LP collection to life with
this classic turntable. Plus you can use
Queer kids of the '90s: This cuff
will fulfill your Saturday morning
cartoon fantasies in style.
($30, q uevajewel ry.etsy.com)
8.Star
Wars
Death
Star
Tea
Infuser
Inspired by the infamous planetvaporizing space station, this geeky
tea infuser steeps a perfect cup
every time. ($20, thinkgeek.com)
9.Peer
AirWireless
HD
Multimedia
Systemare back for
Share your Blu-ray player and other
video devices with any TV in the house.
Even use your remote controls from the
other room. ($303, peerless-av.com)
another delightfully
disturbing season of this sexy and
terrifying series ($35, amazon.com)
12.Techie
Lezzie
Tee
Divulge your superhero alter ego to
10.Plants
vs.Zombies
Lawn
Ornamentsthe world with this handmade tee that
proudly proclaims your IT saavy.
Bring your lawn to life with these
($20, sashkascomics.etsy.com)
ornaments based on mobile game.
($30 and up, thinkgeek.com)
8,000 songs to choose from!
($70, singingmachine.com)
their homes the ultimate timey-wimey
treatment. ($60, thinkgeek.com)
14.The
Girl
with
the
Dragon
Tattoo
16.Mixtape
Glasses
Graphic
Novels
Relivethe '90s on the rocks with this
set of six write-on tumblers with a retro
kick. ($50, uncommongoods.com)
Stieg Larsson's bisexual hacker Lisbeth
Salander gets reimagined in comic
book form by mystery novelist Denise
Mina (Field of Blood}, with spinetingling results. ($20, amazon.com)
13.The
Singing
Machine
4TV
11.
American
Horror
Story:
Asylum
Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson
This svelte sing-along machine is
Bluetooth enabled and has over
15.Tardis
Door
Covering
For Doctor Who fans looking to give
17.
Math
Equation
Necklace
This mathemagical piece of jewelry
from Patricia Field will have all the
ladies asking for your prime number.
($115, patriciafield.com)
1.Carolyn's
Kitchen
Kitsch
Bordeaux
Apron GOODIES
THAT
GIVE
BACK:
4.Aquafarm
atHome
Aquaponics
Kit
6.Himalayan
Salt
Shot
Glasses
For the sassy, sexy Suzie homomaker, this vintage inspired apron
is must-have culinary couture.
($42, carolynskitchen.com)
Grow your own organic basil,
cilantro or the herb of your
choice, and the fish waste naturally
fertilizes the plants. Genius!
($59, abesmarket.com)
Made from Himalayan pink salt,
these shot glasses will infuse your
tequila with a mild sodium kick-but
won't melt away, even after multiple
uses. ($30, uncommongoods.com)
5.Epicurean
Hipster
Cutting
Boards
7.Bitters
Variety
Pack
Available in mustache, bow tie and
whale shapes, these cutting boards
make the traditional rectangular
variety look so last week.
($35, epicureancs.com)
Liven up your libations with this
selection of six different 1 oz.
bartender's bitters, including
sumptuous Jamaican spices
and cherry bark vanilla.
($56, abesmarket.com)
2.Turntable
Timer
In a world of digital kitchen timers,
here's one that's totally analogand fantastically kitschy. To set
the time, just spin the record.
($15, shopgraffitibeach.com)
3.Complete
Fair
Trade
Gift
Basket
Sweet treats are the best part of the
holidays. This year, go do-gooder
with a Fair Trade gift basket of
gourmet coffees, chocolates, hot
cocoa and farmer tea. Sound
tasty? It also promotes fair and
sustainable trading with the
producers of all the best goodies.
($45, equalexchange.coop)
- CALENDAR
2014Cnsl"'a
de la Madeca
8.Rydis
Vacuum
Cleaner
Robot
10.Tempour
Wine
Chiller
12.2014
L-Calendar
14.Caterpillar
Bud
Vase
Join the vacuum robot revolutionyou won't regret it. Let this little guy
clean up after you while you kick
your feet up. ($299, amazon.com)
Every busy hostess needs a wine
pourer/chiller/filter/aerator, and here
is the all-in-one, time-saving solution.
($50, soireehome.com)
2014's L-calendar from Cristina de
la Madera includes Sapphic black
and white photographs that are
absolutely to die for.
($38, cristinadelamadera.com)
This unique vase can pack six
bouquets of your favorite floral
arrangements in one uninterrupted
series of transparent globes.
($18, uncommongoods.com)
9.Kaigami
Sculptural
Lampshade
11.
Water
Infuser
Bottle
Once you've seen Kaigami's stunning
lampshades you'll never look at a
lighting fixture the same way.
($29-109, kaigami.com)
What a sweet prezzie to unwrap, and
it'll look great tied up in some tissue
paper and a bow. The flavor infuser
water bottle makes delicious fruitinfused water, ready to take on the
go. ($15, uncommongoods.com)
13.Trompe
roeil
Headboard
Decals
15.How
toChoose
Wine
Print
Bring modern art to the bedroom
without breaking the bank thanks to
these cool headboard wall decals
from Scandinavian designers CAMA.
($35, houzz.com)
Follow this clever print's advice to
become a Sapphic sommelier in no
time. ($25, winefolly.com)
1.Hell
Bunny
Millie
Coat
femme in your life, size zero to 36.
4.Happy
Christmas
Gift
Set
6.Mykronoz
ZeBracelet
Keep curvy gals cozy this holiday
with this military inspired coat from
the lesbian owned and operated
plus size boutique Re/Dress.
($168, redressnyc.com)
($60 and up, eshakti.com)
There's no better time of the year to
spoil someone with LUSH bath treats.
Our pick: The Happy Christmas gift
set, which includes our holiday faves
Celebrate lotion and Sandy Santa
body butter. (lushusa.com)
A modern accessory for the techsaavy fashionista, this smartwatch
does a whole lot more than tell the
time. It also connects to Bluetoothenabled devices allowing you to
listen to music and even reject calls.
($94, mykronoz.com)
2.eShakti
Dress
Who says butches get to have all the
bespoke fun? With eShakti you are
guaranteed a dress that fits just like
it was made for you-because it was!
Available in hundreds styles this is
the perfect gift for the fashionable
GOODIES
THAT
GIVE
BACK:
3.Giving
Keys
Never
Ending
Necklace
Made from a repurposed key and
engraved with a word of hope,
the idea is to one day pass it on to
someone who needs it more than
you. Proceeds go toward creating
opportunities for those transitioning
out of homelessness. Give the
gift that pays it forward. ($55,
thegivingkeys.com)
5.Doc
Martens
Mary
Janes
Think Mary Janes are too twee? Think
again! Doc Martens presents a pair
with edge for the fierce high-femme
who appreciates comfy feet.
($125, dmusastore.com)
7.Arch
Tags
Bling Tags transform regular heels
into shiny designer footwear. They
can be changed up from color to
color. Sparkly! ($22, archtags.com)
~.,
..;
~~-e
....
~~,
"-
~~---._;.;
-
'~
8.La
Trappistine
Leggings
10.Bloody
Necklace
12.Chromat
Crown
Make her legs a work of art, literally,
with Black Milk's Mucha inspired
leggings. Nouveau chic! ($75,
blackmilkclothing.com)
Designer Joel Escalona's
sterling silver necklace channels
the dark side of beauty. Macabre?
Maybe. Fierce? Oh, yes!
($299, touchofmodern.com)
This lesbian-designed vogue
crown headband from Chromat is
simple and bold, perfect for the
queen of your Christmas list.
($63, chromatgarments.com)
9.Love
You
SoJournal
Dear diary, we love this journal!
Featuring beautiful lesbian art, it's
the perfect place to record all your
lesbian love poems-step aside
Sappho. ($22, istriadesign.etsy.com)
11.
Latex
Floral
Crown
The Autumn Floral Crown from
Vanity Cage is hand-made from
latex and is equal parts sweet and
sultry-we're declaring it the musthave accessory this year! ($45,
va nitycage.etsy.com)
13.Femme
Fatale
Necklace
Feeling femme-visible or know
someone who is? Give them a
fighting chance with this feisty
necklace from lesbian jewelry
maker Sasha Lotrian. Only
bad girls need apply. ($65,
cardcarryinglesbian.etsy.com)
14.Villa
Bamboo
Sunglasses
She'll wear her Villa Bamboo
shades to the shore, to the store
and everywhere else she ends up.
We're crazy for these chic yet
rustic bamboo sunglasses-and
they're hand-crafted to boot.
($130, shopgraffitibeach.com)
1.Umbra
Fish
Hotel
Your fish deserve to live in a chic,
five star hotel. These designer
tanks look super modern and to
top it all off, they stack!
($35, wag.com)
2.Fox
Flats
Who wouldn't appreciate a little
foxy footwear? Which is why we are
gaga for Modcloth's Ever So Sweet
Flats. ($58, modcloth.com)
GOODIES
THAT
GIVE
BACK:
3.Sierra
Club
Support ongoing wilderness
projects across the countryand the critters who live in them.
Donations go toward protecting
wild places from the Arctic to
the Adirondacks and everywhere
in between. ($20 and up,
sierraclub.org)
4.Cat
Tote
6.Zee.Dog
Pet
Accessories
Modcloth's adorable Look What
the Cat Bagged in Tote is the must
have accessory for friends of feline
nation. ($40, modcloth.com)
Keep Fido and Fluffy looking fierce
in these stylish accessories from
Zee.Dog. Our pick for a sassy
Lassie is the matching collar and
leash in the Candy Bar motif.
($14 and up, zee-dog.com)
5.Punk
Pet
Beanie
For the fashion-forward animal
lover with a bit of edge, Domino
Doll house's adorably eared knit
beanie is sure to keep you cozy.
($25, dominodollhouse.com)
7.Bambu
Hammock
Form meets function in this
hammock designed to relieve
stress on your furry friend's joints.
($199, petloungestudios.com)
8.Cats
Tweed
Skirt
10.Bone
Bons
12.Super
Mario
Cat
Complex
eShakti's bespoke skirt is the
purrfect addition to any cat
lover's closet. ($130, eshakti.com)
Spoil your pup with a Bone Bans
gift box-holiday treats made just
for them. ($17, abesmarket.com)
9.Hex
Cat
Night
light
11.Feminist
Cat
Pendant
You love video games, your cat
loves to climb over everythingbring your passions together
with this Super Mario Bros.
inspired cat complex. ($190,
catastrophicreations.etsy.com)
Classy, sassy and bright the Hex
Cat Stained Glass Night Light is
the cutest way possible to avoid
stubbed toes in the dark.
($40, westernartglass.etsy.com)
Cat fancying goes riot grrrl
with this adorable pendant
from Black Cat Creative! ($20,
blackcatcreative.etsy.com)
13.Pop
ArtPet
Portrait
Is your furry friend's face a work
of art? Have it immortalized
in a custom painting by queer
artist Rachel Fisher. These one
of a kind pop art prints will class
up any joint. ($350 and up,
rachelspetpaintings.etsy.com)
14.Omega
Cats
Wallpaper
Whimsy meets interior design
with Sanderson's Omega Cat
Wallpaper. A great idea for
the purrfect accent wall.
($76, wallpaperdirect.com)
-
~~
_,
rio,;uf\
~;• TYCOON
re
1
1.Wild
Things
Fox
Dress
Turn your little kiddo into a
woodland cutie with Wild Thing
Dresses' fox faced embellished
pinafore dress. Adorably
detailed with clawed pockets and
floral lining, its a suitably special
dress for your foxy little one.
($60, wildthingsdresses.etsy.com)
2.Mysterio
Predicts
Shirt
Why wait for your kid to grow up to
learn their destiny when Mysterio
can tell you now? Options include
v-~--
*
Prize Poodle Breeder, Double Agent,
Lottery Winner, Soap Opera Villain
and more. ($15, wrybaby.com)
GOODIES
THAT
GIVE
BACK:
3.The
Healthy
Baby
Bundle
This year, give the gift that any
mother would value most: a
healthy child. Free the Children's
Healthy Baby Bundle provides
vitamins, immunizations and
pre and post-natal check-ups to
women and babies who really
need them. ($100, metowe.com)
4.Loog
Guitar
6.Farmaesthetics
Gift
Set
A beginner instrument with a twist,
this three-string guitar comes
unassembled so you can customize,
build and fall in love with it together,
before a single string is played.
($199, loogguitars.com)
Spoil brand-new baby mamas with
this set of luxurious all-natural
products to pamper her face,
belly, breasts and body.
($57, farmaesthetics.com)
7.Doodle
Pants
5.Easy-Bake
Oven
Who doesn't have fond memories
of baking fresh brownies in this
classic toy? Plus, it's now available
in a gender-neutral black!
($55, hasbro.com)
The cutest leggings for toddlers
we've ever seen! Available in
a variety designs including
mustaches, owls, cupcakes
and frogs, oh my! ($12 and up,
doodlepants.com)
8.Cricut
mini
10.Modern
Family
Baby
Book
city, Godzilla style. Let the
12.
Preggatinls:
Mixology
forthe
Mom-to-Be
Crafty moms will go crazy for
this little powerhouse die cutting
machine that takes artistic endeavors
to the next level. $100, cricut.com)
Made specifically for same-sex parent
families, this book captures life's most
amazing moments, from the birth of
your baby and beyond. ($105,
modernfamilybabybook.etsy.com)
Moms-to-be can kick tediously tipple
free holiday celebrations to the curb
with the tasty teetotaler recipe book
Preggatinis: Mixology for the Momto-Be featuring cocktails that are
heavy on the fruit juice and alcoholfree. ($13 amazon.com)
9.Chill
Baby
Volume
Pacifier
This cute and clever pacifier is just
the thing when you wish baby would
dial it down a notch. Now if they
could only get it to work for real!
($10, unique-vintage.com)
11.
Personalized
Cameo
Pendant
Memorialize your child's precious
punim with a personalized cameo.
Created from a profile photo of your
child, it's a unique and beautiful
keepsake you'll cherish forever.
($20, onceagainsam.etsy.com)
13.Attack
ofthe50FtBaby
Stacking
Blocks
Your little monsters will have a blast
building and destroying their own
baby-pocalypse begin!
($20, wrybaby.com)
14.Honie
Mug
Cardigan
Lesbian-owned Little Figs has
cornered the market on little cutie
couture, and this cardigan will have
your little tyke ringing in the season
with style. ($23, littlefigs.com)
ukJi
1.Tactical
BBQ
Apron
3.OlTHEONE
Artist
Series
Watch
5.Wooden
Bow
Tie
7.The
Man
Ring
Are you serious about grilling? We
mean really serious? Show it with
an apron that holds everything you
could possibly need-and probably
more. ($35, thinkgeek.com)
Tired of traditional timepieces?
These watches serve double duty as
works of pop art, telling time with
unique binary LED displays.
($279, amazon.com)
What's a more striking fashion
statement than a bowtie? Try a lasercut wooden one on for size and lead
a new butch style revolution.
($20, havokdesigns.etsy.com)
Make the Swiss Army green with
envy with this rugged titanium utility
ring that hides a comb, straight blade,
serrated blade, bottle opener and
saw. ($385, boonerings.etsy.com)
2.Leather
Double
Wrap
Bracelet
4.Frank
Lloyd
Wright
Card
Holder
6.The
Bartenders's
Tool
Box
8.Theraht
Shoes
Stylish and eye-catching, $4 from
every purchase of this double wrap
bracelet goes to the HRC in support
of the continued fight for equality.
($20, hopeloveequality.etsy.com)
Combine style and function with
these gleaming brass business card
cases etched with artwork by the
timeless American designer Frank
Lloyd Wright. ($44, maclinstudio.com)
There's the right tool for every job,
and in this case it's making drinks in
the most rugged way possible: with
a hammer bottle opener, screwdriver
corkscrew and more.
($30, thinkgeek.com)
Designed with comfort in mind,
these stylish sneakers are also
customizable thanks to three
removable comfort adapters that
allow you to tailor their feel to your
activity. ($95, therafitshoe.com)
9.Withings
Smart
Scale
11.
Wildfang
Hell
Bent
Moto
Jacket
13.Sync
Fitness
Bum
This is the perfect solution for
the health-conscious lesbian,
allowing multiple users to sync up
measurements and weight loss
results straight to their smartphones.
($100, brookstone.com)
Channel your inner wild child
with this tough-looking leather
motorcycle jacket that says "go
ahead, mess with me ...if you dare."
($598, wildfang.com)
If you're looking to stay in top shape,
this smartwatch can help. It tracks
your heart rate and movement, so
you get a highly accurate account of
calories burned via a helpful display.
($100, bestbuy.com)
10.Nutcase
Helmets
Who says protecting your dome has to
be drab? These brain-saving helmets
come in dozens of styles, from hot
pink to a watermelon for your, er,
melon. ($60, nutcasehelmets.com)
12.MOBIC
Life
rJPortable
Folding
Bike
Put bike thieves out of business with
this unique folding bike. Why lock
your two-wheeler up outside when
you can put it in a bag and carry it
with you? ($595, mobicbikes.com)
14.Gun
Holster
Boyshorts
For the bad girl in need of boxer
briefs, we're hot and bothered for
the sexy gunslinger themed chonies
from Girls Like Boys. Bull's-eye!
($17, girlslikeboysny.etsy.com)
SHE'STHE FRESHESTFACEin the lesbian indie takeover but you may think you've seen her somewhere before. As one
unsuspecting member of the public says on her web series, The
Newer Girl in Apt. 33 Who Actually Kissed a Girl in a Catwoman
Suit, "I recognize you, I just don't know from where:' Matthews
has a very "now" look, with her impish demeanor and long dark
hair and Bettie Page-ish bangs. Who does she look like:' "Katy
fucking Perry;' says another interviewee. And Zooey Deschanel
and Krysten Ritter and Anne Hathaway. The Newer Girl follows
Matthews up and down Hollywood Boulevard on her quest to
fame, or some kind of notoriety. Along the way it showcases her
zany fashion sense, people skills and her gift for improvisation. It
was this vlog, with its impromptu wisecracks (such as Matthews
pointing out her nail polish "in memory of Katy Perry. Not
memory, she's still alive, whatever ... ") that caught the eye of director
Rolla Selbak, who noted Matthews' quirky sense of humor, confidence and edge-not to mention her stunning looks-and cast
her as the sex tape director Jen in her new web series
Kiss Her I'm Famous.
"With Ilea, I needed someone talented, energetic
and smart to fill the role of Jen (who's a handful in the
series!) I was looking for someone with great comedic timing, but who also exuded sincerity. Honestly,
I just feel so lucky to have plucked her when I did,
because it's only a matter of time before her comet
skyrockets:'
Matthews, who hails from Folsom (of Johnny
Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" fame), has always wanted
to be plucked from obscurity. She's wanted to be an
actor since she was in elementary school. In fact,
when her parents asked her what she wanted for
her birthday, she asked to visit the Baywatch set in
L.A. "It was completely a lesbian thing. Yasmine
Bleeth was absolutely beautiful, and she wasn't even
there the day I was there! She was my crush;' recalls
Matthews, sighing. "From then on it was, 'I gotta get
to Hollywood:"
Matthews, who can trace her sexual identity back
to when she was 5 years old, is a selridentified gold
star lesbian (she has never slept with a man). "Most of the time
people think I'm straight;' she admits. She is happy to play
straight or gay, as long as she is not pigeonholed by casting. "A
straight person can play gay but a gay person can't play straight.
I don't know what that line is;' she says. "But I think we're getting more open-minded about it. I'm out and proud and I have
fun with it:' Matthews made it a priority to come out professionally when she began her role in Kiss Her I'm Famous. "I
definitely wanted the community to know that I am part of it;'
she says. "And it's really important to teens who may have no
other role models:'
Acknowledging her feminine appearance, she recalls some
femme discrimination in the community. "I had some people tell
me that I wouldn't find love unless I was butch or liked butch.
That's really not who I am though. I've been fighting my entire life
to be me. Why would I go back into not being met
And as it turns out, Matthews has found love with another
femme. "I met her at a gay bar. She was the bartender. My friend
64
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
was like, 'Go hit on her .. .' I was like, 'My god, that is what I want
right there: Two months later she walked into the bar and kind of
cocked her head at me and I was, J\ll right, it's show time!'" So I
went to say hi and she said, 'You look like Jenny from The L Word'
and I said, 'But I'm not a cutter' and she laughed:'
That was three years ago and they've been inseparable ever
since-they're
engaged to be married. "I feel very fortunate to
have her;' says Matthews. And she also feels fortunate to be part
of the indie web revolution, where lesbian web series are being
made more easily and frequently due to cheaper and better technology. "There are a lot of people out there who want to tell their
stories and don't need a big budget anymore:'
A fan oflesbian filmmaking since she came out at 18, Matthews
remembers the handful of iconic films we all gravitated to, but
now, she says, there are more options, especially in the gay world.
"People are very inspired to know that they can be a filmmaker
themselves:'
•
ILEA
MATTHEW'S
QUIRKY,
SMOKING
HOT
STAR
ISONTHERISE.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
And because of this trend, whomever you think Ilea Matthews
looks like, you'll be seeing a lot more of her. She'll continue with
The Newer Girl, and with Kiss Her I'm Famous, as well as mainstream projects.
"Not only is she a highly, supremely talented actor;' says
Rollbak, "her being loud and proud is just the refreshing drink
we need to quench our thirst for dynamic, visible lesbians making
it happen:'
As well as the next season of Kiss Her I'm Famous, Matthews
can now be seen on Fox's Dads, and appearing in hit shows like
Greys Anatomy. And keep your eyes peeled for her role in an
indie film in which she plays a zombie slayer. Now that'll be a
character worth watching, and one that I doubt Katy, Zooey,
Krysten or Anne has the chops for. •
FEATUREstCOVER
ST
GIRLSON
FILM
Could you create a lesbian sex
tape with your best friend?
By Sarita Ramirez
There's no denying it: we live in the sex tape age, when
what once would have been a career-ending scandal
has become the shortcut to fame and fortune. It was this
cultural phenomenon that inspired Rolla Selbak, writer
and director of highly-acclaimed film Three Veils,to create
Kiss Her I'm Famous. This series follows best friends
Mandy and Jen who, after going through bad breakups,
decide to produce their own sex tape in the hopes of
finding fame. It stars The Real L Word's Tracy Ryerson
and Ilea Matthews from The Violent Kind.
Mandy, played by Ryerson, is an introverted, quiet
girl, and although she's more reserved, she's not afraid
to express her feelings. Jen, played by Matthews, is the
firecracker of the duo. She's unafraid to jump headfirst
into situations, but buries her frustration with distractions and new goals. As we've already alluded to, her
goal involves a celebrity sex tape.
Matthews serves up more details on her character, Jen,
and what's to come for the upcoming second season.
"She was very ballsy [in season one] and very 'Ahhh!';'
comments the beautiful and energetic brunette. "In
season two, however, she's a lot more relatable. She's
experiencing new things and going through life."
In season one, viewers had an idea about Mandy's
(Ryerson) sexuality, what with her break-up with her girlfriend and her refusal to have a male partner opposite
her in the sex tape. But what about Jen's sexuality? On
screen, we're shown she had a relationship with a man,
but the chemistry between Jen and Mandy is too great
to ignore. "Jen isn't really someone who uses labels to
define her sexuality because she goes wherever her
heart takes her," explains Matthews. As far as Jen and
Mandy's relationship goes, she admits, "I think people
like the chemistry between us. And that is still pretty
much there.
"I'm a big ol' lezzie and love the ladies, always have,"
she admits, laughing, sharing that she lives in West Hollywood with her beautiful fiancee, Briana Alfaro.
Season one of Kiss Her I'm Famous ended with a
cliffhanger with Jen and Mandy just about to film the
much-anticipated tape. Currently in post-production of
season two, we're excited to find out how the tape plays
out. Meanwhile, watch the first season of Kiss Her I'm
Famous at tellofilms.com. •
66
CURVE
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2013
FRESH
SQUEEZED
Oronge Juice in Bishop's Gorden brinQs
back '90s QrunQe.
By Dina F. Gilmore
Web series wunderkind Otessa Ghadar is a former the-
Her hometown of D.C. plays an integral part in the series, which is
oretical physics and math major, who boldly switched
set in the '90s grunge era on the threshold of the Internet age. Against
gears in college to pursue her childhood dream of film
this backdrop, the series delivers thought-provoking,
studies. Ghadar admits, "My family originally had some
life situations surrounding drugs, dating, coming out and first loves.
reservations about the switch since my career path was
Ghadar gave life to a variety of characters that each embody a piece of
yet honest, real-
a learning curve in the beginning, but I now have the
her personality, she says, but admits resonating the closest with Sarah,
gift of their complete support." She attributes growing
who we're introduced to in the first scene of episode one. "Building
up in Washington, D.C., and surrounded by a support-
the character of Sarah and developing her storyline with the actress
ive community, with the fact that gender identity was
Ellen Winter was a really powerful
neveranissueforher.
and meaningful experience," says
Ghadar created Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden
Ghadar.
(OJBG), which premiered online in 2007 and follows
Ghadar, also a human rights and
the diverse lives of American teens searching to find
LGBT activist, envisions creating
their voice while navigating issues such as sexuality,
safe space for all identities through
bullying and peer pressure. Ghadar created the series
an evolved medium she believes
to empower LGBT youth across the world and build
can be the voice of untold stories.
non-traditional
With her work, she says, "nothing
families. OJBG encourages viewers to
embrace freedom of expression and tolerance for all
is taboo, nothing too personal, or
identities. Ghadar believes that "sometimes the things
impossible to change."
that make us different or [the things that] we consider
a flaw are actually our strengths."
Get caught up on on OJBG at
orangejuiceinbishopsgarden.com.
•
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
67
Alisha Spielmann always considered herself a stage actor. From her love
for the theater to her self-identified "loud facial expressions," the theater
made a great home for her. She pursued her degree in music and theater at St. Olaf's College and, after losing everything within a year-job,
"I think we're verging on a giant transition in tele-
She was cast in a few productions and eventually she found herself acting
vision," Spielmann says of the show's online medium.
beside Rachael Hip-Flores, best known as Vivian from the beloved web-
"It gives us the ability to tell more stories." This shift in
series Anyone But Me. It was through this connection that Spielmann
mediums gives the queer community stories that oper-
became involved with Producing Juliet, the latest project from the same
ate outside of the mainstream just like we do. "The
woman who brought us Anyone But Me-writer,
show is accessible because it's about people. There's
producer and direc-
tor Tina Cesa Ward. This time she's set out to tell a story about the
not one person who won't relate to someone on the
chaotic beauty that spurs from casting outside what you're used to in
show." (producingjuliet.com)
favor of the unknown-an
idea
with which Spielmann seems
pretty familiar.
When we first meet Rebecca,
Spielmann's character, she is
a woman whose relationship
with a stage actor is leaving
her unfulfilled. "Rebecca is at
that point in her open relation-
"I think we're veq~in~ on a
~iant transition in television,"
Spielmann says of the show's
online medium. "It ~ives us the
ability to tell more stories."
ship where she needs an exclusive commitment from her girlfriend or
she needs to walk away," says Spielmann. It is in this moment of discontent that Rebecca meets Juliet, a struggling playwright played by
Hip-Flores. After the two bond over coffee, Rebecca decides to take
a plunge, leaving her corporate job behind and, despite having no experience, agreeing to produce Juliet's latest work. Despite the obvious
connections between Spielmann and her character, playing Rebecca is
a new experience for the actor, as it is her first permanent on-camera
role. "One of the most exciting things for me is that I'm playing a char-
68
acter for more than just one story," she describes.
moved to New York to pursue a theater career.
car, you name it-she
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
•
~ WEBSERIES1
\BOOM
r a being
can have." That's
crazy, crude and
Women's Lacrosse Team. A former
access to focus on the challenges
(karlyandalex.com) •
1
a WEB SERIES
BOOM
for me to grasp. Nancylee was asking me,
nine years ago, if I had any issues playing
a lesbian. And I said, 'No. Christina's really
pretty. She's a sexy woman-I'd
kiss her.' "
"I believe in chemistry," Cox adds. "In the
actors, and the characters they play. Sometimes passion on screen can come from
hate-and while that can be good, the kind
of passion needed in a relationship like Nikki
and Nora's can't just be acted into existence.
PARTNERS
IN
CRIMEFIGHTING
It needs to already be there."
Cox is also a straight actor playing a les-
bian, but she's used to portraying strong-
and often deep-women.
"There were a lot
of shows and gay characters I was offered,
after Better Than Chocolate," she says. "There
Ahead of its time, The N&N Files was brouQht to life by
popular demand. By Amanda Guilford
were less people willing to be portrayed as
Strong female leads are thankfully not as
character's sexual preference is secondary.
While it never hit television, it seemed
gay in the industry, so often fearing some sort
of stereotype may be attached. To me, the
rare as they once were in film and televi-
destined that the pilot would find a home-
Do I identify with this character? Do I like the
sion. Writers, directors and actors continue
and it did, on YouTube. As Nikki and Nora
story? Am I connecting with this character's
to create a broader selection of roles por-
investigated the pilot episode's murder of
journey and do I have something to offer?"
traying women who are not only strong,
a wealthy socialite and maneuvered the
but caring in their on-screen relationships.
tricky depths of undercover
It seems both Vassey and Cox are able to
work, fans
bring to Nikki and Nora the qualities need-
for
investigated a way to bring the series to
ed to satisfy a legion of fans. The N&N Files
something new was passed up. Nikki and
television screens around the world. The
is finally poised to find its place among the
Nora was a pilot revolving around two wom-
passion of countless fans ultimately inspired
LGBT community and make a lasting mark
en, partners-in
an lndiegogo campaign that brought to life
on our lives with its characters' stories.•
In 2004, however, an opportunity
more than one sense-in
the Special Crimes Unit of the New Orleans
The N&N Files, a re-imagined
Police Department. Pitched to now defunct
web series carrying on where
network UPN, Nikki and Nora's portrayal of
2004's Nikki and Nora left off.
Nikki Beaumont and Nora Delaney (played
We spoke with Liz Vassey and
by Liz Vassey and Christina Cox) had the
Christina Cox, stars of The N&N
two women chasing down criminals in a
Files, which is the newest series
pre-Hurricane Katrina setting, all the while
from South of Nowhere co-exec-
dealing with the difficulty of keeping their
utive producer Nancylee Myatt.
relationship under wraps. While the idea of
Vassey was the first to fill us in
crime fighting partners becoming lovers is
on her thoughts about being a
anything but new, had Nikki and Nora been
straight actor filling
picked up by UPN it would have broken
role. "Love is love is love," says
new ground at a time when same-sex rela-
Vassey, the spirit of Nikki clear in
tionships were rare on network television.
her voice. "None of this is hard
70
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
a lesbian
WEBSERIES
BOOM
LESGIRLS
Sharp, funny and painfully awkward,
Little Horribles Amy York Rubin is just
the lovable underdoQ you've been
missinQ. By Francesca Lewis
1
Some people are creative, while others are more talented at bringing the creativity
of others to life-or so popular wisdom goes. Amy York Rubin's company, Barnacle
Studios, relies upon this very idea, matching talented people with those able to
help bring their vision to life. It's ironic then that Rubin herself blows the whole
idea out of the water.
With her new web series, Little Horribles, Rubin has proven that she is not only
an amazing facilitator of the dreams of others, but has an impressive array of
talents and ideas of her own. Writing, directing and starring in the series-despite
having never acted before-Rubin
admits that she wanted to make something
in her own voice. "Sometimes it's exhausting to only produce and create for
someone else:'
Little Horribles is a series of darkly comedic vignettes depicting the awkward
everyday experiences of a young queer woman. Across the media, comparisons
to Lena Dunham's Girls abound, since they both feature an honest, unadulterated
portrayal of the less glamorous side of being human. However, it might make more
sense to compare Little Horribles to Louis CK's Louie. With a sense of humor that
Rubin describes as sympathetic, the show's tone is affectionate and non-judging.
"I think most of us can see ourselves or our own insecurities in those situations"
she says, "and the pain or [discomfort] of it all requires us to laugh, because otherwise we'd just be crying all the time."
not just a total asshole. And sometimes there is a fine line:'
The central character may share a first
Unlike other lesbian web series where the plots derive
name with her creator, but Rubin says they
from the characters' sexualities, LH is less focused on les-
are not exactly the same person. "The show is
bian issues. "I think the character's sexuality is definitely
definitely not a documentary, but it's also very
part of who she is and the type of relationships, insecuri-
much pulled from my own experiences and
ties and fears that she has," Rubin explains, "but ultimate-
perspectives," she says. Little Horribles' Amy
ly I think very little about the show is about being gay:'
is a lovable underdog and Rubin insists she
Still, a show featuring gay characters is very relevant to
wants us to laugh with her. "I think I work hard
the queer community. As Rubin says, "It's just nice to see
to make sure Amy is a relatable character and
a gay or lesbian character exist." (/ittlehorribles.com) •
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
71
traveled to Prague during its
August 2013 Pride celebrations
to moderate two panel discussions-on the importance of being
out in politics and in businessand these were in addition to a round
table conference with Czech NGOs on the
LGBT oppression in Russia. If that sounds
like an ambitiously serious programming
component at what is usually a rainbowflag-and-sequin-bedecked summer spectacle
replete with friendly extroverted queers,
you must remember that the Czech Republic
found itself in a unique situation this year.
As President Putin consolidated Russia's image as the most xenophobic and
homophobic country in Europe, other
parts of Central Europe seized the opportunity to distinguish themselves from
their Slavic neighbor. The Czech Republic, a land-locked nation that had endured
a history of political oppression at the
hands of despots and communists until
recently-1989-has
no intention of abandoning its now peaceful and egalitarian
way of life. So it was vital, during this
Pride, that organizers open up a discussion on the importance of being out
and authentic, even though most Czechs
would rather just get back to one of their
many fine beers, or a good game of football.After my Coming Out in Politics
panel, which asked why there were no out
politicians in the Czech Republic, and the
I
IBM Business Forum, which encouraged
local businesses to promote workplace diversity, I felt like I had a better handle on
this sophisticated city as a "pink'' and progressive part of Europe. Attendees took
the proceedings seriously too, and it was
heartening to see the youngest members
of the audience as the most invested in the
discussions. When my work was done, I
joined in the Pride festivities, including
exhibitions on coming out and transgender
identities, fashion shows, art installations,
dance parties (Prague has a number of
very good LGBT and mixed nightclubs),
and a very well-attended parade through
the city streets, into the lovely Old Town,
down to the River Vltava, and across one
of its many beautiful bridges to an outdoor festival at Letenske sady. All these
events spanned seven days and were on
an impressive scale for a Pride that is only
three years young.
I stayed at the lnterContinental Prague
(intercontinental.com/Prague), which was
stylish, roomy and well-equipped, and has
fabulous pool and spa facilities. It also put
me right in the heart of the action, and is
within easy walking distance of the major
sights, museums, and good restaurants
(the lnterContinental itself has fabulous
food-from
its sumptuous daily breakfast to its very special chef's table). As a
first-time visitor to Prague, you can just
wander the crooked streets and discover
it for yourself, or you can take a walking
tour with Prague4Gay. This is sightseeing
made for us, and Petr Prokopik, the director, is a warm and friendly presence who
knows every gem of the city-from
the
best shopping in the museum district, to
the magic and mystery of the Jewish quarter with its historic synagogues, souvenir
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
73
shops and the hauntingly beautiful cemetery. There are plenty of places along the
way to stop off and sample Czech culinary
delights, for example at an Art Nouveau or
Cubist cafe, such as the Grand Cafe Orient
for a piece of Czech cake, to a quintessentially Czech pub such as The Golden
Tiger. It was at this pub, which is popular
with celebrities and dignitaries as well as
with tourists and locals, that Petr and I
discussed Czech history and culture over
mugs of good and cheap Pilsner Urquell
(which keep arriving at your table until
you tell the servers to stop).
I like the Czechs: They remind me of
Australians in their laid-back, live-andlet-live ethos, their preference for a good
tavern over a church, and their mistrust of
authority. Just the people to stand up to
Putin (the "Putinmyass" T-shirt was a hit
at Prague Pride this year!) and insist that,
far from being persecuted, LG BT folk are
an essential part of the national identity,
even if the Czechs are only now starting to
talk about it openly. (praguepride.com) •
74
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
T
he lesbian travel company Sweet has chosen
Puerto Vallarta, along the beaches of Mexico's
"Rainbow Riviera," as one of its favorite travel
destinations of the year.
Sweet, with its mission to create meaningful travel experiences for women, has
found the perfect way to reach that goal,
combining exciting adventures with opportunities to make a difference.
The secret is in its hybrid formula: Mix
exotic locations, adventurous excursions,
and live entertainment with large-hearted,
eco-friendly volunteer projects in local
communities. The reactions have been
phenomenal.
"It's been so much more than I expected;'
said Sue Steirer of Napa, Cali£, who attended Sweet Puerto Vallarta last spring. "It
has all the things you'd expect from a nice
vacation. But the volunteer projects have
really made this special. Everyone involved
with this has been so friendly. Honestly, it's
felt more like an awesome summer camp.
I'll definitely be back:'
So, does that sound like something
you'd spend a week's worth of your hardearned vacation on:' You bet it does.
Here's what to expect: Sweet vacations
take place around the world in exotic locations as varied as Kenya and Cancun. In
Puerto Vallarta, Sweet is beachside at the
five-star Hard Rock Hotel.
Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Hard
Rock's grounds are exquisite,boasting two
pools with swim-up bar, a large outdoor
Jacuzzi, excellent restaurants, a spa and a
band-shell amphitheater-all
just steps
away from the beach.
A quick traveler's tip: In Mexico, hotels
are rated differently than they are in the
States. The hotel rating system is called
"Stars and Diamonds:' Hotels may qualify to rate one to five stars or diamonds,
diamond ratings being the highest, according to Frommer's. So the Hard Rock's
five stars are good, but do manage your
expectations.
That said, the rooms are a bit small but
the amenities are exceptional-from
the
private in-room hot tubs for two, which
are standard in each suite, to the comfy
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
75
TURES/
TRAVEL
white robes and slippers. Step out onto
your room's Juliet balcony to take your
morning coffee overlooking the sea.
But don't linger too long, because Sweet
has organized a diverse itinerary of activities for you to choose from, a la carte. So
plan ahead and make sure you sign up for
all the events that are on your must-do list.
Volunteer activities have included the
Animal Shelter Project, eco-friendly tree
planting, and helping to build a community children's library.
For the adventure seeker, explore the
gorgeous waters of the Baja Peninsula on
a chartered sailboat excursion. If you're a
land-lover, you can go ATV riding through
the red-dust mountain trails. You can even
dare fate by zip lining over lush jungle canopies. No matter what gets your heart
racing, there are plenty of options to satisfy the adrenaline junkie in you.
After feeding your soul with good works
and daring adventures, you can retreat to
the hotel for some much-deserved pampering. Feast at one of the Hard Rock
Hotel's tasty restaurants or just wet your
whistle at a spacious swim-up pool bar.
And don't forget to treat yourself to a relaxing massage at the spa.
In the evening, the Sweeties come together at the amphitheater for a night of
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CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
entertainment underneath the stars. Brandi
Carlile, Edie Carey, Jen Foster, and Nata~
lia Zuckerman are some of the musicians
who have been featured. Funny ladies
Shann Carr and Jennie McNulty are just
a couple of the comics who've brought on
the laughs.
And if you still aren't ready to call it
a night... Throw on your dancing shoes
because the after~parties are just getting
started! Night owls can dance the night
away right at the hotel. But get your rest,
Sweeties, because tomorrow is another
full day.
If you are looking to spread your wings
and break from the pack, head out and
explore the local villages along the Riv~
iera Nayarit, all within an hour of Puerto
Vallarta.
For the brave, rent a car and wind your
way up the mountainous jungle highway
to the surf town of Sayulita. It's about a
30~minute drive from the hotel, but a
world away from resort life. Buzzing with
locals, expat hippies, families and surf
enthusiasts, Sayulita is off the beaten
path and a great place to spend an after~
noon.
Stop by Naty's Cocina and indulge in
one (or three) of its famous $1 marlin
tacos. Locals love it. Tourists love it. And
your wallet loves it, too. Then kick back
under a beach umbrella and watch the
surfers ride the waves, or hop on one your~
self. Why not?
If shopping is more your thing, the
bustling village of Bucerias is about a
20~minute drive from the hotel and offers
the best of both worlds. The north side of
town is the traditional arts district, or Old
Town. It's filled with local artists and shops
selling unique indigenous creations. Get
lost in the market rows, searching for your
treasures. Then stay for an evening on the
south side, or New Town, known for its
happening nightlife, bars and live music.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
77
TURES/
TRAVEL
2013 STATEMENTOF OWNERSHIP
Don't want to rent a car? Hop on a local
bus and head downtown to Puerto Vallarta. With the five o'clock shadow of the
mountains as its backdrop, downtown
Puerto Vallarta is less quaint and more
gritty-urban. There are a few gay bars,
which the locals are happy to point you
toward. And for the very adventurous,
there's no shortage of strip clubs along the
main drag.
A mix of old and new, modern coffee
houses and upscale restaurants mingle alongside small Modeloramas (beer
stands) and mom-and-pop shops. For
souvenirs, the shops sell colorful woven
dresses, jewelry and art. Or buy the traditional souvenir that locals have been
offering the tourist since the 1960s: dried
78
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
armadillos, frogs and snakes!
If you prefer your animals alive, be sure
to pop into Vallarta Adventures and seize
the chance to swim with the dolphins.
And all this is just a five-minute bus ride
from the Sweeties' home base at the Hard
Rock Hotel.
All in all, Sweet vacations and Puerto
Vallarta offer a well-rounded, exciting
and meaningful experience. Make some
memories, give back to the earth and
come back home again a better person.
( discoversweet.com) •
Publication Title: Curve.
Publication No.: 0010-355.
Filing Date: Oct 1, 2013
Issue Frequency: Monthly except
bi-monthly Jan/Feb and July/Aug.
Number of Issues Published Annually: 10
Annual Subscription Price: $59.90
Complete Mailing Address: PO Box 467
New York NY 10034.
Contact Person: Silke Bader
Telephone: (415) 871-0569
Publisher: Silke Bader PO Box 467 New
York NY 10034
Editor: Merryn Johns PO Box 467 New York
NY 10034
Managing Editor: Rachel Shatto PO Box
467 New York NY 10034
Owner(s): Avalon Media LLC Po Box 467
New York NY 10034
Silke Bader PO Box 467 New York NY
10034
Publication Title: Curve. Issue Date for
Circulation Data: Nov 26. Extent and Nature
of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each
Issue During Preceding 12 Months: A) Total
No. Copies Net Press Run: 56,505. B) Paid
Circulation. (By Mail and Outside the
Mail) (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541:
12,603; (2) Mailed In-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 0;
(3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails
Including Sales_ rough Dealers and
Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales,
and Other Paid Distribution outside USPS:
27,486; (4) Paid Distribution by Other
Classes of Mail_ rough the USPS: 2,500.
C) Total Paid Distribution: 42,589. D) Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution by Mail and
Outside the Mail: (1) Free or Nominal Rate
Outside-County Copies included on Form
3541: 0; (2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County
Copies included on Form 3541: 0; (3) Free
or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other
Classes Mailed_ rough the USPS: 75;
(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution
Outside the Mail: 12,841. E) Total Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution: 12,916. F)
Total Distribution: 55,505. G) Copies Not
Distributed: 1,000. H) Total: 56,505. I)
Percent Paid 76.73%. Extent and Nature
of Circulation/No. Copies of Single Issue
Published Nearest to Filing Date A) Total
No. Copies Net Press Run: 52,237. B)
Paid Circulation. (By Mail and Outside
the Mail) (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 11,543;
(2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions
Stated on Form 3541: 0; (3) Paid
Distribution Outside the Mails Including
Sales _ rough Dealers and Carriers, Street
Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other NonUSPS: 25,457; (4) Paid Distribution by Other
Classes of Mail _ rough the USPS: 1,250.
C) Total Paid Distribution: 38,250. D) Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution (by Mail and
Outside the Mail): (1) Free or Nominal Rate
Outside-County as Stated on Form 3541: O;
(2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies
included on Form 3541: 0; (3) Free or
Nominal Rate Distribution Mailed at Other
Classes _ rough the USPS: 45; (4)
Free or Nominal Rate Distribution
Outside the Mail: 12,699. E) Total Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution: 12,744.
F) Total Distribution: 50,994. G) Copies
Not Distributed: 1,243. H) Total: 52,237.
I) Percent Paid: 75%. Publication of
Statement of Ownership: Dec 2013
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CURVE
79
Hang Onto Your Tinsel
With Venus in retrograde, your love life runs amok.
By Charlene Lichtenstein
'.Y
SAGITTARIUS%
%
(Nov. 23-Dec. 22) %
Because Sagittarius %
%
is the ruler of the %
ninth house of travel, %
higher education, %
%
religion, philosophy %
and the law, Sapphic %
%
Archers are happiest %
in careers that give %
them free range to %
%
roam both physically %
and mentally They %
%
are gregarious souls %
who need to interact %
with others and can't %
%
be happily confined %
to a lonely desk Job %
%
They are also more %
egalitarian than most %
%
other women and %
don't tend to rule %
subordinates by %
%
intimidation In fact %
they are more likely %
%
than not to be pals %
with their employees. %
You will find at least %
%
one Sag dyke on %
every corporate %
%
softball team. %
%
Charlene
Lichtenstein
is the author %
of HerScopes:
A Guide
to Astrology%
forLesbians
(Simon& Schuster)- %
%
tinyurl.
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Nowavailableas anebook.
80
CURVE
DECEMBER
~
2013
Sagittarius (Nov.23-Dec. 22)
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Leo (July 24-Aug. 23)
You become a "wilde"
spendthrift this December,
Sagittarius. Suddenly
everything you see looks like a
must have. This is great if you
are collecting snow bunnies
but not so great if all you are
doing is cluttering up your
space with worthless trinkets.
And you may squander your
precious nest egg. Sometimes
the best things in life are free ...
or at least on sale.
Love on the job will have its
ups and downs this December.
On the one hand, there are
many delicious moments
under the office mistletoe. On
the other hand, aren't there
more romantic moves than
a quick grab in the supply
closet? Get a room Aries!
In fact, make it a luxurious
hotel room in some tropical
paradise and keep your office
dalliances secret.
Lionesses may burn the
midnight oil at work but it
may not be as dreary as it
sounds. There is someone
who has piqued your interest
(or you have piqued hers)
and that will make all those
late nights very tolerable and
even enjoyable. Of course all
play and no work will not get
the job done. Find ways to
delegate and where you can't,
try to get a (willing and able)
helping hand.
Capricorn (Dec. 23-Jan. 20)
The world is your oyster,
Capricorn. So get out there
and rub elbows with the
powerbrokers. Women you
meet now can impact your life
through the holidays. And if
you have a great idea, share
it with those who can help
you make it a reality. Seek a
well-endowed benefactress
and see if she can give you a
helping hand.
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
There is a gorgeous, spicy,
exotic lady who has her eye
on you. And that is not all that
will be on you this December.
Taurus bulls can choose their
romantic fare from a wide
array of dishes on their sexual
tasting menu. But they have
to get out and look, rather
than phone a delivery in. Will
your eyes be too big for
your stomach?
Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19)
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Your commanding personality
will expose itself in a variety
of ways this festive season,
Aqueerius. Maybe you can
channel your talents into
something constructive
like launching and hosting
a charitable holiday event.
Of course you can also just
let your innate dominatrix
tendencies have free reign.
Keep an eye out for a financial
gift from an unexpected
source. And not a moment too
soon! Your sexual dancing and
romancing could cost much
more than you expect. After
all, champagne baths and gifts
in small boxes do not grow on
trees. 'Tis the season, Gemini.
Get jolly and see who you find
under your tree.
Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20)
Your social calendar fills
up quickly this December,
Guppie. You will find that
some girlfriends need a lot
of your help and attention.
Others will be able to help you
get some needed attention
for yourself. Find time for both
groups and even consider
expanding your circle beyond
the usual crowd by hosting a
holiday bash or two. The more
elves, the merrier.
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
Festive activities may cause
some unanticipated stress in
certain relationships. Don't
make too many demands on
loved ones now. You want
to hang your stocking with
care but might inadvertently
step on the toe of a lovergrrl.
Form is not as important as
substance and decorations
are not as important as quality
time. Enjoy the moment so it
doesn't seem like hours.
Virgo (Aug. 24-Sept. 23)
Your creativity and loads of
holiday charisma will make
you the spark of the party
circuit this December. So
turn up a few lights and see
how you can make a party
glow. Virgos can also tap into
their imaginations to find the
perfect collection of gal pals
who will make any event one
to remember.
Libra (Sept. 24-Oct. 23)
While you are hankering to tell
relatives like it is, refrain from
any big dramatic discussions
this holiday season. It is not
worth your effort at this time.
What you can do to make
merry is to invite only those
family members you really
want to see along with a bevy
of bosom buddy admirers.
A holiday party at home will
insure that a good time will be
had by all-especially you.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
Communication hits a high
note this December. Does
that mean that your letter to
Santa is answered? Maybe.
But more likely it means that if
you have something important
to say to someone important,
you could make a lasting
impression. Please tone your
message accordingly so your
impression is a good one.•
CARIBBEAN EQUALITY & LEADERSHIP CRUISE
FEBRUARY 1-8, 2014
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PLACES TO WORK
2013
for LGBT Equality
DEC
2013
FEATURES
36
CHICAGO HOPE
Midwestern comic
Cameron Esposito is
blazing her way to the front
of the comedy trail.
By Sarah Terez Rosenblum
38
TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE
An insider's view of Putin's
anti-LGBT agenda.
By Merryn Johns
~1
STILL IMAGINING
Yoko Ono discusses her
new album, abuse against
women, and Chinese food.
By Dave Steinfeld
51
2013 HOLIDAY
GIFT GUIDE
Our ultimate guide to
fabulous finds for everyone
on your list.
6~
WHO'S THAT GIRL
Ilea Matthews, star of Kiss
Her I'm Famous is on the
rise. By Merryn Johns
66
WEB SERIES BOOM
lndie lesbian projects are
flourishing online. Meet the
trailblazers of this digital
entertainment frontier.
(.'.)
'.:;
COVER PHOTO BY SELUVAIA FONUA
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
1
DEC
2013
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////.4
IN EVERYISSUE
4
EDITOR'S NOTE
6
FEEDBACK
7
CURVETTES
8
THE GAYDAR
80
STARS
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
TRENDS
REVIEWS
9
THIS IS WHAT A
LESBIAN LOOKS LIKE
Model and schoolteacher
Shaunna "Holliwood"
Spivey-Spinner.
29 FILM
Lesbian filmmaker Kim "Rocco"
Shields makes waves with her
short film Love Is All You Need?
By Merryn Johns
10 BEAUTY
Protect your skin with this
season's most soothing
skincare products.
31 MUSIC
Pansexual pop star Samia is
fighting for marriage equality
one song at a time.
By Dave Steinfeld
12
HOT TEE
14
LESBOFILE
15
SHE SAID
VIEWS
16
OUT IN FRONT
16 IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT ... News from across the
country.
17 POLITICS
Tis the season to remember
the less fortunate, specifically
those without homes.
By Victoria A. Brownworth
19 THE TWO OF US
Our monthly profile of lesbian
couples who live, love and
work together.
21
ADVICE
23
LIPSTICK & DIPSTICK
25
TRUTH OR DARE
28 SCENE
Curve and the cast of Venice
The Series party it up at The
Abbey in West Hollywood.
2
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
33 BOOKS
Lesbian author Lyndsey
D'Arcangelo puts the T (as in
teen) in LGBTwith her stellar
young adult fiction series.
By Kim Hoffman
35 FOOD
This season's cocktails grow a
conscience-and that's worth
toasting to.
Curve's online selection of must-do, must-try, must-have extras.
NEVERENOUGH NICOLE
Curvette Fiona Dawson, the host and producer of the show Who
the F Cares?, sat down for a live web, one-on-one with actor Nicole
Pacent. They discussed bisexuality, marriage equality, Pacent's
latest projects and going nude on the webcam-check
out the full
video at curvemag.com
HITTINGALL THE RIGHTNOTES
Inspired by the OUTmusic Awards, also known
as the LGBT Academy of Recording Arts
(LARA), we hosted a three-part live video interview series revolving around queer music. We
sat down with Diedra Meredith, Krissy Krissy,
Diana King, Billie Myers, Jen Foster and more!
Watch all three parts at curvemag.com
CURVEGOES COAST TO
COAST
America's best-selling magazine means
business and is coming to a town near
you! Last Pride saw Curvette Robin Perron
travel the country and spread the joy
of Curve to readers, young, old and in
between! Read this article on how to get
involved with Curve and get Robin to an
event near you!
Want more
Curve?
If you crave more
Curve, head over to
Curvemag.com for
daily celesbian news,
visit facebook.com/
curvemag and
meet our social
media team or
visit YouTube.com/
TheRealCurve to
watch all our
latest videos.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
3
RONT /
MERRYN'SMEMO
curve
THE BEST-SELLING
DECEMBER
Happy
2013
»
LESBIAN
VOLUME
MAGAZINE
23 NUMBER
PUBLISHERSilke Bader
FOUNDINGPUBLISHER Frances Stevens
7Jolid'}..!/s
r's what we all assume to be possible at this time of year-Happy
Holidays.
But the reality is, it's not that simple. Truth be told, our holiday rituals are
shaped not by you and me, but by larger forces: our place in mainstream
society, our socio-economic class, our race or cultural background, the religious
denomination we belong to or come from. How we choose to spend this time
of year is often no choice at all, but depends on your relationship with our loved
ones-on their assessment of us. To that extent, this can be a tricky time of year for
the LGBT community.
Going home (assuming that you have one)
often means going back to your parents and
your hometown. I am from Australia-an
expatriate. And my mother effectively disowned
me when I came out. So I'm an orphan at this
time of year. Rather than feel disadvantaged
I've chosen to luxuriate in the possibility of
holding a"waifs and strays" (read: orphans)
Christmas and making my own traditions, or
spending he holiday with my girlfriend's family.
In other words, with people who accept me for
who I am.
But it's always troubled me that this time
of year has its roots in fundamentalism of
one sort or another. Christmas, especially, is a
symbolic heteronormative moment that honors
church going and procreativity. Of course,
there's nothing wrong with church going and procreativity if we are all included!
But it can be used as a moment to reject rather than include-as Pope Benedict
did last year, when he took his Christmas message as an opportunity to denounce
marriage equality. God-given gender roles, he believes, have been forsaken in
pursuit of sexual preference. It seems that many religious dignitaries, and many of
those who hold the basic tenets of faith, cannot see the value in all self-determining
individuals.
I write this having just watched the short film Love Is All You Need?,written and
directed by a lesbian filmmaker, Kim "Rocco" Shields. The film exposes the roots
of prejudice by flipping our expectations: Shields takes us into a homonormative
world where a young girl is bullied for loving someone of the opposite sex. I
challenge anyone of any sexual identity or religious faith to watch this and be
unmoved. Read our interview with Shields on page 29, and believe, as I do, that one
day, especially on holidays that should bring us together, we truly can celebrate our
similarities and differences in harmony and happiness.
merryn@curvemag.com
EDITORIAL
EDITORIN CHIEF Merryn Johns
MANAGINGEDITOR Rachel Shatto
COPY EDITOR Katherine Wright
CONTRIBUTINGEDITORS Victoria A. Brownworth,
Gina Daggett, Jillian Eugenics, Sheryl Kay, Stephanie
Schroeder
EDITORIAL
ASSISTANTMia Manns, Kristen Youngs
PROOFREADERElizabeth Harper
OPERATIONS
DIRECTOROF OPERATIONS Jeannie Sotheran
EVENTS& MEDIA RELATIONSCOORDINATORRobin Perron
ADVERTISING
CURVE'SMEDIA KIT ourmediakit.com
NATIONALSALES
Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021, todd@curvemagazine,com
BUSINESSDEVELOPMENT
Sallyanne Monti (510) 545-4986, sallyanne@curvemag.com
ART/PRODUCTION
ART DIRECTOR Graham Jones, Meghan Musalo
PRODUCTIONARTIST Kelly Nuti
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melany Joy Beck, Kathy Beige, Jenny Block, Adam L.
Brinklow, Kelsy Chauvin, Lyndsey D'Arcangelo, Traci
Dinwiddie, Maria De La 0, Elizabeth Estochen, Jill
Goldstein, Lisa Gunther, Kristin Flickinger, Gillian Kendall,
Kim Hoffman, Charlene Lichtenstein, Karen Loftus,
Sassafras Lowrey, Jess McAvoy, Emelina Minero, Laurie
K. Schenden, Stephanie Schroeder, Janelle Sorenson,
Allison Steinberg, Stella & Lucy, Dave Steinfeld, Edie Stull,
Yana Tallon-Hicks, Sarah Toce, Tina Vasquez, Jocelyn Voo
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lauren Barkume, Alex Styles, Meagan Cignoli,
Sophia Hantzes, Janet Mayer, Syd London, Cheryl Mazak,
Maggie Parker, Robin Roemer, Leslie Van Stelten
CONTACT INFO
Curve Magazine
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Volume 23 Issue 10 Curve {ISSN 1087-867X) is published
monthly (except for bimonthly January/February and July/
August) by Avalon Media, LLC, PO Box 467, New York NY 10034.
Subscription price: $59.90/year, $59.90 Canadian (U.S. funds
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4
CURVE
DECEMBER
10
2013
POST
ON
FACEBOOK!
Thebestcomment
posted
each
month
could
winyouafree
digital
subscription!
part oflife prior to Western
influence and communism. It's
encouraging to see lesbian culture in Taiwan flourishing today
and being generally accepted by
the wider community without
stigma or hatred. I would like
to see more articles on Asia and
queer Asian culture in Curve.
-Via email
Timely Taipei
Thank you for the article
on the lesbian subculture of
Taipei [Vol. 23#9]. As an Asian
American I have often felt
discriminated against, invisible
and misunderstood. As a queer
Asian American I only recently
came out to my parents but I
am still not out to many of my
family because they would not
understand.What frustrates me
is that homosexuality in China
was an accepted, if unusual,
Feminist Flavor
I appreciate the articles with
good social emphasis in Curve
and hope for them to continue with positive content and
pro-feminist flavors. It's so
important to go beyond celebs,
body beautiful and consumerism, as where else but in a
lesbian publication will lesbians
read informed lesbian-focused
content?-Lavender, Lismore,
New South Wales, Australia.
Feels So Good
Receiving your magazine each
month is a pure delight. Every
time I open it up it surprises,
Ei•ii@:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::H
WHAT'S
YOUR
FAVORITE
HOLIDAY?
3%
Valentine's Day
2%
Hanukkah
7%'
I don't celebrate any
15%
Halloween
19%
Any that gives me a
day off
to: Curve magazine,
PO Box 467, New York, NY 10034
WRITE
LISISend
Email: letters@curvemagazine.com
Fax: 510.380.7487
Online: curvemag.com/letters
6
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
entertains and educates me. It
also looks great. I don't know
how you find so many talented,
interesting, inspiring and hot
women to feature each month.
Keep up the good work! -Erica
L. Randall, Cold Springs N.Y.
He's No Lesbro!
Honorary Lifetime Lesbian
Membership to New Jersey's
Chris Christie:' [Vol. 23#9]
Really Curve? Our self-serving governor has gone out of
his way to thwart same-sex
marriage repeatedly. He has
vowed to continue appealing a
Superior Court judge's ruling all
the way to the Supreme court
and why? Because he wants the
Republican presidential nod in
2016 and knows he won't get it
unless he bars us from marrying. I was disgusted to see his
smug mug in your November
issue. "Honorary Bully" is more
like it. -Nikki Busch,
Fair Lawn, NJ.
I recently got the November
issue of Curve magazine.
While thumbing through, I
came across my favorite article
"Gaydar:' Nothing could have
prepared me for the shock.
Under "Honorary Lifetime
Lesbian Membership" sits
Governor Chris Christie, who
drafted a legal brief with the
State Attorney General Paula
Dow that barred gay couples
from getting married. So it
seems Christie believes that
banning gay conversion therapy
(an act that should be deemed
a war crime by the Geneva
Convention) gives him a pass
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OURFACEBOOK
FANS
DROOLOVERDELICIOUS
NICOLEPACENT
Got my new issue in the mail
today. Can't wait to sit and
read it. NicolePacentlooks
beautiful. -Jessica Meisch
She'sgorgeous!!!
-Wendy Ortiz
All I have is WOW....
-Betty Rubble
Toobad the fridge is
empty... -Meredith Ur
Hawt!!!!!Stunning!!!!
-Amy McCord
Uhmm*picking tongue off
floor and rolling back in
mouth** Lovelyindeed!!
-September Desiree
to hold back gay rights.
-Andrew ]air Speck,
Cinnaminson, New Jersey
''
WE
BELIEVE
ANY
TIME
GAY-TO-STRAIGH
CONVERSION
THERAPY
ISBANNEDREGARDLESS
OF
BY
WHO
OR
WHYIT'S
REASON
TO
CELEBRATE.
''
Editor's note: We hear you
loud and clear! And you can
bet come 2016 we won't be in
However, we believe any time
gay-to-straight conversion
therapy is banned-regardless
of by who or why-it's reason
to celebrate.
SARAH TEREZ
ROSENBLUM
A writer with an MFA in
Creative Writing from the
School of the Art Institute of
Chicago, Sarah freelances
for publications and sites
including The Chicago
Sun-Times, Afterellen.com
and Pop Matters. Her fiction
has appeared in literary
magazines such as kill author
and Underground Voices,
and she was a 2011 recipient
of Carve Magazine's Esoteric
Fiction Award. Her 2012 debut
novel, Herself When She's
Missing was called "poetic
and heartrending" by Book/ist.
When not writing, Sarah
supports herself as a figure
model, spinning instructor
and creative writing teacher
at The University of Chicago's
Graham School.
KRISTENYOUNGS
JULIETRAVIS
Kristen ended up in the great
city of New York by way of
Dallas. Her roots are in the
fitness industry as a personal
trainer, but she also loves
writing, often about LGBT
issues and international
development concerns. Her
passions outside of those
realms include doing anything
and everything outdoors and
traveling the world. Exploring
Manhattan's endless parks
brings refreshing clarity to her
day-to-day life. Spending time
abroad, from Peru to Taiwan
to London, has given her a
solid understanding of world
culture, which contributes to
her written views and outlooks.
Julie writes horror and
dark fantasy fiction, widely
published in the British and
North American small press
for the last two decades.
A Londoner, ex-Lesbian
Avenger and co-founder of the
Queeruption festivals, she now
lives by the sea in the far west
of the U.K. As an occasional
interviewer of interesting
people, when she came across
two village Wisewomen casting
a spell for good weather at a
local Midsummer festival, she
decided she had to know more
about them. Read her inteview
with them on page 19.
(ju Iietravis.word press.com)
FRANCESCA
"FRANZI" LEWIS
Francesca is a queer feminist
and freelance writer from
Yorkshire, England. She got her
bachelor's degree in English
Literature and Creative Writing
from Lancaster University.
Her life-long passions include
feminism, fat acceptance,
popular culture, psychiatry,
navel-gazing and knee socks.
She is a member of the Social
Media Team at Curve and
her vlog, The Lens, analyzes
pop culture through a queer
feminist lens. Her favorite thing
about working for Curve is
finally having an arena in which
she no longer has to dial back
her use of Americanisms.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
7
NDS/
THE GAYDAR
p
I
I~e~ o~~Ye~!one?
Let our gaydar help
?0 you decide who's hot, who's not, who's
~ shaking it and who's faking 1tin lesboland.
~
BY RACHEL SHATTO
~
No, it's not make believe,
Toys"R"Us has announced it's
going to stop gender-specific
marketing of toys
Oprah gets our honorary les
nod for the "Gay In Hollywood"
episode of Oprah's Next
Chapter, featuring Wanda
Sykes and Jesse Tyler
Ferguson. In other words, she
really OWNs her ally status
(sorry, we couldn't resist)
Barilla Pasta dishes up a healthy
serving of homophobia and
sexism with their declaration that
their products are for the "classic
family where the woman plays a
fundamental role." Consider
all future purchases
Chef Boyar-denied
Tina Fey shows her
sexy Sapphic side as
lesbian porn star "Lejean
Noween" of Rock, Paper,
Scissoring volumes 1, 2
and 4 fame on SNL.
(Side note: We would so
watch all of those)
El
z
g
X
~
~w
<)
<)
z
>
There goes the
bride! U.K. study
shows lesbians are
twice as likely to end
civil partnerships
than their gay male
counterparts
Ever since the
Batwoman
debacle we have
been on the hunt
for our new comic
book obsession,
and we've found
it: Red Sonja. Now
being written by
Gail Simone it
has everything
we want-action,
adventure, a sassy
ginger heroine
and a lesbian
subplot to boot
Dot-Marie
Jones is getting
hitched! The Glee
star proposed ----~.to her girlfriend
Bridgett Casteen
in the most
magical place on
earth, Disneyland
w
Well the Sapphic
cat is out of
the bag-our
favorite saucy
Aussie Ruby
Rose let it slip
that she and
X-Factor hottie
Demi Lovato
hooked up.
Kiss and tell
(us everything!)
Alison Bechdel's brilliant
autobiographical graphic novel
Fun Home gets an Off-Broadway
musical adaptation. Bravo! Encore
It's on! Jodie Foster has
a new boo, former Curve
cover girl (and Ellen flame)
Alexandra Hedison
8
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
Bex Taylor-Klaus, our
favorite baby butch from
The Killing, (currently
kicking butt on Arrow) is
back on our gaydar with
her new genderqueer role
on House of Lies
Lesbian funny lady duo
Julie Goldman and Brandy
Howard yuk it up on Bravo's
new show The People's
Couch. Someone get these
two a regular TV gig, stat!
(j)
g
Ck'.
w
Cl.
Cl.
~
r-
e,:
w
Cl.
::,
°'
PICKS
»
PRODUCTS
»
PEOPLE
»
Shaunna
"Holliwood"
Spivey-Spinner
Schoolteacher by day, androgynous
model by night, Holliwood is
breaking gender stereotypes, and
helping youth do the same.
BY ELIZABETH ESTOCHEN
NDS!BEAUTY
BOOM CHICK!
Balm Chicky Balm Balm is a supersize and innovative lip balm (it has a
"friend end" for sharing with your gal
pal) with a sexy approach to keeping
lips kissable. With awesome retro
packaging and cheeky names like Juicy
Melons, Sweet Baby Ginger and Huge
Cucumber, you'll keep your pucker
perfect through the coldest months.
($12, balmchicky.com)
SOOTHINGSALVE
All Good Goop can be applied to everything from
burns and blisters to chaffed elbows and chapped
lips. This organic, herbalicious balm is not goopy at
all-it goes on silkily and leaves you feeling naturally
moisturized when you need it the most.
($9, elementalherbs.com)
POPYOURCORK
'Tis the season to
indulge, and we can
think of no better way
than with LUSH's ohso-decadent Celebrate
body lotion. Drink in the
light champagne scent,
blended with orange
flower, lime and cognac
oil, while a combination
of almond oil and cocoa
butter hydrate and soften
even the driest skin.
($30, lushusa.com)
TRULYOUTRAGEOUS
Body lotions and potions
may be fine but what you
really need in winter is good
body oil. (seed) Body Oil is
now available in Relaxing
Blend (herbal lavender and
clary sage essential oils),
Therapeutic Blend (ginger,
clove, peppermint and
rosemary essential oils),
and Decongesting Blend
(eucalyptus, peppermint and
marjoram). Rub it into your
skin at the end of a hot
shower to banish dryness.
($14, seedbodycare.com)
WinterWarnters
NOURISHYOUR FACEANO BODYWITH THE SEASON'SBEST
BALMS,OILS ANO CREAMS.
YULETIDEGLOW
Don't let the cold winter weather
play reindeer games with your
complexion. Combat its drying
effects with this festively themed
facemask from the always-luxurious
LUSH. Rudolph Fresh Face Mask
is created with fresh cucumber,
oatmeal and tofu. This soothing
mask helps restore skin and
reduces redness-while the
lavender oil soothes your senses.
($7, lushusa.com)
emerginC
earth
hydratingphytelene cream
SKINSAVIOR
UDDERLYAMAZING
Originally developed in 1897 for treating chapped teats
and udders of dairy cattle, farmers noticed the healing
effect on their own hands as well as on their bovine
companions. Now, Udder Ointment is used as a home
remedy all across the country. ($10, drhess.com)
10
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
tfor
dlip,,
~in,
'Heals,
ling
IOrt.
EmerginC's Earth Hydrating Phytelene Cream is
perfect for winter skin and is chock-full of active
ingredients such as magnesium, amino acids,
ceramides, olive oil, green tea, vitamin E, wheat
germ, lemon, rosemary, myrrh, pine cone extract
and vitamin A to rehydrate dry, irritated skin
during the colder months. ($82, emerginc.com)
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Here are five lezzie T-shirts we'd love to unwrap.
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Perfect for butches, hipsters,
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12
CURVE
DECEMBER
T-shirt from Dyke Tees Cute
and good advice, we call that
a two-fer ($25. dyketees com)
2013
Does someone on your
holiday 11stswing both ways?
Show her acceptance with
this Bisexual Love tank
from Res1l1entIntent Don't
understand why that's an
awesome gift? Perhaps you
should pick up their Evolve
Lotus tee while you're at It
($15 res11ient1ntent
etsy com)
Our friends at NT Factor wish
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~ LESBOFILE
~
~
Ruby kisses and tells, Miley clashes with S1nead
and the WNBA goes PDA.
~
BY JOCELYN VOO
The Ex Factor
ladies. Still, perhaps it wasn't
It seems that singer and
pure coincidence that Lovato
"I was just trying to make
X Factor judge Demi Lovato
just joined the cast of Glee as
sweet love ...That's about it,"
of motherliness and with love"
has been focusing on more
bisexual Dani, the new love
said Taurasi. That gives a
praising Cyrus for her singing,
than just the girls on the TV
interest of Santana ...
whole new meaning to
but also advising her to be
"personal fouls."
cautious of self-serving music
show, if certain tweets are to
open letter offered "in the spirit
be believed. Australian DJ Ruby
Full Court Press
Rose recently fired off a series
Turns out that sometimes the
Miley, Miley, Miley!
influence on Cyrus's recent
of tweets that allege that she
best offense is a good ...lip lock.
Say what you will about
slew of overtly sexualized per-
slept with Lovato in the past.
execs who might have a strong
WNBA players Diana Taurasi
Miley Cyrus and her recent
formances: "You have enough
Though Lovato remained
and Seimone Augustus have
campaign of wild-child antics,
talent that you don't need to
silent on the matter, her fans
been playing basketball since
which include stripping down
let the music business make a
took to the Internet with fury,
they were teens, but when the
for the camera, smoking salvia
prostitute of you."
causing Rose to delete the
pair got into a minor scuffle
or twerking all over cable
tweets-but
jostling for position during a
television, the pop star is never
a tweet likening O'Connor to
she still main-
Cyrus's response? Posting
tained her position, claiming
recent game, rather than re-
boring. The singer's latest feud
the spiraling Amanda Bynes,
on lnstagram that she was "the
sorting to the usual elbows and
is with none other than music
and attaching several years-old
one person Demi has slept with
smack-talk, Taurasi decided to
icon Sinead O'Connor.
tweets in which a mentally
that didn't sell naked photos
end the feud by planting a kiss
of her."
on Augustus's cheek.
In the past Lovato hasn't
After the final buzzer
The dispute started innocently when Cyrus told the
press that she looked up to
distressed O'Connor publicly
solicits psychiatric help.
And now the gloves are off.
been shy about stepping out
Augustus had this to say about
O'Connor, and that "Nothing
O'Connor vows to sue "fuckin'
with her male partners (Wilmer
the kiss: "As far as me and Diana
Compares 2 U" was the key
stupid" Miley Cyrus, Cyrus
Valderrama and Joe Jonas, to
and the tango dance that we
inspiration for her "Wrecking
mocks O'Connor further saying
name two), but she hasn't been
had, I always say she just wanted
Ball" music video.
she's too busy performing, and
romantically linked with any
some of my deliciousness."
14
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
O'Connor responded with an
the drama is still unfolding.•
TRENDS/SHE
"I like girls. I've said
that [before]. I know
be shocking, but I actually do Ii
pussy. It just depends on whose pu
it is ...lt's similar to how I feel about gu
I like them because I find lesbians to
way more daring than straight men,
when it comes to coming on to you.
And I really like that.
-Lady Gaga on Watch What
Happens Live
s
st
PROFILE
Amy Vesper
NewMexico» CivilRightsActivism
At 23, Amy Vesper has already spent several years
actively working for LGBT civil rights and inclusion.
Ever the tomboy-preferring
make-believe-Vesper
to play sports rather than
grew up with endless taunts,
and while it was no fun then, the bullying she endured
inspired her to join the fight for social justice, to
improve the lives of others. "Without the bullying, I
would not have such a high level of intolerance for
injustice," she says. "It definitely motivated me to take
■
I ~~~tl~s~~n~~~s1
b~c~t!t~~tP~e~son
to
row solo from Japan to Alaska. Outen spent
150 days at sea, traveling 3,750 nautical miles.
On the journey, during which her boat capsized five times, Outen got engaged to her
longtime girlfriend via a satellite phone call
from the middle of the North Pacific Ocean.
a stand and fight for what is right."
For the past two years, Vesper has served on the
board of GetEQUAL New Mexico. As the outreach
coordinator, she builds relationships with other
organizations and plans events and political actions.
At one point, she met with the state's highest-ranking
elected official, Governor Susana Martinez, to talk with
her about LGBT rights and same-sex marriage in New
Mexico. She co-founded, and now leads, a coalition of
student organizations at the University of New Mexico
called the UNM Social Justice League, and she has
worked tirelessly to motivate the university to remove
Chick-fil-A from the UNM campus.
Activism, says Vesper, is exciting and challenging,
but also extremely rewarding. When asked why she
takes on these challenges, why she stays the course,
Vesper explains, "For every time a kid has been called
a faggot, for every time a boy who is gay got beaten up
by a group of other boys, for every time a girl has been
called a dyke, for every time an LGBT person was fired
from work because of sexual orientation or gender
identity, for every time a loving same-sex couple was
told no when applying for a marriage license."
With the recent judicial wins for the community,
she has seen some progress, but Vesper is under no
illusions, noting the many obstacles that still stand in
the way. "In 29 states, it is still legal for someone to be
fired based solely on sexual orientation, and DOMA
BYA64-35VOTE,
THEU.S.
only ceases to identify marriage as between one
man and one woman, but it doesn't grant same-sex
marriage to couples who live in states that don't grant
same-sex marriage licenses," she says. "So we do need
to continue pushing for full LGBTequality." -Sheryl Kay
16
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
BONNIE
CLEMENT
AND
Helen Thorgalsen, a lesbian
couple who have been together
for 12 years and co-own a
general store In Kennebuck,
Maine, became friends, over the
years, with the 41st president,
George H W Bush, and his wife,
Barbara, who own vacation
property In the town So, when
Clement and Thorgalsen were
married this fall, they asked
the Bushes to be witnesses
INSOUTH
AFRICA,
KAYE
ALLY, Clement comments, "Who
an out lesbian and the chief
would be best to help us
organizer for the Johannesburg
acknowledge the importance of
Pride Festival, has survived
our wedding as our friends and
several violent attacks against
as the former leader of the free
her In the run-up to the 2013
world When they agreed to do
festival In October The violence
so, we Just felt that It was the
began In August, when three
next acknowledgment of being
men broke into her home
'real and normal'"
while she slept and held her at
gunpoint, In another attack, she
ONWATCH
WHAT
HAPPENS
Live With Andy Cohen, Lady
was beaten and Tased, again In
September, she was attacked
Gaga put to bed some
near her workplace. Ally now
rumors about her lesbian past
travels with security but remains
and opened up about her
committed, saying, 'Tm not
experiences dating women,
saying that they amounted to
going to let petty criminals sway
my ded1cat1onto Pride" The
more than Just experimentation
She also discussed her time as a
Senate has confirmed out lesbian
Elaine Kaplan to serve as the
director of the US Office of
Personnel Management Kaplan
was nominated for the posItIon
by President Obama back In
March Prior to this, Kaplan
served as the head of the U S
Office of Special Counsel-a
posItIon former President Bill
Clinton appointed her to.
» FOR
ANOTHER
OUT
INFRONT
PROFILE
GOTOCURVEMAG.COM
-
POLITICS
»
ADVICE
»
COMMUNITY»
curve
Room in the Inn
There is enough to go around, so why are we still doing without?
BY VICTORIA
I
A. BROWNWORTH
was thinking about poverty a lot back in September-when
Congress cut the food
stamp program by $40 billion, and when the sequester, which was supposed to be
temporary, was established as the new normal, catapulting many people into poverty and homelessness. Fast-forward to the holiday season-the season of giving.
As we contemplate what to give, and to whom, I wonder if we've thought about the plight
of our own LGBT poor, our own LGBT homeless?
Last spring-on Holy Thursday-I
was headed to Mass. As I came up the block to
my church, which is just off Rittenhouse Square in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods
in Philadelphia, I saw a young woman sitting on the steps. She looked gay to me. She was
holding a piece of torn cardboard on which were written the words 'Tm hungry:'
Three men in Armani-esque suits were walking ahead of me. One turned and said
something to her-I didn't hear what-and the men all laughed, then continued on. No
one gave her a cent.
I didn't have much cash. I live pretty
much hand-to-mouth, as do most writers.
I gave her what I had-$20-and
started
to go into the church. As I opened the big
red door, I turned back and said to her,
"I just need you to know that I see you.
I know that a lot of people don't. But I
couldn't go inside here if I didn't tell you:'
She said, "Please pray for me;' and reached
out her hand.
I went in and prayed for us both.
It was a beautiful spring night. The
daffodils were out all through the churchyard, and the magnolia tree was in bloom.
It's a well-traveled area, with lots of upscale
restaurants and shops. I wondered how
many people had passed her that night as
if she were invisible, never thinking that
she might be their daughter, their sister,
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
17
their niece, or their cousin. That she might
very well be Jesus. I hoped no one had
stepped over her on the way to Mass.
I'm still thinking about her, all these
months later.
I should have done more. Now, as
Christmas approaches, I think of Jesus
being born in a stable because Mary and
Joseph were a transient couple-and there
was no room for them in the inn.
Not much has changed in 2,000 years.
The homeless have virtually become a
criminal class in recent years. City after city
has passed ordinances barring homeless
people from areas just like the one where
my church, which has both a homeless
ministry and an AIDS ministry, is situ~
ated. Last year, my own city banned the
feeding of the homeless in the Art Museum
District, where vans used to line up to
feed them. The reason given was that it
was "degrading" to feed people outside.
If I were homeless and hungry, I
wouldn't much care where I was being fed.
I was homeless for a few months, years
ago. Recently out of college, in a strange
city, I didn't have enough money for a place
to live. I wasn't actually on the streets for
long-I moved from friend's sofa to friend's
sofa. I finally landed in one of those SRO
hotels-single
room occupancy-where
I lived for some months with a bunch of
other transients. My room had a single
bed, sink, wardrobe and hotplate. The
communal shower was down the hall.
I've done several series on home~
less LGBT people over the years. My
award~winning four~part series for the
Philadelphia Gay News in 2009 was
18
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
called "Hiding in Plain Sight:' Working
on the series, I met dozens of homeless
lesbian, gay, bi and trans people.
Despite the perception that all LGBT
people are wealthy, an idea promulgated
by our leadership, the reality is that pov~
erty and homelessness are more likely to
impact us than straight people. The young
woman on the steps of my church is not
anomalous-it's
just that, as my series
suggested, we don't see her.
U.S. census figures state that there are
1.56 million homeless people in America.
If 10 percent of the population-the figure
most widely used-is LGBT, then there are
156,000 homeless queers out there.
If indeed there are only 1.56 million
homeless. The large number of homeless
people in cities like Los Angeles and New
York would suggest that the figure should
be higher, and most agencies serving the
homeless assert that the number has
escalated since the recession. Census fig~
ures underestimate the transient homeless
population and also don't count demo~
graphic figures year~to~year, which means
that calculating the number of homeless
is very different from counting people in
stable households.
But if the census places one in six Amer~
icans at or below the poverty level-that's
50 million people-it's
inevitable that
there are more homeless than the census
recorded.
The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) gives a range of
criteria for homelessness, from actually
living on the streets to what I was doinghaving no fixed address or immediate
prospects of one. The reasons for home~
lessness are unsurprising: unemployment,
illness, family disintegration, mental ill~
ness or disability, and addiction.
A friend's lesbian sister is butch, Afri~
can American, and homeless. Although
she attended an Ivy League college, her
bipolar disorder has made it difficult
for her to maintain a job. Being gay and
mentally ill has thrust her into HHS's
at~risk category for homelessness. Being
estranged from her family has given her
few options. She's gone from the sofas of
cousins to shelters to the actual streets
and back. The last time she called me,
ranting, I took her to the ER in the hope
that she'd be put on a 72~hour hold, which
would help her access a social worker and
stable housing.
One consequence of the recession is that
more women over 40 are out of workmost of them permanently. Women already
constitute the largest segment of poor and
homeless Americans. How many middle~
aged lesbians are on the verge of homeless~
ness, if not already there?
The fact is, we have no services in the
LGBT community for people in poverty.
We have services for people with HIV/
AIDS; a myriad of services for LGBT
youth, including homeless youth; services
for people in transition; services for addic~
tion. But for poor and homeless adults?
It's off our collective grid. Yet if 50 mil~
lion Americans are living at or below the
poverty level, and 10 percent of those are
LGBT, that's 5 million LGBT Americans
with no access to agencies or organizations
devoted to their special queer needs-and
that's an alarming number. It's a truism
that poverty forces people to lie about
their circumstances. How much truer is
it for LGBT people in poverty? How does
the butch lesbian, the femme gay man, the
transgender person feel about accessing
the local food bank?
Homelessness makes people acutely
vulnerable. Men are assaulted, women are
raped. All are vulnerable to exploitation,
particularly trafficking. LGBT people on
the street who look their identity will be
that much more at risk for homophobic/
transphobic violence.
At the holidays, we are always more open
to sharing, caring, giving. We embrace those
we love with arms wide, gifts flowing.
But what about those 5 million LGBT
people living in poverty in America
and the tens of thousands without a
home this Hanukkah/Solstice/Christmas?
We've addressed gays in the military and
marriage equality as a community. Poverty
must be our community's next big focus.
We cannot let another holiday season pass
while LGBT people are reduced to begging
for food on the steps of churches. We can't
ignore our sisters and brothers hiding in
plain sight. We must make room for them
in our inn.•
VIEWS/
TWO OF
etitia&
sandra
Village Wisewomen,
practising the ancient
craft from their home in
Cornwall in the U.K.
BY JULIE TRAVIS
HOW
THEY
MET
LAETITIA: I'd seen Cassandra at
Pagan Conferences but hadn't spoken
to her. I'd wanted to get to know her
anyway, but it wasn't until I moved
down here from Kent-South East
England-that a friend of mine asked
me if I'd be interesting in being a
'Teazer' for Penglaz, because of my
history in Morris Dancing in Kent. It
was only when Cassandra rang that
I realised she was the current Teazer.
We set up an interview and found a lot
of our past experiences matched and
so we really understood each other. The
magical work was talked about and I was
interested in that, too.
ONBEING
WISEWOMEN
INTHEIR
VILLAGE
COMMUNITY
CASSANDRA: Even people who don't
agree with what I do recognise me as
part of country ways. There's always
been a history of that sort of thing here.
We've had no problems in the village
whatsoever; even through the bad
times, they've totally backed us up.
LAETITIA: It caused quite a stir in the
village when we got together! But
they're OK with it now.
WORKING
TOGETHER
ASPART
OFAN
ANCIENT
TRADITION
LAETITIA: Cassandra's very good at
tarot reading and I work as a spirit
medium, so we work together. While
she does the readings I tune in and I
get spirits around the client. I'm able
to tell them who's around them and
about experiences from the spirits'
lives that maybe the client didn't
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
19
st TWO OF US
know of, which might guide
connected to the past in that
thing is that people come
prosperity, love life, whatever.
the client through their own
way. I'm not sure what my
presenting symptoms. What's
Again, they send me a contact
choices.
bloodline is, but I can claim
the cause? Why is this person
item and I tell them when I'm
CASSANDRA: I believe that as
a 'craft link,' as I've ended up
feeling like this? If something
going to charge the charm
a Wisewoman you need to live
doing the same thing as my
keeps repeating itself then
magically and get them to
on your wits, to be able to act
predecessors, like a mason or a
there's usually a pattern. That's
tune in, and then I post it to
very instinctively and sponta-
carpenter would.
what you have to go back and
them with instructions. We've
neously at times. Anyone can
have a look at. You help people
had really good feedback
from that.
learn it but it's hard work-you
THE
PEOPLE
THEY
HELP
help themselves.
really have to want it. Certain
CASSANDRA: Being a
LAETITIA: Lately we've also
people are born with more of
Wisewoman is just a different
been getting a lot of success
a leaning towards the craft;
slant on the other things I do
with distant readings with peo-
ONHAVING
"FAMILIARS"
RATHER
THAN
PETS
LAETITIA: Clutterbuck the cat
you have to have the ability to
as a nurse and counsellor.
pie from London, or even from
walk between the worlds, to
The ordinary, general public
other countries. They send us
is my familiar. Not all animals
live on the edge, to be slightly
vastly outweighs the amount
a contact item, details about
are interested in magical
anarchic. You have to have that
of Pagans that come to us.
themselves and what they'd like
things, but whenever I'm
spark, that connection with
Our clients are people who
to know from a reading. We do
setting up the altar, he's there,
the land and the spirits. It's
are at the end of their tether.
a tarot reading and send them
sniffing around. He puts his
actually a very unspooky way
There are specific areas, such
the results. It works really well.
paws on charms when I'm
of being. It's very earthy, the
as bad luck or cursing-that
CASSANDRA: We also get
making them. He helps me
grubby end of witchcraft! And
bring people to us a lot-or
them to link in at the other
with things. I've even got po-
there are others still practising.
hauntings. They want to know
end, light a candle at a certain
tions with his fur in. Mab the
I feel privileged to hold the
about the same things as
time so we're concentrating
cat was Cassandra's familiar.
role of Wisewoman of Buryan.
people have done in the past:
together.
She's no longer alive but she's
It gives you a really nice sense
their relationships, health, their
LAETITIA: I make a lot of
still very much here in spirit.
of belonging. It's good to feel
animals and stock. The important
charms for people, to do with
(villagewisewoman.co.uk)
20
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
•
My Mourning Run
How cardio helps heal a broken heart.
BY JILL SLOANE GOLDSTEIN
twas a dreary January morning run
that I'd never forget. A light drizzle
was coming down, making the cold
damp air even more frigid. With
every stride I took, I felt as if 50-pound
weights were strapped to my ankles. My
lungs burned. The hills were like mountains. And yet I ran. In fact, I ran so hard
and fast that I nearly ran out of neighborhood streets to travel. It was the only thing
I could do to release the pain in my heart
and the terror in my mind.
Blocks away, my father lay in bed under
hospice care. He was losing his 17 -year
battle with prostate cancer. I had flown
down to spend what would be my last visit
with him. As much as I understood the
likelihood that he wouldn't live through
the month, I managed to vehemently deny
the unbearable reality. It was simply too
painful to accept. For nearly 16 of those
17 years, my father had lived with his cancer.
There were good years and so-so years,
but his situation was never grave. Early
into his diagnosis, it was business as usual.
I
He worked five days a week, spent the
weekends with family and friends. When
he was fortunate enough to retire, 10 years
later, he built his dream house with my
mom and indulged his passion for golf. He
used to joke that he'd only play on days of
the week that ended in "y:'Overall he felt
well, his treatments keeping the disease at
bay. When it did become troubling, there
were always plans in place-new
medications to try, advanced studies to take
part in. Options always seemed as plentiful as the assurances we'd receive from
his doctors. So I maintained a sense of
calm, believing that he'd be OK. But truth
be told, it wasn't as much the promise of
breakthrough treatments that kept my
heart and mind at ease-it was the ardent
sense of denial I maintained. I was a virgin
to this type of heartache and tragedy. Of
course I'd suffered loss before, but never
had I dealt with it this close to home,
with an immediate family member. This
was my daddy; a man I looked up to; a
man I respected; a man whose heart was
overflowing with love, acceptance, generosity, and laughter; a man who provided
me with all the opportunities he could
gather as I grew up; a man I truly appreciated. And my head and heart couldn't
conceive of losing him. So I lived without
my dad's cancer.
Part of maintaining a sense of normalcy
(read: denial) in my day was sticking to a
routine. For me, that came in the form of
exercise. I awoke each morning and laced
up my running shoes because it was what
I knew. I hit the pavement or the treadmill, cranked up my music, and diligently
knocked out my mileage requirements. It
was a regimen I'd performed five days a
week for nearly 20 years. So continuing
the pattern preserved the status quo ... or
so I thought.
I realized something on that early
January morning that would change the
way I ultimately grieved. I wasn't running
just to fool myself into thinking everything in my world was fine and under
control. I was running to feel the pain -
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
21
not just physically but emotionally. Every
step I took down those residential streets
did bring the usual discomforts to my
stressed~out body. But more noticeably, it
engendered a deep ache in my heart and
mind that I couldn't ignore. You see, I was
alone in this space, face to face with myself.
There were no distractions as I ran, no
excuses. Just a stark, honest window into
my life, and my life was about to become
fatherless. I had no way to escape my reality,
''
3~month~old son, a wife, a whole family
to be present for, not to mention my dad's
lifelong wish for my happiness, which I
vowed to honor.
So I continued running. As hard as it
was on those sleep~deprived mornings,
when my stress and anguish were at an
all~time high and my energy levels were
at their lowest, I forced myself to do it.
Nearly a year later, I'm still going at it,
working out both mentally and physically.
Some days, I cry so hard I can't see the
road in front of me. Or I spend an hour on
the treadmill cursing the universe for tak~
ing him too soon. Other days, I reflect on
his life and how every choice he made led
to me and, ultimately, to my son, Adler. I
want to teach Adler about his grandfather
so he grows up knowing what a wonderful
man he was.
My emotions fluctuate. Truth be told,
they change hourly. Yet, regardless of
how I'm feeling, I've noticed that I always
manage to feel a tiny bit better when I'm
finished working out. It's as if my coping
mechanisms are strengthening along with
my muscles. A self~fulfilling prophecy per~
haps, but physiology supports the idea
that exercise is a powerful aid in dealing
with life's difficulties. Aerobic exercise en~
hances the action of endorphins, chemicals
that circulate throughout the body. These
endorphins can improve natural immunity
and reduce the perception of pain. Exercise
also stimulates the neurotransmitter norepi~
nephrine, which significantly contributes to
mood stabilization. It's a process I've come
to depend on when I can't seem to manage
the grief through cognitive activity alone.
Exercise has always played an import~
ant role in my life. For nearly 20 years,
I've worked hard to keep healthy and fit.
For the past five years, I've written about
its wealth of physical benefits. But it
wasn't until this past year that I realized
just how powerfully effective exercise
can be for the soul. And suddenly, the
principles I've practiced and the advice
I've preached have taken on a whole new
meaning. The very notion that the more
discomfort you feel, the more you'll ex~
perience a transformation has never rung
truer. My father's passing has opened me
up to an enlightening spirituality, which
helps me to feel his presence whenever
I take the time to meditate. Turns out,
my father accompanies me on my runs
every day. •
RUNNING
BtCAMt
MY
THtRAPY.
WHAT
ONCt
WAS
ATASK
MARKtD
BYMINUTtS
lffT AND
MlltSTOGO
BtCAMt
ACATHARTIC
ACTIVITY
THAT
AffORDtD
Mt
THtTIMt,SPACt
AND
PRIVACY
TOPROCtSS
AND
GRltVt.
''
even under the guise of doing something
normal. So with each stride, I let my faucet
of grief and fear leak a little, then trickle,
until I allowed it to pour out.
Running became my therapy. What
once was a task marked by minutes left and
miles to go became a cathartic activity that
afforded me the time, space and privacy to
process and grieve. I won't say it made me
feel better, but the exercise helped me to feel,
which was better. I started (slowly) acknowl~
edging what was happening to my father
and it opened up a sea of anger, devastation,
self pity and fear.
My father lost his fight with the disease
on January 31, 2013. As expected, it abso~
lutely crushed me. No amount of prepa~
ration eased the pain. He was taken away
from me and it felt drastic and sudden
and unfair. I wanted to crawl into bed and
pull the covers over my head. But I had a
22
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
THENONRUNNER'S
MARATHON
GUIDE
FORWOMEN:GET
OFF YOUR BUTT
ANDON WITH
YOURTRAINING
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Dawn Dais has written an
entertaining
and inspiring
manualfor the exercise-averse.
As a self-confessed couch
potato, she's set out an easyto-follow guide on how to go
from struggling to walk around
the block to completing a
26-mile run. This humorous
book is interspersed
with
journal entries and workbook
space that will help train and
educate you as you read. Pick
up this book and give yourself
a winter fitness makeover with
someone who understands
late-night
carb bingers
whose idea of a marathon is
digesting the entire season
of Orange Is the New Black in
one night, and who don't own
a stitch of spandex. Dais has
your number, and is offering
her services as your personal
running buddy, guiding you
step by step toward rewardswith some fun along the way.
Georgia Krokus
tfvNONRUNNER'S
MARATHON
GUIDE
FOR
WOMEN
Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: I am a 32-yearold pre-med lesbian. I am what most
people would describe as very attractive.
I have held several leadership positions
at my school and, as far as I can tell, my
classmates and teachers think highly of
me. I'm president of an awesome club that
I've worked hard to create, and am also a
member of two honor societies. I have been
out for five years and am the single parent
of a 9-year-old, who is also very active. I love
people, learning and life.
I don't really know what the problem
is, but mostly I hear that people are
intimidated by me. Is that really something
I should be concerned about? Should
someone really try to be less than what she
wants to be out of respect for other people's
comfort levels? And more importantly, if I
keep doing what I do, do you think I will still
be single in 10 years? -He/la Good Catch
Dipstick: I think your friends
you've had in your life. It's not
are kindly trying to tell you that
about trying to be less, it's
you need to practice some
actually about trying to be
humility. People would not be
more: more giving, more open,
intimidated by all your achieve-
more loving, more humble.
ments if you were warm and
open and loving, and seemed
Lipstick: Dip has hit this right
to be genuinely interested in
on the head. Mystery is a sexy
what they had to offer. The
thing, so keep future dates
next time you meet a potential
in the dark a little, regarding
date, don't talk about yourself
your awesomeness. You sound
at all, just ask her about
like a well-rounded keeper,
herself, her accomplishments,
but I assume that when those
and her dreams. Stop trying to
potential girlfriends hear about
sell yourself-enumerating
all the things you're doing,
all
your great achievements-and
your gunning overachievement
instead see what you can do
reminds them of their own
to make someone else feel
failings. After 30, people start
good about herself. While
to carry around a sinking feel-
it's great to be proud of what
ing, wondering, "Am I doing
you've achieved, remember to
enough with my life? Am I on
appreciate your privilege and
the right path? Will I ever fulfill
know that there are many other
my dreams? Do I even have
smart, talented, attractive
the courage to start chasing
women out there who haven't
them?" Meeting a woman who
had the opportunities that
has burned her own path with
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
23
curve
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I~YOU'Rt
DATING
A
WOMAN
WHO
HAS
BttNWITH
MtNINTHt
PAST
AND
ITBOTH
ms
YOU,
TAKt
AMOMtNT,
BRtATHt
DttPlY,
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''
did you? Even if you had broken up, you
picked the one thing that you knew would
devastate her and went and did it. To me,
that's the crux of the issue here. What
you did was mean and hurtful. It was a
dick-slap to her face, and I highly doubt
your relationship will be able to recover.
She doesn't trust you. Once it's lost,
trust is difficult to regain. She fears that
anytime you're pissed off at her, you're
going to run off again into the arms of
some he-man, to roll around in his musky
sheets. You need to stop saying "I love her
blazing chutzpah can really shine a light
so much" and instead act on it. Work on
on someone else's shortcomings. And
being a trustworthy, honorable human
that feels shitty. Get to know someone
being who doesn't run off and hurt some-
on a deeper, more important level before
one else when you're upset. I'm pretty
cataloging your titles and successes. The
sure you've blown it on this one. Learn
truth is, in life, these bullet points-aside
your lesson, so you don't repeat it with the
from motherhood-will
next innocent girl who comes along.
not matter at all
one day. What will matter is how we loved,
how we forgave (this includes ourselves),
Lipstick: Time out! They were broken up,
and how we were true to our own spirit.
Dip. Even though she did the nasty with
These are the things we'll weigh on our
a thrust of spite, they weren't together
deathbed-not
anymore, so I don't think there is any need
titles, degrees and
fleeting physical beauty. Let these be the
foundation of your dating life and on New
Year's you won't be toasting alone.
On yQur
for guilt here, or apologies.
Slipped, has it been like this from the
beginning? Was her insecurity the reason
you broke up? While I agree with Dip on
PC/MAC
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Dear Lipstick and Dipstick: My girlfriend
one thing-that
(I'll call her Claire) and I have been together
situation by your choices-I
you've totes enflamed the
a year and half. I have previously had
root problem is your girlfriend's insecurity,
sexual relationships with men, and it's
and that, actually, has nothing to do with
something that bothers her immensely.
you. I've come across other lezzies like
She has known about it from the get-go,
Claire, who freak out about dude history-
believe the
but it comes up quite a bit. We did break
here on the page and also in my own
up once, and I, out of spite, slept with
dating life. To them, I'd like to send this
someone else (a guy). But before we
message: If you're dating a woman who
got back together I told her what I had
has been with men in the past and it both-
done, and she still took me back. Claire
ers you, take a moment, breathe deeply,
has times when she can't stop thinking
and chill the fuck out. You're allowing ego
about it. She falls into a terrible depres-
to make it all about you, and that, ladies,
sion and can't shake it. I can't change
will steer you wrong every time. Gender
what happened any more than she can.
shouldn't matter. And neither should the
It get's so bad that she makes herself
choices your girlfriend made before you
sick and obsesses about it, even when
even knew each other. No one likes to
I'm not with her. I don't know what to do.
be judged, or shamed, especially when
We love each other so much, but I can't
it's about something from their past they
help thinking that I'm hurting her. Please
cannot change. If you keep it up, I promise
he/pl-Slipped
you'll eventually drive her away. Reroute
Up
that energy into something constructive,
Dipstick: Slipped, if you love her so much,
like feeling good about yourself and what
and you know she's obsessed about you
you have to offer-she's
sleeping with men, then why in the hell
after all!•
with you now,
VIEWS/
TRUTHOR DA
turning the water flow all the
way up would injure my vagina.
Lesson learned.
I really liked looking at naked
people. Whether I was sneaking
glances at dirty magazines or
breaking into my ex-boyfriend's
computer to shuffle through his
floppy disks full of sexy clips,
porn has always been a part of
my life.
Porn introduces me to new
kinds of people and experiences. During law school,
when I lived in the conservative
town of Jacksonville, Fla., a
friend showed me Buck Angel's
website. Shocked, I really didn't
know what to make of "the
man with a pussy." On TV all I
saw were stories about maleto-female transsexuals. Buck
represented a different world
to me-a totally separate idea
about what a "man" can be.
On the other hand, porn is
often misleading. Since we
do not have any form of real
sex education in this country, I
looked at porn as a "how to" for
sex, particularly lesbian sex.
When I first started sleeping
with women, I didn't know what
to do. Touching women was so
different from touching men.
Men show their arousal through
external means: hard-ans. How
could I know when a girl was
turned on?
What was also incredibly
daunting was the pervasive
idea that "women know what
other women want, because
The Good Girl's Guide
women know their own bodies."
to Porn
sexual discovery, everything
BYJINCEYLUMPKIN&CARLINROSS
Such a statement is totally
untrue! Swept up in a state of
felt foreign and adventurous
to me. I had to adjust to an
JINCEY:
tional in nature, and I remember one scene
intense level of connectedness.
I've always loved porn.
where a woman in a shower masturbated with
I found out that I didn't even
a detachable showerhead. Seeing the woman's
really know what turned me on!
While perusing through my Dad's collection of
Oscar-winning films, I found a VHS tape wedged
ingenious use of water gave me the idea to strad-
in between two drawers. The video was instruc-
dle the faucet in my tub. I did not realize that
I found myself mimicking
what I saw in girl-girl porn
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
25
WS/
TRUTHOR DARE
instead of allowing myself to
sex with them. Socially, my
break down walls; it helps you
spend time with people who
communicate about what really
appetites are deemed to be
find the words and realize your
aren't sexually open. But that
felt good.
Porn can't be your road-
male: I love sex, I love dirty
sexual potential-the
talk, I love role-playing,
of "monkey see, monkey do."
map to sexual pleasure. Just
love porn. With that said, I do
because you see someone else
have boundaries-boundaries
desire to kink up my vanilla sex
enjoying something on screen
that I discovered by trying
life. What I didn't realize was
does not mean you will enjoy
new things. If something
it. Furthermore, porn does not
made me uncomfortable,
convey the "right" way to have
had to know why.
sex. Sure, you certainly might
and I
I
When I was still practicing
old idea
I became unabashed in my
doesn't mean that I need to be
topped or wowed or surprised
in bed.
What it means is that I need
to be with a partner who's
that real life sex is different
willing to take chances and
than porn sex.
try new things. I don't care
My first foray into sexual
what they look like, what their
liberation was bringing home
gender is, or what they do for
be exposed to new ways to
law, I stumbled upon a server at
another woman. I met her at
a living; none of that matters.
have sex while watching porn.
work named "Big Hard Cock."
a high-end private club and
What matters is that they're
You might even want to try
I sat at my desk looking at the
felt instant chemistry. Our first
open and willing to take our
different experiences, but your
server directory in a state of
kiss curled my toes. I don't
relationship to new places sex-
guidepost should always be
mild shock; however, I clicked
remember thinking, "Let's go
ually and emotionally, because
how you respond. Does dirty
on it. There were thousands
home and fuck my boyfriend."
I know that's the best way to
talk and slapping your lover
of porn clips catalogued by
Somehow it just happened.
make it last.•
turn you on? Great! As long as
actor. None of their names
The sex was fantastic. I loved
you and your partner are on the
were familiar because I'd never
it. The next morning I walked
same page, go right ahead and
watched porn before, but, in a
downstairs and hailed her a
embrace your rough side. Trust
matter of weeks, these women
cab. As soon as I walked back
me, it does not make you less
became my sex sisters.
through the door, my boyfriend
of a feminist if you don't like
making love.
Real intimacy is built on
truth and respect. Concealing
I loved Jenna Jameson's
demanded, "Do you always do
snaggletooth, her all-knowing
that?" I looked back stunned.
smile, and the way she loved
What was "that?" Why was I
getting off. Janine Lindemulder
somehow more culpable? In
your desires or being unable
became my favorite. She was
that moment, our relationship
to communicate will stunt your
always cast in the threesome
ended. I wasn't going to share
personal growth and make it
scenes, and you knew that the
my life with someone willing to
difficult, if not impossible, to
women preferred her touch
pull the slut card on me.
continue building a strong,
to the porn actor in the clip.
stable and happy relationship.
Janine pleasured women with-
Want to know the cure for
While I nursed my broken heart, I started seeing
out a shred of guilt or shame,
a married woman. Maybe I
lesbian bed death? Be honest
and watching her was the first
figured her infidelity granted
about what you want, even if it
time I saw a woman do that.
me a certain latitude or sexual
meansyourpartnerdoesnot
I watched hours of porn
like what you have to say.
until I found the ultimate clip.
trysts, I uttered some sort of
It was a foursome with all my
filthy comment that I wish I
CARLIN:
favorite stars: Jenna, Janine,
could remember. Suddenly,
I grew up with an older brother
Nikki Tyler and another woman.
everything stopped. She physi-
and I followed him everywhere.
Usually, Janine inflicted the
cally recoiled. Just because she
Christmas morning my Barbie
pleasure, but in this clip all
was a woman with a cuckold
Dream Pool sat virtually
three women were holding
husband didn't mean that she
untouched. Well, I did put the
Janine down while they stim-
was kinky. Ultimately, the sex
freedom. During one of our
stickers on, but apart from
ulated her body. They used
shut down, and that ended our
that, I was too busy playing
all sorts of toys and said the
relationship.
with my brother's Hot Wheels
filthiest things. I couldn't help
Race Track.
it; I was turned on.
My good relationship with
There came a point when
Looking back on my past
sexual adventures I understand
the role pornography played in
In next month's column
we're going to delve into
sexual stigmas. What's
"dick ick"? How do we
talk about sexual health
and hygiene with our
partners? Why do we
panic over our pussies?
UNTIL THEN,
CONNECT WITH
US ONLINE!
Jincey at Jincey.com and
her hot lesbian porn at
JuicyPinkBox.com
Carlin's amazing
sex education at
DodsonAnd Ross.com
Take to social media and
chat about #GoodPorn!
What do you like about
porn? What disgusts you?
Why do you love your vag?
@JuicyJincey
@DodsonAndRoss
@TheRealCurve
my brother is probably why
I wanted to try the things I'd
my development. I guess you
I'm so comfortable
seen these women do in real
could say that it was my "gate-
Photos by Victoria Janashvili
life. In this way, I think pornog-
way drug." I don't really watch
Makeup by Karina Montoya
raphy is beneficial. Porn helps
explicit clips now. I don't really
Hair by Stacia Nicole
men. My connection
around
to men
is probably why I still have
26
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
WHERE
THE
GIRLS
ARE
Curve and Venice party at The Abbey, West Hollywood.
When in West Hollywood, be sure to visit the world's No. 1 LGBT
bar and nightclub, The Abbey, on Wednesdays for GirlBar. GirlBar
was founded in 1990 by Robin Gans and Sandy Sachs and continues
to host fantastic women's parties such as Curve's "Venice" party on
Sept. 4 at The Abbey. Sponsored by GirlBar and Visit West Hollywood,
the Curve party was a huge success with a live performance by Jen
Foster and appearances by Venice The Series cast members Crystal
Chappell, Nadia Bjorlin, Hilary B. Smith, Judi Evans and Harrison White.
Lucky Curve reader Susan Matties and her partner won a trip to L.A.,
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
27
three nights accommodation
at
the Ramada Hotel and VIP passes
to the Venice The Series and Jen
Foster Meet and Greet Party at
The Abbey. Other celebrities
attending the event included
Curve cover girl Anyone But Me
actor Nicole Pacent, Natasha
Henstridge and Michelle Carter.
Catch up on all the drama of
Season four of Emmy Awardwinning Venice The Series,
currently available by subscription
only at venicetheseries.comm
and
tune in to Jen Foster's new music
video "She" featuring special
guest Nicole Pacent, directed by
multiple award-winning filmmaker
Nicole Conn and produced by
multiple award-winning
WingSpan Pictures.•
28
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
Wind Beneath Our
Wings
A short film about bullying has Hollywood taking notice.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
I
n January 2012, WingSpan Pictures released
the short film Love Is All You Need? In just 60
days the film received 3.6 million views on You~
Tube and 10 million views on Facebook. It has
screened at over 30 film festivals and won numerous
awards. Reviews have been glowing and international
fans have even translated the film into their languages.
What's all the fuss about? How can a short film garne
such attention?
REVIEWS/
FlLM
Timing is everything. This film emerged
from a media debate that had been brewing
around the topic of bullying. Writer-director-producer Kim "Rocco" Shields was watching TV one night and saw a program on
bullying where experts were baffled by how a
young person could be driven to the drastic act
of suicide.
A victim of bullying herself, Shields woke
up the next morning with an idea. "If I flip it
and I make a film for mainstream media and
if I switch all of the stereotypes and create a
homonormative society and not a heteronormative society-if the tables were turnedthey would understand:'
In the alternative universe of Love Is All You
Need?same-sex marriage is the norm, religious
rulers are female, and heterosexuals are outcasts disparagingly referred to as "breeders:' But
trouble ensues for adolescent Ashley, who loves
and obeys her lesbian moms, but finds herself
a target of bullying when she is romantically
drawn to a boy her own age.
What then occurs is all the prejudice and
hatred that we know have driven LGBT teens
to self-harm and suicide. The film is all the
more shocking for flipping it and portraying
what the mainstream considers to be customary
as taboo.
Shields was so focused on getting the project
out as a high concept film that she wrote the
script in a week and used her production company and its fully fledged studio to create her
vision. The film is now screened in schools as
an educational tool and teachers and students
30
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
write Shields daily telling her about its impact
on their lives. But this has not been without
controversy. One child in a Canadian school
fainted when the film was shown in class, and
afer a screening at the film festival Frameline
a proponent of ex-gay indoctrination recanted
his views. Shields says the response to the film,
even when contentious, is "a dream come true:'
As co-founder of WingSpan Pictures her
mission is to use the film medium to educate
through projects that make a difference.
"Instead of teachers in a classroom giving a
lecture they can show a film that illustrates the
topic in a compelling way using Hollywood
production values;' she says. "We are trying
to give students a realistic viewpoint:' WingSpan has made educational films on other hot
topics such as PTSD and abuse, opening up
discussion in an engaging way at some of the
best schools and major Ivy League institutions
in the country.
As an out lesbian and an admirer oflesbian
filmmakers Nicole Conn and Angela Robinson, Shields is dedicated to telling lesbian
stories in a way that "weaves them in there
but doesn't just make the storyline about
them:' Her goal is to challenge stereotypes,
to stop representing LGBT people as a "tragic other;' and to assimilate the representation
of minorities into mainstream media to create equality.
For Shields, there is no limit to how far
this can go, she says, citing Conn as groundbreaking in her representation of lesbians and
Robinson as bringing a queer sensibility to
mainstream hits such as True Blood. Shields
is delighted to reveal that the short for Love Is
All You Need?will be made into a mainstream
feature film. The casting agent, Mary Vernieu,
who cast Academy Award-winning films Black
Swan and The Wrestleris on board and A-list
talent is gravitating toward the project. "The
response from everybody is they love this and
want to be involved right away;' says Shields.
The feature will expand the narrative, introduce new characters and, Crash-style, follow a handful of individuals whose storylines
intersect. "One small prejudice against one
person can ripple into something very large;'
says Shields.
"Being gay hit me like a ton of bricks out
of college. I was bullied for varying reasons,
and kids are cruel. But as a filmmaker you
need to be well-versed in things around you
and I read about various things that make
me so upset. The only way I can change them
is to make something that brings awareness.
Love Is All You Need? is that:' (loveisallyouneedthemovie.com)
•
REVIEWS/MUSIC
MUSIC»
She Has the Right!
Samia rallies for marriage equality on her debut EP.
BY DAVE STEINFELD
T
hey say timing is everything and it was no acodent that Manhattan-based
singer Samia unveiled her
song "We Have the Right" in support of
marriage equality just as DOMA was
about to be struck down this past summer. "It was the end of March [and] I
was thinking about the issue a lot;' she
remembers. 'J\nd the chorus of"We Have
the Right" kind of popped into my head.
It was one of those things where I was
on the subway one minute, just thinking,
and the next minute I had the chorus of a
song. I realized that I should really finish
it and record it and put it out in time for
Pride-that could be a way to contribute
to the cause:' The song, which references
Stonewall in its opening verse, is a popdance anthem of sorts and the last of six
tracks on Samia's self-titled EP.
After Samia wrote and recorded "We
Have the Right;' the next step was to shoot
a video for it. Just three weeks before the
song's release, she enlisted the services of
her friend Caskey Hunsader, a director/
producer. They shot the dip in Manhattan, at the Posh Bar & Lounge in Hell's
Kitchen.
Around the same time that she released
the song, Samia wrote a piece for the Huffington Post's Gay Voices section in which
she frankly discusses her own sexual history,
which has lead to her disdain for labels in
general. "If you need labels to understand
a human being's sexuality;' Samia writes,
"you could say I'm a gender-bent pansexual polyamorist:' When we speak on the
phone, she elaborates a bit. "I identified
as bisexual for a really long time. Now,
depending on the day, I identify as either
pansexual or queer. I'm probably one of
the most sexually fluid people you'll ever
meet, 'cause I've gone through the gamut. I
identified as a lesbian for two years, when
I was, like, 23, 24. During that time, I was
very much not attracted to men, and I saw
myself only dating women for the rest of
my life. And then my life started transitioning to another place. Now I've realized
that what I'm really attracted to are people
who ride the line, in one way or another,
between male and female. I'm a weird
one!" Perhaps, but she's also honest and
brave-qualities
she says she inherited
from her mother.
Though Samia is best known thus far
for "We Have the Right;' her music is
almost as fluid as her sexuality. The best
track on her EP, to this writer's ears, is the
first one, a rocker called "Lose Me;' which
showcases her impressive vocal range."That's
actually one of my favorites, and it's one of
the first songs that I wrote for [my current] band;' says Samia."It was inspired by
a relationship I had where I was very much
in love with the person, and very devoted,
and he wasn't. Over the course of a twoyear relationship, it began to dawn on me
that I wasn't being very appreciated, and I
wound up ending it. And when I ended it,
he suddenly turned around and was super
in love with me! I was his soul mate and
all this stuff. Instead of being super happy,
I just got angry. You know, if I had gotten
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
31
REVIEWS/
MUSIC
that level of love and goodness before, I
would have been the happiest girl ever. So
that's how that song came about. It was
really a very sad situation. Everyone got
their heart broken in the end:'
Samia does plan to follow up this first
EP with a full album, but the details are
still being worked out-partly
because
she's still deciding what direction to go in,
musically. "The EP has a very strong rock
feel to it, which I love;' she states. "But
I'm also very interested in exploring more
electronic music. And I have a whole other
set of songs that are completely different
than the ones on the EP. So there will be
an album, but I'm not sure right now what
genre it's gonna fall into. There's a world of
possibilities!" (samiamusic.com) •
HOT
LICKS
))BYMIAMANNS
Joan
Jettand
theBlackhearts
Unvarnished
(BlacKneart
Records)
The newest record from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Unvarnished,
proves JJ still loves rock 'n' roll, and she has plenty of it left in her
soul. This is an album that could only exist in the world of 2013.
The triumphantly punky "TMI" has that throwback sound but its
lyrics are unapologetically modern. Joan's definitely still got that
crazy rockstar lifestyle vibe with songs like "Reality Mentality" and
"Different," and she's still the fearless front woman we know and
love. The first single, "Any Weather," is rocking and rebellious, the
raucous punk vibe occasionally giving way to a glam guitar solo
but without losing power. "If we love" is the refrain, so add some
counter-culture hippy-dippy flare to the eclectic mix. With themes
of rebellion set to simple punk power chords, Joan Jett remains
unvarnished indeed.
JESSIEJ
Jessie
J
Alive
(Lava/Repuolic)
Alive is the second studio album from singer-songwriter and openly
bisexual bombshell Jessie J. The first track, "It's My Party," opens
with a guitar-led anthem and Jessie J's patent roaring vocals, and
while the party starts with rock, it soon transitions to dance-friendly
electronic beats. The slow rolling "Thunder" and the hypnotic "Square
One" are ballads that show off Jessie J's vocal prowess then give way
to instant club hits like "Sexy Lady" and "Wild." Through the up-tempo
dance tunes and the more laid back tracks, there's a sense of her soul
in every song. It's an intimate album that examines Jessie J close-up
from every angle-putting her under the microscope, and we like
what we see-and hear.
32
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
REVIEWS/
BOOKS
and is currently
compiling the
groundbreaking
anthology, My
StoryIs Out High
SchoolYears.
In The Trouble with Emily
Dickinson,some
of the author's
real-life experiences are coupled with her
love of Dickinson's poetry.
The novel's
protagonist, JJ,
is a secret poet
and an out lesbian. JJfalls for a popular
cheerleader, Kendal McCarthy, and the
unlikely friendship grows into something
more. ]J's confidante and lesbian best
friend, Queenie McBride, appears to be
more experienced, and more cynical, than
JJ, and fears for her impending disappointment.
This tender coming out tale may elicit
your own memories of self-discovery and
lead you to recall your high school achievements, infatuations and revelations.Add one
honeyed dose of Emily Dickinson's
soul-to-pen
language and the story
becomes downright enchanting.
Since we know that life goes on after the
senior prom, DJ\rcangelo followed Troublewith The Educationof QueenieMcBride,
a story that spotlights a problem within
the LGBT community that too often goes
unnoticed. We follow Queenie to college,
where she has a chance encounter with
Pudge, a 14-year-old who's been kicked
out of her home for being gay. Queenie,
who is not adjusting well to the new challenges college life is imposing on her, is
finally compelled to reconsider what she
values most.
"LGBT teen homelessness is an overlooked problem in our community. It doesn't
get talked about nearly enough. It's almost
an afterthought, and that's troubling," Says
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo channels poetry and puts the T-for teenDJ\rcangelo. To properly research Queenie
McBride, the author studied statistics and
in LGBT novels. ev KIM HOFFMAN
was disturbed by her findings. "I wanted to
give the issue a face-a reality:'
friends with a werewolf And it was so good
rowing up in Buffalo, N.Y.,
that my teacher thought I must have copied
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo always
Where Troubleis a jocular glimpse into
it:' Today, DJ\rcangelo is the award-winning
knew she was a writer. "In the
the budding sexual lives of teenagers, who
fourth grade, I wrote an aweauthor of The Troublewith EmilyDickinson are, as DJ\rcangelo emphasizes, "fumbling
and its sequel,TheEducation
ifQueenieMcBride, around and figuring each other out;' Queenie
some story about a boy who becomes
Writing Down the Feathers
G
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
33
wrote to me:'
Not only is D'Arcangelo providing
us with the stories that she didn't have
growing up, she's also passionate about
documenting athletes' stories, "whether
it's the rise to glory or the fall from grace:•
Especially the stories of lesbian athletes
"who aren't afraid to be honest about
who they are and talk about the balance
between personal and professional lives:•
Like LGBT homelessness, it's a topic that
tends to be ignored or disregarded much
of the time. "I think the best stories reach
through the pages and tug at your heart,
whether it's a feel~good story or a sad
story. When you find yourself rooting for
or feeling for the main characters, that's
the mark of a good author;' says DJ\.r~
cangelo. She is working on an anthology
for LGBT teens, My Story Is Out: High
McBride unearths a very raw element that
facebook.com/lotlrescue
bonds the characters to one another, and
the reader to the characters. It navigates
past locker room romances and into the in~
tricacies of adult life. You may come away
from the novel inspired, but overwhelmed
by the daily realities that homeless LGBT
youth must face merely to survive.
"Many of the kids that I talk to have
this very fear [that if they come out to
their parents, they'll get kicked out of the
house]. I tell them that coming out to your
family is something that should be done
with care, and that if they feel their par~
ents might not be understanding or recep~
tive, that they should wait until they are
old enough to support themselves;' DJ\.r~
cangelo says, referring to the GSA groups
she's met with. "I think there should be a
better system in place for those teens who
don't have any other recourse:'
DJ\.rcangelo was 23 when she came out
to her own parents, who have supported
her completely all along the way.
Sharing stories can be empowering.
"Much like any other community, it's im~
portant for us to keep our stories alive for
future generations. We want our youth
to know what came before them and the
struggle it took to get there. I just wanted
to write stories that LGBT teens can relate
to and enjoy;' to which she adds a senti~
ment that resonates with us all-"stories
that I wish I could've read when I was a
teen:' It was Emily Dickinson, of course,
who famously wrote "Hope is a thing with
feathers;' but the reclusive poet also wrote
"This is my letter to the world, that never
IJUST
WANTED
TOWRITE
STORIES
THAT
LGBT
TEENS
CAN
RELATE
TOAND
ENJOY-STORIE
THAT
IWISH
I
COULD'VE
READ
WHEN
IWAS
A
TEEN.
''
School Years, real~life stories and experi~
ences from teens all over the country.
D'Arcangelo is working on the third
and final book in her Trouble with Emily
Dickinson series. 'Tm pretty sure that a
wedding will be in the plot;' she teases,
proving once and for all that it certainly
can get better. (lyndseydarcangelo.com) •
REVIEWS/
BEVERAGES
Cocktails with
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BEVERAGES»
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t
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l-
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BRUT
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As more LGBT individuals and
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Sip this award-winning, full-flavored
vodka neat or try the cocktail below.
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While vodka has recently become
a controversial spirit with queer
cocktail enthusiasts-thanks
to its association with Putin's
anti-homosexual law-there's no
question where Van Gogh Vodka's
loyalties are. Earlier this year the
Dutch vodka label partnered with
the Give a Damn Campaign, and
we were introduced to their PB&J
flavored vodka. Like peanut butter
and jelly it's a match that's meant
to be. Early notes are smooth and
nutty, followed by a bold berry
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donates 20 percent of its retail
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time. Scan the code on the bottle
or download the charitable giving
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purchase. One bottle of awardwinning Marquis Vodka generates
anti-bullying outreach to 10 LGBT
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So spread some virtue while you
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Pop the cork at midnight on New
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ONEHOPE Wine has partnered
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sure 16 million undernourished
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they need to grow and thrive by
donating 50 percent of profits from
this California Brut Sparkling. This
bubbly benefactor displays aromas
of crisp green apple, nectarine and
freshly baked bread. Refreshing
and delicious, it's a fabulous
way to ring in the New Year and
support a national effort to end
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that. ($20, onehopewine.com) •
Mix ingredients in
a shaker with 8 ice
cubes. Serve neat in
a martini glass with
an orange garnish.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
35
FEATURES/
LAUGHTRA
ay Leno may have only recently declared Cameron Esposito
the future of comedy, but her lesbian fan-base has known
the truth for years. Affable, yet capable of blistering social
critique, the 31-year-old comic honed her material in Chicago
comedy clubs and on national tours. Almost exactly one
year after moving to Los Angeles, Esposito appeared on Craig Ferguson
and Chelsea Lately, displaying her distinctive mix of charisma leavened
with Midwestern sincerity. Clearly, the hardworking comic is earning the
national attention she is due.
J
What separates a comic from that funny
friend at a dinner party?
Hours and hours and hours of stage time.
Also a desire be really, really serious about
jokes. In my experience, most comics
aren't too funny at parties. Jokes are for
the stage; dips are for parties-unless
it's a party of all comics, in which case
the jokes will be ceaseless, and you better
bring your A game.
What was the first funny thing you ever
said?
When I was a newborn my timing was
impeccable. I can't remember topics, probably like formula and what's the deal with
strollers:' But I had great timing.
How do you feel about the term "lesbian
comic?''
Stoked on it/ neutral about it. It's just a
description of who and what I am. Like
also: alternative comic-different
than
alternative lifestyle, it's a standup subset-or former Chicago comic or current
L.A. comic or incredible dancer.
Ever worry about getting pigeonholed?
Nah. I work all kinds of rooms, alongside
all different types of comics, all over the
country. Just want to do the work and keep
evolving and stay the course. I do sometimes worry about pigeons, though-they
are so aggressive!
Why did you decide to make the move
to L.A.?
There's no industry in Chicago. It's a great
city to come up in; you can fail and learn
and get strong, but doesn't have the sustainable career offerings of Los Angeles. It
was purely a practical decision.
You've been working as a stand-up
for years, but recently you've gotten
national attention. What would we be
surprised by about that experience?
I don't own a television. Not because I'm
super fancy or snotty or anything. I just
watch stuff on my laptop. So, yes, I've been
on TV, but I haven't seen myself on TV.
I'm looking forward to that, whenever it
happens.
What went through your mind when
Jay Leno called you the future of
comedy?
Nothing. Not a thing. I was completely
in the moment and just digging it. It was
after walking back to the green room and
seeing the folks there to support me that
I realized. They all stared at me with their
mouths opened and asked, "Do you realize what just happened:"'
You have a podcast, post essays to
your website, and write for Vice. How
important is it for a comic to multitask?
Right now, so important. And also so useful. Comedy has really been democratized
enormously in the last decade-viewers
and listeners and readers can choose who
they want to follow, not just be fed comedy by TV and film. I am trying to produce
as much content as I can-while keeping
that content high quality-so
that folks
who dig me can stay engaged and excited
about my comedy.
You have a bit about watching gay
male porn. I can't tell you how many
lesbians I've heard express an interest
in gay male porn. Why do you think
that is?
To me, lesbian porn seems to be either
geared toward straight men and grosses
me out, or really emotionally driven if
created by women for women. I like the
equality between two men together, the
honesty in who the porn is being created
for, and the excitement and energy of the
scenes. It just works for my taste.
And on an unrelated note,
what are your plans for the
holidays?
I'll be in home Chicago a bit.
Maybe in Akron, [Ohio],
too, with my fiance. Midwest is always best.
You've said, "If I stop
talking about my life and
my sexuality, then comedy is just a sea of dude
comics miming wieners
onstage forever. I'll represent myself.
I'm happy to." Do you ever feel tired of
representing?
Sure. And no. I really don't know any
other experience. I mean, I feel exhausted
by trying to get my viewpoint out there.
Maybe that's how all comics feel. I do
have to fight to get folks on board with
my ideas, but that fight has made me a
better comic. I can't really get too lazy
about my jokes-and
that's a good thing.
( cameronesposito.com) •
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
37
TURES/
ISSUES
AN INSIDER'SVIEW OF PUTIN'SAGENDA.
BY MERRYN JOHNS//
PHOTOS BY DARIA SKACHKOVA
ussia has never been good
for gays. Under the Soviets,
homosexuality was a criminal
offense. Moscow and many
other cities have banned Pride parades,
and LGBT-rights groups suspected of
being supported by a "foreign agent"
can be fined and shut down. In March,
the queer-feminist activists Pussy Riot
were arrested for violating Russia's
anti-protest laws, and under Putin, as of
June 30, a law prohibits all "propaganda
of nontraditional sexual relations." Even
tourists who visibly identify as LGBT
may be detained, jailed and deported.
Needless to say, the homophobic
messages sent by such legislation have
resulted in an increase in attacks on gays
and lesbians. And yet, on September
26 the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) announced it was satisfied that
Russia's anti-gay propaganda law does
not violate the anti-discrimination clause
in the Olympic Charter. Cumulatively, this
has created a climate that would appear
to endanger Russia's LGBT citizens and
those who visit the country for the 2014
Olympic Games in Sochi. I spoke with
Milena Chernyavskaya, the 25-year-old
editor of the lesbian magazine Agens, to
find out what it feels like to be a lesbian
in Russia today.
R
38
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
--
2012,l4tffl!PBbJOCB/1iWefflfUiJM11EnpyNighlath,Koowr-ayrHa
/1oo1ocne,0:n:ipmopTl&fbD<flf5T~.MCKvsCm.~
.. -cww/P)r(JelQlocm.Jc:li/
LL.JI'-'-
Agensis
Russia's
lesbian
magazine.
Since
"homosexual
propaganda"
isillegal
inRussia,
how
can
anyone
buy
this
publication?
We have an agreement with kiosks that
they can sell our magazine, and we have
five points of sale in Moscow and St.
Petersburg, and you can buy it online.
The kiosks were very kind to us. It
was not a problem for them to sell our
magazine, and the response to Agens was
great. But with this law, we lost every
single advertising client we had. We are
struggling with financing. It is not an easy
time for us.
Tell
meabout
thetitle
ofthemagazine
and
why
you
chose
it.
We wanted a magazine that was classy
and appealed to lesbians. Our art director
found the Latin word for "moving force:' It
feels right because we are that force.
Launching
anLGBT
glossy
magazine
these
days
isvery
expensive
and
inRussia
could
be
dangerous.
Why
not
just
goontheInternet?
That's a good question. I can assure you
that we are not so like the U.S. We still
need printed magazines and newspapers.
I was in California last January, and I see
how you guys are transitioning from print
media to online and this is very exciting,
but we are more conservative and we still
read a lot of magazines and newspapers.
We don't have so much progress [toward
digital technology]. But as I look at
what is going on with our finances, I
think maybe it would be a solution for
FEATURES/
ISSU
.
-
us. Because we want it to continue and
women who read the magazine want us
to continue it.
Why
ishomophobia
sostrong
inRussia?
I think because we don't have a history of
democracy. The Soviet Union fell about
12 or 13 years ago and we still don't know
how to use democracy properly. I feel like
Aseditor-in-chief
ofamagazine
that
could
be
misconstrued
as"homosexual
propaganda,"
do sometimes we are more like a monarchy,
where public opinion follows the strong
you
fear
foryour
sat
ety?
leader-not
only regarding LGBT rights
I hear a lot of stories right now that are
but human rights as well. I wrote about
very dangerous: People are beaten up since
the repeal of DOMA in the summer issue
this law passed. A lot of LGBT people are
of Agens. It was very inspiring that you
treated like shit-beaten
on the streetguys
fought for your rights. We don't have
and it's dangerous from the point of view
the
power
to decide what we want to do,
that you want to stay alive and any minute
what's
right
or what's wrong. First we need
you could be dead. I'm more afraid for my
to figure out how to live in a democracy,
closest friends and family, and I worry
and then after that we can figure out what
about how they would be treated. I'm not
to
do for LGBT rights.
afraid for myself because this is what I do.
This is what I love to do.
You
mentioned
you
have
lost
allyour
advertisers.
there
beanother
issue
ofAgens?
The
LGBT
community
intheU.S.
isworried Will
and
outraged.
What
can
wedotohelp?
Many Well, we planned a really good issue for
people
arecalling
foraboycott
oftheOlympicthe autumn. It was an issue about lesbian
Games,
ofRussian
products
like
vodka,
but
will parenthood. We [lined up] interviews
that
help?
with real Russian lesbian families with
kids, women who were open about their
names and who gave us their photos, and
it was a huge deal for me personally and
for the magazine and for the community,
but after the law passed about 70 percent
of them refused to give interviews with us.
So we don't have the autumn issue, but
I still hope we can do this in the winter
or the spring. We need to do this because
You'd
like
tosee
Western
countries
adopt
more we have some opportunities here-for
favorable
immigration
laws
forasylum
seekers?example, a lot of lesbian couples use in
Yes, because I don't think it's going to
vitro fertilization, which is legal here for
lesbians.
change here for another 10 years.
Sorry, but it means nothing. As I see it, the
Russian government will do whatever they
want. If they hate the LGBT community,
they will continue that. While [boycot~
ting] is helpful from a moral point of view,
my honest opinion of what the West really
can do for us is to give us the opportunity
to emigrate. To leave.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
39
TURES/
ISSUES
That
seems
quite
contradictory,
thatlesbians rent here, I
can
access
IVFinRussia.
the landlord.
don't have a problem with
I don't feel like I have any
Yeah, exactly! And single people can adopt,
problems! But I am a creative person,
so there are some lesbians and gays who
and in the creative sphere you don't have
adopt as single persons and raise the kids
as many problems as you would if you
with their partners. Russia is kind of weird.
worked for the government. I feel like I
can stay here, but I feel like I have fewer
Did
you
have
any
sense
that
Putin
would
move
in and fewer opportunities to create some~
this
direction
and
make
gay
people
scapegoats?
thing great here. I can't lie to you: I see
When we decided to start the magazine,
an opportunity for me to emigrate, if the
most of us didn't think it would go into
magazine doesn't work. I'll give it about a
federal law. So when it passed this year
year and see what's going on. I don't want
in our Parliament, when Putin did sign, it
my energy and my creativity to drop out
was a huge surprise for us, because no one
and be forgotten.
really expected it.
It's like sitting on a powder keg every day.
You don't know what's going to happen
tomorrow. It's uncomfortable and weird
and depressing. We all want to live happily
ever after with our partners and our kids,
and we don't have that opportunity here
right now.
One of our activists died. His name was
Alexei Davydov. Some people said that a
police beating might have been the cause
of his death. Tilda Swinton donated
money for his funeral.
The new Russian law proposes remov~
ing gay parents' children from them. If it
passes, it would be horrible for all of us.
Will
Moscow
ever
have
aPride?
Does
Putin
really
hate
gays?
Unlike Americans, we do not discuss
issues and problems from two points of
view. We have one direction. We hear all
the time that people in Russia really hate
gays, so that must be the most popular
point of view, and Putin decides to stay in
this direction. But we really don't know
what's on Putin's mind because nobody
really knows. We only know that people
in Russia are not so tolerant of gays.
Putin tried to deliver this to Russian
society. Nobody really talks about it. I
think that foreigners are talking about it
more than we are.
I actually cannot imagine that there will
ever be a street parade with naked bod~
ies, because Russian people are so gray
and frozen inside and not emotional. We
are more closed, the nation is closed, so
I cannot imagine a Pride like you have,
but I don't know. There might be a Pride
organized by some organizations, but I
cannot say what will happen or if it will
happen in this century. With our con~
servative government right now, it really
doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
What
isitlike
living
asalesbian
inMoscow?
That's a really good question. I think that
our lesbian community is very young. It's
Did
you
start
themagazine
inresponse
tothe
mostly young girls. The upper age is 35,
anti-gay
feelings
inRussia?
really. And we have just a few women
older than that, so in this way we don't
No, it was a professional and personal
passion of mine, and of our art director.
have anyone to tell us what it was like
Because this political side of the LGBT
to be a lesbian 20 years ago. Everything
community in Russia wasn't so huge last
is new, and we don't have much support
year, and we decided to do it for us-for
from the older generation.
the LGBT community. We are surprised
Most of the time, if you want to enjoy
that we are accidentally in the center of the
being with your girlfriend in public you
law, but in the first place it was our own
feel like an exhibit in a museum, because
desire to do something with real Russian
everybody stares at you-not
because
stories, because we re seeing a lot of what is
they want to beat you up, but because
going on in America and in Europe and we
they probably want to ask you a lot of
primitive questions. Most of the time,
don't hear great stories that happen here in
Russia. That was our original goal.
they keep silent and stare at you. So it's
kind of disturbing, it feels uncomfortable,
How
has
thecurrent
situation
inRussia
impacted
really uncomfortable, and that's why most
your
own
life,
personally
and
professionally?
girls don't appear in public together.
Since starting the magazine I've felt closer
I think most of them like holding
hands, but they don't kiss so much in
to my parents, who gave me some good
advice about starting my own business.
public. They're mostly closeted at work.
I wasn't fired from my main job as the
They're more open at universities.
public relations director for a restau~
Describe
themood
intheLGBT
community
now?
rant chain. Even the apartment that I
40
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
Doyou
think
many
LGBT
Russians
willwant
to
leave
their
country
ifthis
continues?
Yeah, it has happened before, at the
beginning of the 20th century, and in the
1990s. And it makes sense again. You
can't be yourself here. It's depressing and
conservative.
I have felt like an American girl since
I was a kid. My sister gave me Tupac
Shakur to listen to when I was 6 years
old. I have been there twice, New York
and Los Angeles. It's so great, with the
entertainment and publishing businesses.
Americans like to work, and here, people
don't like to work so much. There, people
are at Starbucks to work, to check their
email, and here, people are at Starbucks to
talk, to gossip. It's depressing to me because
I really like to work!
Most gay guys and girls, they don't
know what to do-to
try and emigrate
or stay for a while and see what's going on
here. Most of them really hope that things
will change.
We're
thinking
ofyou
and
wishing
you
thebest.
Thank you very much. Thank you for your
support. Curve magazine was one of the
magazines that I took with me and I loved
it very much. You do a good job with it.
Thank
you!
I'llsend
you
asubscription.
Hard
copy
ordigital?
Digital would probably be best, because
the Russian postal system is a mess.
11
I also
don't
want
tosend
anyhomosexual
propaganda"
toyour
apartment
building!
(Laughs) It will be fine. They're not open~
ing all the packages!•
FEATURES/
YOKO
ONO
DISCUSSES
HER
NEW
ALBUM
ARTWORK
AND
CHINESE
FOOD.
THE L L ST
Yoko Ono has
led a singular life,
to put it mildly
who turns 81 in February-was
leading a
very interesting life e en before she entered the public consciousness as John Lennon's lover, creative muse and general partner in
crime) Born into a wealthy Japanese family, she spent her childhood nd adolescence moving between Tokyo, San Francisco and
Ne York. The youn Yoko rejected her parents' more materia 1st1Can tra 1t10na aspirations, enrolling at Sarah Lawrence
College, where she studied music in an environment that nurtured her fondness for the arts and the avant-garde. She was in
her 30s when she met Lennon, by which point she had already
been married twice; had a daughter, Kyoko, with her second husband Anthony Cox; seen her hometown of Tokyo bombed; done
time in a mental hospital; and become a minor celebrity in her
own right for her unique brand of performance art. Cut Piecein
particular-a
performance work from the mid 1960s in which
she invites audience members to cut off pieces of her clothing
until she is naked-helped
cement her reputation.
Her 15 years with Lennon (1965 through 1980) were simultaneously the happiest and the hardest. By the time they'd met,
the Beatles were the biggest band in the world, and from the start
of their relationship Ono was frequently characterized as a bad
influence on Lennon and even seen by some people as the cause
of the band's breakup. The controversy surrounding her has not
entirely gone away, either. I wasn't aware of just how divisive a
figure she remains until I interviewed her for this piece. Many
people-particularly
in the U.K.-still see her as having forged
her own career entirely on Lennon's. This is ridiculous, of course;
whether you like her work or not, if there's one thing Ono has proven
over the past 50 years, it is that she is an artist in her own right.
She and Lennon made several albums together, notably the
brilliant Double Fantasy,which was released right before his murder in 1980. Double Fantasyis a song cycle that contains 14 tracks
( seven by Lennon and seven by Ono) and focuses on their love for
each other, their son Sean, and their determinedly domestic lifestyle. Essentially, it chronicles the couple's ups and downs on their
road to romantic bliss. Shortly after Lennon's death, Ono released
a much darker solo effort, Season of Glass, which was followed a
couple of years later by a posthumous collaboration with Lennon
called Milk and Honey.
In the three decades since then, Yoko Ono has continued to
42
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
lead a unique life-as an artist, as a woman, as a human being.
She has recorded and released music periodically, and has remained
active in other media as well. Her new album, Take Me to the Land
of Hell, arrived in September and marks her first studio release
in four years. Co-produced by Sean Lennon, Yuka Honda (Cibo
Mattos co-founder and Sean's former girlfriend), and Ono herself,
Take Me to the Land of Hell also brings in some heavyweight guest
talent, ranging from Lenny Kravitz to Nels Cline ofWilco.
Musically, the new album covers a lot of disparate styles, which
parallels Ono's career in general. "There's No Goodbye Between
Us" (which may or may not be dedicated to John) hearkens
back musically to "Hard Times Are Over;' the song that closes
Double Fantasy, while the whimsical "Leaving Tim" echoes that
same album's "Yes, I'm Your Angel:' And there are more experimental songs, like the winter-themed opener, "Moonbeams;'
and the danceable, improvisational "7th Floor:' But the disc
also features some lovely ballads, such as "Little Boy Blue (Your
Daddy's Gone)"-which
was written for Sean-"Watching
the
Dawn;' and "There's No Goodbye Between Us:' The strangest
track on the disc is probably "N.Y. Noodle Town;' which Ono
FEATURES/
says was inspired by an actual restaurant
in Chinatown. "Go to New York Noodle
Town;' she implores me before we hang
up. "It's incredible! People just queue to get
in there because the food is very good and
it's not expensive:' Hey, when Yoko Ono
recommends a restaurant in Manhattan,
you take her advice!
As for "Moonbeams;' Ono says she was
originally going to use that song as the
album's title track. " 'Moonbeams' is a bit
more abstract [than Take Me to the Land
of Hell];' she says."I love snow. And conse~
quently, I love winter. I'm not particularly a
sun person in the sense of going to islands,
swim and get brown. That's not me ... Most
people love to go to the ocean. I don't:'
Take Me to the Land of Hell-which is
actually credited to the Plastic Ono Band,
a name she and Lennon coined more than
four decades ago-is by no means the only
project Ono has been working on lately.
One of these is a powerful art installation
called Arising, which she recently presented
at the 2013 Venice Biennale and will likely
be exhibited in other cities, too. Her idea
was to raise awareness of female victims of
physical abuse. "I wanted women to report
to me about the abuse they took in their
lives;' she explains."So I said,'Write about
[your] abuse and don't send me your full
photo, because it might be dangerous for
you. Just send me your eyes: And they all
did. On the walls, I had photos of their
eyes and also their statements. The room
was very small. So [I thought] all I needed
is maybe 10 women. I was thinking, 10
letters from people [describing their
abuse], and there were 84 in the first
day!" When I ask Ono whether the
women who participated were victims of
physical or emotional abuse, she replies,
"I think, physical abuse, sadly. But of
course, there [was] some mental abuse
as well. I think it goes together:'
Another issue that Ono has been trying
to raise awareness about is fracking. Earlier
this year, she unveiled a series of posters
in Manhattan-including
one that read
"Imagine No Fracking" -in an attempt
to persuade Governor Andrew Cuomo to
pursue other methods of extracting oil and
gas. She has also been an outspoken mem~
ber of Artists Against Fracking, an orga~
nization that also includes Ringo Starr.
"[People] will say, 'Oh, we don't want to
see Yoko again, talking about fracking; "
she tells me. "We [need] new faces, be~
cause fracking is really very poisonous
and dangerous. It could kill us. And the
gas companies are lying. Don't take their
word for it:'
On the subject of gay marriage, Ono is
much more upbeat. "I think it's crazy that
the world didn't give [the gay community]
the right [to marry] up to now;' she says,
unequivocally. "It's crazy! I mean, they had
the rights in Rome and Greece a long time
ago. I think it's the Christian influence, or
something like that:'
After all these years, Yoko Ono is still
pushing herself as an artist and imagining a
better world for us all. (imaginepeace.com) •
THE L L ST
""
I WANTtD
WOMtN
TORtPORT
TOMt
ABOUT
THtABUSt
THtY
TOOK
IN
THtlR
llVtS.
''
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
43
When Rosie O'Donnell's 10-year-old daughter discovered The Fosters,
you could hear her relief. "Finally," she said, "a show like our family."
Next year, art will imitate life for O'Donnell, whose cachet is
sure to drive The Fosters' ratings through the roof. O'Donnell joins
the show as Rita Hendricks, a "tough yet compassionate" woman
who works in the child welfare system, and becomes something of
a mentor to a member of the Foster family.
'Tm very excited;' O'Donnell says. "It's a great show. I Tweeted
about it, and one of the producers is actually someone I know from
doing Queer as Folk, Peter Paige. He asked me if I'd like to do a
couple of episodes, and I was like,'Totally:"
If you are one of the-possibly very few-people yet to steal
delight from The Fosters, I dare you to watch the aired episodes
in more than one sitting. It really is that good. You have two lesbians-chemistry
aplenty-who
also happen to be two moms to
a biological son from a previous marriage, adopted twins and two
foster kids. Throw in some sexual tension and real connection
between the biological son and one of the foster kids, and you're in
for some serious drama. Oh, and the kids are a glorious mishmash
of ethnicities. Sound like anything you've seen on TV before?
'Tm thrilled;' O'Donnell says,"It's about foster kids. It's about
family. It's about everything I really care about:' And gratitude
pulsates down the phone line. We'll see her in three episodes
when the series returns to ABC Family this January. It will be
the second half of the show's first season, and as we speak, word
comes out that-I'm
not sure I can stop smiling-there
will be
a second season.
The role is a new one for O'Donnell, but the territory is not.
About five years ago, she was executive producer and star of
America, a movie for Lifetime that tells the story of a boy who
"ages out" of the foster care system-in
other words, he turns
18. O'Donnell herself was a foster mom. She and her family
nurtured a child into their home, intending to adopt, but due
to Florida's ( then) ban on gays and lesbians adopting, unbelievably-and excruciatingly-she
could only stand here and watch
as that child was removed from her home.
It's why she came out. "I wanted to have a reason to do it;' she
says. "You know, when you could not adopt a foster child if you
were in a homosexual relationship in the state of Florida, it felt
like a really good reason and really good timing to do it then. I was
just surprised that people were surprised. I thought it would be
like, 'Yeah, so what?' But I think some people were really shocked.
I mean, didn't I have a crush on Tom Cruise, and didn't that mean
I was heterosexual? I had to go to great lengths to tell them I just
wanted him to mow my lawn wearing Speedos!" she laughs.
Last year, O'Donnell made a 'bucket list: But then again, you
probably would, too, if your doctor had just told you that your
recent heart attack should have killed you. "I kept waiting for the
breast cancer bus to hit me and I was run over by the heart attack
tractor. I thought if anything health-related was going to happen
44
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
to me in a huge way, it would be breast cancer-my mother died of
that. I didn't know that heart attacks are the leading cause of death
for women in the U.S. and I think that most women don't know
that:' A veritable baptism by fire? "To know that I came so close
to dying was a really huge wake-up call, in a way that nothing had
been before. I'm angry at myself that it took that:'
Yet it was this anger that inspired O'Donnell's latest material.
"When you look at it, historically, most comedy is not happy: It's
about things that infuriate you, things that you actually spend
your time thinking about. And in some ways, it's relatable to this
new comedy show I have, because I was a little furious at myself
for not knowing the signs of a female having a heart attack, and
also for not really taking care of myself. When I was leaving the
hospital, I started writing down all these new ways of thinking:'
The owner of Levity Live in West Nyack, N.Y., was no doubt
gob-smacked when the stand-up laureate strolled in and said that
her friend Jessica Kirson, the headliner, was letting her do a
20-minute set. "I realized I had over an hour of material. I think
it's a little more poignant and thought-provoking than my other
stuff:' And to welcome in the new year, off she'll go to share the
laughs with Australia: the world's tiniest continent has enormous
clout on Rosie's bucket list.
And family. It always comes back to family. O'Donnell and her
wife, Michelle Rounds, saw their family increase and their love
swell when they adopted baby Dakota in January. Now, O'Donnell,
who is from a family of five, is a mother of five-and the parallels
don't stop there. Lose a parent as a child, O'Donnell says, and the
effects will bleed right into your adult life. When she turned 10,
Rosie lost her mother and felt parentless. When her kids turned
10, Rosie didn't know what to do. "I never was parented after the
age of 10, and it's quite a shock to see my kids grow older than that.
I had absolutely no frame of reference for it. I think in many ways
I'm far too lenient with my kids. My wife now says that with the
new baby, it's not gonna be like that! I want so much to be part of
their lives and be there for them, and I've never had a template of
how you're supposed to navigate the waters of adolescence:' And
what she says next seems to cut the very air-"I think losing a
parent so early on creates a tremendous void in your soul and in
your ability to count on 'forever' and 'stability: And just to trust in
general that people will stay: I realize I am holding my breath.
O'Donnell's voice changes when we talk about the other
relatively recent addition to her family. "Michelle is ... gosh:' She
sighs. "She has a wonderful heart and a tremendous worldview.
And she's shown me how important it is to take care of myself.
And my things. You know, we'd been together a few months
and she put on this dress, and I said, "Oh my God, that's so
nice! Is that new?" And she said, "No, I bought it 14 years ago
when I was in Italy:' The fact that she has clothes that, No. 1,
CLOSE
Rosie O'Donnell on love, family life, touring and her new role in The
BY TIFFANY LOWANA
--
-
- - - --------
u111n2111111111111
still fit her, and that are still in good enough shape to look like
they're ... She's someone who really takes care of everything-of
relationships, of material possessions, of her emotional life. I think
she's really taught me how to do that. It's been a huge blessing and ben~
efit for me as a human being. She's made me feel content, free, happy
and secure, and you really can't ask for anything more than that:'
O'Donnell believes, as Skunk Anansie growls, that "everything's
political:' And "especially nowadays in the United States:• Her
activism sprawls far and wide, especially when it comes to kids. She
knows the fragility of those little people who are not long in this
world and completely at the mercy of adults. Like she's offering a
reassuring hug, O'Donnell-child~like
enthusiasm intact-helps
kids in underprivileged schools via Rosie's Theater Kids, giving them
the chance to 'change the trajectory of their lives' through the~
ater. Then there's her For All Kids Foundation, which provides
not~for~profit organizations with funding for at~risk children,
parents, caregivers and teachers. She also co~created the LGBT
family vacation company, R Family Vacations, filling a niche and
affirming that yes: queers with kids can travel and it need not be
a roller~coaster kind of ride.The most important thing she wants
to teach her own kids is empathy. ''I've learned that you can teach
a child empathy, regardless of what situation they were born into.
I think it's the most important lesson of being human:' When one
of her sons was teased by a boy on his swim team-"He has two
moms, he must be gay!"-he came to her for advice. "I said, 'You
should just say,'Why? You looking for a date?'" Of course it worked.
And if we really didn't get it before, we really do get it now: just how
much The Fosters collaboration means to O'Donnell.
Speaking of politics, she says she was "shocked" at how she
reacted to the repeal of DOMA. "I thought there was a good
46
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
chance it was going to be struck down. I was driving alone and I
had to pull over. I just started crying. And a few weeks later I was
walking to my car after going to therapy, and I see these 16~year~
old girls holding hands. And I stopped them and said, Tm a
50~year~old gay woman, and it's pretty amazing to see you kids: I
think DOMA made me feel like I was, in fact, equal. I think before
you're actually legally equal, you don't know what that would feel
like. My wife is 9 years younger than me and will very often hold
my hand in public and not even think about it ... sometimes when
we're in a place that doesn't seem like it's very gay/hip, I'll look
around- reticent. But after DOMA, I don't feel like that at all:'
Loud. Angry.'The Queen of Nice: Such loaded terms, and each
has worked its way into the rhetoric people use when they talk
about O'Donnell. Is she a walking contradiction? Actually, she
says, "Some people think I walk on water. That I'm some sort of
hero. Others think I'm the reason the United States is in crisis,
and that I'm personally responsible for the whole [government]
shutdown. I think people have celebrities in the narrative movie
of their brain: Whatever they want to make true, they make true.
Hero or villain? In the end, you can't believe either one:' Her
rumored rift with Oprah-following
the cancellation of The Rosie
instance, is just that-specula~
Show which aired on OWN-for
tion. And it happens to depart wildly from the truth. But "I do
have a rift with Donald Trump!"-in
case we were wondering.
"If you're a woman and you speak your mind, a feminist and a
lesbian-I think I take all of it with a grain of salt:' Hmm, celebrity
is such a circus, isn't it? "Fame is the impending, glittering disaster;'
she decrees, quoting Boy George. "You know that who you are is
not determined by the narrative of the media:' At the end of every
day, she says, "you come home:'•
OT
I
TIFFANY
LOWANA
AUSTRALIA'S
RUBY
ROSE BY
PHOTOS
BYJAG
CHANNELS
HER
ANDROGYNY
FOR
THELATEST
DENIM
LOOKS.
The out Aussie"It" girl has a couple of new high-profile projectsAroundthe Block,an international feature film co-starring Christina
Ricci,and a fashioncampaign for Jag Jeans.
Rosehas gone on the record about being bullied as a teen,
wrestlingwith depression,and using the art of ink to reclaim
her body identity.As a former model, she is well versed on the
pressuresboth to conform and to change; so, as a guest judge on
Australia'sNext TopModel, she was keen to dispense useful and
affirmingfeedback to contestants."When I was judging, I was just
giving them advice on how to be savvier. I really didn't want to be
judging their appearance or anything else they can't change."
As for the modelingcampaignfor Jag, Rose was pleased to
presenther male and female sides: "Ruby and Reuben!" she
laughs."Reuben'smy alter ego. I dress like a tomboy in my day-today life. We wanted to explorethat. It was heaven. I like being able
to play myself."
When I suggestthat her two personas, Ruby and Reuben, look
like a lesbiancouple, she agrees. "I think they do. It looks like a
femininewoman with a more androgynous female."
Since the iconicAussiedenim brand began its re-launch
strategy with Roseas its star, Jag sales have increased significantly.
'm sure that a lot of those people buying are gay and lesbian,"
says.
And while Rosemight look like she's part of a lesbian couple for
his photo shoot,you'll be pleased to know she's single. "I'm one
of those people who won't be with someone unless I think I'm the
best person I can be at that time." With her fortunes once again
on the rise, it will be interesting to see who next steals the heart of
Ruby Rose.
I
••
I DRESS
LIKE
ATOMBOY
INMY
DAY-TO-DAY
LIFE.
WEWANTED
TO
EXPLORE
THAT.
ITWAS
HEAVEN.
I
LIKE
BEING
ABLE
TOPLAY
MYSELF
.
••
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
49
CURVE
JUSTGOT
TOUGHER.
VIDEO
+
ANIMATION
+
INTERACTIVE 380 DEGREE VIEWS
-
NOW AVAILABLE ON IPAD, ANDROID TABLET, FIRE KINDLE, AND NOOK
,
~
,
,.
(
~-----
,
~=.-
,,.
,,.
-
,
Our ultimate guide to fabulous finds for
everyone on your list.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
51
1.Girl
Crush
Michonne
Racertank
GOODIES
THATGIVEBACK:
The Walking Dead's Michonne is
one badass gal, and now you can
profess your crush on the katanawielding zombie hunter with this
tank. ($25, heruniverse.com)
3.Girls
Inc.
Bistro
Mug
2.The
Public
Zoo
Mobile
Speaker
Smaller than a tennis ball, this
battery powered cord-free
Bluetooth speaker is perfect for
grab-and-go music listening. Plus,
it's s kawaii motif is super-adorable.
($60, bemwireless.com)
This may look like a typical coffee
mug, but its purchase price goes
towards non-profit programs and
mentorships that provide girls
across the country with inspiration
in math, engineering, science and
technology. ($10, girlsinc.org)
4.Steampunk
Switch
Give the simple act of turning
lights on and off Victorian flair with
these mesmerizingly mechanical
switch plates ($40 and up,
uncommongoods.com)
it to make digital copies or all your
records. ($180, crosleyradio.com)
5.Muzik
Headphones
7.Jem
and
She-Ra
Love
Cuff
These high-tech headphones
combine style, superior sound and
social media. Control playback and
share songs to Facebook, Twitter
and more without missing a beat.
($299, muzikofficial.com)
6.Advance
Turntable
Bring your LP collection to life with
this classic turntable. Plus you can use
Queer kids of the '90s: This cuff
will fulfill your Saturday morning
cartoon fantasies in style.
($30, q uevajewel ry.etsy.com)
8.Star
Wars
Death
Star
Tea
Infuser
Inspired by the infamous planetvaporizing space station, this geeky
tea infuser steeps a perfect cup
every time. ($20, thinkgeek.com)
9.Peer
AirWireless
HD
Multimedia
Systemare back for
Share your Blu-ray player and other
video devices with any TV in the house.
Even use your remote controls from the
other room. ($303, peerless-av.com)
another delightfully
disturbing season of this sexy and
terrifying series ($35, amazon.com)
12.Techie
Lezzie
Tee
Divulge your superhero alter ego to
10.Plants
vs.Zombies
Lawn
Ornamentsthe world with this handmade tee that
proudly proclaims your IT saavy.
Bring your lawn to life with these
($20, sashkascomics.etsy.com)
ornaments based on mobile game.
($30 and up, thinkgeek.com)
8,000 songs to choose from!
($70, singingmachine.com)
their homes the ultimate timey-wimey
treatment. ($60, thinkgeek.com)
14.The
Girl
with
the
Dragon
Tattoo
16.Mixtape
Glasses
Graphic
Novels
Relivethe '90s on the rocks with this
set of six write-on tumblers with a retro
kick. ($50, uncommongoods.com)
Stieg Larsson's bisexual hacker Lisbeth
Salander gets reimagined in comic
book form by mystery novelist Denise
Mina (Field of Blood}, with spinetingling results. ($20, amazon.com)
13.The
Singing
Machine
4TV
11.
American
Horror
Story:
Asylum
Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson
This svelte sing-along machine is
Bluetooth enabled and has over
15.Tardis
Door
Covering
For Doctor Who fans looking to give
17.
Math
Equation
Necklace
This mathemagical piece of jewelry
from Patricia Field will have all the
ladies asking for your prime number.
($115, patriciafield.com)
1.Carolyn's
Kitchen
Kitsch
Bordeaux
Apron GOODIES
THAT
GIVE
BACK:
4.Aquafarm
atHome
Aquaponics
Kit
6.Himalayan
Salt
Shot
Glasses
For the sassy, sexy Suzie homomaker, this vintage inspired apron
is must-have culinary couture.
($42, carolynskitchen.com)
Grow your own organic basil,
cilantro or the herb of your
choice, and the fish waste naturally
fertilizes the plants. Genius!
($59, abesmarket.com)
Made from Himalayan pink salt,
these shot glasses will infuse your
tequila with a mild sodium kick-but
won't melt away, even after multiple
uses. ($30, uncommongoods.com)
5.Epicurean
Hipster
Cutting
Boards
7.Bitters
Variety
Pack
Available in mustache, bow tie and
whale shapes, these cutting boards
make the traditional rectangular
variety look so last week.
($35, epicureancs.com)
Liven up your libations with this
selection of six different 1 oz.
bartender's bitters, including
sumptuous Jamaican spices
and cherry bark vanilla.
($56, abesmarket.com)
2.Turntable
Timer
In a world of digital kitchen timers,
here's one that's totally analogand fantastically kitschy. To set
the time, just spin the record.
($15, shopgraffitibeach.com)
3.Complete
Fair
Trade
Gift
Basket
Sweet treats are the best part of the
holidays. This year, go do-gooder
with a Fair Trade gift basket of
gourmet coffees, chocolates, hot
cocoa and farmer tea. Sound
tasty? It also promotes fair and
sustainable trading with the
producers of all the best goodies.
($45, equalexchange.coop)
- CALENDAR
2014Cnsl"'a
de la Madeca
8.Rydis
Vacuum
Cleaner
Robot
10.Tempour
Wine
Chiller
12.2014
L-Calendar
14.Caterpillar
Bud
Vase
Join the vacuum robot revolutionyou won't regret it. Let this little guy
clean up after you while you kick
your feet up. ($299, amazon.com)
Every busy hostess needs a wine
pourer/chiller/filter/aerator, and here
is the all-in-one, time-saving solution.
($50, soireehome.com)
2014's L-calendar from Cristina de
la Madera includes Sapphic black
and white photographs that are
absolutely to die for.
($38, cristinadelamadera.com)
This unique vase can pack six
bouquets of your favorite floral
arrangements in one uninterrupted
series of transparent globes.
($18, uncommongoods.com)
9.Kaigami
Sculptural
Lampshade
11.
Water
Infuser
Bottle
Once you've seen Kaigami's stunning
lampshades you'll never look at a
lighting fixture the same way.
($29-109, kaigami.com)
What a sweet prezzie to unwrap, and
it'll look great tied up in some tissue
paper and a bow. The flavor infuser
water bottle makes delicious fruitinfused water, ready to take on the
go. ($15, uncommongoods.com)
13.Trompe
roeil
Headboard
Decals
15.How
toChoose
Wine
Print
Bring modern art to the bedroom
without breaking the bank thanks to
these cool headboard wall decals
from Scandinavian designers CAMA.
($35, houzz.com)
Follow this clever print's advice to
become a Sapphic sommelier in no
time. ($25, winefolly.com)
1.Hell
Bunny
Millie
Coat
femme in your life, size zero to 36.
4.Happy
Christmas
Gift
Set
6.Mykronoz
ZeBracelet
Keep curvy gals cozy this holiday
with this military inspired coat from
the lesbian owned and operated
plus size boutique Re/Dress.
($168, redressnyc.com)
($60 and up, eshakti.com)
There's no better time of the year to
spoil someone with LUSH bath treats.
Our pick: The Happy Christmas gift
set, which includes our holiday faves
Celebrate lotion and Sandy Santa
body butter. (lushusa.com)
A modern accessory for the techsaavy fashionista, this smartwatch
does a whole lot more than tell the
time. It also connects to Bluetoothenabled devices allowing you to
listen to music and even reject calls.
($94, mykronoz.com)
2.eShakti
Dress
Who says butches get to have all the
bespoke fun? With eShakti you are
guaranteed a dress that fits just like
it was made for you-because it was!
Available in hundreds styles this is
the perfect gift for the fashionable
GOODIES
THAT
GIVE
BACK:
3.Giving
Keys
Never
Ending
Necklace
Made from a repurposed key and
engraved with a word of hope,
the idea is to one day pass it on to
someone who needs it more than
you. Proceeds go toward creating
opportunities for those transitioning
out of homelessness. Give the
gift that pays it forward. ($55,
thegivingkeys.com)
5.Doc
Martens
Mary
Janes
Think Mary Janes are too twee? Think
again! Doc Martens presents a pair
with edge for the fierce high-femme
who appreciates comfy feet.
($125, dmusastore.com)
7.Arch
Tags
Bling Tags transform regular heels
into shiny designer footwear. They
can be changed up from color to
color. Sparkly! ($22, archtags.com)
~.,
..;
~~-e
....
~~,
"-
~~---._;.;
-
'~
8.La
Trappistine
Leggings
10.Bloody
Necklace
12.Chromat
Crown
Make her legs a work of art, literally,
with Black Milk's Mucha inspired
leggings. Nouveau chic! ($75,
blackmilkclothing.com)
Designer Joel Escalona's
sterling silver necklace channels
the dark side of beauty. Macabre?
Maybe. Fierce? Oh, yes!
($299, touchofmodern.com)
This lesbian-designed vogue
crown headband from Chromat is
simple and bold, perfect for the
queen of your Christmas list.
($63, chromatgarments.com)
9.Love
You
SoJournal
Dear diary, we love this journal!
Featuring beautiful lesbian art, it's
the perfect place to record all your
lesbian love poems-step aside
Sappho. ($22, istriadesign.etsy.com)
11.
Latex
Floral
Crown
The Autumn Floral Crown from
Vanity Cage is hand-made from
latex and is equal parts sweet and
sultry-we're declaring it the musthave accessory this year! ($45,
va nitycage.etsy.com)
13.Femme
Fatale
Necklace
Feeling femme-visible or know
someone who is? Give them a
fighting chance with this feisty
necklace from lesbian jewelry
maker Sasha Lotrian. Only
bad girls need apply. ($65,
cardcarryinglesbian.etsy.com)
14.Villa
Bamboo
Sunglasses
She'll wear her Villa Bamboo
shades to the shore, to the store
and everywhere else she ends up.
We're crazy for these chic yet
rustic bamboo sunglasses-and
they're hand-crafted to boot.
($130, shopgraffitibeach.com)
1.Umbra
Fish
Hotel
Your fish deserve to live in a chic,
five star hotel. These designer
tanks look super modern and to
top it all off, they stack!
($35, wag.com)
2.Fox
Flats
Who wouldn't appreciate a little
foxy footwear? Which is why we are
gaga for Modcloth's Ever So Sweet
Flats. ($58, modcloth.com)
GOODIES
THAT
GIVE
BACK:
3.Sierra
Club
Support ongoing wilderness
projects across the countryand the critters who live in them.
Donations go toward protecting
wild places from the Arctic to
the Adirondacks and everywhere
in between. ($20 and up,
sierraclub.org)
4.Cat
Tote
6.Zee.Dog
Pet
Accessories
Modcloth's adorable Look What
the Cat Bagged in Tote is the must
have accessory for friends of feline
nation. ($40, modcloth.com)
Keep Fido and Fluffy looking fierce
in these stylish accessories from
Zee.Dog. Our pick for a sassy
Lassie is the matching collar and
leash in the Candy Bar motif.
($14 and up, zee-dog.com)
5.Punk
Pet
Beanie
For the fashion-forward animal
lover with a bit of edge, Domino
Doll house's adorably eared knit
beanie is sure to keep you cozy.
($25, dominodollhouse.com)
7.Bambu
Hammock
Form meets function in this
hammock designed to relieve
stress on your furry friend's joints.
($199, petloungestudios.com)
8.Cats
Tweed
Skirt
10.Bone
Bons
12.Super
Mario
Cat
Complex
eShakti's bespoke skirt is the
purrfect addition to any cat
lover's closet. ($130, eshakti.com)
Spoil your pup with a Bone Bans
gift box-holiday treats made just
for them. ($17, abesmarket.com)
9.Hex
Cat
Night
light
11.Feminist
Cat
Pendant
You love video games, your cat
loves to climb over everythingbring your passions together
with this Super Mario Bros.
inspired cat complex. ($190,
catastrophicreations.etsy.com)
Classy, sassy and bright the Hex
Cat Stained Glass Night Light is
the cutest way possible to avoid
stubbed toes in the dark.
($40, westernartglass.etsy.com)
Cat fancying goes riot grrrl
with this adorable pendant
from Black Cat Creative! ($20,
blackcatcreative.etsy.com)
13.Pop
ArtPet
Portrait
Is your furry friend's face a work
of art? Have it immortalized
in a custom painting by queer
artist Rachel Fisher. These one
of a kind pop art prints will class
up any joint. ($350 and up,
rachelspetpaintings.etsy.com)
14.Omega
Cats
Wallpaper
Whimsy meets interior design
with Sanderson's Omega Cat
Wallpaper. A great idea for
the purrfect accent wall.
($76, wallpaperdirect.com)
-
~~
_,
rio,;uf\
~;• TYCOON
re
1
1.Wild
Things
Fox
Dress
Turn your little kiddo into a
woodland cutie with Wild Thing
Dresses' fox faced embellished
pinafore dress. Adorably
detailed with clawed pockets and
floral lining, its a suitably special
dress for your foxy little one.
($60, wildthingsdresses.etsy.com)
2.Mysterio
Predicts
Shirt
Why wait for your kid to grow up to
learn their destiny when Mysterio
can tell you now? Options include
v-~--
*
Prize Poodle Breeder, Double Agent,
Lottery Winner, Soap Opera Villain
and more. ($15, wrybaby.com)
GOODIES
THAT
GIVE
BACK:
3.The
Healthy
Baby
Bundle
This year, give the gift that any
mother would value most: a
healthy child. Free the Children's
Healthy Baby Bundle provides
vitamins, immunizations and
pre and post-natal check-ups to
women and babies who really
need them. ($100, metowe.com)
4.Loog
Guitar
6.Farmaesthetics
Gift
Set
A beginner instrument with a twist,
this three-string guitar comes
unassembled so you can customize,
build and fall in love with it together,
before a single string is played.
($199, loogguitars.com)
Spoil brand-new baby mamas with
this set of luxurious all-natural
products to pamper her face,
belly, breasts and body.
($57, farmaesthetics.com)
7.Doodle
Pants
5.Easy-Bake
Oven
Who doesn't have fond memories
of baking fresh brownies in this
classic toy? Plus, it's now available
in a gender-neutral black!
($55, hasbro.com)
The cutest leggings for toddlers
we've ever seen! Available in
a variety designs including
mustaches, owls, cupcakes
and frogs, oh my! ($12 and up,
doodlepants.com)
8.Cricut
mini
10.Modern
Family
Baby
Book
city, Godzilla style. Let the
12.
Preggatinls:
Mixology
forthe
Mom-to-Be
Crafty moms will go crazy for
this little powerhouse die cutting
machine that takes artistic endeavors
to the next level. $100, cricut.com)
Made specifically for same-sex parent
families, this book captures life's most
amazing moments, from the birth of
your baby and beyond. ($105,
modernfamilybabybook.etsy.com)
Moms-to-be can kick tediously tipple
free holiday celebrations to the curb
with the tasty teetotaler recipe book
Preggatinis: Mixology for the Momto-Be featuring cocktails that are
heavy on the fruit juice and alcoholfree. ($13 amazon.com)
9.Chill
Baby
Volume
Pacifier
This cute and clever pacifier is just
the thing when you wish baby would
dial it down a notch. Now if they
could only get it to work for real!
($10, unique-vintage.com)
11.
Personalized
Cameo
Pendant
Memorialize your child's precious
punim with a personalized cameo.
Created from a profile photo of your
child, it's a unique and beautiful
keepsake you'll cherish forever.
($20, onceagainsam.etsy.com)
13.Attack
ofthe50FtBaby
Stacking
Blocks
Your little monsters will have a blast
building and destroying their own
baby-pocalypse begin!
($20, wrybaby.com)
14.Honie
Mug
Cardigan
Lesbian-owned Little Figs has
cornered the market on little cutie
couture, and this cardigan will have
your little tyke ringing in the season
with style. ($23, littlefigs.com)
ukJi
1.Tactical
BBQ
Apron
3.OlTHEONE
Artist
Series
Watch
5.Wooden
Bow
Tie
7.The
Man
Ring
Are you serious about grilling? We
mean really serious? Show it with
an apron that holds everything you
could possibly need-and probably
more. ($35, thinkgeek.com)
Tired of traditional timepieces?
These watches serve double duty as
works of pop art, telling time with
unique binary LED displays.
($279, amazon.com)
What's a more striking fashion
statement than a bowtie? Try a lasercut wooden one on for size and lead
a new butch style revolution.
($20, havokdesigns.etsy.com)
Make the Swiss Army green with
envy with this rugged titanium utility
ring that hides a comb, straight blade,
serrated blade, bottle opener and
saw. ($385, boonerings.etsy.com)
2.Leather
Double
Wrap
Bracelet
4.Frank
Lloyd
Wright
Card
Holder
6.The
Bartenders's
Tool
Box
8.Theraht
Shoes
Stylish and eye-catching, $4 from
every purchase of this double wrap
bracelet goes to the HRC in support
of the continued fight for equality.
($20, hopeloveequality.etsy.com)
Combine style and function with
these gleaming brass business card
cases etched with artwork by the
timeless American designer Frank
Lloyd Wright. ($44, maclinstudio.com)
There's the right tool for every job,
and in this case it's making drinks in
the most rugged way possible: with
a hammer bottle opener, screwdriver
corkscrew and more.
($30, thinkgeek.com)
Designed with comfort in mind,
these stylish sneakers are also
customizable thanks to three
removable comfort adapters that
allow you to tailor their feel to your
activity. ($95, therafitshoe.com)
9.Withings
Smart
Scale
11.
Wildfang
Hell
Bent
Moto
Jacket
13.Sync
Fitness
Bum
This is the perfect solution for
the health-conscious lesbian,
allowing multiple users to sync up
measurements and weight loss
results straight to their smartphones.
($100, brookstone.com)
Channel your inner wild child
with this tough-looking leather
motorcycle jacket that says "go
ahead, mess with me ...if you dare."
($598, wildfang.com)
If you're looking to stay in top shape,
this smartwatch can help. It tracks
your heart rate and movement, so
you get a highly accurate account of
calories burned via a helpful display.
($100, bestbuy.com)
10.Nutcase
Helmets
Who says protecting your dome has to
be drab? These brain-saving helmets
come in dozens of styles, from hot
pink to a watermelon for your, er,
melon. ($60, nutcasehelmets.com)
12.MOBIC
Life
rJPortable
Folding
Bike
Put bike thieves out of business with
this unique folding bike. Why lock
your two-wheeler up outside when
you can put it in a bag and carry it
with you? ($595, mobicbikes.com)
14.Gun
Holster
Boyshorts
For the bad girl in need of boxer
briefs, we're hot and bothered for
the sexy gunslinger themed chonies
from Girls Like Boys. Bull's-eye!
($17, girlslikeboysny.etsy.com)
SHE'STHE FRESHESTFACEin the lesbian indie takeover but you may think you've seen her somewhere before. As one
unsuspecting member of the public says on her web series, The
Newer Girl in Apt. 33 Who Actually Kissed a Girl in a Catwoman
Suit, "I recognize you, I just don't know from where:' Matthews
has a very "now" look, with her impish demeanor and long dark
hair and Bettie Page-ish bangs. Who does she look like:' "Katy
fucking Perry;' says another interviewee. And Zooey Deschanel
and Krysten Ritter and Anne Hathaway. The Newer Girl follows
Matthews up and down Hollywood Boulevard on her quest to
fame, or some kind of notoriety. Along the way it showcases her
zany fashion sense, people skills and her gift for improvisation. It
was this vlog, with its impromptu wisecracks (such as Matthews
pointing out her nail polish "in memory of Katy Perry. Not
memory, she's still alive, whatever ... ") that caught the eye of director
Rolla Selbak, who noted Matthews' quirky sense of humor, confidence and edge-not to mention her stunning looks-and cast
her as the sex tape director Jen in her new web series
Kiss Her I'm Famous.
"With Ilea, I needed someone talented, energetic
and smart to fill the role of Jen (who's a handful in the
series!) I was looking for someone with great comedic timing, but who also exuded sincerity. Honestly,
I just feel so lucky to have plucked her when I did,
because it's only a matter of time before her comet
skyrockets:'
Matthews, who hails from Folsom (of Johnny
Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" fame), has always wanted
to be plucked from obscurity. She's wanted to be an
actor since she was in elementary school. In fact,
when her parents asked her what she wanted for
her birthday, she asked to visit the Baywatch set in
L.A. "It was completely a lesbian thing. Yasmine
Bleeth was absolutely beautiful, and she wasn't even
there the day I was there! She was my crush;' recalls
Matthews, sighing. "From then on it was, 'I gotta get
to Hollywood:"
Matthews, who can trace her sexual identity back
to when she was 5 years old, is a selridentified gold
star lesbian (she has never slept with a man). "Most of the time
people think I'm straight;' she admits. She is happy to play
straight or gay, as long as she is not pigeonholed by casting. "A
straight person can play gay but a gay person can't play straight.
I don't know what that line is;' she says. "But I think we're getting more open-minded about it. I'm out and proud and I have
fun with it:' Matthews made it a priority to come out professionally when she began her role in Kiss Her I'm Famous. "I
definitely wanted the community to know that I am part of it;'
she says. "And it's really important to teens who may have no
other role models:'
Acknowledging her feminine appearance, she recalls some
femme discrimination in the community. "I had some people tell
me that I wouldn't find love unless I was butch or liked butch.
That's really not who I am though. I've been fighting my entire life
to be me. Why would I go back into not being met
And as it turns out, Matthews has found love with another
femme. "I met her at a gay bar. She was the bartender. My friend
64
CURVE
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2013
was like, 'Go hit on her .. .' I was like, 'My god, that is what I want
right there: Two months later she walked into the bar and kind of
cocked her head at me and I was, J\ll right, it's show time!'" So I
went to say hi and she said, 'You look like Jenny from The L Word'
and I said, 'But I'm not a cutter' and she laughed:'
That was three years ago and they've been inseparable ever
since-they're
engaged to be married. "I feel very fortunate to
have her;' says Matthews. And she also feels fortunate to be part
of the indie web revolution, where lesbian web series are being
made more easily and frequently due to cheaper and better technology. "There are a lot of people out there who want to tell their
stories and don't need a big budget anymore:'
A fan oflesbian filmmaking since she came out at 18, Matthews
remembers the handful of iconic films we all gravitated to, but
now, she says, there are more options, especially in the gay world.
"People are very inspired to know that they can be a filmmaker
themselves:'
•
ILEA
MATTHEW'S
QUIRKY,
SMOKING
HOT
STAR
ISONTHERISE.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
And because of this trend, whomever you think Ilea Matthews
looks like, you'll be seeing a lot more of her. She'll continue with
The Newer Girl, and with Kiss Her I'm Famous, as well as mainstream projects.
"Not only is she a highly, supremely talented actor;' says
Rollbak, "her being loud and proud is just the refreshing drink
we need to quench our thirst for dynamic, visible lesbians making
it happen:'
As well as the next season of Kiss Her I'm Famous, Matthews
can now be seen on Fox's Dads, and appearing in hit shows like
Greys Anatomy. And keep your eyes peeled for her role in an
indie film in which she plays a zombie slayer. Now that'll be a
character worth watching, and one that I doubt Katy, Zooey,
Krysten or Anne has the chops for. •
FEATUREstCOVER
ST
GIRLSON
FILM
Could you create a lesbian sex
tape with your best friend?
By Sarita Ramirez
There's no denying it: we live in the sex tape age, when
what once would have been a career-ending scandal
has become the shortcut to fame and fortune. It was this
cultural phenomenon that inspired Rolla Selbak, writer
and director of highly-acclaimed film Three Veils,to create
Kiss Her I'm Famous. This series follows best friends
Mandy and Jen who, after going through bad breakups,
decide to produce their own sex tape in the hopes of
finding fame. It stars The Real L Word's Tracy Ryerson
and Ilea Matthews from The Violent Kind.
Mandy, played by Ryerson, is an introverted, quiet
girl, and although she's more reserved, she's not afraid
to express her feelings. Jen, played by Matthews, is the
firecracker of the duo. She's unafraid to jump headfirst
into situations, but buries her frustration with distractions and new goals. As we've already alluded to, her
goal involves a celebrity sex tape.
Matthews serves up more details on her character, Jen,
and what's to come for the upcoming second season.
"She was very ballsy [in season one] and very 'Ahhh!';'
comments the beautiful and energetic brunette. "In
season two, however, she's a lot more relatable. She's
experiencing new things and going through life."
In season one, viewers had an idea about Mandy's
(Ryerson) sexuality, what with her break-up with her girlfriend and her refusal to have a male partner opposite
her in the sex tape. But what about Jen's sexuality? On
screen, we're shown she had a relationship with a man,
but the chemistry between Jen and Mandy is too great
to ignore. "Jen isn't really someone who uses labels to
define her sexuality because she goes wherever her
heart takes her," explains Matthews. As far as Jen and
Mandy's relationship goes, she admits, "I think people
like the chemistry between us. And that is still pretty
much there.
"I'm a big ol' lezzie and love the ladies, always have,"
she admits, laughing, sharing that she lives in West Hollywood with her beautiful fiancee, Briana Alfaro.
Season one of Kiss Her I'm Famous ended with a
cliffhanger with Jen and Mandy just about to film the
much-anticipated tape. Currently in post-production of
season two, we're excited to find out how the tape plays
out. Meanwhile, watch the first season of Kiss Her I'm
Famous at tellofilms.com. •
66
CURVE
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2013
FRESH
SQUEEZED
Oronge Juice in Bishop's Gorden brinQs
back '90s QrunQe.
By Dina F. Gilmore
Web series wunderkind Otessa Ghadar is a former the-
Her hometown of D.C. plays an integral part in the series, which is
oretical physics and math major, who boldly switched
set in the '90s grunge era on the threshold of the Internet age. Against
gears in college to pursue her childhood dream of film
this backdrop, the series delivers thought-provoking,
studies. Ghadar admits, "My family originally had some
life situations surrounding drugs, dating, coming out and first loves.
reservations about the switch since my career path was
Ghadar gave life to a variety of characters that each embody a piece of
yet honest, real-
a learning curve in the beginning, but I now have the
her personality, she says, but admits resonating the closest with Sarah,
gift of their complete support." She attributes growing
who we're introduced to in the first scene of episode one. "Building
up in Washington, D.C., and surrounded by a support-
the character of Sarah and developing her storyline with the actress
ive community, with the fact that gender identity was
Ellen Winter was a really powerful
neveranissueforher.
and meaningful experience," says
Ghadar created Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden
Ghadar.
(OJBG), which premiered online in 2007 and follows
Ghadar, also a human rights and
the diverse lives of American teens searching to find
LGBT activist, envisions creating
their voice while navigating issues such as sexuality,
safe space for all identities through
bullying and peer pressure. Ghadar created the series
an evolved medium she believes
to empower LGBT youth across the world and build
can be the voice of untold stories.
non-traditional
With her work, she says, "nothing
families. OJBG encourages viewers to
embrace freedom of expression and tolerance for all
is taboo, nothing too personal, or
identities. Ghadar believes that "sometimes the things
impossible to change."
that make us different or [the things that] we consider
a flaw are actually our strengths."
Get caught up on on OJBG at
orangejuiceinbishopsgarden.com.
•
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
67
Alisha Spielmann always considered herself a stage actor. From her love
for the theater to her self-identified "loud facial expressions," the theater
made a great home for her. She pursued her degree in music and theater at St. Olaf's College and, after losing everything within a year-job,
"I think we're verging on a giant transition in tele-
She was cast in a few productions and eventually she found herself acting
vision," Spielmann says of the show's online medium.
beside Rachael Hip-Flores, best known as Vivian from the beloved web-
"It gives us the ability to tell more stories." This shift in
series Anyone But Me. It was through this connection that Spielmann
mediums gives the queer community stories that oper-
became involved with Producing Juliet, the latest project from the same
ate outside of the mainstream just like we do. "The
woman who brought us Anyone But Me-writer,
show is accessible because it's about people. There's
producer and direc-
tor Tina Cesa Ward. This time she's set out to tell a story about the
not one person who won't relate to someone on the
chaotic beauty that spurs from casting outside what you're used to in
show." (producingjuliet.com)
favor of the unknown-an
idea
with which Spielmann seems
pretty familiar.
When we first meet Rebecca,
Spielmann's character, she is
a woman whose relationship
with a stage actor is leaving
her unfulfilled. "Rebecca is at
that point in her open relation-
"I think we're veq~in~ on a
~iant transition in television,"
Spielmann says of the show's
online medium. "It ~ives us the
ability to tell more stories."
ship where she needs an exclusive commitment from her girlfriend or
she needs to walk away," says Spielmann. It is in this moment of discontent that Rebecca meets Juliet, a struggling playwright played by
Hip-Flores. After the two bond over coffee, Rebecca decides to take
a plunge, leaving her corporate job behind and, despite having no experience, agreeing to produce Juliet's latest work. Despite the obvious
connections between Spielmann and her character, playing Rebecca is
a new experience for the actor, as it is her first permanent on-camera
role. "One of the most exciting things for me is that I'm playing a char-
68
acter for more than just one story," she describes.
moved to New York to pursue a theater career.
car, you name it-she
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
•
~ WEBSERIES1
\BOOM
r a being
can have." That's
crazy, crude and
Women's Lacrosse Team. A former
access to focus on the challenges
(karlyandalex.com) •
1
a WEB SERIES
BOOM
for me to grasp. Nancylee was asking me,
nine years ago, if I had any issues playing
a lesbian. And I said, 'No. Christina's really
pretty. She's a sexy woman-I'd
kiss her.' "
"I believe in chemistry," Cox adds. "In the
actors, and the characters they play. Sometimes passion on screen can come from
hate-and while that can be good, the kind
of passion needed in a relationship like Nikki
and Nora's can't just be acted into existence.
PARTNERS
IN
CRIMEFIGHTING
It needs to already be there."
Cox is also a straight actor playing a les-
bian, but she's used to portraying strong-
and often deep-women.
"There were a lot
of shows and gay characters I was offered,
after Better Than Chocolate," she says. "There
Ahead of its time, The N&N Files was brouQht to life by
popular demand. By Amanda Guilford
were less people willing to be portrayed as
Strong female leads are thankfully not as
character's sexual preference is secondary.
While it never hit television, it seemed
gay in the industry, so often fearing some sort
of stereotype may be attached. To me, the
rare as they once were in film and televi-
destined that the pilot would find a home-
Do I identify with this character? Do I like the
sion. Writers, directors and actors continue
and it did, on YouTube. As Nikki and Nora
story? Am I connecting with this character's
to create a broader selection of roles por-
investigated the pilot episode's murder of
journey and do I have something to offer?"
traying women who are not only strong,
a wealthy socialite and maneuvered the
but caring in their on-screen relationships.
tricky depths of undercover
It seems both Vassey and Cox are able to
work, fans
bring to Nikki and Nora the qualities need-
for
investigated a way to bring the series to
ed to satisfy a legion of fans. The N&N Files
something new was passed up. Nikki and
television screens around the world. The
is finally poised to find its place among the
Nora was a pilot revolving around two wom-
passion of countless fans ultimately inspired
LGBT community and make a lasting mark
en, partners-in
an lndiegogo campaign that brought to life
on our lives with its characters' stories.•
In 2004, however, an opportunity
more than one sense-in
the Special Crimes Unit of the New Orleans
The N&N Files, a re-imagined
Police Department. Pitched to now defunct
web series carrying on where
network UPN, Nikki and Nora's portrayal of
2004's Nikki and Nora left off.
Nikki Beaumont and Nora Delaney (played
We spoke with Liz Vassey and
by Liz Vassey and Christina Cox) had the
Christina Cox, stars of The N&N
two women chasing down criminals in a
Files, which is the newest series
pre-Hurricane Katrina setting, all the while
from South of Nowhere co-exec-
dealing with the difficulty of keeping their
utive producer Nancylee Myatt.
relationship under wraps. While the idea of
Vassey was the first to fill us in
crime fighting partners becoming lovers is
on her thoughts about being a
anything but new, had Nikki and Nora been
straight actor filling
picked up by UPN it would have broken
role. "Love is love is love," says
new ground at a time when same-sex rela-
Vassey, the spirit of Nikki clear in
tionships were rare on network television.
her voice. "None of this is hard
70
CURVE
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2013
a lesbian
WEBSERIES
BOOM
LESGIRLS
Sharp, funny and painfully awkward,
Little Horribles Amy York Rubin is just
the lovable underdoQ you've been
missinQ. By Francesca Lewis
1
Some people are creative, while others are more talented at bringing the creativity
of others to life-or so popular wisdom goes. Amy York Rubin's company, Barnacle
Studios, relies upon this very idea, matching talented people with those able to
help bring their vision to life. It's ironic then that Rubin herself blows the whole
idea out of the water.
With her new web series, Little Horribles, Rubin has proven that she is not only
an amazing facilitator of the dreams of others, but has an impressive array of
talents and ideas of her own. Writing, directing and starring in the series-despite
having never acted before-Rubin
admits that she wanted to make something
in her own voice. "Sometimes it's exhausting to only produce and create for
someone else:'
Little Horribles is a series of darkly comedic vignettes depicting the awkward
everyday experiences of a young queer woman. Across the media, comparisons
to Lena Dunham's Girls abound, since they both feature an honest, unadulterated
portrayal of the less glamorous side of being human. However, it might make more
sense to compare Little Horribles to Louis CK's Louie. With a sense of humor that
Rubin describes as sympathetic, the show's tone is affectionate and non-judging.
"I think most of us can see ourselves or our own insecurities in those situations"
she says, "and the pain or [discomfort] of it all requires us to laugh, because otherwise we'd just be crying all the time."
not just a total asshole. And sometimes there is a fine line:'
The central character may share a first
Unlike other lesbian web series where the plots derive
name with her creator, but Rubin says they
from the characters' sexualities, LH is less focused on les-
are not exactly the same person. "The show is
bian issues. "I think the character's sexuality is definitely
definitely not a documentary, but it's also very
part of who she is and the type of relationships, insecuri-
much pulled from my own experiences and
ties and fears that she has," Rubin explains, "but ultimate-
perspectives," she says. Little Horribles' Amy
ly I think very little about the show is about being gay:'
is a lovable underdog and Rubin insists she
Still, a show featuring gay characters is very relevant to
wants us to laugh with her. "I think I work hard
the queer community. As Rubin says, "It's just nice to see
to make sure Amy is a relatable character and
a gay or lesbian character exist." (/ittlehorribles.com) •
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
71
traveled to Prague during its
August 2013 Pride celebrations
to moderate two panel discussions-on the importance of being
out in politics and in businessand these were in addition to a round
table conference with Czech NGOs on the
LGBT oppression in Russia. If that sounds
like an ambitiously serious programming
component at what is usually a rainbowflag-and-sequin-bedecked summer spectacle
replete with friendly extroverted queers,
you must remember that the Czech Republic
found itself in a unique situation this year.
As President Putin consolidated Russia's image as the most xenophobic and
homophobic country in Europe, other
parts of Central Europe seized the opportunity to distinguish themselves from
their Slavic neighbor. The Czech Republic, a land-locked nation that had endured
a history of political oppression at the
hands of despots and communists until
recently-1989-has
no intention of abandoning its now peaceful and egalitarian
way of life. So it was vital, during this
Pride, that organizers open up a discussion on the importance of being out
and authentic, even though most Czechs
would rather just get back to one of their
many fine beers, or a good game of football.After my Coming Out in Politics
panel, which asked why there were no out
politicians in the Czech Republic, and the
I
IBM Business Forum, which encouraged
local businesses to promote workplace diversity, I felt like I had a better handle on
this sophisticated city as a "pink'' and progressive part of Europe. Attendees took
the proceedings seriously too, and it was
heartening to see the youngest members
of the audience as the most invested in the
discussions. When my work was done, I
joined in the Pride festivities, including
exhibitions on coming out and transgender
identities, fashion shows, art installations,
dance parties (Prague has a number of
very good LGBT and mixed nightclubs),
and a very well-attended parade through
the city streets, into the lovely Old Town,
down to the River Vltava, and across one
of its many beautiful bridges to an outdoor festival at Letenske sady. All these
events spanned seven days and were on
an impressive scale for a Pride that is only
three years young.
I stayed at the lnterContinental Prague
(intercontinental.com/Prague), which was
stylish, roomy and well-equipped, and has
fabulous pool and spa facilities. It also put
me right in the heart of the action, and is
within easy walking distance of the major
sights, museums, and good restaurants
(the lnterContinental itself has fabulous
food-from
its sumptuous daily breakfast to its very special chef's table). As a
first-time visitor to Prague, you can just
wander the crooked streets and discover
it for yourself, or you can take a walking
tour with Prague4Gay. This is sightseeing
made for us, and Petr Prokopik, the director, is a warm and friendly presence who
knows every gem of the city-from
the
best shopping in the museum district, to
the magic and mystery of the Jewish quarter with its historic synagogues, souvenir
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
73
shops and the hauntingly beautiful cemetery. There are plenty of places along the
way to stop off and sample Czech culinary
delights, for example at an Art Nouveau or
Cubist cafe, such as the Grand Cafe Orient
for a piece of Czech cake, to a quintessentially Czech pub such as The Golden
Tiger. It was at this pub, which is popular
with celebrities and dignitaries as well as
with tourists and locals, that Petr and I
discussed Czech history and culture over
mugs of good and cheap Pilsner Urquell
(which keep arriving at your table until
you tell the servers to stop).
I like the Czechs: They remind me of
Australians in their laid-back, live-andlet-live ethos, their preference for a good
tavern over a church, and their mistrust of
authority. Just the people to stand up to
Putin (the "Putinmyass" T-shirt was a hit
at Prague Pride this year!) and insist that,
far from being persecuted, LG BT folk are
an essential part of the national identity,
even if the Czechs are only now starting to
talk about it openly. (praguepride.com) •
74
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
T
he lesbian travel company Sweet has chosen
Puerto Vallarta, along the beaches of Mexico's
"Rainbow Riviera," as one of its favorite travel
destinations of the year.
Sweet, with its mission to create meaningful travel experiences for women, has
found the perfect way to reach that goal,
combining exciting adventures with opportunities to make a difference.
The secret is in its hybrid formula: Mix
exotic locations, adventurous excursions,
and live entertainment with large-hearted,
eco-friendly volunteer projects in local
communities. The reactions have been
phenomenal.
"It's been so much more than I expected;'
said Sue Steirer of Napa, Cali£, who attended Sweet Puerto Vallarta last spring. "It
has all the things you'd expect from a nice
vacation. But the volunteer projects have
really made this special. Everyone involved
with this has been so friendly. Honestly, it's
felt more like an awesome summer camp.
I'll definitely be back:'
So, does that sound like something
you'd spend a week's worth of your hardearned vacation on:' You bet it does.
Here's what to expect: Sweet vacations
take place around the world in exotic locations as varied as Kenya and Cancun. In
Puerto Vallarta, Sweet is beachside at the
five-star Hard Rock Hotel.
Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Hard
Rock's grounds are exquisite,boasting two
pools with swim-up bar, a large outdoor
Jacuzzi, excellent restaurants, a spa and a
band-shell amphitheater-all
just steps
away from the beach.
A quick traveler's tip: In Mexico, hotels
are rated differently than they are in the
States. The hotel rating system is called
"Stars and Diamonds:' Hotels may qualify to rate one to five stars or diamonds,
diamond ratings being the highest, according to Frommer's. So the Hard Rock's
five stars are good, but do manage your
expectations.
That said, the rooms are a bit small but
the amenities are exceptional-from
the
private in-room hot tubs for two, which
are standard in each suite, to the comfy
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
75
TURES/
TRAVEL
white robes and slippers. Step out onto
your room's Juliet balcony to take your
morning coffee overlooking the sea.
But don't linger too long, because Sweet
has organized a diverse itinerary of activities for you to choose from, a la carte. So
plan ahead and make sure you sign up for
all the events that are on your must-do list.
Volunteer activities have included the
Animal Shelter Project, eco-friendly tree
planting, and helping to build a community children's library.
For the adventure seeker, explore the
gorgeous waters of the Baja Peninsula on
a chartered sailboat excursion. If you're a
land-lover, you can go ATV riding through
the red-dust mountain trails. You can even
dare fate by zip lining over lush jungle canopies. No matter what gets your heart
racing, there are plenty of options to satisfy the adrenaline junkie in you.
After feeding your soul with good works
and daring adventures, you can retreat to
the hotel for some much-deserved pampering. Feast at one of the Hard Rock
Hotel's tasty restaurants or just wet your
whistle at a spacious swim-up pool bar.
And don't forget to treat yourself to a relaxing massage at the spa.
In the evening, the Sweeties come together at the amphitheater for a night of
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CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
entertainment underneath the stars. Brandi
Carlile, Edie Carey, Jen Foster, and Nata~
lia Zuckerman are some of the musicians
who have been featured. Funny ladies
Shann Carr and Jennie McNulty are just
a couple of the comics who've brought on
the laughs.
And if you still aren't ready to call it
a night... Throw on your dancing shoes
because the after~parties are just getting
started! Night owls can dance the night
away right at the hotel. But get your rest,
Sweeties, because tomorrow is another
full day.
If you are looking to spread your wings
and break from the pack, head out and
explore the local villages along the Riv~
iera Nayarit, all within an hour of Puerto
Vallarta.
For the brave, rent a car and wind your
way up the mountainous jungle highway
to the surf town of Sayulita. It's about a
30~minute drive from the hotel, but a
world away from resort life. Buzzing with
locals, expat hippies, families and surf
enthusiasts, Sayulita is off the beaten
path and a great place to spend an after~
noon.
Stop by Naty's Cocina and indulge in
one (or three) of its famous $1 marlin
tacos. Locals love it. Tourists love it. And
your wallet loves it, too. Then kick back
under a beach umbrella and watch the
surfers ride the waves, or hop on one your~
self. Why not?
If shopping is more your thing, the
bustling village of Bucerias is about a
20~minute drive from the hotel and offers
the best of both worlds. The north side of
town is the traditional arts district, or Old
Town. It's filled with local artists and shops
selling unique indigenous creations. Get
lost in the market rows, searching for your
treasures. Then stay for an evening on the
south side, or New Town, known for its
happening nightlife, bars and live music.
DECEMBER
2013
CURVE
77
TURES/
TRAVEL
2013 STATEMENTOF OWNERSHIP
Don't want to rent a car? Hop on a local
bus and head downtown to Puerto Vallarta. With the five o'clock shadow of the
mountains as its backdrop, downtown
Puerto Vallarta is less quaint and more
gritty-urban. There are a few gay bars,
which the locals are happy to point you
toward. And for the very adventurous,
there's no shortage of strip clubs along the
main drag.
A mix of old and new, modern coffee
houses and upscale restaurants mingle alongside small Modeloramas (beer
stands) and mom-and-pop shops. For
souvenirs, the shops sell colorful woven
dresses, jewelry and art. Or buy the traditional souvenir that locals have been
offering the tourist since the 1960s: dried
78
CURVE
DECEMBER
2013
armadillos, frogs and snakes!
If you prefer your animals alive, be sure
to pop into Vallarta Adventures and seize
the chance to swim with the dolphins.
And all this is just a five-minute bus ride
from the Sweeties' home base at the Hard
Rock Hotel.
All in all, Sweet vacations and Puerto
Vallarta offer a well-rounded, exciting
and meaningful experience. Make some
memories, give back to the earth and
come back home again a better person.
( discoversweet.com) •
Publication Title: Curve.
Publication No.: 0010-355.
Filing Date: Oct 1, 2013
Issue Frequency: Monthly except
bi-monthly Jan/Feb and July/Aug.
Number of Issues Published Annually: 10
Annual Subscription Price: $59.90
Complete Mailing Address: PO Box 467
New York NY 10034.
Contact Person: Silke Bader
Telephone: (415) 871-0569
Publisher: Silke Bader PO Box 467 New
York NY 10034
Editor: Merryn Johns PO Box 467 New York
NY 10034
Managing Editor: Rachel Shatto PO Box
467 New York NY 10034
Owner(s): Avalon Media LLC Po Box 467
New York NY 10034
Silke Bader PO Box 467 New York NY
10034
Publication Title: Curve. Issue Date for
Circulation Data: Nov 26. Extent and Nature
of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each
Issue During Preceding 12 Months: A) Total
No. Copies Net Press Run: 56,505. B) Paid
Circulation. (By Mail and Outside the
Mail) (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541:
12,603; (2) Mailed In-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 0;
(3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails
Including Sales_ rough Dealers and
Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales,
and Other Paid Distribution outside USPS:
27,486; (4) Paid Distribution by Other
Classes of Mail_ rough the USPS: 2,500.
C) Total Paid Distribution: 42,589. D) Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution by Mail and
Outside the Mail: (1) Free or Nominal Rate
Outside-County Copies included on Form
3541: 0; (2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County
Copies included on Form 3541: 0; (3) Free
or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other
Classes Mailed_ rough the USPS: 75;
(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution
Outside the Mail: 12,841. E) Total Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution: 12,916. F)
Total Distribution: 55,505. G) Copies Not
Distributed: 1,000. H) Total: 56,505. I)
Percent Paid 76.73%. Extent and Nature
of Circulation/No. Copies of Single Issue
Published Nearest to Filing Date A) Total
No. Copies Net Press Run: 52,237. B)
Paid Circulation. (By Mail and Outside
the Mail) (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 11,543;
(2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions
Stated on Form 3541: 0; (3) Paid
Distribution Outside the Mails Including
Sales _ rough Dealers and Carriers, Street
Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other NonUSPS: 25,457; (4) Paid Distribution by Other
Classes of Mail _ rough the USPS: 1,250.
C) Total Paid Distribution: 38,250. D) Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution (by Mail and
Outside the Mail): (1) Free or Nominal Rate
Outside-County as Stated on Form 3541: O;
(2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies
included on Form 3541: 0; (3) Free or
Nominal Rate Distribution Mailed at Other
Classes _ rough the USPS: 45; (4)
Free or Nominal Rate Distribution
Outside the Mail: 12,699. E) Total Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution: 12,744.
F) Total Distribution: 50,994. G) Copies
Not Distributed: 1,243. H) Total: 52,237.
I) Percent Paid: 75%. Publication of
Statement of Ownership: Dec 2013
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DECEMBER
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CURVE
79
Hang Onto Your Tinsel
With Venus in retrograde, your love life runs amok.
By Charlene Lichtenstein
'.Y
SAGITTARIUS%
%
(Nov. 23-Dec. 22) %
Because Sagittarius %
%
is the ruler of the %
ninth house of travel, %
higher education, %
%
religion, philosophy %
and the law, Sapphic %
%
Archers are happiest %
in careers that give %
them free range to %
%
roam both physically %
and mentally They %
%
are gregarious souls %
who need to interact %
with others and can't %
%
be happily confined %
to a lonely desk Job %
%
They are also more %
egalitarian than most %
%
other women and %
don't tend to rule %
subordinates by %
%
intimidation In fact %
they are more likely %
%
than not to be pals %
with their employees. %
You will find at least %
%
one Sag dyke on %
every corporate %
%
softball team. %
%
Charlene
Lichtenstein
is the author %
of HerScopes:
A Guide
to Astrology%
forLesbians
(Simon& Schuster)- %
%
tinyurl.
com/HerScopes.
%
Nowavailableas anebook.
80
CURVE
DECEMBER
~
2013
Sagittarius (Nov.23-Dec. 22)
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Leo (July 24-Aug. 23)
You become a "wilde"
spendthrift this December,
Sagittarius. Suddenly
everything you see looks like a
must have. This is great if you
are collecting snow bunnies
but not so great if all you are
doing is cluttering up your
space with worthless trinkets.
And you may squander your
precious nest egg. Sometimes
the best things in life are free ...
or at least on sale.
Love on the job will have its
ups and downs this December.
On the one hand, there are
many delicious moments
under the office mistletoe. On
the other hand, aren't there
more romantic moves than
a quick grab in the supply
closet? Get a room Aries!
In fact, make it a luxurious
hotel room in some tropical
paradise and keep your office
dalliances secret.
Lionesses may burn the
midnight oil at work but it
may not be as dreary as it
sounds. There is someone
who has piqued your interest
(or you have piqued hers)
and that will make all those
late nights very tolerable and
even enjoyable. Of course all
play and no work will not get
the job done. Find ways to
delegate and where you can't,
try to get a (willing and able)
helping hand.
Capricorn (Dec. 23-Jan. 20)
The world is your oyster,
Capricorn. So get out there
and rub elbows with the
powerbrokers. Women you
meet now can impact your life
through the holidays. And if
you have a great idea, share
it with those who can help
you make it a reality. Seek a
well-endowed benefactress
and see if she can give you a
helping hand.
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
There is a gorgeous, spicy,
exotic lady who has her eye
on you. And that is not all that
will be on you this December.
Taurus bulls can choose their
romantic fare from a wide
array of dishes on their sexual
tasting menu. But they have
to get out and look, rather
than phone a delivery in. Will
your eyes be too big for
your stomach?
Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19)
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Your commanding personality
will expose itself in a variety
of ways this festive season,
Aqueerius. Maybe you can
channel your talents into
something constructive
like launching and hosting
a charitable holiday event.
Of course you can also just
let your innate dominatrix
tendencies have free reign.
Keep an eye out for a financial
gift from an unexpected
source. And not a moment too
soon! Your sexual dancing and
romancing could cost much
more than you expect. After
all, champagne baths and gifts
in small boxes do not grow on
trees. 'Tis the season, Gemini.
Get jolly and see who you find
under your tree.
Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20)
Your social calendar fills
up quickly this December,
Guppie. You will find that
some girlfriends need a lot
of your help and attention.
Others will be able to help you
get some needed attention
for yourself. Find time for both
groups and even consider
expanding your circle beyond
the usual crowd by hosting a
holiday bash or two. The more
elves, the merrier.
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
Festive activities may cause
some unanticipated stress in
certain relationships. Don't
make too many demands on
loved ones now. You want
to hang your stocking with
care but might inadvertently
step on the toe of a lovergrrl.
Form is not as important as
substance and decorations
are not as important as quality
time. Enjoy the moment so it
doesn't seem like hours.
Virgo (Aug. 24-Sept. 23)
Your creativity and loads of
holiday charisma will make
you the spark of the party
circuit this December. So
turn up a few lights and see
how you can make a party
glow. Virgos can also tap into
their imaginations to find the
perfect collection of gal pals
who will make any event one
to remember.
Libra (Sept. 24-Oct. 23)
While you are hankering to tell
relatives like it is, refrain from
any big dramatic discussions
this holiday season. It is not
worth your effort at this time.
What you can do to make
merry is to invite only those
family members you really
want to see along with a bevy
of bosom buddy admirers.
A holiday party at home will
insure that a good time will be
had by all-especially you.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
Communication hits a high
note this December. Does
that mean that your letter to
Santa is answered? Maybe.
But more likely it means that if
you have something important
to say to someone important,
you could make a lasting
impression. Please tone your
message accordingly so your
impression is a good one.•
CARIBBEAN EQUALITY & LEADERSHIP CRUISE
FEBRUARY 1-8, 2014
FORT LAUDERDALE•
GRAND TURK•
SAN JUAN• ST.THOMAS/ST.JOHN•
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