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Description
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ToC Samantha and Laura Leigh Abby (p20); Sizzling Summer Reading Special (p28); In The Pink (p32); Tomboy Extra (p37); Lesbian Wedding Spectacular (p41); Our Favorite Families (p50); Cover: Loving Lea Delaria (p57); Indigo Icons (p63); Hawaiian Heaven (p68).
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issue
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4
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Date Issued
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Jul-Aug 2015
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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_Vol25_No4_July-August-2015_OCR_PDFa.pdf
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extracted text
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COMES
TO
THE
U.S.
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74470
80539
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curve
JUL/AUG
2015
FEATURES
2()
SAMANTHA AND LAURA
LEIGH ABBY
The newlyweds on loving,
living, and working together.
By Lisa Tedesco
'S
SIZZLING SUMMER
READING SPECIAL
A dozen brilliant dyke-centric
books to read this summer.
:12
IN THE PINK
Getting sexy on screen with
Shine Louise Houston. By Dar
Dowling
:i,
TOMBOY EXTRA
More genderqueer fashion,
and keep it coming! By Marcie
Bianco
LESBIAN WEDDING
SPECTACULAR
From rings, to bridal couture,
to exotic locales. Inspiration for
your ultimate union.
ot>
37
LOVING LEA
DELARIA
Words of wisdom,
cool new music, and
insights into Big Boo
from our favorite
comedy legend.
OUR FAVORITE FAMILIES
From butch baby mamas to
lesbian elders ...group hug!
(J3
INDIGO ICONS
The Indigo Girls will never put
down their guitars. By Kelly
McCartney
HAWAIIAN HEAVEN
Romance on the Big Island's
Kohala Coast. By Merryn Johns
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
1
JUL/AUG
2015
Control
~
Control
Corrective
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SunscreenSPF30
SunscreenSPF30
250Z/74ni.
'oFL,/ •rr
12
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
IN EVERYISSUE
4
EDITOR'S NOTE
6
CURVETTES
8
FEEDBACK
11
THE GAYDAR
80
STARS
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
TRENDS
REVIEWS
0 LES LOOKS LIKE
Meet queer cultural thinker,
Natalie Coblentz.
5 MUSIC
Butterfly Boucher is on the
radar of Sarah Mclachlan
and Ruby Rose, so she should
be on yours, tool By Kelly
BEAUTY
Products that protect your
biggest organ this summer.
14 LESBOFILE
What's new and noteworthy
with our favorite celesbians.
VIEWS
34 FILM
6 POLITICS
The biggest success in the
contemporary LGBT movement has been marriage
equality. Here's why queer
cynics need to reconsider the
power of a piece of paper. By
Wentworth is the latest
contender in the bingeworthy
babes-behind-bars screen
genre. Get the latest from the
lovely lead, plus a sneak peek
at hot web series Kittens In
a Cage. By Lisa Tedesco &
Victoria A. Brownworth
Micheline Tawilian
18 OUT IN FRONT
Meet our community leaders.
77 CROSSWORD
Summer fun with our Pride
puzzle By Myles Mellor
8 IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT ... LGBT news from across
the country. By Sassafras
Lowrey
22 LIPSTICK & DIPSTICK
Relationship advice from our
trusted butch-femme duo.
2
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
McCartney
28 BOOKS
We've read hundreds of books
and picked a select dozen that
will entertain and intrigue you
while lazing poolside.
~1BEST
:::.:.:: Pi.ACESTO WORK
2015for LGBT Equality
commitments, a free citizen of the world, the defining documents in my
life my passport and visa.
But life doesn't like fixed opinions, and I was thrown a curve ball: a
younger, passionate woman who respected my views but knocked them
all over with her own life-affirming arguments. She expressed an intent I hadn't encountered before. She wanted a wife, and she believed
a couple counts as a family, with or without children. She wasn't going
to let me get away with this "partner" or "girlfriend" rubbish. 'Tm going to marry you so hard;' she'd say, which I thought was hilarious. I
wondered what "so hard" entailed, and she confided that she had entertained elaborate daydreams about just how we would tie the knot.
What transpired, in fact, was not elaborate. Just a simple ceremony
at the New York Marriage License Bureau-legal, but nothing grandiose. Nevertheless, one embellishment my intended had pushed for was
"proper" rings. Not the artsy silver trinkets from flea markets, which
I've worn all my life. Actual wedding bands.
I'm not a big jewelry person, and I've never owned gold or precious
gemstones in my life, let alone that little rock referred to as a girl's best
friend. In the same way that I'd never wanted marriage, I'd never wanted to wear a valuable piece of jewelry given to me by someone else. Yet
at those flea markets I'd never stopped looking for the perfect cheap
ring to buy mysel£ What did it mean that I couldn't accept love and
commitment from somebody else? Were my queer politics and activism
rooted in the expectation of not being loved and accepted? Is it possible
to be an activist and be part of society and its institutions? Isn't that
what we're fighting for? To find out how this "ring cycle" ends, turn to
#LoveWins
I
have never, ever wanted to get married. And yet on March 31st
of this year I said "I do:' Why I never wanted to legally wed is
something I've thought about a lot these past few months.
Among the many good reasons I came up with were these: Like
many queers, I saw little value in an institution that has oppressed
women, not to mention the fact that as a child I was dragged through
my parents' acrimonious divorce, the fallout from which I have never
completely recovered. I also doubted that I possessed the temperament
to walk side by side with someone through life. I'm driven, creative, a
perfectionist, and perhaps a little codependent, which means that I also
feared I would fail at such a union, or be rendered invisible by it.
Also, I had finally decided I wouldn't be having kids-so I would not
need the legal protections marriage affords a family. I could continue
being a media worker and a frequent traveler, unshackled by domestic
L~A,£pl,A~
page 47.
Stop Press: On June 26, as we delivered this issue to the printer,
the Supreme Court of the United States legalized same-sex marriage
across the nation-even
more reason for me to realize that marriage
and its rituals matter. We compiled this issue before that ruling, and
we called it the Love issue. But since Justice Kennedy's invocation of
"dignity;' coupled with the promise of equal protection under the law
for all Amerians seeking marriage, same-sex or otherwise, we can now
call it the #Love Wins issue. Whether or not marriage is in your future,
enjoy this issue as a celebration of equality.
!z
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
merryn@curvemag.com
RONT /
cu RVETTES
curve
THE BEST-SELLING
JUL/AUG
2015
LESBIAN MAGAZINE
» VOLUME
25 NUMBER
4
PUBLISHERSilke Bader
FOUNDINGPUBLISHER Frances Stevens
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFMerryn Johns
SENIORCOPY EDITOR Katherine Wright
CONTRIBUTINGEDITORS Melanie Barker, Kathy Beige,
Marcie Bianco, Victoria A. Brownworth, Gina Daggett,
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo, Sheryl Kay, Gillian Kendall, Dave
Steinfeld, Jocelyn Voo
PROOFREADERTiffany Ceridwen Lowana
EDITORIAL
ASSISTANTSKaty Santa Maria, Lisa Tedesco,
Micheline Tawilian
GRACE CHU
KATESCHAEFER
Grace Chu is a New York City based
photographer
whose corporate clients
include General Motors, Alexander Wang,
and JNCO. She got her start shooting
events for Time Out New York and NYC's
lesbian and queer nightlife promoters. This
issue she works her camera magic on our
cover shoot of Lea Delaria, and our style
spread for The Tomboy Shop. You can find
her work at stopgracechu.com.
Kate Schaefer is the founder and editor of
H&H Weddings, an LGBT wedding resource
and blog at handhweddings.com. In just two
years, Kate has managed to establish herself
as an expert on LGBT weddings within the
wedding industry as well as the LGBT community. Her goal is to be the Emily Post of
LGBT nuptials. And to be on Ellen. Her tips
on how to achieve maximum style on your
big day are on page 46.
OPERATIONS
DIRECTOROF OPERATIONSJeannie Sotheran
ADVERTISING
NATIONALSALES
Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021, todd@curvemagazine.com
ART/PRODUCTION
ART DIRECTORBruno Cesar Guimaraes
SOCAL MEDIA
MANAGEREmma Cornish
INTERNSLucy Doyle, Erika Tamm, Lex Giggs
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melany Joy Beck, Jenny Block, Kelsy Chauvin, Jill Goldstein,
Kristin Flickinger, Gillian Kendall, Kim Hoffman, Francesca
Lewis, Charlene Lichtenstein, Tiffany Ceridwen Lowana,
Sassafras Lowrey, Kelly McCartney, Emelina Minero, Laurie
K. Schenden, Stephanie Schroeder, Janelle Sorenson,
Rosanna Rios-Spicer, Stella & Lucy, Yana Tallon-Hicks,
Sarah Toce
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Steph Brusig, Grace Chu, Meagan Cignoli, Sophy Holland,
Syd London, Maggie Parker, Diana Price, B. Proud, Robin
Roemer, Leslie Van Stelten
CONTACT INFO
Curve Magazine
PO Box 467
New York, NY 10034
PHONE(415) 871-0569
FAX (510) 380-7487
SUBSCRIPTIONINQUIRIES{800) 705-0070
(toll-free in us only)
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ADVERTISINGEMAILtodd@curvemagazine.com
EDITORIALEMAIL editor@curvemag.com
LETTERSTO THE EDITOREMAIL letters@curvemagazine.com
KENNYCOOGAN
KELLYFRANKENBERG
Kenny Coogan, CPBT-KA, holds a bachelor's
degree in animal behavior and is a certified professional bird trainer through the
International Avian Trainers Certification
Board. He is a regular pet and garden
magazine contributor and has authored a
children's book titled A Tenrec Named Trey
(and other odd-lettered animals that like to
play). Please search "Critter Companions by
Kenny Coogan" on Facebook to learn more.
This issue he writes about his older lesbian
neighbors and their approach to humane
and sustainable living on page 54.
Kelly Frankenberg is an artist, writer, activist, and teacher. She has illustrated several
children's books and her memoir, Diary of
a Gay, Pregnant Bride, came out in June.
Kelly also writes song lyrics, poems, comic
books, screenplays, and fiction. Her artwork
has appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition, Fox National News, Kare 11, Public
Television, in short films, newspapers, on
windows, walls, and mailboxes. She biogs
about wedding advice and related topics at
Pridezillas.com. Visit kellyfrankenberg.com,
diaryofagaypregnantbride.com.
Volume 25 Issue 4 Curve (ISSN 1087-867X) is published 6 times
per year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August,
September/October,
November/December) by Avalon Media,
LLC, PO Box 467, New York NY 10034. Subscription price:
$39.90/year, $39.90 Canadian (U.S. funds only) and $69.90
international (U.S. funds only). Returned checks will be assessed
a $25 surcharge. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco, CA
94114 and at additional mailing offices (USPS 0010-355). Contents
of Curve Magazine may not be reproduced in any manner, either
whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher.
Publication of the name or photograph of any persons or
organizations appearing, advertising or listing in Curve may not be
taken as an indication of the sexual orientation of that individual or
group unless specifically stated. Curve welcomes letters, queries,
unsolicited manuscripts and artwork. Include SASE for response.
Lack of any representation only signifies insufficient materials.
Submissions cannot be returned unless a self-addressed stamped
envelope is included. No responsibility is assumed for loss or
damages. The contents do not necessaraly represent the opinions
of the editor, unless specifically stated. All magazines sent discreetly.
Subscription Inquiries: Please write to Curve, Avalon Media LLC.,
PO Box 467 New York NY 10034, email crvcs@magserv.com.
Canadian Agreement Number: 40793029. Postmaster: Send
Canadian address changes to crvcs@magserv.com, Curve, PO
Box 122, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6S8. Send U.S. address changes to
crvcs@magserv.com,
Curve, PO Box 17138, N. Hollywood,
CA 91615-7138.Printed in the U.S.
curvemag.com
6
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
WE GIVE YOU A BETTER NIGHT
-c-
You put more carpe in the diem
TYLENOL®
For what matters mosr
Use only as directed.
TYLENOL® PM relieves pain while helping
you fall fast asleep and stay asleep.
RONT /
FEEDBACK
little embarrassed to say even
though I am a proud Latina, I
hadn't heard of Velasquez or
Ruby Polanco. Thank you for
introducing me to them. -Jeni
Rodriguez, Phoenix AZ.
LATINA PRIDE
Your cover featuring Patricia
Velasquez was amazing! I
loved everything in this issue,
it was just so diverse and
professionally done. It was
a pleasure to read it cover
to cover and learn about all
these amazing women. I am a
free women. Rent an RV and
come to MichFest! Plenty of
vendors sell patchouli~scent~
ed citrine oil to keep the
mosquitos away. This is the
major lesbian event you must
experience. -Mimi Gonzalez
at MimiGonzalez.com
LESBIAN LANDMARK
Thank you for consistently
being such a voice of reason,
for having such a vision and
vocabulary to express in
reliably accurate writing and
for having the old~school
journalistic ethic of objec~
tivity that makes reading
you Victoria Brownworth
["MichFest to End After 40
Years;' curvemag.com], always
worth the bandwidth. You've
brought words to outrage and
explain the phobia of radically
SINGLED OUT
I love Curve, but have one
criticism to make: as a
(long~term) single and out
woman, I sometimes feel left
out of the fun! I am always
greatly relieved when another
single~and~seeking gal writes
to Lipstick & Dipstick about
dating difficulties, but am
bothered that the responses
seem to reinforce [that] if
you haven't found a g/£ you
must be doing something
wrong. I do not believe that
additional self doubt is what
we still~single people need in
order to attract that 'special
someone: My experience
[has] taught me a simple
truth: at any given moment,
90 percent of lesbians are
already in a relationship; also,
many are 'serial monogamists:
In short: Single Ladies, there
is likely nothing'wrong' with
you, other than happening
to be a minority within a
minority within a minority!
Stop looking, get comfortable
with You, and enjoy your
autonomy. Once you're happy
about being alone, that tends
to be when the people show
up. -Erin, Maryland
change.org
11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
OUR
PETITION
AGAINSTGOOGLE
PLAY
SUCCEEDS:
Yo sign Oit nOm 0
Li
e
8
8
e 8
0iffere nCe .
TnnKy !
8
O Li
When Google Play suspended Curve's May-June app due to allegations of 'explicit content' we felt unjustly censored, so we posted a petition on change.org and requested Google Play reinstate our app.
The petition received over 600 signatures and many messages of support. We're happy to say the app
was restored, thanks largely to your support. Here are some of our favorite messages:
"Just because something says
'gay' or 'lesbian' or even 'dyke'
does not mean it's pornographic!"
- Melissa Swenka, MO
"Curve magazine has been a
significant cultural publication
in the women's community for
decades." - Jewelle Gomez, CA
"I am signing because I have
been a loyal subscriber to Curve
magazine for years. I support
the magazine, Merryn Johns,
and anyone else that makes
this publication happen. It
is ridiculous that we have to
reinstated! I support equality in
all things."
- LaToya Speas, KY
"The more that you can reach
out for help and support, the
better you can feel about your
life - Curve provides an avenue
and materials to not only make
sense of your feelings but the
knowledge that it does get better
and we're worth it."
- Erin Leahy, Australia
"My wife and I support this
magazine and others like it.
Everyone should be free to
express themselves in a free
and loving, respected manner.
Tr takin care of our own
lives and let us do ours."
- Juniper Blossom Shaman, IL
WRITE
Curve magazine, PO Box 467, New York, NY 10034
letters@curvemagazine.com
US! 510.380.7487
curvemag.com/letters
Send to:
Email:
Fax:
8
CURVE
JUL/AUG
Online:
2015
"I am signing because I believe
Google uses 'sexually explicit' as
an excuse to discriminate against
lesbians, women, wiccans."
- Roberta Hacker, PA
"Curve isn't pornography. It's a
cultural magazine pertaining to
the Lesbian community. Sanctioning the app is tantamount to
homophobia!"
- Cornea Walthall, NC
"I'm a subscriber of Curve magazine and find it to be a classy
magazine."
- Gwendolyn Young, TX
"I believe this is an upstanding
and wonderful magazine focusing
on LIFEas a lesbian. That is all. It
is one of the very best we have."
- Amanda Mishork, CA
"Curve is a vital, unique and completely appropriate resource for
lesbian women." - Kristy Bills, UT
"I'm signing because this is a
magazine for women by women
and we deserve something for us.
There's nothing out there for the
"Curve is awesome."
readers should be able to have
access to it."
- Samaiya Wims, VA
- Michelle Garcia, CA
Subscriber Services are now available at:
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Curve's online selection of must-do, must-try, must-have extras.
CULTURE
MUSIC
RAINBOWBABIESON DISC
Singer-songwriter Chana Rothman's
Rainbow
Train CD celebrates gen-
der diversity in children. Rothman,
a music educator
and herself a
mother of two, released it to invite
every child to co-create a world free
of gender barriers. Inspired when
her own son came to her and asked
about wearing a dress to school, she
searched for stories or songs that
were inclusive but found none, so
she wrote her own songs of gender
expression for children ages 4-9.
G Read more on curvemag.com
LIFESTYLE
WEDDINGS
LAURELPOINT INN WELCOMESLESBIANS...AND ALWAYSDIDI
While many famed honeymoon destinations in the United States have
Victoria, BC has always welcomed lesbian brides and honeymooners.
EDITOR'S
PICK
INTERVIEW
After all, Canada legalized gay marriage more than a decade ago! For
MARGAGOMEZ HEADLINESTHE HOT! FESTIVAL
a customized wedding that reflects your unique style, the Inn at Laurel
The world's longest-running LGBTQperformance festival at Dixon Place,
long-awaited marriage equality, a charming and contemporary inn in
Point is your destination. Your setting is an architectural wonder: a
New York this July-August features fantastic out funny lady Marga Gomez
great glass walled atrium overlooking lush and tranquil Japanese gar-
in POUND, a hilarious journey where Gomez plays herself and a delicious
dens, and as your backdrop, a waterfall and the picturesque harbor
coterie of cinema's most notorious lesbians. Facing unwanted celibacy,
beyond. Adjoining rooms offer plenty of space and options for your
Gomez scours dating sites and fortuitously opens a portal to a cloud-
wedding reception. Best of all, at the Inn at Laurel Point, lesbian and lesbian-friendly staff will assist in making your big day dreams come true.
based Lesbian Bermuda Triangle where famous fictional lesbian and
pseudo lesbian characters become real.
G Read more on curvemag.com
G Read more on curvemag.com
CULTURE
DESTINATIONS
OUT IN ATLANTICCITY
Sample the LGBT offerings from Borgata Hotel Casino
& Spa, with its OUT at Borgata brand for LGBT guests
~
~
~
~
and the launch of the OUT at Borgata Facebook page
~
and microsite. The luxurious Borgata proudly supports
~
diversity and is a partner of the Greater Atlantic City
GLBT Alliance and the International Gay & Lesbian Travel
Association. With the long-awaited passage of marriage
equality in New Jersey, Borgata now plans and hosts wed-
~
~
~
~
~
~
dings and honeymoons for LGBT guests. The first OUT
~
at Borgata events kicked off with performances by Sarah
~
Mclachlan and Kathy Griffin, with more to be announced.
G Read more on curvemag.com
~
~
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~
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We have some of the leading voices in our community
sharing their thoughts on love
and romance, parenting and
politics, and sex and spirituality-not to mention our huge
collection of lesbian fandom.
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
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9
.,
I
TRENDS/
THE GAYD_R_
p
I
!~e~ o~~!~~wRone? Let our gaydar help
you decide who's hot, who's not, who's
~ shaking it and who's faking it in lesboland.
%
~
BY MELANIE BARKER
~
~
~
ci
~
:::,
After telling Variety
she has had "many"
relationships with
women, Cate Blanchett
says she was misquoted,
and that in 2015 "who
cares" if she's had
relationships with
women. Um, we do
Miley Cyrus makes a
difference with her Happy
Hippie Foundation for
homeless LGBTyouth, plus says
her gender and the gender of
her partners is fluid
Joan Jett is finally inducted
into the Rock n Roll Hall of
Fame-by Miley Cyrus, no
less. 'Bout time!
Emma Stone is playing Billie
Jean King in a new biopic about
King's "Battle of the Sexes"
match against Bobby Riggs.
Let's hope she aces it!
I
~
1
w
C)
2
:::,
0
>I1-
w
We're excited about
Gossip Girl hottie
Jessica Szohr's
role as a "reckless
but capable"
lesbian nurse on
USA Network's
new drama
Complications
Alabama jails
and fines a
minister for
exercising
her religious
freedom and
trying to marry a
lesbian coupll
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Cf)
w
Fortune Feimster
makes out with
Sarah Silverman
for a good cause:
An Evening With
Women to raise
money for the
Los Angeles LGBT
Center
Tatum O'Neal
tells People
magazine "I
definitely have
been dating
mostly women
recently." Sounds
like a welcome
change to us!
"'
2
u
a:
Amy Schumer
and Amber Rose
earnestly swap spit
for no good reason,
just the MTV Movie
Awards' Kiss Cam
w
~z
;u
.:..i
;';';
z
0
:;:'
:::,
~
Plus size Target model
Nicolette Mason marries
her partner at the Wythe
Hotel, Brooklyn
Wells Fargo is our bank of
choice, featuring a lesbian
couple learning sign
language for their daughter
Rooney Mara tops Cate
Blanchett as Best Actress in
Carol at the 2015 Cannes Film
Festival
@)
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
11
NDstBEAUTY
BE BEACH READYAND
SKIN SMARTTHIS SUMMER.
l◄)tcc
ncachnabc
SaYing
Go from beach to street in SPF
Addict's Jewels Top, a stylish,
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harmful rays. This long-sleeve,
fitted tee is embellished with
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thumbhole cutouts for extra
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oceanside activities, whether
that's sailing or skating. Plus the
silky smooth fabric wicks away
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Jan Marini does it again
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it blends in easily to
different skin types and
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balm, too, which offers
powerful protection
from the sun.
($20, cotzskincare.com)
12
CURVE
JUL/AUG
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Sun "'arrim•
This lightweight, fastabsorbing Anti-Aging
Moisturizer from Scalisi
Skincare is a moisturizer,
an anti-aging serum, and a
sunscreen in one product.
Suitable for normal to dry
skin, the macadamia nut,
hazelnut and cucumber oils
moisturize, while white tea
extract brightens and soy
proteins regenerate your skin.
($65, scalisiskincare.com)
Control Corrective's Skincare
System's Oil Free sunscreen
with SPF 30 prevents broad
spectrum sun damage with a
greaseless, white application
that finishes transparent.
Made with microfine zinc and
aloe vera, antioxidant-rich
Control Corrective is suitable
for sensitive skins, hydrating
and moisturizing while it
protects. Comes in a handy
pocket-sized bottle. ($33,
controlcorrective.com)
2015
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~ LESBOFILE
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IT'S THRILLS AND SPILLS FOR OUR
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FAVORITE CELESBIANS THIS SUMMER.
~
BY JOCELYN VOO
-
MILEY SPEAKSUP
Miley Cyrus making a bold statement?
Not exactly unusual for the tongue-wagging, pot-leafed crusader. This time
around it's the revelation that not all of her
previous relationships have been heterosexual. Gender, in fact, has always been
that
kind of a gray area for her.
sweet photo of Griner grinning and caress-
"I didn't want to be a boy," she told Out.
"I kind of wanted to be nothing. I don't
relate to what people would say defines a
girl or a boy, and I think that's what I had to
she was pregnant,
hashtagging
a
ing Johnson's bare belly with #TooExcited,
#Newlife, and #NewAdditionToTheFamily.
Twenty-four hours later, multiple news
sources reported that Griner filed annul-
understand: Being a girl isn't what I hate,
ment papers, citing
it's the box that I get put into."
that Griner was "pressured into marriage
Cyrus is also putting
her star power
where her mouth is, launching the Happy
Hippie Foundation to help homeless and
"fraud and duress,"
under duress by [Johnson's] threatening
statements."
Johnson, meanwhile,
is said to have
LGBT kids. But some celebs are taking
been "blindsighted"
her announcement
Considering the child she's carrying, which
with a grain of salt.
by this turn of events.
Responding to Cyrus's fluid sexuality reve-
reportedly has no biological connection to
lation, Raven-Symone used her guest host
Griner, we can't even fathom what's next.
status on The View to make it known that
while she supports the sentiment, Cyrus
is no pioneer: "Miley, I agree with you and,
girl, I said it first." Game, set, match.
CARA'SCANNES DRAMA
For how recklessly in love they were
when they were together, looks like that's
all in the past for Cara Delevingne and
COMPLICATEDCOURTSHIP
WNBA phenoms
Brittney Griner and
Glory Johnson are playing in a different
Michelle Rodriguez. Partying at Cannes
with
her current
girlfriend
St. Vincent,
Delevingne caught word that Rodriguez
court these days. The basketball couple's
had just arrived-cue
romance has been rocky, to say the least,
the alleged explanation of "I can't face see-
the model's exit with
culminating in a case of domestic violence
ing her."
just a month shy of their wedding, and both
A source told Bang, "Cara and Michelle
players being suspended for seven games
haven't spoken since the split and they
TV makeout was taken to greater heights
from their respective teams. Still, a concus-
aren't friends anymore. Cara was with her
at this year's MTV Movie Awards.
sion and bite marks aside (yep, not a typo),
new girlfriend
the pair quickly reconciled
kind of awkward confrontation."
and wed on
May 8, with Johnson vowing in a perhaps
too-accurate description, "I promise to be
and she couldn't face any
Avoiding exes at parties-stars,
they're
just like us!
something more, uh, substantial.
your Clyde, the Ike to your Tina."
the pair, and less than a month after they tied
the knot, Johnson announced on lnstagram
14
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
Amber Rose during a commercial break
kiss cam, but it quickly escalated into
the Whitney to your Bobby, the Bonnie to
Motherhood was always a discussion for
Host and comedian Amy Schumer went
in for the kill with hip hop model/artist
To wit: "I'm def half lesbian after my
MORE MTV MAKEOUTS
makeout sesh with @amyschumer @MTV
Madonna and Britney may have pioneered it, but the straight-on-straight
lady
#movieawards," Rose jokingly captioned an
lnstagram photo of the kiss.
TRENDstSHE
S
"Everybody in the
business knew I was gay, and
certainly everybody I worked with
and everything like that. I just never
had a press conference to announce it .
... I wonder if I'd come out on that '75 cover
of TIME if I would have had as long a career
as I've had, because it would have been an
inopportune time to make such a grand
statement. I mean, Ellen didn't really come
out until 20 years later." -Lily Tomlin to
Huff Post Live on why she turned
down a 1975 TIMEcover
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
15
l l,11~ri,111el l,1lte,~s
Why marriage equality is a matter of life, and of death.
BY VICTORIA
A. BROWNWORTH
It's as if marriage equality were the
sine qua non of lesbian and gay rights.
For more than a decade-Massachusetts
was the first state to legalize same-sex
marriage in 2004-marriage
equality has
been a primary focus of lesbian and gay
civil rights.
In 1994, I wrote a column here about
marriage titled "Tying the Knot or the
Hangman's Noose;' which was later included in my book Too Queer: Essaysfrom
a Radical Life. That column queried why
lesbians and gay men had chosen two of
the world's most repressive institutionsmarriage and the military-as
the focus
of their civil rights activism.
Would marriage be any less authoritarian, any less institutionally brutal, I
asked, if lesbians and gays were the standard-bearers? And what about women,
who traditionally have been oppressed
16
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
and repressed by marriage as an institution and reduced to chattel by its precepts? Would they fare any better married
to one another-or
would the "ownership" aspects of marriage even taint the
legal bond between lesbians?
If you are a "thinking person;' you are
constantly evolving, both as a person and
in your thinking. Fast-forward 20 years
from that 1994 column-years
in which
I remained (despite still crying at weddings) opposed to marriage, especially for
women-and
my perspective has shifted.
On May 20, 2014, Pennsylvania became yet another state to legalize samesex marriage. The word came to me on the
night before the public announcement, via
an email from one of the people who had
worked on the issue for years.
My response surprised me. I was literally sobbing as I read the email. Had I
ever realized how much it would mean to
me to be included in an aspect of American life that I had been denied for, well,
ever?
Though I had been so opposed to marriage on feminist grounds, I have since
come to realize why it matters so much
that lesbians and gay men should have
legal access to everything that heterosexual men and women do, and why marriage
in particular-because
it is an approbation of our same-sex love and commitment-is vital.
My partner of 15 years asked me to
marry her the day Pennsylvania made
us legal. I said yes. We have known each
other since we were 13 and rode the same
bus to our all-girls' high school. We were
girlfriends in high school and again in college, but then went our separate ways. I
moved away from Philadelphia, pursuing
v1Ews1POLI
my career. She stayed, and settled down
with another woman.
When we met again, both post-breakup after long-term relationships, we were
ready for each other for, it seems, life. We
love each other. Why wouldn't we marry?
We have been engaged now for over a
year, but I have been calling her my wife
throughout that period because, despite
a lifetime of non-monogamy and flirtatiousness, I am now committed. I feel
married to her already, but I know why
that ceremony matters-even
if I didn't
20 years ago.
We know where we are marrying, at a
historic inn in the woods, a place between
her house and mine where we used to
meet in secret when we were teenagers, a
place that resonates for us still. I look forward to saying vows with her there in the
woods, the creek flowing serenely outside
the inn. I like to think that the ducks I fed
as a child are sharing our journey from
high school sweethearts to middle-aged
married ladies.
How did the militant I was 20 years
ago get to this placer
In part, I got here because of where I
am as I write this: slowly recovering from
nearly dying. When Ireland became the
first nation in the world to legalize samesex marriage via popular vote, in May
2015, I was in an ICU fighting for my life;
my fiancee slept on a cot in the room with
me for every one of the 15 days I was in
the hospital.
That hospital stay, and the recovery I
have ahead of me-derailing
our nuptials
until I am well enough to "walk down the
aisle" -raised not just the "in sickness and
in health" aspect of marriage, but also how
important it is to have access to each other
in times of crisis.
My health crisis was sudden and deadly. I got a pulmonary embolism-almost
certainly from sitting for too-long stretches at the computer finishing two books in
rapid succession. The night I nearly died,
I had spent 14 hours writing, on deadline,
with hardly a break. Less than 12 hours
later I was in the ICU, being told that the
first 48 hours were critical. For me those
48 hours stretched into more than two
weeks, followed by months of recovery.
When you are dying, you have time to
think about the things that matter. Your
life is arrayed before you-the
minutiae
as well as all the major aspects of it: the
fact that the hospital can't understand
what vegan is, as well as the fact that you
suddenly spiked a fever of 102 that the
doctors can't source and you are bleeding
everywhere.
For me, the fear and pain and seemingly endless struggle to stay alive in those
15 days in the hospital would have been
unbearable without her. Without the
presence and constancy of this woman I
had known since I was 13, when she says
she first fell in love with me-she with her
then-waist-length black hair and me with
mine, pale blonde. Without this woman
who is so much my opposite, yet so much
my soul mate. Without this woman I have
spent the past 15 years with, but with
whom I share a much longer and deeper
history, and a future I can see as clearly as
I see these words I am writing.
Without the woman who someday
soon will be my wife.
The celebratory nature of weddings
often belies the solemnity of the commitment to a life together. The traditional
vows alert you to the possibilities-"for
richer or for poorer, in sickness and in
health, forsaking all others" -but no one
is thinking of that side of things in the
heady excitement of the wedding day.
Yet that's what I have come to understand about marriage and why it matters
for us as lesbians and gay men-that
it's
just so much more than that exciting wedding day itself. Marriage is about everything that comes after. Marriage is about
what commitment means-and
commitment is the fundament of marriage.
The day she and I finally legally wed
will be the day I no longer have to explain who she is, or why she has a right to
be with me everywhere I am. When she
and I are legally wed, and people ask, "Is
she your sister?" though we look nothing
alike, I can flash my wedding ring and say
simply, "No-wife:'
I still stand behind much of what I
wrote here more than 20 years ago. I think
heterosexual women have been and still
are often oppressed and manipulated by
marriage throughout much of the world.
When pre-pubescent girls are being married to adult men in more than 50 nations,
some in our own hemisphere, we can't dismiss the impact of marriage as fraught for
women.
But for lesbians, marriage is solely a
choice. It's not being forced on us-we
can choose it, we can refuse it.
Over the past 20 years, I have learned
how much marriage equality matters. I
have watched lesbian activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, who founded the
Daughters of Bilitis in the 1950s, wed
in 2004 after being partners since 1952
(Martin died in 2008 at 87.) I have also
watched as a woman and her partner
who was not a U.S. citizen were forced to
live between two countries because they
couldn't marry. I've watched women lose
the right to everything from children, to
property, to livelihoods, because a bad
breakup did more than sunder a relationship-the
lack of a legal document sundered their very lives.
I've written a lot about what has happened to women who weren't legal spouses, from Karen Thompson and Sharon
Kowalski, to Kelly Mullen and Michele
Hobbs, to Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer.
Those were the landmark cases-but
imagine how many we have never heard
about. All the lesbians who were denied
joint custody of the children of their lesbian relationships, but just never had the
money to contest the case to court, the
way Michele Hobbs did.
All the women like Martin and Lyon,
who lived together for decades, as Windsor and Spyer did until they were finally
able to legally marry two years before
Spyer's death. All the women who, like
Thompson, had no control over their own
lives when devastating injury befell their
partners.
Marriage isn't an endgame. Right now,
lesbians are still being fired from their
jobs, usually at schools, for being married
to other women. But for those of us who
choose it, marriage is a step on the long
road to equality. And for some of us, like
me, a step toward recognizing how much
it matters that the world knows how
important lesbian love is. And how it is,
sometimes, a matter not just of commitment, but of life and death.
Follow Victoria A. Brownworth on
Twitter @VABVOX
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
17
st
PROFILE
IN CASE
YOU
MISSED
CJ)
Advocate>> Boston
:::,
~
<t
::;:
Jullleanne
Doherty
z
<t
'2
She's been at it since she was an 8-year-old tagging
along with her mom-Jullieanne
Doherty has been
fighting for racial equality and participating in community
initiatives for as long as she can remember (even if she is
only 29 years old!).
"Activism is in my blood," says Doherty, today Boston's
citywide LGBT liaison and neighborhood coordinator for
Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "The question never was about
whether or not I would go into public service. It was 'How
soon can I start?'"
Over the years, Doherty has worked with Michael
LESBIAN
Alison Bechdel's award-winning graphic novel, Fun Home,
which explores her coming out process and her efforts to
understand her closeted gay dad, has been transformed
into an award-winning Broadway musical by Lisa Kron
and Jeanine Tesori. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards, and
winning five, Tesori and Kron made history, becoming the
first female writing team to win for a musical score.
Kelley, the former LGBT liaison for the mayor's office,
Daniel Faucher of the International Imperial Court
System, and many other advocates nationwide, and has
also assisted the Harvey Milk Foundation and its partners
in launching the creation of the Harvey Milk stamp.
More recently, she's collaborated with the founding
members of OutVets, along with City of Boston Veterans'
Services and local Boston LGBTQveterans, to offer support and assistance as OutVets started in Boston. And her
work with this group recently paid off big-time as it was
announced that OutVets would be marching in this year's
St. Patrick's Day parade, making it finally an all-inclusive
parade.
"This is monumental," says Doherty, "a huge victory for
our LGBTQveterans in Boston, to be equally honored and
• WENDY
THOMAS,
• ALESBIAN
COUPLE
WHO
a long-term employee of the New
Jersey convenience store chain
WaWa, 1ssuing the company
Thomas claims that her previous
supervisor discriminated against her
by mocking National Coming Out
Day 1nconversation with another
employee. When she shared this
experience at the company's Gay
Straight Alliance meeting, she
was encouraged to report her
supervisor, and when she did he
retaliated by g1v1ngher a poor
performance review
entered into a c1v1Ipartnership
1nBritain 1n2011 are challenging
Hong Kong's 1mm1grat1onpolicy,
arguing that their relat1onsh1p
shouldn't be treated differently
than a heterosexual marriage
One of the women had secured
a professional Job 1nHong Kong,
and they were applying for a
dependent visa for the other
The lmm1grat1onAuthority
argued before the High Court
that gay and lesbian couples are
not entitled to a dependent visa
due to concerns over the "social
well-being of Hong Kong"
thanked. The entire local LGBTQcommunity of Boston
•ANEWSTUDY
PUBLISHED
also stands behind them, and now has the ability to honor
1nthe American Journal of Public
Health looked at the pregnancy
rates among 10,000 ethnically and
racially diverse New York City high
school students The study found
that youth who 1dent1f1edas lesbian,
bisexual, or gay-were stat1st1cally
more likely to have gotten pregnant,
or have gotten someone pregnant
Researchers argue that stigma,
dlscrim1nat1on,and a lack of
strong connections to family and
school are among the factors that
contributed to increased pregnancy
rates among youth 1nsexual
m1norit1es
them inclusively. I am so proud."
While Massachusetts was the first state to legalize
gay marriage, Doherty notes that there is still work to be
done. Many people still need to be educated about the
LGBTQcommunity. Marriage equality was just the start of
the conversation, she says. From youth rights, to homelessness, to anti-bullying in schools, to workplace safety,
to transgender rights, and more, it is crucial for advocacy
roles like hers to exist within city government.
"For states that are still fighting to legalize gay
marriage, we need to be supportive, whether it be
vocally, financially, or physically behind them, to keep
the momentum moving forward," she says. "Let's remind
everyone these equal rights are for their own kids' teachers, firefighters, doctors, social workers, athletes, elected
officials, neighbors, friends, and family." By Sheryl Kay
18
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
• WELLS
FARGO
HAS
LAUNCHED
a new ad campaign featuring a
lesbian couple, the first for the
bank In the TV ad we see two
women learning sign language,
so they can communicate with
the little girl they are adopting
Using ASL, they are signing,
"We're going to be your new
mommies" A voice-over says,
"Everyone works hard for a
reason Working together, we
can help you prepare f1nanc1ally
for when two becomes three"
By SassafrasLowrey
Working together, we can help you prepare financially for a growing family.
No matter what your plans include - from preparing for adoption to saving
for college - we're here to help you achieve your unique financial goals.
To learn more, come in or visit wellsfargo.com/together.
Together we'll go far
© 2015Wells Fargo Bank,N.A.All rights reserved.
Member FDIC. (1260093)
INTERVIEW
BY LISA TEDESCO
PHOTO BY HEATHER WARAKSA
A couple that plays together stays together. Or is it: A couple that works
together stays together? Perhaps it's: A couple that rocks at everything they
do together stays together. Case in point for Samantha and Laura Leigh Abby,
appearing on Bravo's reality television series Newlyweds, The First Year,which
follows four couples for their first year of marriage. As one of the first lesbian
couples on a reality TV show that isn't dedicated to lesbians, Samantha and
Laura Leigh prove that their marriage is just like anyone else's. But that's not
only why we wanted to profile these women. They have so much more going
on than a reality TV show! These smart and fierce business owners take on the
world and give back to the community. Samantha is the owner of NYC-based
Penny Lane Pictures and has created the award-winning, LGBT-friendly cooking
web series The Curious Cook, now in its third season. Laura is a published writer
and owner of 2brides2be.com, "inspiration for the modern lesbian bride."
VE
JUL/AUG
2015
VIEWS/
TWO OF
SAMANTHA,
HOW
DID
THE
IDEA
OFA
COOKING
WEB
SERIES
EMERGE
FROM
PENNY
LANE
PICTURES?
2brides2be lesbian weddings are the main
pretty relatable and that b) what makes
event.
our relationship unique isn't that we're a
Laura and I love hosting at our apartment.
are unique and expressive of love in their
who are also a couple came over. With lots
WHY
ISITSOIMPORTANT
FOR
THIS
SITE
TO
ADHERE,
ESPECIALLY,
TOTHE
NEEDS
OF
LESBIAN
COUPLES?
of wine, cooking, and great conversation
When Sam and I got engaged in August
show Americans "perfect relationships"
I started to think about this being a
2012 I did what most brides to be do: I
between same-sex couples to strengthen
show. Let's bring the LGBTQ community
bought wedding magazines and stayed up
the fight for equality and support the
One night after work two of our girlfriends
same-sex couple, it's that all relationships
own distinct ways. We've said this before,
but we reject this idea that we need to
into a cramped NYC kitchen and have
late, my laptop open on my bed, perusing
argument for same-sex marriage. We
conversations just like everyone else.
wedding biogs. What I found in bridal
prefer to showcase reality. No, we're not
With that idea, lots of development and
magazines and mainstream wedding biogs
perfect, but no marriage is, and we all
help from the community, The Curious
were heterosexual couples. Occasionally
deserve the opportunity to live our lives in
Cook emerged in our kitchen apartment
a lesbian couple was featured, but I really
equal partnerships with the person we've
every Sunday. I think the word "curious"
had to search for it. When I gave up and
chosen.
is a great way to describe all elements of
turned to same-sex wedding publications,
our show. We're curious about sexuality,
I didn't feel included there either. The only
food, and conversation and that's what we
way to right that wrong, I decided, would
wanted our viewers to see.
be to create an exclusive destination for
women marrying women. I was asked so
many questions from friends and family-
WITH
THE
RELEASE
OFTHE
REALITY
SHOW,
THE
WEB
SERIES
AND
THE
BRIDAL
WEBSITE,
YOU
MAKE
APRETTY
AMAZING
TEAM!
HOW
DOYOU
DOIT?
LAURA,
WHAT
MAKES
YOUR
SERVICES
AT
2BRIDES2BE.COM
STAND
OUT
ABOVE
THE
REST?
"Can you both wear dresses?" "Who walks
LAURA: I think our strengths are so
down the aisle?"-that
different, and I'm sure there are couples
people thought there were distinct rules
out there who have all the same interests
2brides2be stands out because we
to same-sex weddings. I never wanted our
or similar skill sets, but we really thrive on
already understand the political and
wedding to be labeled as simply a lesbian
our differences. We both believe in each
social implications of same-sex marriage,
wedding. I wanted it to be seen as our
other, and when you have a partner that
of human rights and the necessity for
wedding, an event that really celebrated
you think is brilliant, capable, and worthy
equality, but we don't believe that our
our love and the commitment we were
of incredible things, that makes you want
brides' weddings need to focus solely
making. I believe that many lesbian
to rise to the occasion. On the other side
on these aspects. There is so much style
couples are feeling the extra pressure in
of the coin, we are both super aware of
and excitement that surrounds wedding
planning their weddings, not wanting it to
our weaknesses, and we don't try to be
planning, and that's why we're here: to
turn into a spectacle, but also wanting to
anything we're not. We've both had to
zoom in on the lesbian wedding as a
celebrate the love between two women. I
carry the other, and I don't think there's a
thing of incredible beauty. We're here to
think it's time for a stylish online wedding
single obstacle in life that I wouldn't want
show you how to let tradition influence
destination for lesbian brides to feel wholly
to face without her by my side.
your planning while maintaining a little
represented.
I realized so many
rebellion. Same-sex couples shouldn't
SAMANTHA: Laura is the smartest most
have to quietly visit the courthouse to
say "I Do,"-unless they want to! Some
brides want stylish destination weddings,
glamorous black-tie events or whimsical
ceremonies in the woods, and we're here
to represent those brides as the stars
of wedding planning, not the every-
creative person I've ever met. Being able
ABOUT
YOUR
REALITY
TVEXPERIENCE: to work with her on projects is a dream. I
don't think many couples get to spend the
DOYOU
BELIEVE
ITWAS
IMPORTANT
TO
HAVE
YOUR
FIRST
YEAR
OFMARRIAGE time we do together and we don't hate it.
DOCUMENTED
ONNATIONAL
TELEVISION I think we thrive on each other's strengths
TOSHOW
THE
MASSES
THAT
HOMOSEXUAL
and we are both aware of what needs work
MARRIAGES
ARE
JUST
LIKE
ANY
OTHER? and that's what makes us a great team. I
other-issue lesbian couple appearing
SAMANTHA: We absolutely thought
occasionally in mainstream wedding
that it was time for some transparency
do things together. (pennylanepics.com,
publications to fill their quotas. At
so that viewers could see that a) we're
2brides2be.com). •
just hope we get more opportunities to
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
21
From Domestic Bliss
to Bickering
The U-Haul rental had barely been returned when
this relationship lost its wheels.
Lipstick: I don't know, Dip. Perhaps they
moved in too quickly after the much-anticipated first shag. Bickertons, what kept
you from being together for those 10
years? Is one of you just getting out of a
relationship? Just because you've known
each other for a decade, don't think you're
exempt from U-Haul-dom. I'd bet a whole
BY LIPSTICK & DIPSTICK
box of packing tape that many of your current issues stem from the shock that comes
with shacking up too soon, especially if
Dear Lipstick & Dipstick:
My girlfriend and I have been living together for about two
months now. The first month was bliss and we couldn't keep
our hands off each other. Now, all we do is argue about our
relationship and how things aren't working out. We've known
each other for 10 years, and being together and living together
is all we used to talk about. Now that the time is here, it's all
falling apart. I don't know whether to give up or keep working
on it, whatever "it" may be.
- The Bickertons
there's a fresh breakup in the rearview
Dipstick: I'll tell you what's happening:
great, but relationships are work. Sure,
she speaks. Pearl is shy and scared about
mirror. If there's any way to wiggle out of
your new living arrangement, do it. Why
not date for a spell, and see if everything
doesn't get better. If a breather doesn't do
the trick, ya'II might just be better off as
friends.
Dear Lipstick & Dipstick: How can I encourage my girlfriend, Pearl, a 55-year-old
woman who loves to write, to go back to
school to improve her language skills? She
has a wonderful imagination but writes as
it's the 10 years of fantasizing about lazy
it was great for the first pheromone-in-
being a mature student. She could be
Sunday mornings in bed, perfect "welcome
spired month, when you were finally
published. -Alice
homes" from a long day at work, and the
able to release the sexual tension that
B. Tok/as, Jr.
pair of kittens you would joyfully adopt.
had been building for a decade. But that
Lipstick: It's never ever too late to be what
All that build-up. It's no wonder that things
can't be sustained. And neither can that
you might have been. Long after I gradu-
are falling apart now. Reality could never
unrealistic vagary you've concocted
ated from college, I went back to school
live up to the perfect relationship you've
about what life together would be like.
for creative writing. For round two, I was
created in your own minds. But the truth
Quit focusing so much on what's not
much older than my fellow classmates and
is, she gets up early for a Sunday morn-
working and get out of the house and
it was No Big D. Looking back, I'd say it was
ing Zumba class, you're both too tired
do some of the things you used to do
all about taking a leap of faith, really, and
after your long workdays to do more than
when you were just friends. You've put
dropkicking that fear and insecurity on my
microwave a meal, and neither one of you
way too much pressure on yourselves.
way through the wormhole of creative pas-
wants to clean the litter box. Fantasies are
Lighten up!
sion. Tell Pearl that, instead of going into it
shaking, she should push herself to show
up to class salivating with an insatiable
hunger to be the best writer she can be.
None of the other shit matters. Shyness,
scaredy-cat-ness, those are all excuses and
should never stand in the way of something
you really want. The younger students are
far more concerned about their Friday
night plans than her DOB anyway. When
she walks through the door, spirit ablaze,
the other students won't be talking about
her age-they'll
be commenting on the fire
in her eyes.
Dipstick: I don't know, Lip. I think Alice B.
Toklas might be getting ahead of herself.
My dad is always telling me about the book
he wants me to write, but it's not something I feel called to do. My sister keeps
pushing my nephew to go to culinary
22
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
""
be her dream. You can encourage her to
sign up for a community-college
writing
workshop, but she has to be the one to
step through the door.
THt10YrARS
0~~ANTASIZING
Pearl also needs to thicken up
ABOUT
lAZY
SUN
DAY
MO
RN
INGS Lipstick:
her skin, because absorbing and applying
is key to getting published.
INBtO,PtR~tCT
'WrlCOMt criticism
You must not only be willing to humble
HOMtS
rnoM
AlONG
DAY yourself and take constructive feedback,
but also learn to love it. Nothing pleases
ATWORK,
AND
THtPAIR
0~ me more-believe it or not-than getting a
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KITTtNS
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WOUlD
JOYrnllYdraft
by someone I respect.
ADOPT
... IT'SNO
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THATDipstick: Lipstick is right: It takes a treTHINGS
ARt~AlllNG
APARTmendous amount of vulnerability to share
our stories with the world. You can't push
NOW.
RrAllTY
COUlD
NtVtR someone into that. They have to take their
own leap.
llVtUPTOTHtPtR~tCT
Lipstick: Everyone is a writer. What sepRrlATIONSHIP
YOU'Vt
CRtATtD
arates Witty Wendy, who pens amazing
and fiction that no one ever gets to
INYOUR
OWN
MINDS. emails
see, from literary greats like Sarah Waters
''
and Jeanette Winterson? Chutzpa, writing
every day until your hands bleed, an excellent command of the language-which
you get by studying and reading-and
school and become a chef, but he just
big toolbox of writing skills. My favorite
seems to want to watch cooking shows
professor once told me, "You've got to
on TV. I keep sending my best friend job
learn the rules before you can break
postings that I want her to apply for, but
them." To that, then and
she never does. My point is, it's wonderful
now, I say amen.
that you want to encourage your sweetie
to return to school, but it has to be HER
burning desire, not yours (or your burning
Do you have a burning
desire to sleep next to a writer). Giving
question for Lipstick
her a little nudge and showing her you
& Dipstick? Write to
have faith in her can't hurt, but this has to
ask@lipstickdipstick.com
a
I
The Metamorphosis oJButterfly Boucher
The almost famous Aussie singer returns with a beautiful redux.
BY KELLY MCCARTNEY
stralian singer~songwriter Butterfly Boucher
ossesses a rare musical talent-she
can play
retty much any instrument you put in front of
er. Which is exactly what she did on Flutterby,
er 2004 debut. She sang and played almost ev~
ery note on the record. One critic called the effort"a low~key tour de
force" that reflected "an uncommon maturity and breadth of talent:'
David Bowie and Madonna took notice as well, but it was Sarah
McLachlan who really brought her to the attention of an interna~
tional audience. She offered Boucher an opening slot on her world
tour, and when Butterfly's label wouldn't provide tour support, Mc~
Lachlan cornered the head of the company at a party and took him
to task. With that business handled, the two hit the road together,
and all these years later they're still good friends. "Last time she came
through, I emailed her and said, 'Oh, I'd love to come to the show;
A
and she wrote back, 'Well, I'd love you to sing on something: I said,
'OK, deal;" Boucher recalls. 'J\nd then Sarah said, J\nd I fully expect
you to take me shopping; which-I'm not a big shopping person!
But, I'm stoked that she's a friend of mine. She's still as encouraging
as ever:'
Boucher's long~standing friendships were also on display when
she decided to honor Flutterby's 10th anniversary by re~recording
it-with Sara Bareilles, Katie Herzig, Ruby Amanfu, and, of course,
Sarah McLachlan, among others. Even though the 2004 Flutterby
still feels incredibly fresh and lively,2014's Happy Birthday Flutterby
is more capacious, less brash. That more settled vibe reflects Bouch~
er's inspiration for the project: "I just had this moment of grati~
tude-and I'm not saying this to blow smoke up anybody's ass, but
I really did have this gratitude of thinking about all the support and
the fans over the last 10 years, especially the ones who were there
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
25
at the first Sarah Mclachlan shows I did and bought the album.
It kind of blew me away, and I, more than anything, felt like doing
something to acknowledge that:' She continues, "The whole process
was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be, revisiting those
songs-particularly because we recorded in the same studio:'
Even though Boucher worked with the same songs in the same
studio, this time the process was very different. The quintessen~
rial do~it~herself artist had
to step aside and practice
non~attachment. "It is a
kind of spiritual practice. It's
something I want to get bet~
ter ar;' Boucher says. "I have
a tendency on all my albums
to play all the overdubs and
all the instruments, so this
one I really wanted to be spe~
cial, in that I didn't do that:'
Boucher turned to some of
the biggest talents in Nash~
ville and asked them to fill
her shoes. She laughs, 'i\.nd
there was some complaining.
k.s. Rhoads was like, 'I don't
understand. You're the best
bass player in America and
you're getting me to play bass
on your song?'"
It's an interesting thing to
hear an artist's retake on her
own seminal work. How re~
markable it would be to hear
Joni Mitchell rework Blue
or Indigo Girls revisit their
eponymous album. Boucher
says, "I almost didn't do it
because I thought it would
come across as an egotisti~
cal thing to do. And, for people who did like the first album-and
maybe this is just the negative thing in my head-I thought people
would think, 'Why are you remaking an album you already made2
Haven't you thought of any other songs since then?'" Rest assured,
dear fans, she can and does write other songs.
In fact, she recently contributed "It Pulls Me Under" to Ruby
Rose's"Break Free" video, a piece that traces Rose's transformation
from ultra femme to iiber male. "That song was just kind of sitting
around. I'd written it for a Greys Anatomy episode, but it didn't
get used;' Boucher recalls. "When [Ruby] reached out to me, she
only had two days to find some music. I really felt this piece of film
deserved the right music. This is such a better use of the song and
an uncanny fit, emotionally and lyrically:' Boucher is also writing
and rehearsing songs with her Elle Macho bandmates, Lindsay
Jameison and David Mead. "We have about nine songs on the go.
Kind of just slowly working our way toward what will probably
be a new record, but not putting
a ton of pressure on it;' Boucher
says. "I have really tried to make
decisions that have put less pres~
sure on me, so that I don't feel
weighted down, in the hope that
having more space in my life also
opens up something that may
not have happened ifI didn't al~
low room for it:' Invariably, that
space gets filled with things like
coproducing Missy Higgins's last
outing, The Ol' Razzle Dazzle.
This credo of leaving space and
not applying pressure seems to
be serving Boucher well, because
it allows her time for self reflec~
tion about what will come next
on her musical journey. "I am
definitely between ... something.
I am between having dedicated
a good 15 years to the idea of
being a solo artist, and fully im~
mersing myself into being a solo
artist-that
was my focus-and
now ... I think you reach a point
where you're just like, 'Is that
growing? Have I grown out of
that idea?"' She says, "I haven't
scheduled any tours, and I really
am open to whatever comes next.
It's so much work, and it's so hard. But there's no other way of
doing it. If you don't love it, it's a waste of breath and life:'
(butterflyboucher.com) •
SH
t RtCtNTlY
CONTRIBUTtD
"IT
PUllS
MtUNDtR"
TO
RUBY
ROSt'S
"BRtAK
FRtt,"APltCtTHAT
TRACtS
ROSt'S
TRANS
~O
RMATI
ON
~ROM
UlTRA
~tM
MtTO
LiBrn
MAlt.
26
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
REVIEWS/Mu
HOT
LICKS
))BYKELLYMCCARTNEY
& MARCIE
BIANCO
Alabama
Shakes
(Rougn
Traoe
Recoros
/ Remote
Control)
Sound
&Color
Marina
and
theDiamonds
Ontheir second time at
bat, AlabamaShakes
swing for the fences and
knock it clear out of the
park on the fierce, funky,
and fantastic Sound &
Color. The albumfulfills
the vision that Brittany
Howard and company
always had for their bluesy
and soulful Southern rock
band, but just didn't have
the time and moneyto
achieveon their debut, Boys & Girls. Onelisten to "Don't Wanna
Fight,"though, shows just what they are capable of as a band. In
fact, all of the first seventracks on the album stand shoulderto
shoulder in their stunningartistry. After that, things get a little crazy.
Eventhen, AlabamaShakes'talent is never in question... just maybe
their taste. Still, with so many staggeringlygreat sounds on this set,
a couple of wild tangents merely add to its vibrant palette of colors.
It's a major leagueeffort, all the way around.
Welshsinger Marina
Diamandis'third album,
FROOT,
is also her first to
crack the U.S.Billboard
200. Oiamandis'vocals
are as etherealas ever,
but the overarchingbeat
on the albumis noticeably
different from the fevered,
empoweringpitch of her
previouswork, instead
striking a more melodic,
less danceytone. The
electro-beats,particularly in "Forget"and "Better ThanThat,"are
evocativeof '80s pop, for which Oiamandisis known. But this isn't
2013and
why her albumfeels dated. Oiamandisrecorded FROOTin
2014,when angsty,indierock was at its MillennialGirlspeak,and one
year after her sensationalElectraHeartwowed indieaudiences.The
passive,whispered lyrics seemoddly out-of-sync with today's R&B
and pop dominatedworld. Thenagain,this is what fans of Marinaand
the Diamondscan count on. Best playedwhile studyingor driving.
FROOT
(Neon
Gola/
Atlantic)
t.com
gaykeywes.tfLcom
(305)29_4-4603,
"~
IC
BOOl<S»
SUMMER BETWEEN THE
COVERS
Love's
Promises
How Formaland InformalContracts
ShapeAll Kinds ofFamilies
OUR PICKS FOR QUALITY
QUEER GIRL READING.
LOVE'S
PROMISES»
BYMARTHA
M.ERTMAN
(Beacon
Press)
It may sound like a romance novel, but the subtitle of this informative book is "How Formal and
Informal Contracts Shape All Kinds of Families." With the rapid progress of the marriage equality
movement nationwide and around the world, Ertman, a law professor at the University of Maryland,
offers indispensible legal advice to those wanting to form "Plan B" families, i.e. families outside the
norm. In Ertman's view, contracts are vital, especially when our ideas of love and romance may not
dovetail with those of the law. Far from dulling the gloss of a new relationship, "deals" work towards
ensuring its duration and the wellbeing of those involved. Based on her own experience of having a
child with her gay male friend Victor, and then introducing her new female partner into her growing
family unit, Ertman sets out the beneficial aspects of contracts that address adoption, alternative
insemination, cohabitation, caregiving, and co-parenting. For Ertman, the parenting was settled at
around 70 percent/ 30 percent between her and Victor, and addressed everything from childrearing
expenses to etiquette. An engaging read for lesbian newlyweds and moms-to-be. [Merryn Johns]
ON
ELIZABETH
BISHOP
» BYCOLM
TDIBf
N (Princeton
University
Press)
Interest in Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979)enjoyed a renaissance
in the lesbian community with the 2013 release of the film Reaching for the Moon, which documents
Bishop's torrid relationship with the Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares. Now, the esteemed
Irish author Calm T6ibfn has created his own dedication to Bishop. T6ibfn examines the range of
Bishop's work-from her poetry and prose to her personal letters (especially to her best friend Robert
Lowell)-in order to decipher what connects him to the poetry of a mid-20th-century lesbian. T6ibfn
weaves autobiographical moments with biographical ones to understand how and why his life has
been guided by Bishop's poetry. T6ibfn shows the reader how much she was able to say-especially
about her sexuality-by not saying anything at all. Or, at least, not directly. Hers is a language we
might interpret as a kind of "lesbian code." While we may crave even more commentary on her
personal life and sexuality, T6ibfn admirably creates a rich portrait in a slender volume. It's a fine, quick
read and serves as an ambitious introduction to new fans of the poet. [Marcie Bianco]
BEST
LESBIAN
EROTICA
2015
» EDITED
BYLAURA
ANTONIOU
(Clels
Press)
Girlsex in all its glory is on display in Best Lesbian Erotica 2015, a compilation to make even the
most seasoned erotica aficionado blush. From two acquaintances who strike up an email exchange
that grows steadily more steamy, to Arachne taking on the goddess Athena in a sensual weaving
competition, this spicy collection celebrates the complexity, playfulness, downright naughtiness and
ingenuity of girls. If you've been thinking about getting another tattoo, but you're not sure what to get,
read my favorite story in this collection, Beth Wylde's "In My Skin." It gave me a new understanding
of the interplay between pleasure and pain. Tantalizing and seductive, flirtatious and frenetic, these
stories recognize "the changing landscape." Surrounded by "married lesbians, polyamorous bi-dykes,
and genderqueers with neutral pronouns, Laura Antoniou recognizes that "kinky sex that used to
be way in the back is so mainstream that best-seller lists are packed with billionaires putting their
girlfriends in bondage." This collection is better written and much more colorful than all the shades
of gray. Antoniou, the best-selling author of the erotic BDSM series Marketplace, has compiled a
selection of stories that celebrates the complexity and rich variety in girlsex: rough and raw, tender
and sweet, sly and stealthy, wild and intoxicating. Read these stories to rekindle a tired love life or to
discover your wild side. And they're just as good if you're alone and naked in the bathtub, luxuriating in
bubbles, with only your naughty imagination to keep you company. [Julie Harthill Clayton]
28
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
REVIEWS/
BO
HEART'S
SURRENDER
» BYEMMA
WEIMANN
(Viva
Publlshlng)
A hot and spicy Indian curry-you taste it and it blows your mind. This was my first thought when I
started reading Emma Weimann's debut novel, Heart's Surrender, so let me introduce the two main
ingredients in this delicious meal: Sam, a jack-of-all-trades repair person and, above all, a smokinghot butch. And Gillian, a beautiful femme and a widow with two children who has just found out that
her late husband cheated on her. Sam and Gillian meet in a lesbian bar, where they are just looking
for adventure and a night of fun. Their first encounter is an amazing opening to this erotic novel,
but at one point they recognize that what started out as purely a sexual fling could develop into so
much more-if only they could overcome their fears. This is a story with a lot of love and passion,
which will keep you turning the pages. Although it is a quick, easy read, the characters undergo
transformations. Gillian grows beyond her role as wife and mother, learns to stand up to her motherin-law, her circle of acquaintances, and her neighbors, and to fight for her new love. Sam, who has
never let anyone get close, must learn to trust and to give up control. To find her one and only, she
must venture out beyond her comfort zone. I was so happy that Sam learns to enjoy being part of
a family, a family that includes Gillian the hot femme, but also Gillian the mother of her children.
Sometimes it gets quite emotional, but I stuck with the story line, hoping for the best for these two
strong characters. And, of course, I very much enjoyed the sex between Sam and Gillian. Emma
Weimann depicts the erotic scenes very well. Her tasteful descriptions are the spices that warm this
story up. I recommend Heart's Surrender to any woman who loves a sweet romance. [Ruth Hohnke]
BABE
» BYPETRA
COLLINS,
FOREWORD
BYTAVI
GEVINSON
(Prestel)
Canadian photographer Petra Collins, in addition to over 30 international artists, captures "girl
power" in Babe, a new collection that emerged from her online feminist art platform, "The
Ardorous." The book is an homage to the belief that feminism and sexuality are not mutually
exclusive-a belief that pervaded the 1970s feminist movement and reemerged in recent years.
While varying in aesthetics and in artistic genre, the range of images, selected by Collins, capture
the sentiment that women can be sexual, sensual, and feminist at the same time. Each piece
demonstrates the extent to which social media has shaped the making of art in the past decade.
Sandy Kim's photo of a bleeding vagina recalls the campaign to destigmatize menstruation and
remove taboos about talking about it; Mayan Toledano's series of portraits show women intimate
with each other, one in a claw-foot tub, and another in bed. This collection is not for the faint of
heart; it's for the rebel girl who believes in the transformative power of art, and believes that art can
and does offer an antidote to the mainstream media's ideal image of women. In her foreword to the
collection, Rookie magazine founder Tavi Gevinson points out that not every single image will leave
the viewer "feeling immediately empowered." Some of the subject matter, including sexual assault,
is serious, and could prove triggering. "Petra and her fellow artists are not constructing a utopia,"
she writes, "but a nonjudgmental, Sharpie'd-over, vaguely smelly high school bathroom." Even
Collins observes the gravity of some of the artwork, but suggests that part of the "work" of art is to
offer counterpoints to the levity of womanhood portrayed in the media. [Marcie Bianco]
OUT
OF
ORANGE
» BYCLEARY
WOLTERS
(HarperOne)
Orange
istheNewBlackintroduced
theworld
toAlex
Vause.
Nowmeettherealwomanbehindtheglasses.
Karma's a bitch, and no story is one-sided. Last April, Vanity Fair teased us with an excerpt from
Cleary Wolters' forthcoming memoir, Out of Orange. Wolters is called Nora Jansen in Piper
Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black. (On the hit Netflix series based on Kerman's memoir,
she's Alex Vause, played by Laura Prepon.) In Out of Orange, instead of life behind bars as seen
through Kerman's eyes, we get Wolters' viewpoint instead, and it paints a significantly different
picture. Out of Orange is clearly for fans of the TV show, or for anyone who loves a good bit of
lesbian gossip. One difference between Wolters' and Kerman's accounts is that Wolters tells her
side of the story as a response to seeing her history sensationalized on television-including her
stomach-churning horror when she happens to catch a commercial for the Netflix series in 2013
and realizes it was her life that had been written about by her ex-lover. So, not only does Wolters
tell her side of the story, from meeting Piper to smuggling drugs, she also ends the memoir by
thinking about how the show has impacted her life today. This memoir skirts the salacious, and
instead delves into what it means to see your life reflected back at you on the TV (or computer)
screen. "Aside from being tall and gorgeous, Alex didn't have a sister and she was missing some
vital ingredients: regret, contrition, faith and hope," Wolters writes, in pointing out the differences
between her and the dramatized version of her. And it is this question, about how we see ourselves
through another person, or entity, like social media or television, that resonates with all of us living
in the Digital Age. [Marcie Bianco]
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
29
RE
1Ews1BOOKS
THE
ARGONAUTS»
THE
MJUj(jlE
NEI.SON
BYMAGGIE
NELSON
(Graywolf
Press)
Maggie Nelson's highly anticipated memoir, The Argonauts, does not disappoint. This poet-scholar
offers us an expose of her life as an academic, quoting Barthes, Deleuze and Sontag, in a narrative
of how to find and accept love by accepting one's self. Nerds invested in continental philosophy and
psychoanalysis will be gleeful at the citations, as Nelson unpacks the tumult of emotions she feels
while addressing her life partner, now her wife, directly in the early pages. She intersperses these
moments of psychic exploration with sensuous poetry ("Kissing the stomach/ kissing your scarred/
skin boat.") that is evocative of the work of Anne Carson and Luce lrigaray, and bespeaks her previous
creative endeavors. (She's published four books of poetry.) The couple decides on commitment,
marriage, and a baby, which, for Nelson's critically queer sensibility, is fraught with questions about
heteronormativity and societal norms. Nelson is trying to balance an academic career, a relationship,
and a family. None of which is done simply. Questions of how to live are scrutinized without pathos
and with humor. Additionally, Nelson watches her wife begin to transition into manhood-binding
her
chest, taking testosterone (and experiencing the hormonal side effects)-all making for an absolutely
stunning read. By far the most well written and insightful "lesbian" memoir of 2015. [Marcie Bianco]
THE
CAPHENON
» BYFLETCHER
DELANCEY
(Viva
Publlshlng)
Nearly 50 years ago, I was a young kid living in the backwoods. And then Star Trek, with its diverse
crew and a multitude of different cultures, came right into our living room. Science fiction has
been one of my favorite genres ever since, especially after I discovered traces of gender diversity
and strong female characters, when female role models were so sadly missing in real life. Later, I
discovered Fletcher Delancey's fanfiction stories, amazing for their depth and quality. Now, I have the
honor of reviewing Delancey's first published science fiction work: The Caphenon. What if tomorrow
a spaceship entered our world? What if the survival of Earth depended on its crew of strangers? On
the planet Alsea, during a mellow summer night, Lancer Andira Tai gets a history-changing call. Not
only is there other intelligent life in the universe, but it is landing on her planet. The strangers, led by
Captain Ekatya Serrado, have a frightening story to tell. They protected Alsea from being attacked,
but the reprieve was temporary. And the aliens are in for a surprise because the Alseans, though
low-tech, have something unique to offer. The Caphenon excels through meticulous and believable
world-building, and a touch of space opera replete with epic fights for survival. Delancey does a
great job of taking the reader on a journey of "first contact" under duress. This is the first book in
the series Chronicles of A/sea. Delancey makes sure to construct a solid foundation and characters
strong enough to carry a whole series. Her prose lends a strong voice to strong female characters.
I especially liked the wide range of subjects touched upon: religion, ethics, science, politics, and
psychology. Take a journey to a planet so like and so unlike the one we know. [Maria Busch]
DAMAGE
CONTROL
» BYJAE (Viva
Publlshlng)
I first started reading Jae's novels years ago, when she was published by L-Book ePublisher. I loved
her slow exploration of characters in Backwards to Oregon, a tale of the Old West, and how she wrote
with great sensitivity about crime victims in Conflict of Interest. I relished Departure From the Script,
a witty take on Tinseltown in which she plays with preconceived notions of butch and femme. So I
was curious about what her newest novel, Damage Control, which is again set in Hollywood and the
world of movies, would offer. In typical Jae fashion, Damage Control is an interesting mix of character
development, captivating story line, and believable romance. Grace Durand, a famous actress, is
rumored to be a lesbian. She has been photographed in a seemingly compromising situation with
another actress. Fearing for her daughter's reputation, her mother-manager seeks the help of a new
and reputedly stellar publicist, Lauren. Everything is fine until Lauren realizes that Grace is becoming
more than a client. Lauren's professional reputation is at stake, so she needs to decide what to do
about the paparazzi-and Grace's mother. Jae reveals the human side beneath the glitter of Hollywood
and sets the stage for budding romance. An insightful novel that excels in character development and
is masterfully written. [The Book Geek]
30
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JUL/AUG
2015
LOSTBOI
» BYSASSAFRAS
LOWREY
(Arsenal
Pulp
Press)
"All bois, except one, become grownups," says Sassafras
Lowrey in the fantastical novel, Lost Bai. Throughout,
Lowrey references the one and only lost boy, Peter Pan.
But this is Pan with a queer twist. Lowrey's Neverland
is filled with outcasts; Pan is the "dom" to his "subs"
and the plot follows Wendi, who becomes the bois'
"mommy," through the eyes of Tootles, Pan's favorite.
If you like kink, BDSM, or enjoy the image of a good
boi licking his daddy's leather boots, this novel is for
you. Pan's relationship with Hook is the stuff of BDSM
dreams. The Mermaids are high femmes and "working
girls," and all of them-even Wendi-struggle to fend
off the Crocodile, which, in this cunning translation,
represents heroin. But the greatest threat to the lost
bois-and to Pan and his queer fantasy world-is
growing up. An original, nonjudgmental commentary
on today's queer landscape. [Marcie Bianco]
ALL
YOU
CAN
EAT
» EDITED
BYR.G.EMANUELLE
&ANDI
MARQUETTE
(Viva
Publishing)
The connection between food and eros is as old as
the hills, but All You Can Eat, a Lambda Literary Award
finalist, puts a nice twist on the association: rather than
use food only as an aphrodisiac, each story celebrates
the power of food to form bonds, show love, and evoke
desire. If these stories leave you hungry, you'll find a
recipe at the end of each of them. There are plenty of
"quickie" erotica collections out there, but I enjoyed All
You Can fat's slow-burn aesthetic-the erotica takes
its time, developing realistic, diverse characters whose
stories you aren't skipping over to get to the good stuff.
Andi Marquette's "Sugar and 'Shine" masterfully tells
an erotic tale about two African American women who
missed their chance for romance in high school and still
carry a torch for each other. If you like your sexy stories
with a dash of realism and a pinch of romance, this
might be just the ticket. [Marisol Cortez]
LGBT
Families
LGBT
FAMILIES
» BYNANCY
J.MEZEY
(SAGE
Publlcatlons)
This comprehensive, academic yet accessible guide
to the shaping of LGBT families follows up on Mezey's
2008 book New Choices, New Families: How Lesbians
Decide about Motherhood. Here, she examines the
challenges faced today by LGBT families, who must
overcome homophobia, heterosexism, and gender
discrimination to thrive. Mezey explains why LGBT
activists focus on marriage equality, and discusses
LGBT relationships, parenting, LGBT children and
youth. Each chapter includes additional resources and
she includes a valuable chapter on intimate partner
violence, concluding with an informed plea to view
LGBT families as beneficial to society. [Melanie Barker]
11 lite
A leader in lesbian adult
entertainment marks its tenth
anniversary with sexy fun.
BY DAR DOWLING
A
decade ago, Pink & White
Productions, along with its
director and founder Shine
Louise Houston, exploded
onto the adult film industry, unleashing
The Crash Pad, their first feature film,
which redefined porn by showing "real
queers, having real sex:' It was epically hot,
dirty, and so very real!
Ten years later, with four features, three
shorts, and two hundred and counting sex
scenes under their belt featuring some of
today's most dynamic performers, including queer adult film stars Jiz Lee, Dylan
Ryan, and Shawn AKA Syd Blakovich,
there is certainly a lot to celebrate. No
one is more excited than Houston, who
watched a glimmer of a dream become
reality, complete with a studio, staff, and
some important extras.
''A measure of success for me was
whether or not I could afford health insurance for myself and my company-and
I
can!" she revealed to Curve.
Houston didn't start out to be a director or a maverick in the queer porn business; she was a Fine Arts major back in
the day. Yet, in many ways it was a natural
evolution of her art making endeavors,
which revolved around sex, voyeurism
and other things. After a few years of
working at the legendary Good Vibrations doing everything from sales to sex
education, and making short experimental films, an idea started to take shape just
as she left her 20s. She wanted to make
porn-queer
porn.
By then, films like Hard Love and How
to Fuck in High Heels had come out, showing how lesbians like to fuck and be fucked,
but new films stopped coming. "Everyone
who was making dyke porn disappeared;'
she says. That didn't sit right with Houston, who realized that lesbians and queers
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REV1Ews1S
were hungry for more, and she wanted to
give it to them with her own unique spin.
"I wanted to create porn that represents
different gender expressions, body types,
and skin colors;' says Houston.
The stars aligned and "all the doors for
porn started to open:' Her life took on a
whole new trajectory, one that fulfilled her
dreams and those of others. "My life went
in a totally different direction;' she says,
thrilled by her life and what she's created.
"I have realized all my dreams for the com~
pany. This has been my day job for quite a
few years now, and a few years ago I hired
our first full time person-Jiz Lee:'
Yes, besides performing, Lee has be~
come Houston's "right~arm queer;' and Lee
couldn't be happier about it.
"Time flies when you're having fun ...
making porn! It's incredible that 10 years
after starring in my first sex scene (The
Crash Pad), I'd be working alongside my
director helping to spread her smart and
sexy films across the world;' says Lee. And
there's more: 'Tm one of her biggest fans
and have had the pleasure of performing
in the majority of her movies over the
years, as well as witnessing her craft as a
filmmaker and business owner grow as
she's found her groove:'
So what kind of boss is Houston? Well
Lee definitely has an answer. "She also
happens to be one of the best bosses I've
ever had, able to balance tight deadlines
with quality down time. Not every boss
invites their employee to play hooky by
going skim~boarding at the beach. Shines
snordaugh is contagious and her film leg~
acy is proof that having fun is a key ele~
ment to great work:'
Part of her legacy is shooting her fifth
feature film SNAPSHOT, and while she
is pretty tight lipped about it she does let
it slip that it's a not~so~traditional roman~
tic thriller, with a slight Hitchcock bent.
This film will feature some brand new tal~
ent; while she loves the people she usually
works with, for the very first time she is
holding an open casting call. "I am excit~
ed about it, and interested in finding new
faces-it's going to be an adventure:' And
the adventure continues with some anni~
versary festivities this summer, including a
wrap party for SNAPSHOT with the cast
and crew, which is also open to the public
who can buy tickets and party like a porn
star. There is also a trip to Berlin's Porn~
filmfestival, where Houston will be pre~
senting a retrospective of her work, as well
as a sneak preview of SNAPSHOT. And
look for her 10th Anniversary Director's
Cut video being released on PinkLabel.tv.
I love a teaser, and Houston doesn't dis~
appoint: she has a new "secret project" in
the works, one that she's not ready to talk
about except to say, "It involves a two way
mirror:' It's a hot summer at Pink & White
Productions, and that's the way it should
be. (pinkwhite.biz) •
JUL/AUG
2015
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33
etflix's best-kept secret
is finally being revealed
to all of the prison babe
loving ladies out there.
Now, we aren't talking
about that show. There happens to be an
Australian wonder in our midst that is
certainly making its mark in the Video
On Demand scene. If you haven't heard
of Wentworth yet, this hot and steamy
prison drama is worth binge watching
immediately. Now in its third season,
Wentworth has a strong female following
Down Under and is gaining fans stateside.
Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) is locked
up while awaiting trial for the murder of
her husband and must learn the ropes and
how life works inside Wentworth Correctional Facility. Crushworthy Franky Doyle
(Nicole da Silva) is the leader of the pack
and attempts to break her while trying to
get in nice and close to warden, Erica Davidson (Leeanna Waisman).
N
How does it feel being part of a
show that is a favorite with the
LGBT community?
It's a really important time for the
LGBT community to be represented,
and for those stories to be heard, and
I'm glad to be a part of that.
How do you feel about 'playing
gay'? Does your role come
naturally?
Embodying
Franky's sexuality came
naturally, but it was never a matter of
just 'playing gay: Although that's a big
part of her identity, it's not her only
defining feature. She's multi-faceted
and complex, and it was important for
me to honor all of her.
Babes Behind Bars
Wentworth, the Australian women's prison drama available
from Netflix, is developing a cult following. Here's the
inside scoop from Nicole da Silva.
BY MICHELINE
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TAWILIAN & LISA TEDESCO
JUL/AUG
2015
We first meet Franky in a lesbian
lovemaking scene. Would you
say you're comfortable doing
explicit lesbian scenes?
Intimate
scenes are nerve-wracking
regardless of who they're with, but
playing Franky is akin to being possessed. She's so sexually commanding
and masterful that I allowed that to
be my focus. Sex is all about power
for Franky.
Shows depicting gay people
weren't always as celebratory as
Wentworth and others that have
been released recently. Do you
think Wentworth would get the
same reaction it is now if it came
out 20 years ago?
Wentworth is a reimagining of the
Australian drama Prisoner: Cell Block
H, which aired 1979~1986.
It was
celebrated back then, so you'd hope
Wentworth would be too. We're more
graphic than the original though, so I
imagine there'd be a lot more contro~
versy surrounding it.
Would you say that sexuality is
much more fluid than we think?
Definitely. I think sexuality is fluid,
and individualistic,
and an important
part of our identities that warrants
celebration. •
HOT
FLICKS
))BYLISATEDESCO
Kittens
inaCage
Tnis
notnew
online
series
issometning
topurr
aoout.
You can never have too many women in prison shows. They're all different and each
suppliesyou with what you want to see: Beautifulwomen behindbars. I took the liberty
of finding you your new favorite and binge-worthy show, Kittens In a Cage, and it's on
an entirely different level to Litchfield. Think John Waters meets Simon Pegg(Shaun of
the Dead). Junie(RebeccaMozo)gets 10-12years in prison for attempted bank robbery
and murder. Sent to the big house she becomes the object of affection of most of the
girls there. There's Vickie, her cellmate and a pyromaniac(Erin Anderson),Barbara the
cannibal (played by writer-director Jillian Armenante), and Jeanine the ax murderer
(RebeccaField).Armed with her ukulele,voice and sassy good looks, Junie is destined
to makea changein the prison with the helpof her pals and attempt an escapeyou won't
want to miss.
"It's a musical,but it's not," says Armenante."It's sci-fl, but it's not. It's lesbian,but it's
not. The relationshipis there and there is just so much morethat makesthis show one of
a kind." "It's a love story between Junieand Vickie;just two people,"says Field.
Before becominga Hulusensation,Kittens in a Cage was a play performed in Seattle
written by KelleenConway Blanchard.The production caughtthe eye of Armenante,and
the project was born. Set in the 1950s,you don't see a lot of period shows with so much crammed into 20-minute episodes.And the acting is
hilarious."We all just makeeach other laughso much," says ErinAnderson."We all just hit it off and are all the closest of friends," says Rebecca
Mozo.Youcan feel the camaraderiein every scene; evenwhen they're trying to kill each other with a shank in the shower or a lobotomy machine
in the warden's office. At the end of the day it's all fun and games.
"I really hadto try and keep my composurewhen Jill put her tits in my face for that Barb-and-Jeaninescene in the prison cafeteria," says Field.
"It took ninetakes. I kept cracking up and she kept saying,'Yougot this, you got this'." Seasonone packs a punch with an abundanceof cameos
from some A-list celebrities alongwith WTF momentsand hilarious backstories for our murderous mistresses, plus a cliffhanger ending. I can't
wait for seasontwo. Kittens in a Cage is streamingon Huluand Vimeo.(kittensinacage.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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35
Boulder Pridefest 2015
One Community
I Many
Identities
Sunday, September 13
11 am - 6 pm I Boulder Central Park
~a,s
•
----Ill
PridefestS
BOULDER
Entertainment
·seer &: W·ine Garden
Big Gay SK
FEATURES/
STYLE
Danielle Sheypuk,
Danielle Maczynski,
and Sebhia Dibra wear
Alternative Apparel, The
Squad, San Diego Hat
Co, and Wicked Shirts
..
,II,
The latest androgynous outfitter is here.
or queer girls looking for cool clothing that fits, retail fash~
ion can be a war zone and the Internet a minefield. Many
of us spend hours scouring the web with few results. Well,
search no longer. The Tomboy Shop-a "destination site for
tomboys" -serves your fashion needs. Growing up as a tomboy,
Rachel Grossinger knew there was a viable market and wanted
BY MARCIE BIANCO
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY GRACE CHU
to support it, as it was her own, so she founded The Tomboy
Shop. "We're here to be an integral part of that and to make the
shopping experience easier for women like us;' she told Curve. 'Td
always wanted a fashion outlet to express myself through what I
wore;' she says, "but nothing existed that fit my style. That's what
The Tomboy Shop is all about. It fills that void:'
JUL/AUG
2015
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37
R
ferencing Diane Keaton and
Marlene Dietrich, who are famous for their androgynous
ashion sense, Grossinger says
that being a tomboy is not a new trend.
''Androgynous style is nothing new, and it
would be silly for us to pretend that we're
inventing it;' she observes.
"I do think it's fair to say that today
androgyny is becoming more mainstream
than it was in previous generations, which
is great to see;' she says, noting that both
men and women shop at the site, looking
for brands like Luv Surf and United by
Blue. ''At this point ['tomboy' is] nearly a
gender- or sexuality-neutral term. It's a
gray area that's growing grayer all the time,
and it can mean different things to different people:'
With the popularity of androgyny in
fashion, Grossinger explains, The Tomboy
Shop is unique because it focuses "on the
entire shopping experience, from product
quality to the look and feel of each item.
"Ours is a different type of shopping experience than going on Amazon or eBay.
When someone shops with us or visits
our site, they're ushering themselves into a
niche community geared toward providing
them with the kinds of clothing and accessories they are looking for:'
And The Tomboy Shop has everything
Shi ran Zhavian wears
Dentz Design
Sebhia Dibra and Shi ran Zhavian wear
Alternative Apparel, San Diego Hat Co,
and Dentz Design
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FEATURES/ STYLE
you could be searching for, from shirts to
watches, earrings to shoes, bags to belts.
Looking for a chambray porkpie hat?
They've got it! Want a handsome bow tie,
perhaps, in plaid or with polka dots? How
about the ultimate statement tee, tank,
or button down? The Tomboy Shop's got
them, too. They also have a blog written by
Sebhia Dibra, who modeled for this shoot,
and a lookbook with fashion advice and
recommendations about the latest trends
for the tomboy or androgynous person.
( thetomboyshop.com) •
Danielle Sheypuk, Danielle Maczynski,
and Sebhia Dibra wear Topo Designs,
Alternative Apparel, and Nicola and the
Newfoundlander
Danielle Sheypuk wears
Alibaba
Shiran Zhavian wears
Chondashers Apparel
JUL/AUG
2015
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39
Wearing The Squad, Alternative Apparel,
San Diego Hat Co, Dentz Design,
Chondashers Apparel, Tomboy Vintage Tees
Danielle Sheypuk and
Danielle Maczynski
wear Alibaba
Danielle Sheypuk wears
Alternative Apparel
and San Diego Hat Co
40
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JUL/AUG
2015
WHAT DOESYOUR DR
EAMWEDDING LOOK
LIKE?WE
SHARETHE COOL AN
D UNIQUE UNIONS OF
SOME QUEER
BRIDES,PLUSTIPS AN
D INSIGHTSFORYOUR
BIG DAY
·C1
...
. ..• . .. ..---.-.-•--t
. . .
r,
Sara Everest and Kate McConnell's destination wedding.
PHOTOS BY RODRIGUEZ
ate proposed to Sara on a boat, on the
final day of a family camping trip in
Maine, but they were wed in Buenos
Aires, Argentina on October 31, 2014
after Curve and Fabulous Weddings' social media search
for a couple seeking a destination wedding. Laetitia Orsetti of Fabulous Weddings was wedding planner and travel guide, settling the couple into the chic Own Hotel in
Buenos Aires' LGBT-centric Palermo Hollywood neighborhood. Kate and Sara were delighted by the locals' hos-
I MANSILLA FOTOGRAFOS
pitality. "Everyone we met raised their glass to us all week,
and they had a lovely way of toasting us while looking us
directly in the eye (sincere, personal, and necessary if the
toasting parties want to avoid bad sex for seven years);' says
Kate. Shop Hop BA sourced bridal outfits-a smart blue
blazer for Kate and a dress for Sara from LuLu Vintage.
Kate discovered that the ring she had proposed to Sara
with was an Argentinean aquamarine, while Sara secretly
engaged the services of jeweler Yanina Fayur to design a
ring for Kate that would complement it. Laetitia took the
couple out to tango, and the next day was an excursion to
the lush and flowering Isla el Descanso, an exclusive estate
and the location for a garden wedding photo shoot. After
exchanging vows the following day at the courthouse in
Buenos Aires, the couple found themselves in a beautiful
courtyard, the wedding party tossing handfuls of rice, and
photographers following them down the street as they
walked arm in arm beneath flowering jacaranda trees. "We
kept hugging and smiling and kissing each other, feeling a
shift in our relationship we could not explain;' says Kate.
"It felt real and important and bigger than we thought it
could feel:' (fab~weddings.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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43
)
~~RYE
A DJ and her college sweetheart get hitched.
PHOTOS BY ERICA CAMILLE
STACY SCHNIEDERMAN,
en's party producer and DJ Whitney Day
Hillary Fortin-Rosenthal tied the knot on
ober 12, 2013 in hip Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The fashion-forward brides wore Vera Wang and Roberto Cavalli. "We met in college when I was 19, and it just
stuck!" says Day. "We both feel very lucky to have found
each other pretty early on in life:'
A DJ who travels widely, Day found her bride-to-bes
engagement ring in Israel. The jeweler also had a store in
Manhattan, so Day had matching wedding bands made.
"We love that they're handmade and unique to us:' Tue
vows were self-penned and polished by their officiant, but
when it came to the cake, the pair couldn't decide so chose
two-chocolate
salted caramel and lemon curd with
citrus buttercream icing, made by Baked in Red Hook,
JUL/AUG
2015
STYLING BY KABIRA DAME,
KATHRYN COSTIGAN
which gives a discount to LGBT couples.
Day did not DJ her own wedding reception but nevertheless the music rocked: funk, soul and Motown, "so the
dance floor was full and everyone danced the night away;'
says Day. "Hillary also surprised me by recording herself
singing one of my favorite songs of all time, 'Come Rain
or Come Shine; and that's the first song we danced to as a
married couple. That was very special to me:'
Fast forward 18 months and married life is a hit. "Marriage has helped us take our commitment and life-sharing
to the next level. We're now living bicoastally in NYC and
LA., so that's been a huge change. We had to purchase a
car, do some adjusting, but it's all been extremely positive
and fulfilling:' As for adding to the family? "For now we're
just continuing to focus on 'us:"
A lesbian photographer's vision for marriage equality.
BY JENNY BLOCK
PHOTOS BY STEPH GRANT
metimes a cup of coffee with a friend is more than
st that. Steph Grant is usually buzzing with ex~
ement over something. But on the day we got to~
gether recently, her excitement was even more pronounced
than usual. She had an idea. "I want to promote love;' she
told me. The next two hours slipped by and when we part~
ed ways that morning, I knew I would be hearing a lot
more about this new idea. And sure enough, after she told
it to graphic designer Dan Bradley, when she wandered
into Bullzerk, his store, on Lower Greenville, Dallas things
took of£ Grant designed the logo. ("Love" is written in her
handwriting.) Bradley printed the shirts. And the night
before the 2015 Dinah Shore, Grant put together a website.
"I stayed up working on it until 3 a.m., and my Uber was
picking me up at 4;' Grant says with a laugh. Her brilliant
idea: to have people take a photo of themselves (in a Promote
Love tee or tank, if they like)-falling in love, connecting with
a relative, volunteering, living a dream, anything, really-then
share their story on lnstagram and hashtag #PromoteLove.
Each week, Grant picks someone's story to share on the Pro~
mote Love website, then she interviews them. The rest-well,
it has its own life, and is making its way across the world, one
love story at a time.
Known for her lesbian wedding photography, much of
which has gone viral, Grant says
she wanted to parlay that success
into something even bigger, to
show that there are all kinds of
love, and all of it deserves celebrat~
ing. She runs Promote Love out of
her small loft in Dallas, mostly her
kitchen, as well as out of her car,
where she almost always has shirts
awaiting their rightful owners.
The shirts and stickers are all
about visibility for the movement,
Grant says. Plus, a portion of the
proceeds will go to a Charity of
the Month, which she will choose
throughout the year. Orders are
coming in from all over the world
and Grant has big plans for 2016,
including traveling in an Airstream,
hosting meet~up events, pop~up
shops, photo booths, and stopping
at Pride events all across the coun~
try. She especially wants to stop in
places where marriage equality is
not yet a reality.
Promote Love is about visibility
for everyone. But creating visibility
for the LGBT community is par~
ticularly close to Grant's heart. As
an out lesbian, she wants nothing
more than to live and love out loud:
"We all have a story. Those stories
are always worth telling. I am a
happier person because I am not
living a lie. I am being true to my~
self and that is a beautiful thing:'
(promotelovemovement.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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45
Tips from a lesbian wedding stylist.
BY KATE SCHAEFER
same~sex marriage legal in over half of the country, and same~sex weddings more prominent and beautiful than ever
ore, LGBT couples are faced with a unique challenge as they plan their weddings: there are no rules! This can leave
des~to~be feeling overwhelmed, or unsure of what traditional elements to include. I'd like to share a few of the lat~
est trends that LGBT couples are nailing! You can throw tradition out the window or you can take a new twist on it. Either way,
your day is about you and your spouse~to~be, and the best way to plan your big day is to stay true to whatever feels the most "you:'
(handhweddings.com)
RAINBOW BRIDE
Because LGBT couples often don't feel tied to the religious mean~
ings in traditional weddings (who wears white for purity?) they
are able to make the day truly about them as a couple. Non~white
attire and colorful jumpsuits and rompers are making major state~
ments on the runways this season, as well as down the aisles, and I
could not be happier. The best part about these pieces is that there
is a style to flatter everyone and they can be worn after the big day.
GO GENDER NEUTRAL
TAKE A SEAT AT THE TABLE
A wedding is about loved ones coming together to support
the happy couple, so why not get to know everyone! No seat~
ing chart or assigned side makes things significantly easier on
the couple because they don't have to worry about who is sit~
ting where, and it can make the wedding more fun - your
grandma might sit next to your best friend who is in drag.
SHINE ON
Using metallics such
as gold or rose gold is
a popular and subtle
way to add a touch
of elegance to your
wedding stationery.
It's also a simple
and effective way
to add dimension
without having to
add another color.
Metallic calligraphy
on your invitations
takes them up a
notch and definitely
makes a statement.
46
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2015
While plenty of lesbian brides still have their maids, and many
grooms still have their groomsmen, removing gender from the
equation makes a wedding so much easier! If you're a groom and
you want your sister in your wedding party, why not have her?
I'm seeing so many amazing weddings that include all genders!
It's really about including the people who love and support you.
Guidance from a gay male jeweler to a questioning bride.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
(
you read my Editor's Letter on page 4, you know that
hoosing a wedding ring was something I hadn't given any
hought to. So after my girlfriend proposed, it's little won~
der we fell down the rabbit hole of Google, searching for rings
everyplace, from Tiffany to Etsy. We were lost, so I decided to call
Rony Tennenbaum, a lovely gay man, jeweler and LGBT equal~
ity advocate. If we were going to do this, we should do it right!
Out, proud, and committed to his husband of 20 years, Rony has
designed innovative rings for LGBT unions before it was fashion~
able or legal. He states on his website: "I believe that society has an
obligation to accept every union, commitment, partnership, and
marriage equally without prejudice or judgment:'
Rony was thrilled about our engagement, excited to help, and
welcomed us to his New York home for a consultation. It was
while sitting on his couch trying to explain what we wanted that
I realized how important his work is. As a lesbian~bride~to~be I
had no clue when it came to the rituals that have been exclusive to
straight people since time immemorial. I'd always loved rings, but
how to choose one as part of a lifelong commitment and not feel
like I had a ball and chain around my finger?
Going into the consultation my fiancee and I had agreed that
we didn't want rings that matched, we didn't want gold, and we
certainly didn't want diamonds. But that evening, we left Rony's
apartment with iPhone photos of-you
guessed it-match~
ing gold bands inset with halfcarat diamonds! How did that
happen? Over the course of an hour, as we tried on numerous
rings, Rony patiently listened to our ramblings, only occasionally
making observations on our skin tone, hand shapes (we had the
same size ring fingers, something we hadn't realized until then),
and the function and proper care of rings.
Most importantly, he gave us a safe and unharried environment
in which to venture beyond our initial concerns
of style and budget, and our fears of conforming
to a tradition that didn't fit us. Gradually, ev~
ery preconception we had vanished. The rings
we favored were from Rony's Fusion line. The
unisex bands in glowing 14 K pink gold were of
practical design and would suit our complex~
ions-and lifestyles. Since we owned no other
gold jewelry, these would be unique in what
they symbolized. The half~carat Princess cut
diamond solitaire in each would represent our
union by making one complete carat between
both rings. Overnight we gazed at the iPhone
photos as though they were pedigree kittens we
hoped to adopt! We were thrilled to wake up
the next day and feel certain of our decision, and enthusiastically
placed our order, feeling sure that-as unexpected as they werethese rings, like us, were meant to be. (ronytennenbaum.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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47
.C
An excerpt from a new lesbian memoir.
BY KELLY FRANKENBERG
PHOTOS BY TRACEY JOY PHOTOGRAPHY
ied to listen to the words the officiant said as my
ind attempted to calm my nerves.
"Kelly, do you take Donna, to love and to
herish, to honor and comfort, in sickness and in
health, in sorrow or in joy, in hardship or ease, to have and
to hold from this day fortht
"I do:'
Donna's short royal blue dress with sequins on the
crossing straps and chest fit her beautifully. My comfortable flip-flops sparkled with jewels that matched the jewels
of my white dress.
"Donna, do you take Kelly, to love and to cherish, to
honor and comfort, in sickness and in health, in sorrow
or in joy, in hardship or ease, to have and to hold from this
day fortht
"I do:'
Donna's niece, Quynh, was the flower girl and wore a
glittery lilac-colored dress. The same color fabric Asian
take-out box purse held her pink and purple rose petals
which she dropped as she walked down the steps. Todd
held a light blue fabric-covered take-out box which housed
the rings.
48
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JUL/AUG
2015
"May I have the ringst
Todd walked up to the officiant and pulled out the fortune cookie-like ring holder from inside the take-out box.
His second-hand black pants, which were slightly too big,
rested on his black shoes. His blue shirt beneath his black
suit coat matched the fancy take-out box, as my meticulous
planning made sure themes and colors matched.
"Let these rings be forever a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end.
May these rings remind you always of the vows you have
taken here today and may these rings be blessed by the love
with which they are given:'
Donna had forgotten to take off her engagement ring.
She quickly turned to Lori to help pull it off.
"Kelly, will you place this ring on Donna's finger and say
to her, 'Donna, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love
for you:"
I repeated the officiant's words and looked at Donna who
was still turned to Lori trying to get her other ring off. I
then glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw my mother. We weren't in Hawaii, we weren't in a church, but she
was here and that's what mattered.
\J'..-~
Donna finally turned around so I could put the ring on
her finger. "Donna, will you place this ring on Kelly's finger
and say to her, 'Kelly, I give you this ring as a symbol of my
love for you: "
As Donna repeated the words, I looked in her eyes. It
felt official. We were finally getting married. I then turned
to Todd and motioned for him to come forward.
"Todd;' I said. "I want you to know that I love your
mother very much, and I also love you very much. I want
for us to be a happy family together. I promise to love your
mother forever and I promise to also love you forever, too:'
"Todd;' the officiant said, "Do you promise to love and
support your mother and her partner?"
He nodded and said, "I do:'
I placed the blue tungsten ring on his finger. "Do you
like it?" He smiled and nodded more than twice.
"By the authority of God and life itself, and by the day
given to us to live, by the love of friends who honor and
•
(
.C
support this loving relationship and by the hurts and pain
through which your lives have passed alone, by the long
struggle of people for the freedom to love, and by the delight and hope you have found in each other, I recognize
you as united in holy union. You may now embrace:'
Our lips pressed together firmly for a moment before
we wrapped our arms around each other. Donna and I
were now married in every way that was important.
"Let us congratulate Donna and Kelly:'
Clapping filled the porch. Tears and smiles reflected
pieces oflight and matched the glitter shine from our shoes
and dresses. Dad's candle stayed lit throughout the ceremony. And for that moment I forgot about all the holes in
my heart. After the ceremony the smell of Asian food filled
the kitchen. Shrimp and fried noodles. Pork and rice. Egg
rolls and spring rolls. Fish sauce and soy sauce. My mother
approached me, holding a long and skinny box.
"Someone gave this to me at my wedding;' she said.
I opened the box. It was a long serrated gold knife with
a white handle engraved with the word, "Bride:'
'Tm sorry I don't have more to give you;' Mom said with
tears in her eyes.
"No, Mom:' I tried not to cry and hugged her. "You've
given me everything:'
I then looked at Donna. Her mom handed her an envelope. I heard Donna's mom say in Vietnamese that it was
from her father. Donna opened the envelope. Inside were
ten 100-dollar bills. Even though Donna's father didn't
want to come to the ceremony, his gift recognized our
commitment to each other. My smile met Donna's.
When the photos were finished, dinner was over, and
everyone had gone home except Donna, Todd, and me,
I saw my mom resting in the small indoor porch off the
kitchen. She sat in the light pink reclining chair holding
her rosary.
"That was a really nice ceremony;' Mom said.
'Tm sorry it wasn't very religious;' I said.
"No, it didn't need to be;' she said. She paused and
looked out the window and then looked at me.
"We should be able to love whomever we want. It
shouldn't be about sex;' she said.
Donna and I exchanging our vows in front of family and
friends felt like a real wedding. People could see we were in
love. More importantly, my mother could too.
"I made Tom sit on the other side of me though because
when you guys walked down the steps you could see up
everyone's dresses;' Mom said.
"Mom!" I smiled as I bent down to hug her.
(diaryofagaypregnantbride.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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,
49
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MASCULINITY
MEETS
MATERNITY
Now butch moms-to-be can keep their unique style.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
Vanessa Newman
"Were totally 'queering' motherhood;' says Vanessa Newman,
who, along with her business partner Michelle Janayea, is on a mis~
sion to fuse contemporary androgynous design and maternity wear.
Their new"alternity" line, Butchbaby & Co., will launch a sample of
eight items in August, with a plan to open up its virtual doors to
butch and tomboy mothers~to~be by the end of the year.
Billed as the "first ever alternity wear for pregnant masculine,
transgender, and queer individuals;' Butchbaby & Co. is coming to
fruition at a time when more and more LGBT people are creating
families, and there is increasing demand from the emerging con~
sumer market of LGBT parents.
A few years ago, when she was just a freshman at Columbia Col~
lege in Chicago, the now 20~year~old Newman wondered what it
would mean for her, a black masculine~presenting lesbian, to be~
come a mother. At that time LGBT families were gaining visibility
across the nation, which, Newman said, made her "really excited
about knowing that starting a family with another woman was
something other successful women were doing and I could do too:'
The idea for Butchbaby & Co. was almost instantaneous. ''As I
began to recognize that there were queer mothers;' she observed,
"I also began to see that there weren't any markets catering to
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JUL/AUG
2015
us-from same~sex advertising or outreach to actual products for
women who may not identify as super feminine:'
Hoping the line will embody a "perfect trifecta between men's
wear, women's wear and pregnancy wear;' Newman explains that
their garments are "intended for any type of individual who wants
to carry a child, regardless of gender identity, presentation, sexual
orientation, class-were inclusive of all child bearers:'
The sample line consists of eight wardrobe essentials: "a button
up, a pullover and jeans for work, a T~shirt, sweats and hoodie to
take it easy on the weekend, and a sports bra and boxer briefs to be
comfortable at any time of the day:' There was a deliberate refusal
of what Newman calls "hyper~feminine colors;' scoop~neck shirts,
and design flourishes like ruffies.
"I think 'butch moms' are definitely going to feel more comfort~
able in both their masculinity but also in their body as it changes
to carry a child;' Newman says. Motherhood is being reimagined
by the queer community; "butch and masculine women will feel
empowered to claim what their idea of motherhood is for them~
selves:' And Butchbaby & Co. is here to make sure that, whatever
your motherhood looks like, it will be comfortable, stylish, and not
compromise your gender expression. (butch baby.co)
HOMEGROWN
Hip Chick Farms puts family food on the table.
BY MELANIE BARKER
Putting healthy food on the table can be a challenge when you're
working moms with small children. But Bay Area~based Hip Chick
Farms, a start~up founded by Serafina Palandech and her wife Jen~
nifer Johnson (former sous chef at Chez Panisse under fresh food
guru Alice Waters), aims to reimagine the frozen products moms
reach for at the end of a busy day and replace them with tasty and
nutritious bites that kids especially will love.
Palandech and Johnson live with their daughter Rubyrose on the
family farm, the Ramblin' Rose, in Sebastopol, California. While
Johnson works as Executive Chef for Ann and Gordon Getty in
San Francisco, Palandech works from home on the Hip Chick
business, sometimes assisted by her four~and~a~halfyear~old
daughter. The product is a way of using her wife's culinary talents
and pairing them with transparently sourced ingredients to solve a
problem for busy families.
"Every kid loves a chicken nugget but every parent is suspicious
about what goes into a chicken nugget;' says Palandech. Hip Chick
Farms offers meatballs, organic chicken fingers, gluten free chick~
en nuggets, and soon, a vegan product. "We use beautifully raised
chickens. We say they only have one bad day;' says Palandech, who,
as a former vegetarian, is committed to raising animals humanely.
Growing up in a suburb of L.A., Palandech never experienced a
connection "between what we ate and where it came from;' noting
that one generation later, her daughter has "no qualms about raising
the turkey she will eat for Thanksgiving:'
A culinary couple in a town that is a hive of natural and artis~
anal food activity, Palandech and Johnson belong to a progressive
community that embraces its many LGBTQ families, which are
increasingly being recognized nationally. Johnson recently cooked
for president Obama at the Getty House and Palandech relates the
story with pride.
"Jen really wanted to meet president Obama, and it was during
the time when he was in the process of re~evaluating marriage
equality, and she wanted to say something to acknowledge that. So
she went up to him and she shook his hand and said, 'President
Obama, my wife and my daughter and I love you; and then they
took the photo and she was stepping away and he reached out and
grabbed her and pulled her back and he said, 'Tell your family that
my family says hey: It was just a moment of mutual respect:'
Big things seem certain for this lesbian family business. Hip
Chick Farms was recently featured on the Food Network's Food
Fortunes and Whole Foods has shown "phenomenal" support. The
product will soon be in 600 stores, from Safeway to Sprouts."We're
growing in leaps and bounds;' says Palandech. Far from wanting a
frozen food empire, she simply wants her family living and work~
ing together. "We do whatever we can to make it work and for the
dream that one day we can all be together-and that Rubyrose can
grow up in a world where being different is celebrated and there's
no punitive actions taken against her for the lifestyle she chooses or
the lifestyle she came from:' (hipchickfarms.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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51
GENEROSITY
THROUGH
GENERATIONS
A gay man's lesbian neighbors promote sustainable living.
BY KENNY COOGAN
w
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With a flashlight, a pan of biscuits, two bunches of spinach, and
a bottle of wine in hand, we approach a small wooden gate. My
partner, Ryan, flicks open the decorative eye hook.
Although it is only 6:20 p.m., flashlights are mandatory as we
negotiate our neighbors' heavily oak~ and palm~forested backyard.
Although our neighborhood (home of the "Babe" Zaharias Golf
Course) is only a few miles north of Tampa, Fla., it has a rural vibe.
We and our neighbors, Beverly Makovec and Demi Stearns, both
have homes on substantial lots, about an acre each, which is unusu~
al for the area.
Beverly and Demi have been together for 41 years. They met at
a time when women were just entering the landscaping business,
and started out working for an environmental organization. Then,
Demi established herself as a sign painter, with Beverly helping to
prep and break down the gigs. In her day, Demi hand~painted sig~
nage for police stations, cat~sitting services, and public parks, and
has put a name on the stern of many boats and yachts. Nowadays,
both Demi and Beverly are retired; Demi gardens for recreation,
and Beverly does yard maintenance for a few contacts. We have
lived behind them for a year and a hal£
In the center of the backyard, towering over all the other foliage,
stands an elephant ear tree. It was a present, delivered probably 40
years ago by the small bird that deposited a seed. We are careful
to stay on the already trampled ferns, because the rest of the yard
looks like a scene from the Carboniferous Period-a blanket of
lush ferns reaching end to end among the trees. In the daylight, as
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2015
you pass from our lawn to their primitive backyard, the difference
is even more noticeable. Butterflies appear to dance in their patches
of sunlight, as the sun pushes through the canopy.
As we finish the four~minute walk from our backyard to theirs,
we see that the porch light is on. It is bright enough to see their
fenced~in herb and vegetable garden and homemade greenhouse.
Demi's tri~color beet seedlings are just emerging from the cold,
damp soil. Her broccoli, collard greens, Swiss chard, and peas are
perfectly spaced in five raised beds, and they, too, are benefiting
from the cooler weather.
We knock on the back door and see Beverly working in the
kitchen. We have accepted their invitation for yet another Friday
night dinner. Today we are being treated to borscht for the first
time-a vegetarian dish they're making specifically for us. Borscht,
they say, is great for frugal people and cooler days.
Beverly opens the door. "You guys, don't you dare put pants on;'
she jokes, as we both are wearing shorts in the 55~degree weath~
er. Demi joins us from another room and also comments on our
spring apparel.
Beverly takes our biscuits and starts applying butter and garlic.
The borscht is transferred to the middle of the kitchen table, along
with a large serving utensil. Behind it stands a lO~foot drafting
table, which they up~cycled from back when they used to make
signs-before up~cycling was a thing.
"It's hard to find beets fresh off the vine;' Beverly says. We all
laugh together.
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"Beverly doesn't go to our plant talks;' Demi adds, amid the
laughter, as she shakes her head. Demi is referring to the month~
ly gardening talks held at the library, which she and I and Ryan
all attend.
"You didn't let me finish;' Beverly interrupts. "I was going to say,
because they grow underground:' She then explains how to make
borscht and how to find the perfect beets.
Over the course of our dinners, which I can happily say occur
at least weekly, we have learned a wealth of information from our
neighbors. I would visit more often, but Ryan feels that I am be~
ing too clingy, like a raccoon. Between the amusement of discuss~
ing backyard poultry and the competition over whose chickens are
producing more eggs, they have also spoken of the hardships that
the LGBT community has faced.
When Beverly moved here from Cleveland in her teens, being
gay was a crime. In addition to racial discrimination, she witnessed
gays being arrested or harassed by the police. Years later, when
Demi went to the Ringling College of Art and Design, her room~
mate"figured her out" and didn't speak to her for months.
The majority of the time, Beverly and Demi teach us how to be
better stewards of the planet and how to live a more sustainable
life. "You take a fork and gently lift the plant from the soil;' Demi
says, explaining how to remove a delicate seedling from a tray and
transplant it, once it is large enough to handle the Florida climate.
In the winter, they use space heaters to warm their 1930s house,
but both women are often seen indoors wearing long pants, multi~
ple sweaters, and sometimes a knit hat. Ryan and I reckon that if
they can do it, we can at least manage not to turn on the heat in our
house until it gets below 60 degrees.
They have several rain barrels attached to their house to catch
Florida's heavy summer rains. They convinced us to do the same
and to attend a water~wise workshop held by the county extension
office. We now have four rain barrels to help irrigate our year~old
vegetable gardens. Through their horticultural knowledge and
countless donations of materials, we now have four raised vegetable
beds, 10 or more window boxes, two seedling beds, and countless
edible plants.
Throughout dinner, I ask them if they have any extra dog igloos
for our ducks to lay eggs in, and stickers for my students, and a
single AAA battery, and a wicker basket, so I can take pictures of
their kittens in it for an upcoming article I'm writing-all of which
they say yes to.
A few months ago they trapped a feral cat to have it spayed, be~
cause they didn't want feral kittens around the neighborhood. At
the time, they had four cats. Presently, they have seven. Before they
could get it in to the vet, the feral cat gave birth to four kittens,
which they helped raise in order to socialize them, so they could be
adopted out. After two of the four kittens had been adopted, Demi
had to postpone further adoptions, at their veterinarian's request.
The vet had warned them that around Halloween people do stupid
things with black cats.
"It's not like we knew anyone who does sorcery;' Beverly cries
out at us. I place my hand on my chest because I'm laughing so
hard. As the last two kittens stayed at their house longer and lon~
ger, Demi, mostly, became so attached that she finally decided to
keep them.
After the borscht is finished, the kittens, now three months
old, jump into our hosts' laps, placing their pink noses on the ta~
ble. Dinner is now over and in addition to our bottle of wine, they
have opened another. Demi asks us if we want to go to the green~
house and pick up some of the plants she is donating to my sev~
enth~grade students, who are learning about the earth's resources
through a year~long lesson in hydroponics.
"That's OK, we will be back this weekend;' I respond.
"I heard that pumpkin is good for you;' Beverly says, explaining
why she purchased a pumpkin pie for dessert. In addition to the
pie, she brings out three types of cookies, two flavors of frozen
yogurt, Christmas chocolates, and coffee. As she gropes through
the refrigerator, she asks if we need anything else.
After dessert, and another hour or two, we pack up for our trip
home through the woods. Before we leave, Demi finds some bread
and leftovers for a mother raccoon and her three babies-they've
been tapping on the back door during dinner.
In our hands, we carry our flashlights, a mostly empty bottle of
wine, a AAA battery, and a few of our leftover biscuits. A quarter
of the way through the woods, we hear Demi saying, "Wait! Wait!
Beverly wants to pay you for the spinach:' We decline, as they
have been so generous.
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
53
OUR
ANIMAL
FAMILY
Animal cruelty is rampant, but the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
is a powerful force in animal protection.
BY TIFFANY CERIDWEN LOWANA
Just an hour before I start to write this piece, my cat dies. It is
sudden and saps the air out of me like a tidal wave. How am I go~
ing to write this? The same way that the Communications staff at
the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) would: In the
thick of animal cruelty and animal death, they are not stricken to
the point of inertia-they know they have to keep going, just keep
going for the animals.
Powerhouse Communications duo Erica Martin and Kerry Bra~
non are the voice of IFA W, one of the largest animal welfare organi~
zations in the world. Both the victories and the anguish fortify their
drive. Media Relations Manager Branon, who has been with IFAW
for more than 12 years, says,"You're right-lots of bad news comes
across our desks on a regular basis. It can be overwhelming. I even
find that I don't want to watch the news at night because I need a
break from it all. What keeps me going is that I know we make a
difference. I try to stay focused on the victories .. .like implementing
a ban on seal products in all 28 EU countries, or the destruction of
ivory stockpiles in China, the U.S., France, and Belgium:'
Branon's toughest day on the job?''Last Memorial Day weekend,
I went to a failing animal sanctuary in New York State to move
about 20 dangerous wild animals to new homes across the coun~
try. It was devastating. They were literally starving. This was one of
those days where it's heartbreaking to be in the business of animal
protection. But it reinvigorated the passion within me to do every~
thing I can to save even more animals:'
IFAW surfaced in 1969, largely through the vision and inspira~
tion of Brian Davies, whose goal was to end Canada's commercial
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JUL/AUG
2015
baby seal hunt. What Davies began with a couple of his mates in
the Canadian province of New Brunswick has morphed into a dy~
namic organization that now has almost 300 staff members in 15
countries worldwide; today, they are at work on projects in more
than 40 countries. (IFAW gives renewed meaning to Margaret
Mead's decades~old call to action "Never doubt that a small group
of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's
the only thing that ever has:')
Erica Martin, IFA W's Vice President of Communications, says
it's all in their approach. "What makes us so effective is that we are
international, with local expertise and leadership in all of our field
offices. We use our hands~on projects on the ground to inform and
influence policy... when finding solutions, we make decisions that
benefit both animals and people. We are somewhat unique in that
we rescue individual animals as well as preserve habitat and popu~
lations, and we work from a crisis right through to policy change,
which can take years or decades:' IF AW professionals with special~
ist knowledge in different areas are also a linchpin-from
veteri~
narians and biologists to campaigners and administrative staff.
Though they try to employ all the delicacy of high~wire artists,
how do they get people to empathize with animals, and thereby
help them? "Photos and video are very important to convey a mes~
sage;' says Branon."In our case, I don't think we could do our work
without them. We need to see the problem and the solution, but we
can't all travel the world to see this for ourselves:'
Branon may well be right when she tells me that "Children really
are our future and, more specifically, the key to a better future for
======-·r-,♦;,,-======
1
F= A M" ";:cL !::I
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animals. Young children seem to have a natural affinity toward animals, and if we can harness that caring and compassion, and create
ambassadors, they will create change. My 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, is crazy about animals:' The daughter she co-parents with her
spouse, Lisa, can differentiate between whale species and is impatient to learn more. "With this type of curiosity in mind, we develop
a comprehensive curriculum and share it with students and teachers around the world. Children learn about animal characteristics,
behavior, and biology through lessons, hands-on activities, and a
companion video:' The program is called Animal Action Education
and 5 to 7 million students participate in it each year.
''As an animal welfare organization, we recognize that animals
have intrinsic value-value in their own right, whether or not they
give anything to us-and that they are sentient beings that feel
pleasure, pain, and fear;' says Martin. "We make decisions about
how we should treat animals based on sound science about animal
well-being and the ethical treatment of animals:' Branon says that
some IFAW staff members are vegan. Veganism challenges cognitive dissonance, effectively splintering an animal hierarchy. It makes
the connection that if animals feel pain, and fear, then they will feel
pain and fear when they lose their lives to fill our plates.
Is there a difference between a cat and, say, an elephant? Not
for IF AW. Its campaigns focus on six priority areas: animal rescue,
wildlife trade, education, whales, dogs and cats, and elephants. Like
most companion animals, my cat had a name. An elephant in India
has one too. "I will never forget being told that Soni, an elephant
calf orphan that I was fortunate enough to spend time with in India, had reunited with a wild elephant herd after her release. That
was a very proud moment;' says Martin.
"We have chosen animals and areas of work in which we have
expertise;' explains Branon. "We see a gap among the other animal
and conservation organizations, and we know that we can motivate
a large number of people to help push forward a positive, lasting
change for animals:'
Why is there so much cruelty toward animals? "Perhaps sometimes animals are seen as objects or property, rather than as individual sentient beings;' says Martin, "and this can lead to cruelty. And
then there is greed. One elephant dies about every 15 minutes for
its ivory. It's as coveted as white gold, fetching astronomical prices on the black market. Yet few of those who deal in ivory stop to
think that it has to be carved out of the dead face of an elephant:'
The Fund in IF AW is a reminder that it is through funding that
its work gets done. "Our original founders knew that they would
need money to be successful. The same remains true today;' Martin says. "We are animals' voices and their stewards ... to rescue and
protect animals requires excellent staff, good technology, offices,
research and development-all of which requires funding. The one
consistent measure we take very seriously is using our resources in
the most efficient and effective way-we owe that to our donors:'
And they get results. "We can't be in all places at all times, but people can trust us to do what we say we will do:'
I ask Branon whether she thinks that minority groups have
greater empathy for other minority groups. "Maybe you are a bit
more receptive to other minorities because you know what it feels
like to be marginalized. I think some of that is at play when it
comes to lesbians and animals, but probably more prominent is our
nurturing nature. Whether moms or not, our instincts generally
lead us to care for others:' She then lets this sentiment speak for
itsel£ "In January this year, we received a request from a community in northern Ontario to build houses for dogs that were living
outdoors and at risk of freezing:' Alongside IFA W and a couple of
other organizations, "a group of passionate lesbians joined forces to
build more than 30 houses to keep dogs warm in the frigid north:'
IFAW is on call 24/7 to rescue animals worldwide. Branon recalls her time in Louisiana a week after Hurricane Katrina hit in
2005. "The whole city was flooded. We ran the boat-based water
rescue, pulling up to houses and schools on the list known to have
animals inside. Then we knocked down doors and broke windows
to get the animals out. Some people were still hanging on, refusing
to leave until their pets were safe, so we rescued them too. It was a
very emotional experience:'
Martin glows, indomitable: "In 10 years, the large-scale commercial killing of wild animals like seals and whales should have been
relegated to the history books. I truly love my job. However, our
vision is for a world where animals are respected and protectedso in a way it is my dream to make our jobs redundant!" For now,
though, IFAW headquarters is humming with new projects. One
day they could be working on orphaned bear cubs in Russia, and
the next, whales in Antarctica. No two days are ever the same, says
Branon."It seems that animals need us all the time:' (ifaw.org)
JUL/AUG
2015
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55
♦
n entire generation of lesbians knows Lea
A
DeLaria as Big Boo from the hit Netflix series
OrangeIs the New Black. But while Boo is most
certainly an alter ego, there is so much more
to Lea DeLaria than her badass, bulky-butch screen
projection. Originally from Belleville, Ill., and with an
Italian-Catholic heritage that gives her a brimstone edge,
DeLaria has always been bigger than life, busting out of
her shell at an early age to embark on a performing career
that now spans 33 years. She came out in 1993 on The
Arsenio Hall Show, making her the first comedian to come
out on late night TV, and she has been vocal ever since
about being "a biiiiiiiig dyke." Two books, two comedy
albums, six jazz albums (the latest one is out in July),
countless TV, movie, and theater performances later-not
to mention a fierce social media presence-she
is riding
the crest of a pop culture wave. But as you'll see from
this interview, DeLaria is not the latest lesbian thing. This
butch stud is at the top of her game, and the time has
never been better to look at the world through her eyes.
58
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2015
You just celebrated your 57th birthday. Is
this going to be the best year ever:
I don't do that. I don't set myself up to fall
like that, it's really ridiculous. When people
do that, I just want to say,"Why don't you
just step in front of a truck:"' I live what I
call a jazz lifestyle, and by that I mean tak~
ing things as they come, the way you have to
when you're singing jazz. I try not to have
any expectations.
Speaking of jazz, your new album House
of David is coming out.
FEATUREstCOVER
It's 12 jazz covers of David Bowie tunes!
What makes it different in the world of jazz
albums is that I don't just do the American
Songbook. I do unique and unusual songs,
but with the language of jazz. I'll be touring
out on weekends because we're also filming
during that time. We got a bunch of stuff
already booked.
On Season 3 of Orange Is the New Black,
you're brought in as a regular. Is this a Big
Boo comeback:
I was always a full~time cast member, but
now I'm a regular. I don't think I disappeared
in the second season. I have way more screen
time in the second season than I do in the
first season. Season 1 was Everybody Gets
to Know Ya. I think Season 3 is the best
season yet. I think a lot of us feel that way.
We love Season 3.
Do we see a different side of Big Boo:
Anything new you can reveal for those
who haven'tyet bingewatched the season:
I'm not at liberty to discuss that, sweetie.
Read Esquire's review, what do they say?
STORY
Well, I had to try! What about this role,
though-did you find the part of Big Boo,
or did the part find you:
The part found me, because there wasn't
really a Big Boo in the show. They wrote
the part for me. [Orange Is the New Black
creator] Jenji [Kohan] felt that I was every~
thing that she needed the show to be, but
they didn't have a character in this show that
was me. They took a very small character
that wasn't really going to be in it at all and
extended it and wrote it for me and now I'm
a regular.
She's hard as nails but inside she's a cream
puff: Which is the perfect way to describe
any butch you know. And that's a personal
victory for me, because I've spent my whole
life trying to put a positive face on what it
means to be butch-in
the face of much
adversity, I must say-because not even in
my own community do I get support for
that, not even from queer people do I get
support for that. Queer people are more
inclined to support transmen than they are
butches-not
that there's anything wrong
with supporting transmen. All I'm saying is
nelly fag and butch dyke still bear the brunt
of animosity in society, and especially from
our own community.
60
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2015
Your career took off in the '80s. How
have things changed?
I started in 1982 in San Francisco. I
was incredibly popular, I quit my day job
and was supporting myself as a comic in
San Francisco, that's how popular I was.
But you can't really make a living there,
so I moved to the East Coast, to New
York, which naturally took me to Boston
and Provincetown, where I was making a
great living. People were coming from all
over the country because it was the only
real gay resort. Provincetown was the place
where you could go and stay with only gay
people-dance,
party, drink, you know.
So, in some respects that did open me up
to a wider audience. But I think even more
than that was the women's music circuit
that I was on. I played all of them, and at the
time there was only me and Kate Clinton.
We both started at the same time. It wasn't
until 1989 that all these other bitches came
out of the woodwork. And gay men stand~
up comics.
What was your comedy like at that time?
Because it was during the AIDS crisis.
The AIDS era was some of my biggest
angry stand~up. I was very angry in the '80s.
When I first performed, I wasn't even Lea
DeLaria. I was That Fucking Dyke. I had
to change my name because people would
FEATUREstCOVER
scream "fucking dyke!" at me on the street
and I didn't know if they were fans or not.
In 1993, you appeared on The Arsenio
Hall Show. That was a watershed mo~
ment for you and your career.
For me and for any other queer comic,
because that was the first time anybody on
American television was an openly gay com~
ic-being funny and talking about being
gay.
What kind of feedback did you receive?
I killed! I brought the house down. I be~
came a regular on The Arsenio Hall Show.
His show was taken off the air a year later,
but I was on four times during that year.
Do you think lesbians, as they're repre~
sented by the media and in culture, have
changed?
Most media, and especially in the enter~
tainment industry, is about selling a prod~
uct. So you always have to be leery of what
they're going to say about you in the me~
dia, how lesbians are represented, because
they're using our image to sell a product.
We were basically nonexistent in the '80s,
and then when we were portrayed it was in
a bad way. Most lesbian movies at the time,
you know, the lesbians always slept with
men. And then that changed in the early
'90s with lipstick lesbians, or "lesbian chic"
is what the mainstream media called it.
We've always had lipstick lesbians. We
just called them femme! In the latter
part of the '80s, lipstick lesbian became
very popular, lesbians themselves start~
ed moving more away from the idea of
butch~femme to the idea of androgyny, to
where we all kind of looked alike. I never
fell for that crap. That's who I am. And
that's kind of where we existed in the '90s
for a while, with this image that had been
usurped from us by men trying to sell a
product. And we lived it, and it gave us
The L Word.
What about butch representation?
When a butch was shown or portrayed
in any way, she was stupid, she was a truck
driver, she beat up her girlfriend, she got in
fights in bars. And then when we changed
the century, that's when the mainstreaming
of who we are started happening, so there
STORY
were these kinds of "proper lesbians"
that were out there, and they really
wanted to shove butch under the
carpet.
ed to not be one of the loved ones. Which is
why I have been at a gig in Northampton,
Massachusetts, and protested by the Reli~
gious Right and lesbians at the same time.
Do you think Big Boo is creating a
space for butch identity in popular
culture?
Big Boo might be the first real
person that is butch that has ever
been portrayed in any mainstream
media. That's one of the reasons
I'm really thrilled to be playing her.
"Why do you want to look like a
man?" If I have to answer that fuck~
ing question one more time-and by
my own people. And they also did it
to our girlfriends, the femmes: "You
know, this is a dyke bar?'"'That's why
I'm goin' in!" When people refer to
us as a community I just laugh, be~
cause we're not a community, we're
a bunch of factionalized individuals
and groups that don't trust each oth~
er. Until we start embracing our dif
ferences, we are never going to gain
our rights. That is the No. 1 issue.
We all need to shut the fuck up and
listen to each other and accept what
other people think. At first, it was
gay men hating dykes, then it was
the dykes always whining about gay
men-but through the AIDS crisis
the dykes taught the gay men how to
be political, and the gay men taught
the dykes how to make a joke once in
a while. So we came together in the
early part of the '90s, but now, be~
cause of mainstream assimilationist
wannabe queers who usurped our
movement in the early part of the
century, we're back to where we were
before. That comes down to class.
I've been around a long time watching this.
You announced your engagement in Feb~
ruary by posting a photo of Liza Minnelli
and David Gest's wedding, but hilariously,
they were Photoshopped out and you and
Chelsea Fairless are in their place, flanked
by Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson!
Why that image?
It's possibly the campiest wedding picture
of all time. How could anybody forget it2
It's unbelievable. And then we added "The
Greatest Love of All" playing in a loop be~
hind it. Why:> Because my fiancee and I are
both really funny, campy people, that's all.
And we love a good piece of camp. Chelsea
is a fashion editor. She's a show business ad~
jacent, as we would say. Her job requires her
to have a really strong wit. Between the two
of us, we spend a lot of time laughing. That
announcement, you can just see what our
wedding is going to be like. We're not going
to have a traditional wedding at all. It's going
to be crazy fun.
As a comic you've used the stage to draw
attention to these issues.
That's my role as commentator. It's never
been my idea that I should be an icon or a
role model, like Rosie or Ellen. These are
other words that people apply to me. What
is important to me is not to be this person
that keeps everybody happy. Because if
you're a role model, you have to toe a polit~
ical line. That's not me. I'm more like Scott
Thompson [The Kids in the Hall] or Sandra
Bernhard-we're trying to effect a change in
this planet. As a social commentator, I need~
You also posted it might be "ashit show:'
We said, "It'll be the event of the season,
or a shit show:'
Have you set a date for the wedding?
It'll be in the summer or fall of next year.
Because I want to invite the cast [of Orange],
and we film in the summer~fall, and there's
no way we could get a wedding together this
year. That way we can invite Laura Prepon,
Lori Petty, Taryn Manning, Jenji, and Lisa
Vinnecour, who we adore. They all live in
L.A. and they'll be here working.
Did you ever see yourself getting married?
No, I always thought it was stupid, and I
still think it's stupid-that's just me. I don't
think anybody should get married. But the
reality is, once my accountant explained my
tax breaks to me, and my fiancee is very sue~
cessful in her field but has no insurance, and
my union, SAG, has the best insurance in
the world and they recognize gay couplesand there it is. It's become more of a prac~
tical thing, rather than the romantic thing
that people think of it as. But as long as so~
ciety sets it up that you get a break if you're
married, I don't know why I wouldn't. And
the other thing is, we are perfect together. If
you ever saw us together you'd get it.
JUL/AUG
2015
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FEATURES/
THE L LIST
f all you know about the Indigo
Girls is "Closer to Fine" and maybe
"Power of Two;' then you don't really
know the Indigo Girls. Yes, harmony-drenched acoustic anthems of empowerment and equality fill their catalog, but
so do fist-pumping calls to action. That's
because Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have
always honored both sides of the folk-rock
equation. One replay of Come On Now
Social or Swamp Ophelia will testify to that.
And that even-handed approach continues on their feisty new album, One Lost
Day. For the Indigo Girls, their musical
equilibrium reflects their personal balance
of yin and yang, in an 'opposites attract' way.
'J\my and I are really polar opposites,
in terms of our personalities and even our
tastes;' Saliers says. "It's remarkable that
weve worked together like this for so long.
Obviously, that must be part of the reason
why:'
Indeed, it's been 28 years since the Indigo Girls issued their debut album, Strange
Fire, and they've known each other for another 10 years or so on top of that. Across
those decades, they have released
12 studio albums (not counting a
Christmas set), with One Lost Day
being lucky number 13. They have
sold millions of records and played
thousands of shows. So, what does
Saliers think about the fans who
have made all of that possible? "I
know that they keep showing up,
and they're loyal as hell, and they're
fun and they're deep;' she says.
'J\nd I have such gratitude. Even
though I don't interact a lot, interpersonally, with the fans, because
I'm a bit more of an introvert, every
day that we play a show I am truly
grateful to our fans:'
That fan base, which rests on
a solid LGBT foundation, has
evolved considerably over the years. Now,
even 40-something straight dudes are coming out as Indigo Girls fans. Over the years,
Ray says shes had such friends, who would
confess to her in private that they were fans
but beg not to be outed publicly as such.
She laughs about it now, saying, "They
didn't mean anything by it. They would get
64
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2015
tormented and get called a 'lesbian' all the
time, which is the worst thing you can be
called if you're a straight white guy, right?
"So I feel like now things have progressed
to the point where we have this generation
of men who wouldn't say it before, but now
admit that they are fans. And then we have
a younger generation of guys, like Justin
Vernon [from Bon Iver] and his buddies,
who I know, who talk about it all the time.
Justin, everybody he likes is like Michelle
Malone, Indigo Girls-it's all lesbian artists
from our era. He doesn't even bat an eye.
It would never even occur to him that it
would be weird. I love that:'
When your audience reaches that far
and that wide, theres no way to please all
the people all the time. So, in true Indigo
Girls style, Saliers and Ray just try to please
themselves by staying true to themselves.
"Of course, it means something to me that
the fans like the music;' says Saliers, "but I
think if I were to get into thinking about
that, it would completely derail my writing
process. It'd be done before it started, because it has to come from a pure place of my
own spirit and observation. I feel like one of
the reasons why Amy and I have been able
to keep a nice career going, and integrity in
the music, and fun and all that stuff is that
we haven't changed anything, ever. And I
feel like if I started thinking about what
people might like when I'm writing, then
I would be chasing opinions, and the true
song wouldn't come through:'
But fans shouldn't take that personally,
because, in fact, they don't really even try to
please each other. As Ray puts it, 'Tm sure
Emily has songs of mine that are her favorites and songs she doesn't like as much. We
don't really talk about that anymore. It used
to be that we felt like we needed to tell each
other that. Then we realized, Why? Why
do that? It's silly:'
Saliers adds, "I think, in the past I've had
to have a lot more reassurance about my
songs than I do now. I just felt very clear
that this group of songs was exactly true to
what I wanted to say,and certainly reflective
of my time in life right now and my experience. So I just felt confident that they were
songs that were worth being heard. I'm not
saying they could be measured up against
anything else and compared to my old
work, or Amy's, or anyone else's. I just felt
like, Yep, these are the songs that tell what
I want to tell. So I had very little worries
about how they were being perceived:'
She continues, "I also felt like, Well, this
is Jordan [Brooke Hamlin], a new producer. We're going to have some new
players. We have a new engineer.
Were going to record where we
haven't worked before. I sort of felt
like anything could happen, and I
felt really excited about that. And
very relaxed. I didn't feel any anxiety about approaching this record
at all:'
The exuberance the Indigo
Girls feel for their craft and their
fans is palpable on One Lost Day
and in every show they perform.
It's a remarkable feat this far into a
career, when a lot of artists would
choose to coast or even call it a
day. Not Ray and Saliers. "When
the time came to make this new
record, we had a burning desire
to make a new record, and weve crossed
the 50 mark, so I think that's pretty good;'
Saliers says. "Were still relevant and were
still working as hard as we ever have. And
that feels awesome to me. I love Amy with
all my heart. And I love working with
her. There aren't any signs of stopping:'
(indigogirls.com) •
-
FEATURES/
TRAVtEL
ALL IN THEFAMILY
The two biggest names in LGBTtravel combine forces for the ultimate vacation.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
ith Olivia Travel the pioneer
in travel for gay women, and R
Family Vacations the leader in
LGBT family getaways, a collaboration between the two companies is sure
to produce a new experience-and
one
that Olivia's president and founder, Judy
Dlugacz, describes as "the greatest vacation
we can conjure up:'
"We wanted to do a family and friends
vacation for the entire LGBT community,
and the best way to do that was to partner
with another great company with the same
values;' says Dlugacz. "R Family is that
company. We are old friends and both of us
think and breathe service, great programming, and entertainment-along
with love
for our community first and foremost:'
Kelli Carpenter, who heads up R Family
Vacations with Gregg Kaminsky, is equally
enthusiastic about the new venture. "We
had been in discussions with Olivia for a
couple of years, developing a plan for our
brands to come together to create a spectacular product;' she says. "For R Family
Vacations, it allows us an opportunity to
partner with a company that has over 30
years' experience in the travel world in order
to grow our brand to the next level:'
W
If you're familiar with either brand, you
know that each offers the trip-of a-lifetime
experience, with dedicated teams, activity-packed itineraries, and signature entertainment. The value of lesbian-only travel
will merge with the Everyone Is Welcome
motto, which embraces all types of families,
genders, and sexualities. Carpenter believes
this is "the new face of LGBT travel:' She
notes that she and Kaminsky have "always
wanted our vacations to reflect our personal lives. We travel with each other, my kids,
and our friends. There will always be people in the LGBT community who prefer to
travel with just gay men or lesbians. This is
different. This is for everyone. This is the
LGBT vacation that is for you, but now
you can bring your family and friendsstraight or gay-with you:'
For their inaugural family and friends
outing in July 2016, Dlugacz and Carpenter chose the Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. "Olivia has been
renting the entire Hard Rock Vallarta for
many years, so we know the club really
well;' says Dlugacz. "It is an amazing property right on the Pacific Coast, with giant
swimming pools and a great kids' program,
which we will enhance as only R Family
and Olivia can do. It is also a Four Diamond hotel, so the accommodations are
quite luxurious, with five restaurants at the
resort. There is also an incredible $1,800
credit per room for spa and excursions, and
much more:'
Mexico now recognizes same-sex marriage, and Carpenter notes that Puerto Vallarta is a gay-friendly town, easy to reach
from most major cities, and Hard Rock is a
trusted brand that has invested in expanding its kids' programming.
Still a year out, the resort is booking
fast. "We have just announced this joint
vacation and we are already 25 percent
full!" exclaims Dlugacz. "Gay dads, lesbian
moms, aunts, uncles, grandparents, kids of
all ages-and our families of choice-come
and play for a week. We promise you an
amazing experience!"
"This will be the biggest LGBT family
resort vacation ever offered;' says Carpenter. And into the future:'
"We all hope that this will be a very successful first vacation together, so that we
can do more. We truly are a perfect match
to make these trips the ultimate in family
and friends experiences;' says Dlugacz.
(olivia.com and rfamilyvacations.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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65
-
THROUGH
IRISHEYES
The Emerald Isle says 'Yes' to equality, and always did.
BY GILLIAN KENDALL
T
he news that Ireland passed a vote
legalizing gay marriage on May 23the first country in the world to do
so by plebiscite-is good news for
anyone who cares about freedom. And it's
one more reason why Ireland is my favorite
place in the Northern Hemisphere.
As anyone who has spent five minutes on
any Irish tourism website knows, craic is a
Gaelic word, meaning'good time;' or, specifically,"good time in a pub, involving drinking and live music:' It's pronounced "crack;'
and one of the synonyms for "fun-loving
person" is "ho;' so when I arrived in Ireland
I told the immigration authorities at Passport Control that I was visiting their country as a "craicho:' Ho, ho, ho!
Irish people sing and socialize as naturally as other people breathe. On a Sunday
night at The Moorings, a guesthouse on the
coast in County Kerry whose pub is famous
for its "trad music" nights, 50 or so people
of all ages and styles of dress were talking,
66
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2015
drinking, and singing together in one largebut-cozy red-walled room. Everyone but
me seemed to know all the words to the
Irish songs. Everyone but me was unselfconscious and unafraid. Everyone but me
looked-and sounded-terrific.
The professional musicians sat in a circle
in a corner of the crowded pub, where they
were joined by several people who were
obviously not professionals, but who were
singing just for pleasure. At least, I thought
it was pleasure, except for one particular
petite, redheaded woman who, I thought,
looked sad, maybe tearful.
I sat with a handful of American and
Irish friends. Everyone else in my group
was straight, and I wondered if everyone in
the pub was, too.
Still, the cider was good, the rounds
came often, and I could gaze unashamedly
at one of the most beautiful women in the
pub, since she was the lead singer. Claire
Horgan is a curvy, dark-haired, blue-eyed
alto, and I was hoping she might be thinking of different pronouns for the old-fashioned love ballads she sang.
As I was settling into a cider-fueled nostalgia for past and distant loves, the singers
took a break, and Claire Horgan-yes!wandered over to my side and asked a
friendly question. Despite a desire to flutter my eyelashes, I realized that she wasn't
flirting, just being nice to a visitor. I told her
what a great time I was having, but mentioned my concern about the woeful-looking redhead.
Claire Horgan-internationally
known
musician-said
something gentle about
the lady being "special needs;' and went on
chatting.
During the next set, looking carefully,
I noticed that several of the people sitting
and singing with the band did indeed have
the slightly lost, out-of-place expression of
those whose intelligence has not formed
in time with their bodies. But despite their
CAPE
COD
MASSACHUSETTS
differences, they were at the heart of the ac~
tion, and the good time. Despite her profes~
sional status and considerable fame, Claire
Horgan was sharing music with them as
friends and equals. Craic, it seemed, was for
everyone.
That evening, I began a wonderful
month in the south and west of Ireland,
where I made friends in every pub I went
into. In Irish pubs, people of different sexes,
orientations, ages, and races mix in a way
we never do in American bars. It doesn't
matter who's queer, and almost everyone's
gay in the old~fashioned sense.
That night, as I joined in the singing as
best I could, I was moved by the warmth
of the Irish people: The people I met that
night in The Bridge Bar at The Moorings
in County Kerry judged men (and worn~
en!) not by the color of their skin, their
sexual identification, or their IQ scores,
but by the depth of their heart and, may~
be, by their willingness to sing openly.
(ireland.com)
LOCAL LESBIAN: PATRICIA GENDRE
This gay Dublin-based tour guide with a French
accent and French flair offers day trips and multiday
tours around her adopted country. Ireland is a traditionally conservative country, she says, and only in
the last several decades have gay rights and culture
been openly considered. Most of Ireland's big towns
have queer-friendly pubs or clubs, according to
Gendre, and while there are no spaces specifically
for women, she recently joined a women's social
networking club in Dublin named Running Amach,
which organizes a different meet-up every week.
mencas 1rst
estination
Travelers are more than welcome. Dublin's gay resource center is Outhouse, centrally located at 105
Capel St. For the great Gay-lie craic, try The George
(89 South Great George's St.), or Pantibar (7-8 Capel
St.) and The Dragon (more disco than pub, plus
"drag racing," at 64 South Great George's St.). Also
check out the chic Front Lounge pub (33-34, Parliament St.), and on Saturday nights, across the street,
the new "Mother" disco/ house party. (Contact
Patricia at patriciagendre@hotmail.fr)
l~I
Ptowntourism.com
Downloadyour
free app today!
iPtown
-
Your Provincetown.
r"
,I.
"
D!III
-
PARADISE
FOUND
A verdant corner of Hawai'i's Big Island welcomes romantic lesbians.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
S
ame-sex marriage has been legal in
Hawai'i since December 2013, and
the Aloha State is at the top of my
list for preferred honeymoon destinations around the nation. The Big Island had
long been recommended to me as the least
touristy of islands, but I was not aware of its
size and considerable geographical diversity.
There's a lot to see here-lush rainforests,
ancient and recent lava fields, volcanic cliffs
that plunge into black sand beaches, and
white sand beaches visited by surfers and
green sea turtles. When I visited last fall,
the Big Island was experiencing volcanic
eruptions and lava flows to the southeast.
Even though the locals dealt with this
natural occurrence calmly and philosophically (the Fire Goddess Pele just doing her
thing), I was somewhat relieved to be headed in the opposite direction, to the Kohala
Coast, situated on a round peninsula that
pops out of the top of the island like the
head of a sea turtle. Only a 20-minute drive
north of Kona International Airport, along
the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway-sapphire-blue ocean on one side, and dramatic
charcoal-colored lava fields on the otheris the beautifully manicured collection of
resorts that form the Kohala Coast. With
endless sunsets, sea vistas, and luxurious
spa treatments, it's heaven for newlyweds.
WHERE TO STAY
Before you choose from among my favorite places, it's worth noting that there
are numerous properties at different price
points and with various amenities along the
Kohala Coast, and the resort association
promotes them all harmoniously. No matter where you stay, be aware of your neighbors and see what they're offering! My first
lodgings were at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel
& Bungalows (MaunaLani.com). This imposing beachfront resort has everything you
need and, most importantly, it has its own
natural beachfront for swimming and seaside recreation. Once you're settled in, and
before you pick up a Mai Tai poolside, take
a historic tour of Kalahuipua'a with Mauna Lani's cultural historian, Danny Akaka.
68
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2015
You don't even have to leave this sprawling
property to immerse yourself in the unique
and beautiful flora, trails, and ponds, or explore the nearby lava tubes (used by ancient
Hawaiians for shelter and to make tools),
or peruse rare petroglyphs. Danny tells
wonderful stories full of islander lore, and
if you don't already know, ask him why you
should always leave shells, coral, and lava
rocks right where they are and not smuggle
them home in your luggage.
Hilton Waikoloa Village (Hilton Waikoloa Village.com) is called a village for a
reason. This vast property, set on over 60
acres, with four distinct sections-a Grand
Promenade, Lagoon Tower, Palace Tower,
and Ocean Tower-joined by tram and canal transportation, is like a Hawaiian Disneyland. If you've brought the kids, even
the most jaded tot will have plenty of fun
distractions. And it's very nice for adults,
too. Conceived of on an epic scale, the ame-
FEATURES/
nities include a number of eateries, pools, a
dolphin habitat, tennis courts, golf courses,
and a beautiful sandy saltwater lagoon for
swimming, snorkeling, and boating. Here
you can while away the day sitting in a
partially submerged deck chair, watching
a variety of tropical fish swim around your
ankles! I stayed in a Makai Oceanside suite
in the Lagoon Tower, where I fell asleep
each evening to the gentle sound of trade
winds in the palm trees. Constructed as a
series of pavilions, Waikoloa Village also
functions as Hawai'i's largest hotel art mu~
seum. I took a private Pacific art tour with
the exceedingly knowledgeable Marcia Ray,
the hotel's art curator, along a mile~long
museum walkway studded with 1,800
works from Asian, Western and Oceanic
cultures, and valued at more than $7 mil~
lion. The piece de resistance is a white mar~
ble Buddha measuring 100 feet tall sitting
out on the aptly named Buddha Point!
For five~star, five~diamond luxury the
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai may be be~
yond many brides' budgets, but its glory
cannot be overlooked (FourSeasons.com/
Hualalai). This exclusive oceanfront prop~
erty in a transcendent setting that inspires
romance is about as perfect as it gets as
the place to take your vows with a view, or
celebrate your love. Swim with the fish in
the King's Pond. Play like a champion on
the Jack Nicklaus golf course. Laze in a ca~
bana on the gorgeous beach out front, and
wade into the caressing water to experience
a brush with a friendly green sea turtle!
Hualalai frequently tops magazine lists of
the world's best resorts, and for good rea~
son: The ambience as well as the service
is impeccable, and every detail has been
thoroughly thought through. The sooth~
ing and harmonious atmosphere, which
is apparent as soon as you enter the plan~
tation~style lobby, attracts the discerning
traveler looking for a low~key yet luxurious
respite resplendent with local flavor. Wisely,
the Four Seasons has paid attention to the
architecture and landscaping, incorporating
indigenous Hawaiian materials such as lo~
cal timbers, lava rock, and bamboo.
WHERETO EAT
When I visited, the Kohala Coast offered
one perfect dining experience after the next,
each eatery determined to serve the best the
island has to offer. The CanoeHouse at the
Mauna Lani is situated oceanfront and at
an angle to take in a brilliant sunset framed
by swaying palm trees. If you're staying at
the Mauna Lani, it will be hard not to want
to eat here every night, so good are the sur~
roundings and the bill of fare. Try the sus~
tainable, pan~roasted Big Island abalone,
or the local catch crusted with macadamia
nuts, and salads featuringjuicy, fresh toma~
toes from nearby Waimea.
TRAVtEL
Another quintessentially Hawaiian way
of doing dinner is a lii'au. The Sunset Lii'au
at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort &
Spa (WaikoloaBeachMarriott.com) is like
one big family geMogether. This beauti~
ful property, with rolling lawns and views
over Anaeho'omalu Bay, is the setting for
a Hawaiian alfresco group dinner, part
smorgasbord, part barbecue, with tradi~
tional Hawaiian dishes from salads to roast
pork (cooked in hot ashes in the ground)
and an open bar with tropical cocktails.
Entertainment begins at sunset with a cho~
reographed journey through the Pacific cul~
tures of Tahiti, New Zealand, Hawai'i, and
Samoa. The stories and songs are charming
and the Samoan fire dance is badass.
Many dining establishments take ad~
vantage of the postcard~perfect sunsets on
the northwest peninsula of the Big Island,
but the Kamuela Provision Company in
the Lagoon Tower of the Hilton Waiko~
loa Village rates a special mention-not
only for its fresh seafood options but for its
wine list, which has won a Wine Spectator
Award twice. Try to nab an outdoor table,
cliff~side, and sup on the Chilled Ocean
Sampler, with its poached jumbo shrimp,
Pacific oysters, and local poke (similar to
ceviche).
To splurge, dinner at 'ULU Ocean Grill
& Sushi Lounge at the Four Seasons Re~
sort Hualalai (uluoceangrill.com) is a must.
This beachfront seafood restaurant has
world~class ambience, top~notch service,
and innovative cuisine based on regional,
seasonal, and artisanal produce. It's desti~
nation and date night dining for locals, and
with good reason: Executive chef Massimo
Falsini works with more than 160 farm~
ers and fishermen on the Big Island, all of
JUL/AUG
2015
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69
whom are leaders in sustainable dining, and
75 percent of the cuisine at 'ULU is locally produced. This is where I dined on my
last night on the Kohala Coast. Gazing at
the fading sunset as flaming torches lit up
the beach, then taking an after-dinner stroll
on the soft sand under a blaze of stars, is a
memory fit for a honeymoon.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
If you can, begin your visit to the island
with an early morning Floating Yoga session at The Fairmont Orchid (fairmont.
com/ orchid-hawaii). Under the guidance
of my patient female instructor I felt my
stress and tension drip away. This Flo-Yo
takes place on a paddleboard in calm Pauoa
Bay in front of the Fairmont's Beach Shack.
(Also the place to learn standup paddleboarding with attentive Orchid Beach Club
water experts, many of whom are women.)
A highly recommended way to work out
your core after your flight, and connect with
your beautiful environment. I didn't stay at
The Fairmont, but I wandered through its
32 tranquil and impressive acres-and
hope to return one day, if only to experience
the Spa Without Walls!
To really get out on the ocean, take a
Champagne Sunset Sail with Ocean Sports
(HawaiiOceanSports.com). The mesmerizing sapphire sea against a backdrop of the
island's rolling green hills is a sight I won't
soon forget. You may be lucky enough to
catch sight of dolphins and whales, but
you'll definitely experience a Kohala Coast
sunset while sipping unlimited bubbles
poured for you by the friendly crew.
If you're shopping for souvenirs, or need
to pick up a bikini, sarong, or flip flops, the
Kings' Shops at Waikoloa Beach Resort
has a good selection. Grab a bite while
you're there at The Three Fat Pigs & The
Thirsty Wolf (TheThreeFatPigs.com),
chef Ippy Aiona's lakeside restaurant, featuring hearty, fresh Euro- Pacific cuisine.
If it's your anniversary or honeymoon, book a Hulali Apothecary Treatment at Hualalai Spa, Hualalai Resort
(HualalaiResort.com). This is a splurgenaturally, it's the Four Seasons!-but
it's
undoubtedly the best body scrub I have
ever experienced. My treatment was a
personalized blend of local ingredients I
selected in consultation with my beauty
practitioner at The Apothecary. The black
lava salt, hibiscus, crushed macadamia
nuts, cocoa nibs, and coconut-scented oil
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created an exfoliation that left my skin
baby smooth and sparkling.
If you aren't staying at the lovely, breezy,
modernist Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
(MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com), drop in to
wander through and peruse its collection
of precious artworks. Local historian Patty
Cook graciously took the time to inform
me of how the property came to be (it was
ahead of its time), and the mission behind
Laurance S. Rockefeller's 1,600-piece art
collection from Asia and the Pacific. The
most artistically treasured piece in the collection is also a Buddha-this
one made
from pink granite and sculpted in seventh-century India.
No matter where you stay, it's worth
pulling yourself away from its amenities
to take a short drive to the nearby white
sandy beach at Hapuna Beach State Park.
Heavenly tranquility, crystal clear water.
GETTING THERE
Hawaiian Airlines (HawaiianAirlines.
com) flies to Honolulu, where you can
take a connecting flight to Kona International Airport. Avis Car Rental is your
best bet for getting around the island.
FEATURES/
-
TRAVtEL
PROGRESSIVE
PRAGUE
From the Mezipatra Film Festival to absurdist art, the Czech capital proudly paves its own path.
BY KELSY CHAUVIN
P
rague is a picturesque city whose
worn cobblestones only hint at its
long, rich history. With its Gothic
spires and brooding
medieval
architecture, it could be mistaken for a metropolis lost in the past. In reality, however,
the Czech capital is a thoroughly modern
destination that, yes, prizes its time-tested
landmarks, but also puts forth the face of
the future.
From the Zizkov TV Tower to the
eye-catching public art adorning the cityscape, Prague has a certain stylistic audacity
befitting the home of the Velvet Revolution. Back in 1989, the Czech Republic was
ready for a new dawn. Twenty-six years
later, the Czech people command artistic
sensibilities that express both irreverence
and tolerance.
Naturally, the LGBT community fits
beautifully into that bold spirit, and the
Mezipatra Queer Film Festival (mezipatra.
cz/ en) is at its heart. A decade before the
first Prague Pride, this festival was bravely
screening gay-centric films. Mezipatra was
launched in 2000 in Brno, the second-largest Czech city, and still takes place both
there and in Prague every November.
The festival has grown steadily since the
early days: In 2014, about 12,000 enthusiastic attendees viewed both documentaries
and narrative fiction, both short and feature
films. Filmmakers often attend, telling their
communities' diverse stories from places
like Russia, Brazil, South Korea, Australia,
Venezuela, and beyond. (FYI, all films are
screened with English translations.)
Larisa Blichovi, the festival's publicity
director, says 2014 brought a welcome wave
of special guests and perspectives.
"We tried-as
we do every year-to
have more lesbian and transgender films. It
is hard to find enough of them;' says Blichovi. "Our international guests were very special in 2014. A highlight was hosting writer
Eli Leven and transgender actress Saga
Becker, who brought their movie Something
Must Break. The film won our main prize,
and Becker [went on to win the Best Actress Award at the Guldbagge ceremony,
Sweden's Oscars]. We were very happy we
met them and that our jury honored this
JUL/AUG
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special film. We think it's a great moment
for transgender actors:'
The film screenings are just part of what
makes Mezipatra stand out among all the
great LGBT events across Europe.
"It's also about socializing, meeting new
people, meeting authors, and perhaps learning new things, while attending discussions
and other events;' says Blichovi. "We have a
nice 'off' program-with
chill outs, parties
with international music, brunches, filmmaker conversations:'
Prague of course offers plenty of yearround queer events, along with its fair share
of cool, friendly bars, restaurants, and cafes.
Lucia Kajankova, Mezipatra's program
director, recommends her favorite watering
holes: "The hidden gems in Old Town are
two queer cafe-bars, Q Cafe (q-cafe.cz/ en/)
and Erra (cafeerra.cz);' she says."Or you can
travel 15 minutes outside the city center to
hip Vinohrady and visit Piano (Milesovska
10) or the new lesbian bar Sapfo (sapfo.cz).
If you're a lesbian who likes beer, take a tour
of the Staropramen Brewery (pivovary-staropramen.cz), or try the country's best at
the legendary U Zlateho Tygra beer hall
(uzlatehotygra.cz/ en):'
Old Town ("Stare Mesto" in Czech) is
the main tourist area, as well as the place
to immerse yourself in the centuries-old
atmosphere of romantic Prague. There
you'll find world-famous landmarks like the
Charles Bridge (circa 1357), the Astronomical Clock (1410), the Powder Gate (1475),
and the gorgeous 1905 Art-Nouveau/
Art- Deco Municipal House (obecnidum.
cz/en).
A walking tour with the boys from
Prague4Gay (prague4gay.com) is a great
way to take it all in-along with some great
LGBT history. Partners Petr Prokopfc and
Trevor Sage offer group and individual
tours that offer both popular and less famous tales of the city. If you're lucky, they'll
take you to one of Old Town's coolest gay
spots, Cafe Cafe (cafe-cafe.cz), where you
can recharge on coffee and baked treats.
Prague4Gay's website serves as a great
resource for queer gatherings, like the
monthly lesbian Freedom party (facebook.
com/freedomnight.cz),
usually held at
the thumping P.M. Club (pmclub.net).
The lez-centric dive JampaDampa (jampadampal.webnode.cz) is a versatile club
hosting burlesque, karaoke, and theme
nights.
And then there's Pride (praguepride.cz/
en). This year, the festivities will take over
Prague from August 10 to 16, celebrating
the great strides made toward global LGBT
equality and gay rights.
Prague Pride is "a touch of punk, a touch
of professionalism, all-around inspiration;'
proclaims its website. The organization
goes on to express the spirit of this courageous community in what could be the universal LGBT maxim for the people: "So our
youth is not afraid and the majority just get
used to it:'
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FEATURES/
TRAVt.__E_L_
TAKE A SIDETRIP TO BERLIN
For those who've
always longed to
visit New York in the
seamy 1970s, your
time capsule awaits.
Berlin has long
been a bastion of all
things funky, sultry,
and underground,
and today that
chic aloofness has
its own appeal for
queer travelers.
Tuesday night's
"Disco Girl" at
Mobel-Olfe (moebel-olfe.de) packs 'em in at this small dive bar,
which is housed in a former furniture store. In fact, the bar took
its name from the store ("mobel" means "furniture; "Olfe" was
the designer's name), because, conveniently, it already had a big
bright sign. Internationally roaming DJ Mary Ocher (maryocher.
com) usually sets the tone for a few hundred flirty Berliners who
barely have the floor space to dance, much less get to the bar ...
but who cares because some sexy girl will probably just order
for you. It's that kind of place, in that kind of city.
There are several reliable sources that keep the pulse of the
city and will point you to good lesbian-Berlin parties. Top among
them are Siegessau/e magazine (siegessaeule.de) and its city
guide, Out in Berlin (out-in-berlin.de), which publish in German
and English, and L-MAG (I-mag.de), whose website can be
translated online.
Along with the irresistible tourist sights of Berlin-the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the murals on the amazing
East Side Gallery (eastsidegallery-berlin.de), a section of the
Berlin Wall-any good queer won't miss the Schwules Museum
(schwulesmuseum.de) in the gay 'hood of Kreuzberg. And rightfully so; after all, the engrossing Gay Museum opened in 1985,
and is the only dedicated LGBT museum in the world.
While you're in the neighborhood, grab a coffee at the oldschool lesbian cafe Begine (begine.de), or head to cute Sissi
(sissi-berlin.de), one of many gay-owned restaurants in the
neighborhood of Nollendorfplatz-once
the home of Cabaret
author Christopher Isherwood. Back then, Berlin was naughty
and secretive. Today, that legendary naughtiness is right out
where we can all enjoy it.
HOW TO GET THERE
Travel between Prague and Berlin is a scenic opportunity. Sure,
a flight will zip you there, but why go through all that airport
rigmarole when you have such easy-access train stations in both
cities, affordable rates, and the ability to book ahead with Euraii,
which also sells passes for train travel across Europe. So climb
aboard and kick back. (eurail.com)
Where
best
can you
that
offer?
go to find
Southern
Follow
your
the
California
dreams
very
has to
to
a city
unlike any other. Where the legendary
Sunset
Strip
meets
the
stylish
West
Hollywood Design District. Where eclectic
dining
meets
everything
electric
nightlife.
that's conventional,
and mundane
Leave
expected
at home, and go big, go
bold, go WeHo. visitwesthollywoodcom
•
visitwest holl,Ywood
-
QUEER
CATALONIA
Barcelona and Sitges offer the quintessential Spanish adventure.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
few years ago, when I told a friend I
was planning a romantic vacation in
Paris, she said, "No, go to Barcelona
instead!" When I finally did visit the
second most populated city in Spain-and
the capital of Catalonia-I
was delighted
even beyond her recommendation. The
largest metropolis on the Mediterranean,
and a very busy seaport, Barcelona has absorbed countless cultural influences while
maintaining its distinct Catalonian identity.
The ideal of independence and self-governance is palpable in Barcelona-from
its
distinctive cuisine, to its idiosyncratic art
and architecture, to Catalan nationalism,
which is expressed by a majority of the
population, judging by the red-and-gold
Catalan flags displayed everywhere.
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WHERE TO STAY
WHERETO EAT
The gayest place in town is the Axel Hotel (axelhotels.com), which proudly flies
the rainbow flag. This boutique hotel and
urban spa may be a little heavy on the hotand-buff gay-boy imagery, but the property
welcomes all (it bills itself as "heterofriendly"). The chic amenities include a wellness
club for bodycentric guests, a Sky Bar on
the terrace with charming neighborhood
views, and an outdoor plunge pool and
hot tub perfect for flirting at sunset. Conveniently located on the Carrer di\ribau,
which connects you to some of Barcelona's
"eat streets;' this is a sophisticated choice of
accommodation. The Axel Barcelona is so
popular that the chain is opening a sister
property, Two Hotel, this summer.
Or, where not to eat? You cannot go
wrong in Barcelona, with its dazzling array
of tapas and market-fresh dining experiences. For something hands-on-and
a fun
way to immerse yourself in culinary Catalan pride-try
a cooking class with your
girl at Espai Boisa (espaiboisa.com). A cab
ride from the Axel Hotel, this makes a perfect lunch date. The classes are in English,
and you will be guided by a charismatic-yet-friendly Spanish chef who introduces you to 100 percent organic cuisine made
with local and seasonal ingredients. I'm
pleased to relay that I learned how to make
(from scratch) authentic paella (the secret is
in the base, or sofrito ). Espai Boisa is unlike
any other cooking class. Here you will learn
important kitchen ethics such as hygiene,
respect for ingredients, and fraternity in the
kitchen (this is a great romantic experience,
assisted by the making of a cocktail while
you cook: white sangria made with cava,
or Spanish champagne!). Espai Boisa promotes Catalan gastronomy using the best
ingredients and wines from rural Barcelona. On the menu the day I participated-in
addition to paella-was codfish with tomatoes, raisins, and pine nuts; watermelon
gazpacho; a potato and onion tortilla, and
to finish, Catalan cream (similar to a creme
bnllee). Highly recommended.
For a lunch where you don't have to
do any cooking, try QU-QU Restaurant
(ququrestaurant.es), which will put you
right on La Rambla, the tree-lined shopping artery of Barcelona. Decorated in
quirky Catalan style, QU-QU is casual
dining, with bites such as stuffed olives, anchovies, fried squid, Iberian croquettes, and
charcuterie. Or try your luck at many of the
markets and eateries along La Rambla.
For dinner, there is a very palatable group
of five restaurants in Barcelona known as
Mussol (look out for the owl logo). One is
an easy walk from the Axel Hotel. Mussol
specializes in popular, earthy Catalan cuisine such as rustic fried eggs with acornfed Iberco ham (mussolrestaurant.com). A
tip: Don't expect to eat lunch and dinner
on your usual schedule-mealtimes
here
are around three hours later than in the
English-speaking world. For heaven's sake,
don't go in search of Starbucks or Sprite:
The local coffee is delici6s, and a glass of
wine with your meal is a much better bet
than soda.
WHATTO SEE AND DO
One of the "queerest" things about
Barcelona is its architecture; specifically,
the buildings created by Antoni Gaudi.
This extraordinary Catalan architect is
responsible for some of the most fantastical buildings on earth. Start with Park
Guell (parkguell.cat/ en), which is a kind
of Disneyland of Gaudi, and worth a visit
if you want to immerse yourself in his vision. The most iconic Gaudi structure is La
Sagrada Familia (sagradafamilia.org), the
eyeball-bending basilica that made Gaudi
world famous. There really is nothing like
it-not even if you stood outside a Gothic cathedral and dropped some acid. You
do not have to be religious to admire this
expression of Christianity as a struggle between matter and spirit.
To experience what it might have been
like to live in a Gaudi structure, take the
official "Modernisme" tour by Barcelona
Walking Tours (barcelonaturisme.cat).
Casa Batll6 (casabatllo.es/ en) is a block of
apartments commissioned by the wealthy
aristocrat Josep Batll6, who wanted something completely different, and boy did
he get it! This building displays Gaudi's
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beachside tapas, and wander through the
historic streets. You'll be wishing the walls
could talk during your guided tour of the
Maricel Palace, which was built between
1913 and 1918 by the millionaire Charles
Deering to house his art collections-and
more than a little intrigue (museusdesitg~
es.com). Reward yourself with a long, lazy
lunch at Pie Nie (restaurantpicnic.com),
where you can enjoy tasty seafood tapas,
then work it off by exploring some of the
17 sand beaches nearby.
Stay overnight at the Melia Hotel (melia.
com/ es), a grand, white~stepped pyramid
with spacious rooms that boast their own
balconies, and lovely views of the ocean and
town. Dinner anywhere along the ocean~
front is good, but for a romantic evening,
Restaurante Fragata is my pick.
LOCAL LESBIAN:
CELINA KOEKENBIER
Barcelona has its own magazine and
website for Spanish-speaking lesbians
and bisexual/bicurious women from
Spain and Latin America, MagLes.
Its editor, Celina Koekenbier, highly
recommends that U.S. lesbians visit
during summer for Girlie Circuit in
Barcelona, the Girlicious monthly
parties, Melon Party Barcelona, Fulanita VIP Madrid, the OlaGirls Festival
in Alicante, and of course Barcelona,
Madrid, and Mas Palomas Prides.
(maglesrivista.com)
WHERE THE GIRLS ARE
humor: Its structure-especially
the roof,
which glitters with a mosaic of glass tiles
-looks like a dragon collided with some
fairytale turrets. The fa;:ade resembles a
pond covered with water lilies, the balconies
look like carnival masks, and the interior is
nothing short of trippy, with its organic Art
Nouveau shapes mimicking various natural
shapes, from shells, to bones, to trees.
For more outdoorsy pleasures, the wine
country of the Penedes is less than an hour
away by car. At the Jean Leon Winery
(jeanleon.com), you can take a guided tour,
enjoy a wine tasting in a chic ambience, and
learn why the French winemaker and Bev~
erly Hills restaurateur Jean Leon chose this
part of the world over all others in which to
grow grapes and make fine wines.
Continue on for a half hour to the mag~
ical and luminous Mediterranean town
of Sitges (sitgestur.com), a queer~friend~
ly place to promenade, sunbathe, enjoy
In Sitges, pick up the gay map, which will
direct you to a number of LGBT bars and
nightspots where you can dance the night
away in true Catalan fashion. Barcelona is
the gay capital of Spain, and while I was
there I dined at the charming, old~world
Flamant Restaurant (flamantrestaurant.
com) with Joan Igual, vice~president of
ACEGAL (Business Association for Gays
and Lesbians of Catalonia) and Pride
Barcelona. Throughout the year, there are
many LGBT events, such as SNOW Pride
in the Catalan Pyrenees in January and
Pride Barcelona (pridebarcelona.org) in
June, plus you can take a tour with Rain~
bow Barcelona Tours (rainbowbarcelona.
com) any time of the year; it's the very first
private tour company for the LGBT com~
munity in Barcelona.
La Sue BCN is a lesbian nightclub on
Calle Villarroel, run by local lesbian Sue
Santiago, and is part of a lesbian renaissance
of business owners, artists, singers, writers,
and others, contribut~
ing to a vibrant lesbian
community. The club,
according to Santiago,
provides "the right en~
vironment where local
and international lesbian artists can exhibit
their art, present their books, teach their
workshops, perform their monologues, and
also play sports' tournaments;' says Sue,
who will be coordinating this year's Bar~
celona Pride Parade. "Don't forget to pop
by La Sue BCN to enjoy our house drink,
Mojito Moreno, and relax!"
LAST LOOK/
CROSSWO
ACROSS
1.
4.
Wedding _
Bledel
She plays Alex in Orange /s
the New Black, Laura_
35. LGBT advocate in Congress
from Wisconsin, Tammy_
6.
Longing
7.
Good wood for floors
36. Tense (2 words)
Actor, model, DJ and TV
personality headlining "Girls
with Flair" at Austin's SXSW (2
words)
37. Refusal
8.
Bottled water brand
39. Viral ideas or pictures
38. Yes in Spain
9.
Winged figure
39. One of the most successful
coaches in women's hockey,
Shannon
13. Cocktail addition
40. Laughter on the internet,
abbreviation
10. Movement that started in
the '90s emphasizing female
and youth empowerment (2
words)
42. Mountain top
43. Kisses in reverse?
14.
41. Harry Potter's best friend
di-dah
44. Beachy stuff
15. Flop
46. Music genre
17. Show
48. Side
18. Road on a GPS, abbr.
11. Crime fighting lesbian duo
with a web series (goes with
47 across)
45. The Voice contestant who
released her debut EP Boomerang, Kristen_
20. Valentine's Day period, for
short
12. Give in
47. See 11across
22. Sing the praises of
16. Romantic getaway option
48. Get brown on the beach
23. "Pow!"
17. LGBT Oregon governor, Kate
50. Has a little Manhattan
19. "_ Wiedersehen"
51. The L Word star, Clementine
24. Character with a lesbian
wedding, in an old Friends
episode
21. Skirt feature
23. Author of Dykes to Watch Out
For comic strip
52. Romantic verses
49. Rogers' state
25. Affectionate dogs
27. Stand-up comedian of Tinder
Live! fame (2 words)
DOWN
26. Eye color
29. Take a_ check, polite
phrase when declining a date
28. Place to get a little tipsy
1.
Sara Gilbert's partner
30. Notorious killer of Cleopatra
2.
Secretly split to unite?
31. Ellen's wife
3.
U.R.L. ending
33. "Fuel" performer_
5.
Let loose
34. She plays Kitty in Jenny's
32. ER actor who came out
Bello
side
DiFranco
JUL/AUG
2015
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-
CALIFORNIA
DREAMING
Lesbian wedding bells are ringing at one Santa Barbara resort.
BY KELSY CHAUVIN
dream wedding requires one part fantasy, two parts reality-one for the
couple and one for the location. Many
couples embark on their nuptial planning with images of storybook romance
dancing in their heads, only to find the picturesque venues heavily booked and the
others far from photogenic. Throw in the
lesbian factor and a whole different set of
stumbling blocks might emerge.
But sometimes, for lucky brideMo-be,
reality turns out to be even better than they
imagined. For Natalie and Allison Yallouz,
tying the knot marked not just their union,
after seven years of couplehood, but the
convergence of their shared wedding ideals-thanks to their finding the perfect place
to exchange their vows. Enter Santa Barbara, a matrimonial hotspot. Its near-perfect
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78
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weather and idyllic location on the Southern California coast create a serene setting
surrounded by palm trees and ocean breezes. And while several resorts cater to couples, few can match both the locale and the
LG BT-friendly appeal of El Encanto by Belmond (belmond.com/ el-encanto-santa-barbara/luxury-hotel).
Perched high in the hills above Santa
Barbara, the resort dates back to the 19 lOs,
but its original cottages and villas have been
converted to fine hotel accommodations. A
decade ago, the luxury hotel company Belmond (then called Orient-Express) took
over the property, renovating the property,
refurbishing its original architectural details,
and adding a diffside swimming pool and
boutique spa. Today, the resort is one of the
city's most beautiful lodging options, with
sweeping Pacific Ocean views and lush green
gardens.
True to the Belmond mission, lesbian
and gay travelers are made to feel especially
welcome. So it's no wonder that the Yallouzes found a warm reception when they came
to the hotel from their home in Woodland
Hills for a scouting visit.
"When you are two women looking at
potential wedding venues together, you
definitely want to make sure you are comfortable with the staff at the venue, and vice
versa;' says Allison, 29. "The second we met
with El Encanto's event director, we were
comfortable-and
we were assured that
the resort welcomed the idea of two women
getting married there ... We found that larger
resorts didn't offer the intimate feeling that
Belmond El Encanto did:'
FEATURES/
TRAVtEL
The couple found that no other venue
could compete with El Encanto.
'i\.t other locations we looked at, there
were multiple weddings taking place at the
same time, which to us took away from our
special day;' says Natalie, 31. "While Bel~
mond El Encanto isn't on the beach, the view
trumps any resort that's directly on the sand.
You could see out to the Channel Islands
and beyond-it's breathtaking. The rooms
give you so much privacy, you feel like you
have your own little condo for the weekend:'
A wedding experience is also contextual,
so jaunts to nearby city sights like the 1786
landmark Mission Santa Barbara or the
stunning Santa Barbara Courthouse are as
easy as checking out an electric bike to ride
down the hill. Shopping and dining out are
big in this well~heeled town, and State Street
offers you miles of opportunity, whether
you're on a spree or just a stroll. Drop by les~
bian~owned Jill's Place (jillsplacesb.com) for
steak, seafood, and wines direct from nearby
vineyards, or hit the super~friendly Sun~
day~night gay party at the Wildcat Lounge
(wildcatlounge.com).
At any wedding, the ambience is meant
to feel charmed. For Allison and Natalie, the
feeling struck them in an instant at El En~
canto.
"The second we stepped foot on the prop~
erty we fell in love;' says Allison. "We imme~
diately knew this was the place where we
were going to say'I do:"
JUL/AUG
2015
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79
TLOOKtSTARS
Summer Love
With Mars in lovestruck Cancer and Venus in dramatic Leo, you'll wear your
heart on your sleeve, but don't drip on your pants.
By Charlene Lichtenstein
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Leo (July 24-Aug 23)
Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 22)
You may party hearty through
the summer, but it is just
You may look confident
and totally in control but
underneath your strong
surface, there is a trepidation
and sense of vulnerability.
Don't think this is a bad thing,
The summer may be hot but
you are hotter. While you
may prefer to laze the time
away, you are better served
by engaging in hot pursuits.
a ruse for seduction. The
fact is you are much more
interested in seeing who you
Supermodel-turned-actor Cara
Delevingne turns 23 on August 12.
CANCER :%
1/✓
(June 22-July 23)
Hold your breath and
brace yourself before
you enter a lesbian Crab's
home. It is full of knickknacks, dust collectors
and assorted treacly
junk. Cluttered doesn't
even begin to describe
the scene; it's almost
womblike. However, unlike
filthy and lazy Sagittarians,
these Crab babes know
how to dust and keep a
clean and tidy home. Ya
gotta scrub-a-dub, bub!
LEO
(July 24-Aug 23)
It's easy to spot a typical
Leo home. For one thing,
it's the biggest on the
block and probably hogs
the corner. Lionesses love
excess and the more the
better. Her tastes run to
the extravagant, large and
plush furniture (preferably
in wild animal skin design)
and shaggy carpets in
bright colors. Curious to
know who might have
purchased that oversized
phony zebra skinned
couch? Guess who ...
1/✓
1/✓
1/✓ Taurus (April 21-May 21)
1/✓ Throw caution to the winds
1/✓ this summer, Taurus, and say
1/✓
1/✓ what is in your heart and on
1/✓ your mind. There is someone
1/✓ out there who appreciates
1/✓ your honesty and candor. In
1/✓
1/✓ fact she may even find it sexy
1/✓ and alluring. Pepper your
1/✓ words with some salty action
1/✓
1/✓ and get spicy.
1/✓
1/✓ Gemini (May 22-June 21)
1/✓ Get ready to pay dearly for
1/✓
1/✓ your jollies this summer,
1/✓ Gemini. You are developing
1/✓ some very expensive tastes.
1/✓
1/✓ This is all fine as long as you
1/✓ don't go over your budget. Be
1/✓ strict and discerning, then if
1/✓ what and who you want to do
1/✓
1/✓ requires a pool of cash, jump
1/✓ in and get wet.
1/✓
1/✓
1/✓ Cancer (June 22-July 23)
1/✓ You make a strong first
1/✓ impression this summer
1/✓ with everyone you meet so
1/✓
1/✓ prepare your public face
1/✓ and plan your meetings with
1/✓ a calculated eye, Cancer.
1/✓
1/✓ The influential people you
1/✓ meet now can set you on a
1/✓ successful course of fame,
:%
Charlene
Lichtenstein
is the author ~
of HerScopes:
A GuidetoAstrology ~
for Lesbians
(Simon& Schuster),1/✓
nowavailableas anebook(tinyurl. 1/✓
1/✓
1/,
com/HerScopes).
80
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
can lure back to your love
nest. Choose a lovergrrl who
gives you everything you
need, including an occasional
feather dusting.
fortune and fantastic females.
Who hoo!
Lioness. It is all in the way
you play it out. So strut and
fret your hour upon the stage
and see how you can charm,
cajole and tempt the high
priestesses. Virgin offering
anyone?
Virgo (Aug 24-Sept 23)
Your deeply held secrets
swirl through the summer.
Will one or two be released
unexpectedly into social
media? Possibly. And this
may be part of your plan,
Virgo. Gal pals bolster your
confidence and goad you
to get everything out in the
open and off your chest.
Libra (Sept 24-Oct 23)
Your hard work can be
rewarded this summer if
you keep your eye on the
corporate prize. Take a
calculated risk whether that
means pushing for a raise or
promotion or befriending a
well-connected co-worker.
Put your plans in place and
take one more step up the
ladder.
Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)
Plan a few getaways designed
to get you out of your shell
and into others. Not only
can you discover hidden
treasures, you can do so with
a comely travel companion.
Or is it to discover the hidden
treasures of a comely travel
companion? Book any type of
adventure you like.
If a certain lady catches your
eye, go for her. If your tastes
tend towards more than one
tall frosty drink, imbibe with
abandon. But know your limit.
Capricorn (Dec 23-Jan 20)
Focus on what is important to
you in a lovergrrl and set your
sites for utopia. There will be
many choices if you keep an
open mind and get out there
and look. Of course, there
are certain high maintenance
ladies that will thrill your
heart and leave you begging
for more. Maybe that is your
idea of utopia?
Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)
Although relaxing jaunts and
long vacations are tempting,
you are much better off
using your time productively
to get a few things off your
desk. Start by focusing on
small projects that have
been gathering dust and
finish them off. Then you will
have plenty of time for silly
dalliances.
Pisces (Feb 20-March 20)
Your dance card fills up and
you will need to carefully
choose which parties you
decide to attend. Oh would
this last forever! But it
won't, Guppie. So use your
popularity plus time wisely
and move with the shakers.
Let a couple of special ladies
shake your world.
STAR
ATTRACTIO
MELISSA
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PATTI
LABELL~/~
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curve
JUL/AUG
2015
FEATURES
2()
SAMANTHA AND LAURA
LEIGH ABBY
The newlyweds on loving,
living, and working together.
By Lisa Tedesco
'S
SIZZLING SUMMER
READING SPECIAL
A dozen brilliant dyke-centric
books to read this summer.
:12
IN THE PINK
Getting sexy on screen with
Shine Louise Houston. By Dar
Dowling
:i,
TOMBOY EXTRA
More genderqueer fashion,
and keep it coming! By Marcie
Bianco
LESBIAN WEDDING
SPECTACULAR
From rings, to bridal couture,
to exotic locales. Inspiration for
your ultimate union.
ot>
37
LOVING LEA
DELARIA
Words of wisdom,
cool new music, and
insights into Big Boo
from our favorite
comedy legend.
OUR FAVORITE FAMILIES
From butch baby mamas to
lesbian elders ...group hug!
(J3
INDIGO ICONS
The Indigo Girls will never put
down their guitars. By Kelly
McCartney
HAWAIIAN HEAVEN
Romance on the Big Island's
Kohala Coast. By Merryn Johns
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
1
JUL/AUG
2015
Control
~
Control
Corrective
dkf')C8resySl8(flS
SunscreenSPF30
SunscreenSPF30
250Z/74ni.
'oFL,/ •rr
12
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
IN EVERYISSUE
4
EDITOR'S NOTE
6
CURVETTES
8
FEEDBACK
11
THE GAYDAR
80
STARS
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
TRENDS
REVIEWS
0 LES LOOKS LIKE
Meet queer cultural thinker,
Natalie Coblentz.
5 MUSIC
Butterfly Boucher is on the
radar of Sarah Mclachlan
and Ruby Rose, so she should
be on yours, tool By Kelly
BEAUTY
Products that protect your
biggest organ this summer.
14 LESBOFILE
What's new and noteworthy
with our favorite celesbians.
VIEWS
34 FILM
6 POLITICS
The biggest success in the
contemporary LGBT movement has been marriage
equality. Here's why queer
cynics need to reconsider the
power of a piece of paper. By
Wentworth is the latest
contender in the bingeworthy
babes-behind-bars screen
genre. Get the latest from the
lovely lead, plus a sneak peek
at hot web series Kittens In
a Cage. By Lisa Tedesco &
Victoria A. Brownworth
Micheline Tawilian
18 OUT IN FRONT
Meet our community leaders.
77 CROSSWORD
Summer fun with our Pride
puzzle By Myles Mellor
8 IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT ... LGBT news from across
the country. By Sassafras
Lowrey
22 LIPSTICK & DIPSTICK
Relationship advice from our
trusted butch-femme duo.
2
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
McCartney
28 BOOKS
We've read hundreds of books
and picked a select dozen that
will entertain and intrigue you
while lazing poolside.
~1BEST
:::.:.:: Pi.ACESTO WORK
2015for LGBT Equality
commitments, a free citizen of the world, the defining documents in my
life my passport and visa.
But life doesn't like fixed opinions, and I was thrown a curve ball: a
younger, passionate woman who respected my views but knocked them
all over with her own life-affirming arguments. She expressed an intent I hadn't encountered before. She wanted a wife, and she believed
a couple counts as a family, with or without children. She wasn't going
to let me get away with this "partner" or "girlfriend" rubbish. 'Tm going to marry you so hard;' she'd say, which I thought was hilarious. I
wondered what "so hard" entailed, and she confided that she had entertained elaborate daydreams about just how we would tie the knot.
What transpired, in fact, was not elaborate. Just a simple ceremony
at the New York Marriage License Bureau-legal, but nothing grandiose. Nevertheless, one embellishment my intended had pushed for was
"proper" rings. Not the artsy silver trinkets from flea markets, which
I've worn all my life. Actual wedding bands.
I'm not a big jewelry person, and I've never owned gold or precious
gemstones in my life, let alone that little rock referred to as a girl's best
friend. In the same way that I'd never wanted marriage, I'd never wanted to wear a valuable piece of jewelry given to me by someone else. Yet
at those flea markets I'd never stopped looking for the perfect cheap
ring to buy mysel£ What did it mean that I couldn't accept love and
commitment from somebody else? Were my queer politics and activism
rooted in the expectation of not being loved and accepted? Is it possible
to be an activist and be part of society and its institutions? Isn't that
what we're fighting for? To find out how this "ring cycle" ends, turn to
#LoveWins
I
have never, ever wanted to get married. And yet on March 31st
of this year I said "I do:' Why I never wanted to legally wed is
something I've thought about a lot these past few months.
Among the many good reasons I came up with were these: Like
many queers, I saw little value in an institution that has oppressed
women, not to mention the fact that as a child I was dragged through
my parents' acrimonious divorce, the fallout from which I have never
completely recovered. I also doubted that I possessed the temperament
to walk side by side with someone through life. I'm driven, creative, a
perfectionist, and perhaps a little codependent, which means that I also
feared I would fail at such a union, or be rendered invisible by it.
Also, I had finally decided I wouldn't be having kids-so I would not
need the legal protections marriage affords a family. I could continue
being a media worker and a frequent traveler, unshackled by domestic
L~A,£pl,A~
page 47.
Stop Press: On June 26, as we delivered this issue to the printer,
the Supreme Court of the United States legalized same-sex marriage
across the nation-even
more reason for me to realize that marriage
and its rituals matter. We compiled this issue before that ruling, and
we called it the Love issue. But since Justice Kennedy's invocation of
"dignity;' coupled with the promise of equal protection under the law
for all Amerians seeking marriage, same-sex or otherwise, we can now
call it the #Love Wins issue. Whether or not marriage is in your future,
enjoy this issue as a celebration of equality.
!z
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
merryn@curvemag.com
RONT /
cu RVETTES
curve
THE BEST-SELLING
JUL/AUG
2015
LESBIAN MAGAZINE
» VOLUME
25 NUMBER
4
PUBLISHERSilke Bader
FOUNDINGPUBLISHER Frances Stevens
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFMerryn Johns
SENIORCOPY EDITOR Katherine Wright
CONTRIBUTINGEDITORS Melanie Barker, Kathy Beige,
Marcie Bianco, Victoria A. Brownworth, Gina Daggett,
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo, Sheryl Kay, Gillian Kendall, Dave
Steinfeld, Jocelyn Voo
PROOFREADERTiffany Ceridwen Lowana
EDITORIAL
ASSISTANTSKaty Santa Maria, Lisa Tedesco,
Micheline Tawilian
GRACE CHU
KATESCHAEFER
Grace Chu is a New York City based
photographer
whose corporate clients
include General Motors, Alexander Wang,
and JNCO. She got her start shooting
events for Time Out New York and NYC's
lesbian and queer nightlife promoters. This
issue she works her camera magic on our
cover shoot of Lea Delaria, and our style
spread for The Tomboy Shop. You can find
her work at stopgracechu.com.
Kate Schaefer is the founder and editor of
H&H Weddings, an LGBT wedding resource
and blog at handhweddings.com. In just two
years, Kate has managed to establish herself
as an expert on LGBT weddings within the
wedding industry as well as the LGBT community. Her goal is to be the Emily Post of
LGBT nuptials. And to be on Ellen. Her tips
on how to achieve maximum style on your
big day are on page 46.
OPERATIONS
DIRECTOROF OPERATIONSJeannie Sotheran
ADVERTISING
NATIONALSALES
Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021, todd@curvemagazine.com
ART/PRODUCTION
ART DIRECTORBruno Cesar Guimaraes
SOCAL MEDIA
MANAGEREmma Cornish
INTERNSLucy Doyle, Erika Tamm, Lex Giggs
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melany Joy Beck, Jenny Block, Kelsy Chauvin, Jill Goldstein,
Kristin Flickinger, Gillian Kendall, Kim Hoffman, Francesca
Lewis, Charlene Lichtenstein, Tiffany Ceridwen Lowana,
Sassafras Lowrey, Kelly McCartney, Emelina Minero, Laurie
K. Schenden, Stephanie Schroeder, Janelle Sorenson,
Rosanna Rios-Spicer, Stella & Lucy, Yana Tallon-Hicks,
Sarah Toce
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Steph Brusig, Grace Chu, Meagan Cignoli, Sophy Holland,
Syd London, Maggie Parker, Diana Price, B. Proud, Robin
Roemer, Leslie Van Stelten
CONTACT INFO
Curve Magazine
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KENNYCOOGAN
KELLYFRANKENBERG
Kenny Coogan, CPBT-KA, holds a bachelor's
degree in animal behavior and is a certified professional bird trainer through the
International Avian Trainers Certification
Board. He is a regular pet and garden
magazine contributor and has authored a
children's book titled A Tenrec Named Trey
(and other odd-lettered animals that like to
play). Please search "Critter Companions by
Kenny Coogan" on Facebook to learn more.
This issue he writes about his older lesbian
neighbors and their approach to humane
and sustainable living on page 54.
Kelly Frankenberg is an artist, writer, activist, and teacher. She has illustrated several
children's books and her memoir, Diary of
a Gay, Pregnant Bride, came out in June.
Kelly also writes song lyrics, poems, comic
books, screenplays, and fiction. Her artwork
has appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition, Fox National News, Kare 11, Public
Television, in short films, newspapers, on
windows, walls, and mailboxes. She biogs
about wedding advice and related topics at
Pridezillas.com. Visit kellyfrankenberg.com,
diaryofagaypregnantbride.com.
Volume 25 Issue 4 Curve (ISSN 1087-867X) is published 6 times
per year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August,
September/October,
November/December) by Avalon Media,
LLC, PO Box 467, New York NY 10034. Subscription price:
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international (U.S. funds only). Returned checks will be assessed
a $25 surcharge. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco, CA
94114 and at additional mailing offices (USPS 0010-355). Contents
of Curve Magazine may not be reproduced in any manner, either
whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher.
Publication of the name or photograph of any persons or
organizations appearing, advertising or listing in Curve may not be
taken as an indication of the sexual orientation of that individual or
group unless specifically stated. Curve welcomes letters, queries,
unsolicited manuscripts and artwork. Include SASE for response.
Lack of any representation only signifies insufficient materials.
Submissions cannot be returned unless a self-addressed stamped
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curvemag.com
6
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
WE GIVE YOU A BETTER NIGHT
-c-
You put more carpe in the diem
TYLENOL®
For what matters mosr
Use only as directed.
TYLENOL® PM relieves pain while helping
you fall fast asleep and stay asleep.
RONT /
FEEDBACK
little embarrassed to say even
though I am a proud Latina, I
hadn't heard of Velasquez or
Ruby Polanco. Thank you for
introducing me to them. -Jeni
Rodriguez, Phoenix AZ.
LATINA PRIDE
Your cover featuring Patricia
Velasquez was amazing! I
loved everything in this issue,
it was just so diverse and
professionally done. It was
a pleasure to read it cover
to cover and learn about all
these amazing women. I am a
free women. Rent an RV and
come to MichFest! Plenty of
vendors sell patchouli~scent~
ed citrine oil to keep the
mosquitos away. This is the
major lesbian event you must
experience. -Mimi Gonzalez
at MimiGonzalez.com
LESBIAN LANDMARK
Thank you for consistently
being such a voice of reason,
for having such a vision and
vocabulary to express in
reliably accurate writing and
for having the old~school
journalistic ethic of objec~
tivity that makes reading
you Victoria Brownworth
["MichFest to End After 40
Years;' curvemag.com], always
worth the bandwidth. You've
brought words to outrage and
explain the phobia of radically
SINGLED OUT
I love Curve, but have one
criticism to make: as a
(long~term) single and out
woman, I sometimes feel left
out of the fun! I am always
greatly relieved when another
single~and~seeking gal writes
to Lipstick & Dipstick about
dating difficulties, but am
bothered that the responses
seem to reinforce [that] if
you haven't found a g/£ you
must be doing something
wrong. I do not believe that
additional self doubt is what
we still~single people need in
order to attract that 'special
someone: My experience
[has] taught me a simple
truth: at any given moment,
90 percent of lesbians are
already in a relationship; also,
many are 'serial monogamists:
In short: Single Ladies, there
is likely nothing'wrong' with
you, other than happening
to be a minority within a
minority within a minority!
Stop looking, get comfortable
with You, and enjoy your
autonomy. Once you're happy
about being alone, that tends
to be when the people show
up. -Erin, Maryland
change.org
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OUR
PETITION
AGAINSTGOOGLE
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Yo sign Oit nOm 0
Li
e
8
8
e 8
0iffere nCe .
TnnKy !
8
O Li
When Google Play suspended Curve's May-June app due to allegations of 'explicit content' we felt unjustly censored, so we posted a petition on change.org and requested Google Play reinstate our app.
The petition received over 600 signatures and many messages of support. We're happy to say the app
was restored, thanks largely to your support. Here are some of our favorite messages:
"Just because something says
'gay' or 'lesbian' or even 'dyke'
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significant cultural publication
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magazine for years. I support
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"The more that you can reach
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and materials to not only make
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knowledge that it does get better
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Tr takin care of our own
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CULTURE
MUSIC
RAINBOWBABIESON DISC
Singer-songwriter Chana Rothman's
Rainbow
Train CD celebrates gen-
der diversity in children. Rothman,
a music educator
and herself a
mother of two, released it to invite
every child to co-create a world free
of gender barriers. Inspired when
her own son came to her and asked
about wearing a dress to school, she
searched for stories or songs that
were inclusive but found none, so
she wrote her own songs of gender
expression for children ages 4-9.
G Read more on curvemag.com
LIFESTYLE
WEDDINGS
LAURELPOINT INN WELCOMESLESBIANS...AND ALWAYSDIDI
While many famed honeymoon destinations in the United States have
Victoria, BC has always welcomed lesbian brides and honeymooners.
EDITOR'S
PICK
INTERVIEW
After all, Canada legalized gay marriage more than a decade ago! For
MARGAGOMEZ HEADLINESTHE HOT! FESTIVAL
a customized wedding that reflects your unique style, the Inn at Laurel
The world's longest-running LGBTQperformance festival at Dixon Place,
long-awaited marriage equality, a charming and contemporary inn in
Point is your destination. Your setting is an architectural wonder: a
New York this July-August features fantastic out funny lady Marga Gomez
great glass walled atrium overlooking lush and tranquil Japanese gar-
in POUND, a hilarious journey where Gomez plays herself and a delicious
dens, and as your backdrop, a waterfall and the picturesque harbor
coterie of cinema's most notorious lesbians. Facing unwanted celibacy,
beyond. Adjoining rooms offer plenty of space and options for your
Gomez scours dating sites and fortuitously opens a portal to a cloud-
wedding reception. Best of all, at the Inn at Laurel Point, lesbian and lesbian-friendly staff will assist in making your big day dreams come true.
based Lesbian Bermuda Triangle where famous fictional lesbian and
pseudo lesbian characters become real.
G Read more on curvemag.com
G Read more on curvemag.com
CULTURE
DESTINATIONS
OUT IN ATLANTICCITY
Sample the LGBT offerings from Borgata Hotel Casino
& Spa, with its OUT at Borgata brand for LGBT guests
~
~
~
~
and the launch of the OUT at Borgata Facebook page
~
and microsite. The luxurious Borgata proudly supports
~
diversity and is a partner of the Greater Atlantic City
GLBT Alliance and the International Gay & Lesbian Travel
Association. With the long-awaited passage of marriage
equality in New Jersey, Borgata now plans and hosts wed-
~
~
~
~
~
~
dings and honeymoons for LGBT guests. The first OUT
~
at Borgata events kicked off with performances by Sarah
~
Mclachlan and Kathy Griffin, with more to be announced.
G Read more on curvemag.com
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
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~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
We have some of the leading voices in our community
sharing their thoughts on love
and romance, parenting and
politics, and sex and spirituality-not to mention our huge
collection of lesbian fandom.
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
~
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~
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9
.,
I
TRENDS/
THE GAYD_R_
p
I
!~e~ o~~!~~wRone? Let our gaydar help
you decide who's hot, who's not, who's
~ shaking it and who's faking it in lesboland.
%
~
BY MELANIE BARKER
~
~
~
ci
~
:::,
After telling Variety
she has had "many"
relationships with
women, Cate Blanchett
says she was misquoted,
and that in 2015 "who
cares" if she's had
relationships with
women. Um, we do
Miley Cyrus makes a
difference with her Happy
Hippie Foundation for
homeless LGBTyouth, plus says
her gender and the gender of
her partners is fluid
Joan Jett is finally inducted
into the Rock n Roll Hall of
Fame-by Miley Cyrus, no
less. 'Bout time!
Emma Stone is playing Billie
Jean King in a new biopic about
King's "Battle of the Sexes"
match against Bobby Riggs.
Let's hope she aces it!
I
~
1
w
C)
2
:::,
0
>I1-
w
We're excited about
Gossip Girl hottie
Jessica Szohr's
role as a "reckless
but capable"
lesbian nurse on
USA Network's
new drama
Complications
Alabama jails
and fines a
minister for
exercising
her religious
freedom and
trying to marry a
lesbian coupll
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w
Fortune Feimster
makes out with
Sarah Silverman
for a good cause:
An Evening With
Women to raise
money for the
Los Angeles LGBT
Center
Tatum O'Neal
tells People
magazine "I
definitely have
been dating
mostly women
recently." Sounds
like a welcome
change to us!
"'
2
u
a:
Amy Schumer
and Amber Rose
earnestly swap spit
for no good reason,
just the MTV Movie
Awards' Kiss Cam
w
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Plus size Target model
Nicolette Mason marries
her partner at the Wythe
Hotel, Brooklyn
Wells Fargo is our bank of
choice, featuring a lesbian
couple learning sign
language for their daughter
Rooney Mara tops Cate
Blanchett as Best Actress in
Carol at the 2015 Cannes Film
Festival
@)
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
11
NDstBEAUTY
BE BEACH READYAND
SKIN SMARTTHIS SUMMER.
l◄)tcc
ncachnabc
SaYing
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Jan Marini does it again
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'the :'\'aiural
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different skin types and
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balm, too, which offers
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12
CURVE
JUL/AUG
:'\'uis ,\boui'lhis
Sun "'arrim•
This lightweight, fastabsorbing Anti-Aging
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Suitable for normal to dry
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Control Corrective's Skincare
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2015
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p
~ LESBOFILE
~
IT'S THRILLS AND SPILLS FOR OUR
~
FAVORITE CELESBIANS THIS SUMMER.
~
BY JOCELYN VOO
-
MILEY SPEAKSUP
Miley Cyrus making a bold statement?
Not exactly unusual for the tongue-wagging, pot-leafed crusader. This time
around it's the revelation that not all of her
previous relationships have been heterosexual. Gender, in fact, has always been
that
kind of a gray area for her.
sweet photo of Griner grinning and caress-
"I didn't want to be a boy," she told Out.
"I kind of wanted to be nothing. I don't
relate to what people would say defines a
girl or a boy, and I think that's what I had to
she was pregnant,
hashtagging
a
ing Johnson's bare belly with #TooExcited,
#Newlife, and #NewAdditionToTheFamily.
Twenty-four hours later, multiple news
sources reported that Griner filed annul-
understand: Being a girl isn't what I hate,
ment papers, citing
it's the box that I get put into."
that Griner was "pressured into marriage
Cyrus is also putting
her star power
where her mouth is, launching the Happy
Hippie Foundation to help homeless and
"fraud and duress,"
under duress by [Johnson's] threatening
statements."
Johnson, meanwhile,
is said to have
LGBT kids. But some celebs are taking
been "blindsighted"
her announcement
Considering the child she's carrying, which
with a grain of salt.
by this turn of events.
Responding to Cyrus's fluid sexuality reve-
reportedly has no biological connection to
lation, Raven-Symone used her guest host
Griner, we can't even fathom what's next.
status on The View to make it known that
while she supports the sentiment, Cyrus
is no pioneer: "Miley, I agree with you and,
girl, I said it first." Game, set, match.
CARA'SCANNES DRAMA
For how recklessly in love they were
when they were together, looks like that's
all in the past for Cara Delevingne and
COMPLICATEDCOURTSHIP
WNBA phenoms
Brittney Griner and
Glory Johnson are playing in a different
Michelle Rodriguez. Partying at Cannes
with
her current
girlfriend
St. Vincent,
Delevingne caught word that Rodriguez
court these days. The basketball couple's
had just arrived-cue
romance has been rocky, to say the least,
the alleged explanation of "I can't face see-
the model's exit with
culminating in a case of domestic violence
ing her."
just a month shy of their wedding, and both
A source told Bang, "Cara and Michelle
players being suspended for seven games
haven't spoken since the split and they
TV makeout was taken to greater heights
from their respective teams. Still, a concus-
aren't friends anymore. Cara was with her
at this year's MTV Movie Awards.
sion and bite marks aside (yep, not a typo),
new girlfriend
the pair quickly reconciled
kind of awkward confrontation."
and wed on
May 8, with Johnson vowing in a perhaps
too-accurate description, "I promise to be
and she couldn't face any
Avoiding exes at parties-stars,
they're
just like us!
something more, uh, substantial.
your Clyde, the Ike to your Tina."
the pair, and less than a month after they tied
the knot, Johnson announced on lnstagram
14
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
Amber Rose during a commercial break
kiss cam, but it quickly escalated into
the Whitney to your Bobby, the Bonnie to
Motherhood was always a discussion for
Host and comedian Amy Schumer went
in for the kill with hip hop model/artist
To wit: "I'm def half lesbian after my
MORE MTV MAKEOUTS
makeout sesh with @amyschumer @MTV
Madonna and Britney may have pioneered it, but the straight-on-straight
lady
#movieawards," Rose jokingly captioned an
lnstagram photo of the kiss.
TRENDstSHE
S
"Everybody in the
business knew I was gay, and
certainly everybody I worked with
and everything like that. I just never
had a press conference to announce it .
... I wonder if I'd come out on that '75 cover
of TIME if I would have had as long a career
as I've had, because it would have been an
inopportune time to make such a grand
statement. I mean, Ellen didn't really come
out until 20 years later." -Lily Tomlin to
Huff Post Live on why she turned
down a 1975 TIMEcover
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
15
l l,11~ri,111el l,1lte,~s
Why marriage equality is a matter of life, and of death.
BY VICTORIA
A. BROWNWORTH
It's as if marriage equality were the
sine qua non of lesbian and gay rights.
For more than a decade-Massachusetts
was the first state to legalize same-sex
marriage in 2004-marriage
equality has
been a primary focus of lesbian and gay
civil rights.
In 1994, I wrote a column here about
marriage titled "Tying the Knot or the
Hangman's Noose;' which was later included in my book Too Queer: Essaysfrom
a Radical Life. That column queried why
lesbians and gay men had chosen two of
the world's most repressive institutionsmarriage and the military-as
the focus
of their civil rights activism.
Would marriage be any less authoritarian, any less institutionally brutal, I
asked, if lesbians and gays were the standard-bearers? And what about women,
who traditionally have been oppressed
16
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
and repressed by marriage as an institution and reduced to chattel by its precepts? Would they fare any better married
to one another-or
would the "ownership" aspects of marriage even taint the
legal bond between lesbians?
If you are a "thinking person;' you are
constantly evolving, both as a person and
in your thinking. Fast-forward 20 years
from that 1994 column-years
in which
I remained (despite still crying at weddings) opposed to marriage, especially for
women-and
my perspective has shifted.
On May 20, 2014, Pennsylvania became yet another state to legalize samesex marriage. The word came to me on the
night before the public announcement, via
an email from one of the people who had
worked on the issue for years.
My response surprised me. I was literally sobbing as I read the email. Had I
ever realized how much it would mean to
me to be included in an aspect of American life that I had been denied for, well,
ever?
Though I had been so opposed to marriage on feminist grounds, I have since
come to realize why it matters so much
that lesbians and gay men should have
legal access to everything that heterosexual men and women do, and why marriage
in particular-because
it is an approbation of our same-sex love and commitment-is vital.
My partner of 15 years asked me to
marry her the day Pennsylvania made
us legal. I said yes. We have known each
other since we were 13 and rode the same
bus to our all-girls' high school. We were
girlfriends in high school and again in college, but then went our separate ways. I
moved away from Philadelphia, pursuing
v1Ews1POLI
my career. She stayed, and settled down
with another woman.
When we met again, both post-breakup after long-term relationships, we were
ready for each other for, it seems, life. We
love each other. Why wouldn't we marry?
We have been engaged now for over a
year, but I have been calling her my wife
throughout that period because, despite
a lifetime of non-monogamy and flirtatiousness, I am now committed. I feel
married to her already, but I know why
that ceremony matters-even
if I didn't
20 years ago.
We know where we are marrying, at a
historic inn in the woods, a place between
her house and mine where we used to
meet in secret when we were teenagers, a
place that resonates for us still. I look forward to saying vows with her there in the
woods, the creek flowing serenely outside
the inn. I like to think that the ducks I fed
as a child are sharing our journey from
high school sweethearts to middle-aged
married ladies.
How did the militant I was 20 years
ago get to this placer
In part, I got here because of where I
am as I write this: slowly recovering from
nearly dying. When Ireland became the
first nation in the world to legalize samesex marriage via popular vote, in May
2015, I was in an ICU fighting for my life;
my fiancee slept on a cot in the room with
me for every one of the 15 days I was in
the hospital.
That hospital stay, and the recovery I
have ahead of me-derailing
our nuptials
until I am well enough to "walk down the
aisle" -raised not just the "in sickness and
in health" aspect of marriage, but also how
important it is to have access to each other
in times of crisis.
My health crisis was sudden and deadly. I got a pulmonary embolism-almost
certainly from sitting for too-long stretches at the computer finishing two books in
rapid succession. The night I nearly died,
I had spent 14 hours writing, on deadline,
with hardly a break. Less than 12 hours
later I was in the ICU, being told that the
first 48 hours were critical. For me those
48 hours stretched into more than two
weeks, followed by months of recovery.
When you are dying, you have time to
think about the things that matter. Your
life is arrayed before you-the
minutiae
as well as all the major aspects of it: the
fact that the hospital can't understand
what vegan is, as well as the fact that you
suddenly spiked a fever of 102 that the
doctors can't source and you are bleeding
everywhere.
For me, the fear and pain and seemingly endless struggle to stay alive in those
15 days in the hospital would have been
unbearable without her. Without the
presence and constancy of this woman I
had known since I was 13, when she says
she first fell in love with me-she with her
then-waist-length black hair and me with
mine, pale blonde. Without this woman
who is so much my opposite, yet so much
my soul mate. Without this woman I have
spent the past 15 years with, but with
whom I share a much longer and deeper
history, and a future I can see as clearly as
I see these words I am writing.
Without the woman who someday
soon will be my wife.
The celebratory nature of weddings
often belies the solemnity of the commitment to a life together. The traditional
vows alert you to the possibilities-"for
richer or for poorer, in sickness and in
health, forsaking all others" -but no one
is thinking of that side of things in the
heady excitement of the wedding day.
Yet that's what I have come to understand about marriage and why it matters
for us as lesbians and gay men-that
it's
just so much more than that exciting wedding day itself. Marriage is about everything that comes after. Marriage is about
what commitment means-and
commitment is the fundament of marriage.
The day she and I finally legally wed
will be the day I no longer have to explain who she is, or why she has a right to
be with me everywhere I am. When she
and I are legally wed, and people ask, "Is
she your sister?" though we look nothing
alike, I can flash my wedding ring and say
simply, "No-wife:'
I still stand behind much of what I
wrote here more than 20 years ago. I think
heterosexual women have been and still
are often oppressed and manipulated by
marriage throughout much of the world.
When pre-pubescent girls are being married to adult men in more than 50 nations,
some in our own hemisphere, we can't dismiss the impact of marriage as fraught for
women.
But for lesbians, marriage is solely a
choice. It's not being forced on us-we
can choose it, we can refuse it.
Over the past 20 years, I have learned
how much marriage equality matters. I
have watched lesbian activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, who founded the
Daughters of Bilitis in the 1950s, wed
in 2004 after being partners since 1952
(Martin died in 2008 at 87.) I have also
watched as a woman and her partner
who was not a U.S. citizen were forced to
live between two countries because they
couldn't marry. I've watched women lose
the right to everything from children, to
property, to livelihoods, because a bad
breakup did more than sunder a relationship-the
lack of a legal document sundered their very lives.
I've written a lot about what has happened to women who weren't legal spouses, from Karen Thompson and Sharon
Kowalski, to Kelly Mullen and Michele
Hobbs, to Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer.
Those were the landmark cases-but
imagine how many we have never heard
about. All the lesbians who were denied
joint custody of the children of their lesbian relationships, but just never had the
money to contest the case to court, the
way Michele Hobbs did.
All the women like Martin and Lyon,
who lived together for decades, as Windsor and Spyer did until they were finally
able to legally marry two years before
Spyer's death. All the women who, like
Thompson, had no control over their own
lives when devastating injury befell their
partners.
Marriage isn't an endgame. Right now,
lesbians are still being fired from their
jobs, usually at schools, for being married
to other women. But for those of us who
choose it, marriage is a step on the long
road to equality. And for some of us, like
me, a step toward recognizing how much
it matters that the world knows how
important lesbian love is. And how it is,
sometimes, a matter not just of commitment, but of life and death.
Follow Victoria A. Brownworth on
Twitter @VABVOX
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
17
st
PROFILE
IN CASE
YOU
MISSED
CJ)
Advocate>> Boston
:::,
~
<t
::;:
Jullleanne
Doherty
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<t
'2
She's been at it since she was an 8-year-old tagging
along with her mom-Jullieanne
Doherty has been
fighting for racial equality and participating in community
initiatives for as long as she can remember (even if she is
only 29 years old!).
"Activism is in my blood," says Doherty, today Boston's
citywide LGBT liaison and neighborhood coordinator for
Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "The question never was about
whether or not I would go into public service. It was 'How
soon can I start?'"
Over the years, Doherty has worked with Michael
LESBIAN
Alison Bechdel's award-winning graphic novel, Fun Home,
which explores her coming out process and her efforts to
understand her closeted gay dad, has been transformed
into an award-winning Broadway musical by Lisa Kron
and Jeanine Tesori. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards, and
winning five, Tesori and Kron made history, becoming the
first female writing team to win for a musical score.
Kelley, the former LGBT liaison for the mayor's office,
Daniel Faucher of the International Imperial Court
System, and many other advocates nationwide, and has
also assisted the Harvey Milk Foundation and its partners
in launching the creation of the Harvey Milk stamp.
More recently, she's collaborated with the founding
members of OutVets, along with City of Boston Veterans'
Services and local Boston LGBTQveterans, to offer support and assistance as OutVets started in Boston. And her
work with this group recently paid off big-time as it was
announced that OutVets would be marching in this year's
St. Patrick's Day parade, making it finally an all-inclusive
parade.
"This is monumental," says Doherty, "a huge victory for
our LGBTQveterans in Boston, to be equally honored and
• WENDY
THOMAS,
• ALESBIAN
COUPLE
WHO
a long-term employee of the New
Jersey convenience store chain
WaWa, 1ssuing the company
Thomas claims that her previous
supervisor discriminated against her
by mocking National Coming Out
Day 1nconversation with another
employee. When she shared this
experience at the company's Gay
Straight Alliance meeting, she
was encouraged to report her
supervisor, and when she did he
retaliated by g1v1ngher a poor
performance review
entered into a c1v1Ipartnership
1nBritain 1n2011 are challenging
Hong Kong's 1mm1grat1onpolicy,
arguing that their relat1onsh1p
shouldn't be treated differently
than a heterosexual marriage
One of the women had secured
a professional Job 1nHong Kong,
and they were applying for a
dependent visa for the other
The lmm1grat1onAuthority
argued before the High Court
that gay and lesbian couples are
not entitled to a dependent visa
due to concerns over the "social
well-being of Hong Kong"
thanked. The entire local LGBTQcommunity of Boston
•ANEWSTUDY
PUBLISHED
also stands behind them, and now has the ability to honor
1nthe American Journal of Public
Health looked at the pregnancy
rates among 10,000 ethnically and
racially diverse New York City high
school students The study found
that youth who 1dent1f1edas lesbian,
bisexual, or gay-were stat1st1cally
more likely to have gotten pregnant,
or have gotten someone pregnant
Researchers argue that stigma,
dlscrim1nat1on,and a lack of
strong connections to family and
school are among the factors that
contributed to increased pregnancy
rates among youth 1nsexual
m1norit1es
them inclusively. I am so proud."
While Massachusetts was the first state to legalize
gay marriage, Doherty notes that there is still work to be
done. Many people still need to be educated about the
LGBTQcommunity. Marriage equality was just the start of
the conversation, she says. From youth rights, to homelessness, to anti-bullying in schools, to workplace safety,
to transgender rights, and more, it is crucial for advocacy
roles like hers to exist within city government.
"For states that are still fighting to legalize gay
marriage, we need to be supportive, whether it be
vocally, financially, or physically behind them, to keep
the momentum moving forward," she says. "Let's remind
everyone these equal rights are for their own kids' teachers, firefighters, doctors, social workers, athletes, elected
officials, neighbors, friends, and family." By Sheryl Kay
18
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
• WELLS
FARGO
HAS
LAUNCHED
a new ad campaign featuring a
lesbian couple, the first for the
bank In the TV ad we see two
women learning sign language,
so they can communicate with
the little girl they are adopting
Using ASL, they are signing,
"We're going to be your new
mommies" A voice-over says,
"Everyone works hard for a
reason Working together, we
can help you prepare f1nanc1ally
for when two becomes three"
By SassafrasLowrey
Working together, we can help you prepare financially for a growing family.
No matter what your plans include - from preparing for adoption to saving
for college - we're here to help you achieve your unique financial goals.
To learn more, come in or visit wellsfargo.com/together.
Together we'll go far
© 2015Wells Fargo Bank,N.A.All rights reserved.
Member FDIC. (1260093)
INTERVIEW
BY LISA TEDESCO
PHOTO BY HEATHER WARAKSA
A couple that plays together stays together. Or is it: A couple that works
together stays together? Perhaps it's: A couple that rocks at everything they
do together stays together. Case in point for Samantha and Laura Leigh Abby,
appearing on Bravo's reality television series Newlyweds, The First Year,which
follows four couples for their first year of marriage. As one of the first lesbian
couples on a reality TV show that isn't dedicated to lesbians, Samantha and
Laura Leigh prove that their marriage is just like anyone else's. But that's not
only why we wanted to profile these women. They have so much more going
on than a reality TV show! These smart and fierce business owners take on the
world and give back to the community. Samantha is the owner of NYC-based
Penny Lane Pictures and has created the award-winning, LGBT-friendly cooking
web series The Curious Cook, now in its third season. Laura is a published writer
and owner of 2brides2be.com, "inspiration for the modern lesbian bride."
VE
JUL/AUG
2015
VIEWS/
TWO OF
SAMANTHA,
HOW
DID
THE
IDEA
OFA
COOKING
WEB
SERIES
EMERGE
FROM
PENNY
LANE
PICTURES?
2brides2be lesbian weddings are the main
pretty relatable and that b) what makes
event.
our relationship unique isn't that we're a
Laura and I love hosting at our apartment.
are unique and expressive of love in their
who are also a couple came over. With lots
WHY
ISITSOIMPORTANT
FOR
THIS
SITE
TO
ADHERE,
ESPECIALLY,
TOTHE
NEEDS
OF
LESBIAN
COUPLES?
of wine, cooking, and great conversation
When Sam and I got engaged in August
show Americans "perfect relationships"
I started to think about this being a
2012 I did what most brides to be do: I
between same-sex couples to strengthen
show. Let's bring the LGBTQ community
bought wedding magazines and stayed up
the fight for equality and support the
One night after work two of our girlfriends
same-sex couple, it's that all relationships
own distinct ways. We've said this before,
but we reject this idea that we need to
into a cramped NYC kitchen and have
late, my laptop open on my bed, perusing
argument for same-sex marriage. We
conversations just like everyone else.
wedding biogs. What I found in bridal
prefer to showcase reality. No, we're not
With that idea, lots of development and
magazines and mainstream wedding biogs
perfect, but no marriage is, and we all
help from the community, The Curious
were heterosexual couples. Occasionally
deserve the opportunity to live our lives in
Cook emerged in our kitchen apartment
a lesbian couple was featured, but I really
equal partnerships with the person we've
every Sunday. I think the word "curious"
had to search for it. When I gave up and
chosen.
is a great way to describe all elements of
turned to same-sex wedding publications,
our show. We're curious about sexuality,
I didn't feel included there either. The only
food, and conversation and that's what we
way to right that wrong, I decided, would
wanted our viewers to see.
be to create an exclusive destination for
women marrying women. I was asked so
many questions from friends and family-
WITH
THE
RELEASE
OFTHE
REALITY
SHOW,
THE
WEB
SERIES
AND
THE
BRIDAL
WEBSITE,
YOU
MAKE
APRETTY
AMAZING
TEAM!
HOW
DOYOU
DOIT?
LAURA,
WHAT
MAKES
YOUR
SERVICES
AT
2BRIDES2BE.COM
STAND
OUT
ABOVE
THE
REST?
"Can you both wear dresses?" "Who walks
LAURA: I think our strengths are so
down the aisle?"-that
different, and I'm sure there are couples
people thought there were distinct rules
out there who have all the same interests
2brides2be stands out because we
to same-sex weddings. I never wanted our
or similar skill sets, but we really thrive on
already understand the political and
wedding to be labeled as simply a lesbian
our differences. We both believe in each
social implications of same-sex marriage,
wedding. I wanted it to be seen as our
other, and when you have a partner that
of human rights and the necessity for
wedding, an event that really celebrated
you think is brilliant, capable, and worthy
equality, but we don't believe that our
our love and the commitment we were
of incredible things, that makes you want
brides' weddings need to focus solely
making. I believe that many lesbian
to rise to the occasion. On the other side
on these aspects. There is so much style
couples are feeling the extra pressure in
of the coin, we are both super aware of
and excitement that surrounds wedding
planning their weddings, not wanting it to
our weaknesses, and we don't try to be
planning, and that's why we're here: to
turn into a spectacle, but also wanting to
anything we're not. We've both had to
zoom in on the lesbian wedding as a
celebrate the love between two women. I
carry the other, and I don't think there's a
thing of incredible beauty. We're here to
think it's time for a stylish online wedding
single obstacle in life that I wouldn't want
show you how to let tradition influence
destination for lesbian brides to feel wholly
to face without her by my side.
your planning while maintaining a little
represented.
I realized so many
rebellion. Same-sex couples shouldn't
SAMANTHA: Laura is the smartest most
have to quietly visit the courthouse to
say "I Do,"-unless they want to! Some
brides want stylish destination weddings,
glamorous black-tie events or whimsical
ceremonies in the woods, and we're here
to represent those brides as the stars
of wedding planning, not the every-
creative person I've ever met. Being able
ABOUT
YOUR
REALITY
TVEXPERIENCE: to work with her on projects is a dream. I
don't think many couples get to spend the
DOYOU
BELIEVE
ITWAS
IMPORTANT
TO
HAVE
YOUR
FIRST
YEAR
OFMARRIAGE time we do together and we don't hate it.
DOCUMENTED
ONNATIONAL
TELEVISION I think we thrive on each other's strengths
TOSHOW
THE
MASSES
THAT
HOMOSEXUAL
and we are both aware of what needs work
MARRIAGES
ARE
JUST
LIKE
ANY
OTHER? and that's what makes us a great team. I
other-issue lesbian couple appearing
SAMANTHA: We absolutely thought
occasionally in mainstream wedding
that it was time for some transparency
do things together. (pennylanepics.com,
publications to fill their quotas. At
so that viewers could see that a) we're
2brides2be.com). •
just hope we get more opportunities to
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
21
From Domestic Bliss
to Bickering
The U-Haul rental had barely been returned when
this relationship lost its wheels.
Lipstick: I don't know, Dip. Perhaps they
moved in too quickly after the much-anticipated first shag. Bickertons, what kept
you from being together for those 10
years? Is one of you just getting out of a
relationship? Just because you've known
each other for a decade, don't think you're
exempt from U-Haul-dom. I'd bet a whole
BY LIPSTICK & DIPSTICK
box of packing tape that many of your current issues stem from the shock that comes
with shacking up too soon, especially if
Dear Lipstick & Dipstick:
My girlfriend and I have been living together for about two
months now. The first month was bliss and we couldn't keep
our hands off each other. Now, all we do is argue about our
relationship and how things aren't working out. We've known
each other for 10 years, and being together and living together
is all we used to talk about. Now that the time is here, it's all
falling apart. I don't know whether to give up or keep working
on it, whatever "it" may be.
- The Bickertons
there's a fresh breakup in the rearview
Dipstick: I'll tell you what's happening:
great, but relationships are work. Sure,
she speaks. Pearl is shy and scared about
mirror. If there's any way to wiggle out of
your new living arrangement, do it. Why
not date for a spell, and see if everything
doesn't get better. If a breather doesn't do
the trick, ya'II might just be better off as
friends.
Dear Lipstick & Dipstick: How can I encourage my girlfriend, Pearl, a 55-year-old
woman who loves to write, to go back to
school to improve her language skills? She
has a wonderful imagination but writes as
it's the 10 years of fantasizing about lazy
it was great for the first pheromone-in-
being a mature student. She could be
Sunday mornings in bed, perfect "welcome
spired month, when you were finally
published. -Alice
homes" from a long day at work, and the
able to release the sexual tension that
B. Tok/as, Jr.
pair of kittens you would joyfully adopt.
had been building for a decade. But that
Lipstick: It's never ever too late to be what
All that build-up. It's no wonder that things
can't be sustained. And neither can that
you might have been. Long after I gradu-
are falling apart now. Reality could never
unrealistic vagary you've concocted
ated from college, I went back to school
live up to the perfect relationship you've
about what life together would be like.
for creative writing. For round two, I was
created in your own minds. But the truth
Quit focusing so much on what's not
much older than my fellow classmates and
is, she gets up early for a Sunday morn-
working and get out of the house and
it was No Big D. Looking back, I'd say it was
ing Zumba class, you're both too tired
do some of the things you used to do
all about taking a leap of faith, really, and
after your long workdays to do more than
when you were just friends. You've put
dropkicking that fear and insecurity on my
microwave a meal, and neither one of you
way too much pressure on yourselves.
way through the wormhole of creative pas-
wants to clean the litter box. Fantasies are
Lighten up!
sion. Tell Pearl that, instead of going into it
shaking, she should push herself to show
up to class salivating with an insatiable
hunger to be the best writer she can be.
None of the other shit matters. Shyness,
scaredy-cat-ness, those are all excuses and
should never stand in the way of something
you really want. The younger students are
far more concerned about their Friday
night plans than her DOB anyway. When
she walks through the door, spirit ablaze,
the other students won't be talking about
her age-they'll
be commenting on the fire
in her eyes.
Dipstick: I don't know, Lip. I think Alice B.
Toklas might be getting ahead of herself.
My dad is always telling me about the book
he wants me to write, but it's not something I feel called to do. My sister keeps
pushing my nephew to go to culinary
22
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
""
be her dream. You can encourage her to
sign up for a community-college
writing
workshop, but she has to be the one to
step through the door.
THt10YrARS
0~~ANTASIZING
Pearl also needs to thicken up
ABOUT
lAZY
SUN
DAY
MO
RN
INGS Lipstick:
her skin, because absorbing and applying
is key to getting published.
INBtO,PtR~tCT
'WrlCOMt criticism
You must not only be willing to humble
HOMtS
rnoM
AlONG
DAY yourself and take constructive feedback,
but also learn to love it. Nothing pleases
ATWORK,
AND
THtPAIR
0~ me more-believe it or not-than getting a
back that has been ripped to shreds
KITTtNS
YOU
WOUlD
JOYrnllYdraft
by someone I respect.
ADOPT
... IT'SNO
WONDtR
THATDipstick: Lipstick is right: It takes a treTHINGS
ARt~AlllNG
APARTmendous amount of vulnerability to share
our stories with the world. You can't push
NOW.
RrAllTY
COUlD
NtVtR someone into that. They have to take their
own leap.
llVtUPTOTHtPtR~tCT
Lipstick: Everyone is a writer. What sepRrlATIONSHIP
YOU'Vt
CRtATtD
arates Witty Wendy, who pens amazing
and fiction that no one ever gets to
INYOUR
OWN
MINDS. emails
see, from literary greats like Sarah Waters
''
and Jeanette Winterson? Chutzpa, writing
every day until your hands bleed, an excellent command of the language-which
you get by studying and reading-and
school and become a chef, but he just
big toolbox of writing skills. My favorite
seems to want to watch cooking shows
professor once told me, "You've got to
on TV. I keep sending my best friend job
learn the rules before you can break
postings that I want her to apply for, but
them." To that, then and
she never does. My point is, it's wonderful
now, I say amen.
that you want to encourage your sweetie
to return to school, but it has to be HER
burning desire, not yours (or your burning
Do you have a burning
desire to sleep next to a writer). Giving
question for Lipstick
her a little nudge and showing her you
& Dipstick? Write to
have faith in her can't hurt, but this has to
ask@lipstickdipstick.com
a
I
The Metamorphosis oJButterfly Boucher
The almost famous Aussie singer returns with a beautiful redux.
BY KELLY MCCARTNEY
stralian singer~songwriter Butterfly Boucher
ossesses a rare musical talent-she
can play
retty much any instrument you put in front of
er. Which is exactly what she did on Flutterby,
er 2004 debut. She sang and played almost ev~
ery note on the record. One critic called the effort"a low~key tour de
force" that reflected "an uncommon maturity and breadth of talent:'
David Bowie and Madonna took notice as well, but it was Sarah
McLachlan who really brought her to the attention of an interna~
tional audience. She offered Boucher an opening slot on her world
tour, and when Butterfly's label wouldn't provide tour support, Mc~
Lachlan cornered the head of the company at a party and took him
to task. With that business handled, the two hit the road together,
and all these years later they're still good friends. "Last time she came
through, I emailed her and said, 'Oh, I'd love to come to the show;
A
and she wrote back, 'Well, I'd love you to sing on something: I said,
'OK, deal;" Boucher recalls. 'J\nd then Sarah said, J\nd I fully expect
you to take me shopping; which-I'm not a big shopping person!
But, I'm stoked that she's a friend of mine. She's still as encouraging
as ever:'
Boucher's long~standing friendships were also on display when
she decided to honor Flutterby's 10th anniversary by re~recording
it-with Sara Bareilles, Katie Herzig, Ruby Amanfu, and, of course,
Sarah McLachlan, among others. Even though the 2004 Flutterby
still feels incredibly fresh and lively,2014's Happy Birthday Flutterby
is more capacious, less brash. That more settled vibe reflects Bouch~
er's inspiration for the project: "I just had this moment of grati~
tude-and I'm not saying this to blow smoke up anybody's ass, but
I really did have this gratitude of thinking about all the support and
the fans over the last 10 years, especially the ones who were there
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
25
at the first Sarah Mclachlan shows I did and bought the album.
It kind of blew me away, and I, more than anything, felt like doing
something to acknowledge that:' She continues, "The whole process
was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be, revisiting those
songs-particularly because we recorded in the same studio:'
Even though Boucher worked with the same songs in the same
studio, this time the process was very different. The quintessen~
rial do~it~herself artist had
to step aside and practice
non~attachment. "It is a
kind of spiritual practice. It's
something I want to get bet~
ter ar;' Boucher says. "I have
a tendency on all my albums
to play all the overdubs and
all the instruments, so this
one I really wanted to be spe~
cial, in that I didn't do that:'
Boucher turned to some of
the biggest talents in Nash~
ville and asked them to fill
her shoes. She laughs, 'i\.nd
there was some complaining.
k.s. Rhoads was like, 'I don't
understand. You're the best
bass player in America and
you're getting me to play bass
on your song?'"
It's an interesting thing to
hear an artist's retake on her
own seminal work. How re~
markable it would be to hear
Joni Mitchell rework Blue
or Indigo Girls revisit their
eponymous album. Boucher
says, "I almost didn't do it
because I thought it would
come across as an egotisti~
cal thing to do. And, for people who did like the first album-and
maybe this is just the negative thing in my head-I thought people
would think, 'Why are you remaking an album you already made2
Haven't you thought of any other songs since then?'" Rest assured,
dear fans, she can and does write other songs.
In fact, she recently contributed "It Pulls Me Under" to Ruby
Rose's"Break Free" video, a piece that traces Rose's transformation
from ultra femme to iiber male. "That song was just kind of sitting
around. I'd written it for a Greys Anatomy episode, but it didn't
get used;' Boucher recalls. "When [Ruby] reached out to me, she
only had two days to find some music. I really felt this piece of film
deserved the right music. This is such a better use of the song and
an uncanny fit, emotionally and lyrically:' Boucher is also writing
and rehearsing songs with her Elle Macho bandmates, Lindsay
Jameison and David Mead. "We have about nine songs on the go.
Kind of just slowly working our way toward what will probably
be a new record, but not putting
a ton of pressure on it;' Boucher
says. "I have really tried to make
decisions that have put less pres~
sure on me, so that I don't feel
weighted down, in the hope that
having more space in my life also
opens up something that may
not have happened ifI didn't al~
low room for it:' Invariably, that
space gets filled with things like
coproducing Missy Higgins's last
outing, The Ol' Razzle Dazzle.
This credo of leaving space and
not applying pressure seems to
be serving Boucher well, because
it allows her time for self reflec~
tion about what will come next
on her musical journey. "I am
definitely between ... something.
I am between having dedicated
a good 15 years to the idea of
being a solo artist, and fully im~
mersing myself into being a solo
artist-that
was my focus-and
now ... I think you reach a point
where you're just like, 'Is that
growing? Have I grown out of
that idea?"' She says, "I haven't
scheduled any tours, and I really
am open to whatever comes next.
It's so much work, and it's so hard. But there's no other way of
doing it. If you don't love it, it's a waste of breath and life:'
(butterflyboucher.com) •
SH
t RtCtNTlY
CONTRIBUTtD
"IT
PUllS
MtUNDtR"
TO
RUBY
ROSt'S
"BRtAK
FRtt,"APltCtTHAT
TRACtS
ROSt'S
TRANS
~O
RMATI
ON
~ROM
UlTRA
~tM
MtTO
LiBrn
MAlt.
26
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
REVIEWS/Mu
HOT
LICKS
))BYKELLYMCCARTNEY
& MARCIE
BIANCO
Alabama
Shakes
(Rougn
Traoe
Recoros
/ Remote
Control)
Sound
&Color
Marina
and
theDiamonds
Ontheir second time at
bat, AlabamaShakes
swing for the fences and
knock it clear out of the
park on the fierce, funky,
and fantastic Sound &
Color. The albumfulfills
the vision that Brittany
Howard and company
always had for their bluesy
and soulful Southern rock
band, but just didn't have
the time and moneyto
achieveon their debut, Boys & Girls. Onelisten to "Don't Wanna
Fight,"though, shows just what they are capable of as a band. In
fact, all of the first seventracks on the album stand shoulderto
shoulder in their stunningartistry. After that, things get a little crazy.
Eventhen, AlabamaShakes'talent is never in question... just maybe
their taste. Still, with so many staggeringlygreat sounds on this set,
a couple of wild tangents merely add to its vibrant palette of colors.
It's a major leagueeffort, all the way around.
Welshsinger Marina
Diamandis'third album,
FROOT,
is also her first to
crack the U.S.Billboard
200. Oiamandis'vocals
are as etherealas ever,
but the overarchingbeat
on the albumis noticeably
different from the fevered,
empoweringpitch of her
previouswork, instead
striking a more melodic,
less danceytone. The
electro-beats,particularly in "Forget"and "Better ThanThat,"are
evocativeof '80s pop, for which Oiamandisis known. But this isn't
2013and
why her albumfeels dated. Oiamandisrecorded FROOTin
2014,when angsty,indierock was at its MillennialGirlspeak,and one
year after her sensationalElectraHeartwowed indieaudiences.The
passive,whispered lyrics seemoddly out-of-sync with today's R&B
and pop dominatedworld. Thenagain,this is what fans of Marinaand
the Diamondscan count on. Best playedwhile studyingor driving.
FROOT
(Neon
Gola/
Atlantic)
t.com
gaykeywes.tfLcom
(305)29_4-4603,
"~
IC
BOOl<S»
SUMMER BETWEEN THE
COVERS
Love's
Promises
How Formaland InformalContracts
ShapeAll Kinds ofFamilies
OUR PICKS FOR QUALITY
QUEER GIRL READING.
LOVE'S
PROMISES»
BYMARTHA
M.ERTMAN
(Beacon
Press)
It may sound like a romance novel, but the subtitle of this informative book is "How Formal and
Informal Contracts Shape All Kinds of Families." With the rapid progress of the marriage equality
movement nationwide and around the world, Ertman, a law professor at the University of Maryland,
offers indispensible legal advice to those wanting to form "Plan B" families, i.e. families outside the
norm. In Ertman's view, contracts are vital, especially when our ideas of love and romance may not
dovetail with those of the law. Far from dulling the gloss of a new relationship, "deals" work towards
ensuring its duration and the wellbeing of those involved. Based on her own experience of having a
child with her gay male friend Victor, and then introducing her new female partner into her growing
family unit, Ertman sets out the beneficial aspects of contracts that address adoption, alternative
insemination, cohabitation, caregiving, and co-parenting. For Ertman, the parenting was settled at
around 70 percent/ 30 percent between her and Victor, and addressed everything from childrearing
expenses to etiquette. An engaging read for lesbian newlyweds and moms-to-be. [Merryn Johns]
ON
ELIZABETH
BISHOP
» BYCOLM
TDIBf
N (Princeton
University
Press)
Interest in Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979)enjoyed a renaissance
in the lesbian community with the 2013 release of the film Reaching for the Moon, which documents
Bishop's torrid relationship with the Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares. Now, the esteemed
Irish author Calm T6ibfn has created his own dedication to Bishop. T6ibfn examines the range of
Bishop's work-from her poetry and prose to her personal letters (especially to her best friend Robert
Lowell)-in order to decipher what connects him to the poetry of a mid-20th-century lesbian. T6ibfn
weaves autobiographical moments with biographical ones to understand how and why his life has
been guided by Bishop's poetry. T6ibfn shows the reader how much she was able to say-especially
about her sexuality-by not saying anything at all. Or, at least, not directly. Hers is a language we
might interpret as a kind of "lesbian code." While we may crave even more commentary on her
personal life and sexuality, T6ibfn admirably creates a rich portrait in a slender volume. It's a fine, quick
read and serves as an ambitious introduction to new fans of the poet. [Marcie Bianco]
BEST
LESBIAN
EROTICA
2015
» EDITED
BYLAURA
ANTONIOU
(Clels
Press)
Girlsex in all its glory is on display in Best Lesbian Erotica 2015, a compilation to make even the
most seasoned erotica aficionado blush. From two acquaintances who strike up an email exchange
that grows steadily more steamy, to Arachne taking on the goddess Athena in a sensual weaving
competition, this spicy collection celebrates the complexity, playfulness, downright naughtiness and
ingenuity of girls. If you've been thinking about getting another tattoo, but you're not sure what to get,
read my favorite story in this collection, Beth Wylde's "In My Skin." It gave me a new understanding
of the interplay between pleasure and pain. Tantalizing and seductive, flirtatious and frenetic, these
stories recognize "the changing landscape." Surrounded by "married lesbians, polyamorous bi-dykes,
and genderqueers with neutral pronouns, Laura Antoniou recognizes that "kinky sex that used to
be way in the back is so mainstream that best-seller lists are packed with billionaires putting their
girlfriends in bondage." This collection is better written and much more colorful than all the shades
of gray. Antoniou, the best-selling author of the erotic BDSM series Marketplace, has compiled a
selection of stories that celebrates the complexity and rich variety in girlsex: rough and raw, tender
and sweet, sly and stealthy, wild and intoxicating. Read these stories to rekindle a tired love life or to
discover your wild side. And they're just as good if you're alone and naked in the bathtub, luxuriating in
bubbles, with only your naughty imagination to keep you company. [Julie Harthill Clayton]
28
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
REVIEWS/
BO
HEART'S
SURRENDER
» BYEMMA
WEIMANN
(Viva
Publlshlng)
A hot and spicy Indian curry-you taste it and it blows your mind. This was my first thought when I
started reading Emma Weimann's debut novel, Heart's Surrender, so let me introduce the two main
ingredients in this delicious meal: Sam, a jack-of-all-trades repair person and, above all, a smokinghot butch. And Gillian, a beautiful femme and a widow with two children who has just found out that
her late husband cheated on her. Sam and Gillian meet in a lesbian bar, where they are just looking
for adventure and a night of fun. Their first encounter is an amazing opening to this erotic novel,
but at one point they recognize that what started out as purely a sexual fling could develop into so
much more-if only they could overcome their fears. This is a story with a lot of love and passion,
which will keep you turning the pages. Although it is a quick, easy read, the characters undergo
transformations. Gillian grows beyond her role as wife and mother, learns to stand up to her motherin-law, her circle of acquaintances, and her neighbors, and to fight for her new love. Sam, who has
never let anyone get close, must learn to trust and to give up control. To find her one and only, she
must venture out beyond her comfort zone. I was so happy that Sam learns to enjoy being part of
a family, a family that includes Gillian the hot femme, but also Gillian the mother of her children.
Sometimes it gets quite emotional, but I stuck with the story line, hoping for the best for these two
strong characters. And, of course, I very much enjoyed the sex between Sam and Gillian. Emma
Weimann depicts the erotic scenes very well. Her tasteful descriptions are the spices that warm this
story up. I recommend Heart's Surrender to any woman who loves a sweet romance. [Ruth Hohnke]
BABE
» BYPETRA
COLLINS,
FOREWORD
BYTAVI
GEVINSON
(Prestel)
Canadian photographer Petra Collins, in addition to over 30 international artists, captures "girl
power" in Babe, a new collection that emerged from her online feminist art platform, "The
Ardorous." The book is an homage to the belief that feminism and sexuality are not mutually
exclusive-a belief that pervaded the 1970s feminist movement and reemerged in recent years.
While varying in aesthetics and in artistic genre, the range of images, selected by Collins, capture
the sentiment that women can be sexual, sensual, and feminist at the same time. Each piece
demonstrates the extent to which social media has shaped the making of art in the past decade.
Sandy Kim's photo of a bleeding vagina recalls the campaign to destigmatize menstruation and
remove taboos about talking about it; Mayan Toledano's series of portraits show women intimate
with each other, one in a claw-foot tub, and another in bed. This collection is not for the faint of
heart; it's for the rebel girl who believes in the transformative power of art, and believes that art can
and does offer an antidote to the mainstream media's ideal image of women. In her foreword to the
collection, Rookie magazine founder Tavi Gevinson points out that not every single image will leave
the viewer "feeling immediately empowered." Some of the subject matter, including sexual assault,
is serious, and could prove triggering. "Petra and her fellow artists are not constructing a utopia,"
she writes, "but a nonjudgmental, Sharpie'd-over, vaguely smelly high school bathroom." Even
Collins observes the gravity of some of the artwork, but suggests that part of the "work" of art is to
offer counterpoints to the levity of womanhood portrayed in the media. [Marcie Bianco]
OUT
OF
ORANGE
» BYCLEARY
WOLTERS
(HarperOne)
Orange
istheNewBlackintroduced
theworld
toAlex
Vause.
Nowmeettherealwomanbehindtheglasses.
Karma's a bitch, and no story is one-sided. Last April, Vanity Fair teased us with an excerpt from
Cleary Wolters' forthcoming memoir, Out of Orange. Wolters is called Nora Jansen in Piper
Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black. (On the hit Netflix series based on Kerman's memoir,
she's Alex Vause, played by Laura Prepon.) In Out of Orange, instead of life behind bars as seen
through Kerman's eyes, we get Wolters' viewpoint instead, and it paints a significantly different
picture. Out of Orange is clearly for fans of the TV show, or for anyone who loves a good bit of
lesbian gossip. One difference between Wolters' and Kerman's accounts is that Wolters tells her
side of the story as a response to seeing her history sensationalized on television-including her
stomach-churning horror when she happens to catch a commercial for the Netflix series in 2013
and realizes it was her life that had been written about by her ex-lover. So, not only does Wolters
tell her side of the story, from meeting Piper to smuggling drugs, she also ends the memoir by
thinking about how the show has impacted her life today. This memoir skirts the salacious, and
instead delves into what it means to see your life reflected back at you on the TV (or computer)
screen. "Aside from being tall and gorgeous, Alex didn't have a sister and she was missing some
vital ingredients: regret, contrition, faith and hope," Wolters writes, in pointing out the differences
between her and the dramatized version of her. And it is this question, about how we see ourselves
through another person, or entity, like social media or television, that resonates with all of us living
in the Digital Age. [Marcie Bianco]
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
29
RE
1Ews1BOOKS
THE
ARGONAUTS»
THE
MJUj(jlE
NEI.SON
BYMAGGIE
NELSON
(Graywolf
Press)
Maggie Nelson's highly anticipated memoir, The Argonauts, does not disappoint. This poet-scholar
offers us an expose of her life as an academic, quoting Barthes, Deleuze and Sontag, in a narrative
of how to find and accept love by accepting one's self. Nerds invested in continental philosophy and
psychoanalysis will be gleeful at the citations, as Nelson unpacks the tumult of emotions she feels
while addressing her life partner, now her wife, directly in the early pages. She intersperses these
moments of psychic exploration with sensuous poetry ("Kissing the stomach/ kissing your scarred/
skin boat.") that is evocative of the work of Anne Carson and Luce lrigaray, and bespeaks her previous
creative endeavors. (She's published four books of poetry.) The couple decides on commitment,
marriage, and a baby, which, for Nelson's critically queer sensibility, is fraught with questions about
heteronormativity and societal norms. Nelson is trying to balance an academic career, a relationship,
and a family. None of which is done simply. Questions of how to live are scrutinized without pathos
and with humor. Additionally, Nelson watches her wife begin to transition into manhood-binding
her
chest, taking testosterone (and experiencing the hormonal side effects)-all making for an absolutely
stunning read. By far the most well written and insightful "lesbian" memoir of 2015. [Marcie Bianco]
THE
CAPHENON
» BYFLETCHER
DELANCEY
(Viva
Publlshlng)
Nearly 50 years ago, I was a young kid living in the backwoods. And then Star Trek, with its diverse
crew and a multitude of different cultures, came right into our living room. Science fiction has
been one of my favorite genres ever since, especially after I discovered traces of gender diversity
and strong female characters, when female role models were so sadly missing in real life. Later, I
discovered Fletcher Delancey's fanfiction stories, amazing for their depth and quality. Now, I have the
honor of reviewing Delancey's first published science fiction work: The Caphenon. What if tomorrow
a spaceship entered our world? What if the survival of Earth depended on its crew of strangers? On
the planet Alsea, during a mellow summer night, Lancer Andira Tai gets a history-changing call. Not
only is there other intelligent life in the universe, but it is landing on her planet. The strangers, led by
Captain Ekatya Serrado, have a frightening story to tell. They protected Alsea from being attacked,
but the reprieve was temporary. And the aliens are in for a surprise because the Alseans, though
low-tech, have something unique to offer. The Caphenon excels through meticulous and believable
world-building, and a touch of space opera replete with epic fights for survival. Delancey does a
great job of taking the reader on a journey of "first contact" under duress. This is the first book in
the series Chronicles of A/sea. Delancey makes sure to construct a solid foundation and characters
strong enough to carry a whole series. Her prose lends a strong voice to strong female characters.
I especially liked the wide range of subjects touched upon: religion, ethics, science, politics, and
psychology. Take a journey to a planet so like and so unlike the one we know. [Maria Busch]
DAMAGE
CONTROL
» BYJAE (Viva
Publlshlng)
I first started reading Jae's novels years ago, when she was published by L-Book ePublisher. I loved
her slow exploration of characters in Backwards to Oregon, a tale of the Old West, and how she wrote
with great sensitivity about crime victims in Conflict of Interest. I relished Departure From the Script,
a witty take on Tinseltown in which she plays with preconceived notions of butch and femme. So I
was curious about what her newest novel, Damage Control, which is again set in Hollywood and the
world of movies, would offer. In typical Jae fashion, Damage Control is an interesting mix of character
development, captivating story line, and believable romance. Grace Durand, a famous actress, is
rumored to be a lesbian. She has been photographed in a seemingly compromising situation with
another actress. Fearing for her daughter's reputation, her mother-manager seeks the help of a new
and reputedly stellar publicist, Lauren. Everything is fine until Lauren realizes that Grace is becoming
more than a client. Lauren's professional reputation is at stake, so she needs to decide what to do
about the paparazzi-and Grace's mother. Jae reveals the human side beneath the glitter of Hollywood
and sets the stage for budding romance. An insightful novel that excels in character development and
is masterfully written. [The Book Geek]
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2015
LOSTBOI
» BYSASSAFRAS
LOWREY
(Arsenal
Pulp
Press)
"All bois, except one, become grownups," says Sassafras
Lowrey in the fantastical novel, Lost Bai. Throughout,
Lowrey references the one and only lost boy, Peter Pan.
But this is Pan with a queer twist. Lowrey's Neverland
is filled with outcasts; Pan is the "dom" to his "subs"
and the plot follows Wendi, who becomes the bois'
"mommy," through the eyes of Tootles, Pan's favorite.
If you like kink, BDSM, or enjoy the image of a good
boi licking his daddy's leather boots, this novel is for
you. Pan's relationship with Hook is the stuff of BDSM
dreams. The Mermaids are high femmes and "working
girls," and all of them-even Wendi-struggle to fend
off the Crocodile, which, in this cunning translation,
represents heroin. But the greatest threat to the lost
bois-and to Pan and his queer fantasy world-is
growing up. An original, nonjudgmental commentary
on today's queer landscape. [Marcie Bianco]
ALL
YOU
CAN
EAT
» EDITED
BYR.G.EMANUELLE
&ANDI
MARQUETTE
(Viva
Publishing)
The connection between food and eros is as old as
the hills, but All You Can Eat, a Lambda Literary Award
finalist, puts a nice twist on the association: rather than
use food only as an aphrodisiac, each story celebrates
the power of food to form bonds, show love, and evoke
desire. If these stories leave you hungry, you'll find a
recipe at the end of each of them. There are plenty of
"quickie" erotica collections out there, but I enjoyed All
You Can fat's slow-burn aesthetic-the erotica takes
its time, developing realistic, diverse characters whose
stories you aren't skipping over to get to the good stuff.
Andi Marquette's "Sugar and 'Shine" masterfully tells
an erotic tale about two African American women who
missed their chance for romance in high school and still
carry a torch for each other. If you like your sexy stories
with a dash of realism and a pinch of romance, this
might be just the ticket. [Marisol Cortez]
LGBT
Families
LGBT
FAMILIES
» BYNANCY
J.MEZEY
(SAGE
Publlcatlons)
This comprehensive, academic yet accessible guide
to the shaping of LGBT families follows up on Mezey's
2008 book New Choices, New Families: How Lesbians
Decide about Motherhood. Here, she examines the
challenges faced today by LGBT families, who must
overcome homophobia, heterosexism, and gender
discrimination to thrive. Mezey explains why LGBT
activists focus on marriage equality, and discusses
LGBT relationships, parenting, LGBT children and
youth. Each chapter includes additional resources and
she includes a valuable chapter on intimate partner
violence, concluding with an informed plea to view
LGBT families as beneficial to society. [Melanie Barker]
11 lite
A leader in lesbian adult
entertainment marks its tenth
anniversary with sexy fun.
BY DAR DOWLING
A
decade ago, Pink & White
Productions, along with its
director and founder Shine
Louise Houston, exploded
onto the adult film industry, unleashing
The Crash Pad, their first feature film,
which redefined porn by showing "real
queers, having real sex:' It was epically hot,
dirty, and so very real!
Ten years later, with four features, three
shorts, and two hundred and counting sex
scenes under their belt featuring some of
today's most dynamic performers, including queer adult film stars Jiz Lee, Dylan
Ryan, and Shawn AKA Syd Blakovich,
there is certainly a lot to celebrate. No
one is more excited than Houston, who
watched a glimmer of a dream become
reality, complete with a studio, staff, and
some important extras.
''A measure of success for me was
whether or not I could afford health insurance for myself and my company-and
I
can!" she revealed to Curve.
Houston didn't start out to be a director or a maverick in the queer porn business; she was a Fine Arts major back in
the day. Yet, in many ways it was a natural
evolution of her art making endeavors,
which revolved around sex, voyeurism
and other things. After a few years of
working at the legendary Good Vibrations doing everything from sales to sex
education, and making short experimental films, an idea started to take shape just
as she left her 20s. She wanted to make
porn-queer
porn.
By then, films like Hard Love and How
to Fuck in High Heels had come out, showing how lesbians like to fuck and be fucked,
but new films stopped coming. "Everyone
who was making dyke porn disappeared;'
she says. That didn't sit right with Houston, who realized that lesbians and queers
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2015
REV1Ews1S
were hungry for more, and she wanted to
give it to them with her own unique spin.
"I wanted to create porn that represents
different gender expressions, body types,
and skin colors;' says Houston.
The stars aligned and "all the doors for
porn started to open:' Her life took on a
whole new trajectory, one that fulfilled her
dreams and those of others. "My life went
in a totally different direction;' she says,
thrilled by her life and what she's created.
"I have realized all my dreams for the com~
pany. This has been my day job for quite a
few years now, and a few years ago I hired
our first full time person-Jiz Lee:'
Yes, besides performing, Lee has be~
come Houston's "right~arm queer;' and Lee
couldn't be happier about it.
"Time flies when you're having fun ...
making porn! It's incredible that 10 years
after starring in my first sex scene (The
Crash Pad), I'd be working alongside my
director helping to spread her smart and
sexy films across the world;' says Lee. And
there's more: 'Tm one of her biggest fans
and have had the pleasure of performing
in the majority of her movies over the
years, as well as witnessing her craft as a
filmmaker and business owner grow as
she's found her groove:'
So what kind of boss is Houston? Well
Lee definitely has an answer. "She also
happens to be one of the best bosses I've
ever had, able to balance tight deadlines
with quality down time. Not every boss
invites their employee to play hooky by
going skim~boarding at the beach. Shines
snordaugh is contagious and her film leg~
acy is proof that having fun is a key ele~
ment to great work:'
Part of her legacy is shooting her fifth
feature film SNAPSHOT, and while she
is pretty tight lipped about it she does let
it slip that it's a not~so~traditional roman~
tic thriller, with a slight Hitchcock bent.
This film will feature some brand new tal~
ent; while she loves the people she usually
works with, for the very first time she is
holding an open casting call. "I am excit~
ed about it, and interested in finding new
faces-it's going to be an adventure:' And
the adventure continues with some anni~
versary festivities this summer, including a
wrap party for SNAPSHOT with the cast
and crew, which is also open to the public
who can buy tickets and party like a porn
star. There is also a trip to Berlin's Porn~
filmfestival, where Houston will be pre~
senting a retrospective of her work, as well
as a sneak preview of SNAPSHOT. And
look for her 10th Anniversary Director's
Cut video being released on PinkLabel.tv.
I love a teaser, and Houston doesn't dis~
appoint: she has a new "secret project" in
the works, one that she's not ready to talk
about except to say, "It involves a two way
mirror:' It's a hot summer at Pink & White
Productions, and that's the way it should
be. (pinkwhite.biz) •
JUL/AUG
2015
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33
etflix's best-kept secret
is finally being revealed
to all of the prison babe
loving ladies out there.
Now, we aren't talking
about that show. There happens to be an
Australian wonder in our midst that is
certainly making its mark in the Video
On Demand scene. If you haven't heard
of Wentworth yet, this hot and steamy
prison drama is worth binge watching
immediately. Now in its third season,
Wentworth has a strong female following
Down Under and is gaining fans stateside.
Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) is locked
up while awaiting trial for the murder of
her husband and must learn the ropes and
how life works inside Wentworth Correctional Facility. Crushworthy Franky Doyle
(Nicole da Silva) is the leader of the pack
and attempts to break her while trying to
get in nice and close to warden, Erica Davidson (Leeanna Waisman).
N
How does it feel being part of a
show that is a favorite with the
LGBT community?
It's a really important time for the
LGBT community to be represented,
and for those stories to be heard, and
I'm glad to be a part of that.
How do you feel about 'playing
gay'? Does your role come
naturally?
Embodying
Franky's sexuality came
naturally, but it was never a matter of
just 'playing gay: Although that's a big
part of her identity, it's not her only
defining feature. She's multi-faceted
and complex, and it was important for
me to honor all of her.
Babes Behind Bars
Wentworth, the Australian women's prison drama available
from Netflix, is developing a cult following. Here's the
inside scoop from Nicole da Silva.
BY MICHELINE
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TAWILIAN & LISA TEDESCO
JUL/AUG
2015
We first meet Franky in a lesbian
lovemaking scene. Would you
say you're comfortable doing
explicit lesbian scenes?
Intimate
scenes are nerve-wracking
regardless of who they're with, but
playing Franky is akin to being possessed. She's so sexually commanding
and masterful that I allowed that to
be my focus. Sex is all about power
for Franky.
Shows depicting gay people
weren't always as celebratory as
Wentworth and others that have
been released recently. Do you
think Wentworth would get the
same reaction it is now if it came
out 20 years ago?
Wentworth is a reimagining of the
Australian drama Prisoner: Cell Block
H, which aired 1979~1986.
It was
celebrated back then, so you'd hope
Wentworth would be too. We're more
graphic than the original though, so I
imagine there'd be a lot more contro~
versy surrounding it.
Would you say that sexuality is
much more fluid than we think?
Definitely. I think sexuality is fluid,
and individualistic,
and an important
part of our identities that warrants
celebration. •
HOT
FLICKS
))BYLISATEDESCO
Kittens
inaCage
Tnis
notnew
online
series
issometning
topurr
aoout.
You can never have too many women in prison shows. They're all different and each
suppliesyou with what you want to see: Beautifulwomen behindbars. I took the liberty
of finding you your new favorite and binge-worthy show, Kittens In a Cage, and it's on
an entirely different level to Litchfield. Think John Waters meets Simon Pegg(Shaun of
the Dead). Junie(RebeccaMozo)gets 10-12years in prison for attempted bank robbery
and murder. Sent to the big house she becomes the object of affection of most of the
girls there. There's Vickie, her cellmate and a pyromaniac(Erin Anderson),Barbara the
cannibal (played by writer-director Jillian Armenante), and Jeanine the ax murderer
(RebeccaField).Armed with her ukulele,voice and sassy good looks, Junie is destined
to makea changein the prison with the helpof her pals and attempt an escapeyou won't
want to miss.
"It's a musical,but it's not," says Armenante."It's sci-fl, but it's not. It's lesbian,but it's
not. The relationshipis there and there is just so much morethat makesthis show one of
a kind." "It's a love story between Junieand Vickie;just two people,"says Field.
Before becominga Hulusensation,Kittens in a Cage was a play performed in Seattle
written by KelleenConway Blanchard.The production caughtthe eye of Armenante,and
the project was born. Set in the 1950s,you don't see a lot of period shows with so much crammed into 20-minute episodes.And the acting is
hilarious."We all just makeeach other laughso much," says ErinAnderson."We all just hit it off and are all the closest of friends," says Rebecca
Mozo.Youcan feel the camaraderiein every scene; evenwhen they're trying to kill each other with a shank in the shower or a lobotomy machine
in the warden's office. At the end of the day it's all fun and games.
"I really hadto try and keep my composurewhen Jill put her tits in my face for that Barb-and-Jeaninescene in the prison cafeteria," says Field.
"It took ninetakes. I kept cracking up and she kept saying,'Yougot this, you got this'." Seasonone packs a punch with an abundanceof cameos
from some A-list celebrities alongwith WTF momentsand hilarious backstories for our murderous mistresses, plus a cliffhanger ending. I can't
wait for seasontwo. Kittens in a Cage is streamingon Huluand Vimeo.(kittensinacage.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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35
Boulder Pridefest 2015
One Community
I Many
Identities
Sunday, September 13
11 am - 6 pm I Boulder Central Park
~a,s
•
----Ill
PridefestS
BOULDER
Entertainment
·seer &: W·ine Garden
Big Gay SK
FEATURES/
STYLE
Danielle Sheypuk,
Danielle Maczynski,
and Sebhia Dibra wear
Alternative Apparel, The
Squad, San Diego Hat
Co, and Wicked Shirts
..
,II,
The latest androgynous outfitter is here.
or queer girls looking for cool clothing that fits, retail fash~
ion can be a war zone and the Internet a minefield. Many
of us spend hours scouring the web with few results. Well,
search no longer. The Tomboy Shop-a "destination site for
tomboys" -serves your fashion needs. Growing up as a tomboy,
Rachel Grossinger knew there was a viable market and wanted
BY MARCIE BIANCO
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY GRACE CHU
to support it, as it was her own, so she founded The Tomboy
Shop. "We're here to be an integral part of that and to make the
shopping experience easier for women like us;' she told Curve. 'Td
always wanted a fashion outlet to express myself through what I
wore;' she says, "but nothing existed that fit my style. That's what
The Tomboy Shop is all about. It fills that void:'
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
37
R
ferencing Diane Keaton and
Marlene Dietrich, who are famous for their androgynous
ashion sense, Grossinger says
that being a tomboy is not a new trend.
''Androgynous style is nothing new, and it
would be silly for us to pretend that we're
inventing it;' she observes.
"I do think it's fair to say that today
androgyny is becoming more mainstream
than it was in previous generations, which
is great to see;' she says, noting that both
men and women shop at the site, looking
for brands like Luv Surf and United by
Blue. ''At this point ['tomboy' is] nearly a
gender- or sexuality-neutral term. It's a
gray area that's growing grayer all the time,
and it can mean different things to different people:'
With the popularity of androgyny in
fashion, Grossinger explains, The Tomboy
Shop is unique because it focuses "on the
entire shopping experience, from product
quality to the look and feel of each item.
"Ours is a different type of shopping experience than going on Amazon or eBay.
When someone shops with us or visits
our site, they're ushering themselves into a
niche community geared toward providing
them with the kinds of clothing and accessories they are looking for:'
And The Tomboy Shop has everything
Shi ran Zhavian wears
Dentz Design
Sebhia Dibra and Shi ran Zhavian wear
Alternative Apparel, San Diego Hat Co,
and Dentz Design
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JUL/AUG
2015
FEATURES/ STYLE
you could be searching for, from shirts to
watches, earrings to shoes, bags to belts.
Looking for a chambray porkpie hat?
They've got it! Want a handsome bow tie,
perhaps, in plaid or with polka dots? How
about the ultimate statement tee, tank,
or button down? The Tomboy Shop's got
them, too. They also have a blog written by
Sebhia Dibra, who modeled for this shoot,
and a lookbook with fashion advice and
recommendations about the latest trends
for the tomboy or androgynous person.
( thetomboyshop.com) •
Danielle Sheypuk, Danielle Maczynski,
and Sebhia Dibra wear Topo Designs,
Alternative Apparel, and Nicola and the
Newfoundlander
Danielle Sheypuk wears
Alibaba
Shiran Zhavian wears
Chondashers Apparel
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
39
Wearing The Squad, Alternative Apparel,
San Diego Hat Co, Dentz Design,
Chondashers Apparel, Tomboy Vintage Tees
Danielle Sheypuk and
Danielle Maczynski
wear Alibaba
Danielle Sheypuk wears
Alternative Apparel
and San Diego Hat Co
40
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JUL/AUG
2015
WHAT DOESYOUR DR
EAMWEDDING LOOK
LIKE?WE
SHARETHE COOL AN
D UNIQUE UNIONS OF
SOME QUEER
BRIDES,PLUSTIPS AN
D INSIGHTSFORYOUR
BIG DAY
·C1
...
. ..• . .. ..---.-.-•--t
. . .
r,
Sara Everest and Kate McConnell's destination wedding.
PHOTOS BY RODRIGUEZ
ate proposed to Sara on a boat, on the
final day of a family camping trip in
Maine, but they were wed in Buenos
Aires, Argentina on October 31, 2014
after Curve and Fabulous Weddings' social media search
for a couple seeking a destination wedding. Laetitia Orsetti of Fabulous Weddings was wedding planner and travel guide, settling the couple into the chic Own Hotel in
Buenos Aires' LGBT-centric Palermo Hollywood neighborhood. Kate and Sara were delighted by the locals' hos-
I MANSILLA FOTOGRAFOS
pitality. "Everyone we met raised their glass to us all week,
and they had a lovely way of toasting us while looking us
directly in the eye (sincere, personal, and necessary if the
toasting parties want to avoid bad sex for seven years);' says
Kate. Shop Hop BA sourced bridal outfits-a smart blue
blazer for Kate and a dress for Sara from LuLu Vintage.
Kate discovered that the ring she had proposed to Sara
with was an Argentinean aquamarine, while Sara secretly
engaged the services of jeweler Yanina Fayur to design a
ring for Kate that would complement it. Laetitia took the
couple out to tango, and the next day was an excursion to
the lush and flowering Isla el Descanso, an exclusive estate
and the location for a garden wedding photo shoot. After
exchanging vows the following day at the courthouse in
Buenos Aires, the couple found themselves in a beautiful
courtyard, the wedding party tossing handfuls of rice, and
photographers following them down the street as they
walked arm in arm beneath flowering jacaranda trees. "We
kept hugging and smiling and kissing each other, feeling a
shift in our relationship we could not explain;' says Kate.
"It felt real and important and bigger than we thought it
could feel:' (fab~weddings.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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43
)
~~RYE
A DJ and her college sweetheart get hitched.
PHOTOS BY ERICA CAMILLE
STACY SCHNIEDERMAN,
en's party producer and DJ Whitney Day
Hillary Fortin-Rosenthal tied the knot on
ober 12, 2013 in hip Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The fashion-forward brides wore Vera Wang and Roberto Cavalli. "We met in college when I was 19, and it just
stuck!" says Day. "We both feel very lucky to have found
each other pretty early on in life:'
A DJ who travels widely, Day found her bride-to-bes
engagement ring in Israel. The jeweler also had a store in
Manhattan, so Day had matching wedding bands made.
"We love that they're handmade and unique to us:' Tue
vows were self-penned and polished by their officiant, but
when it came to the cake, the pair couldn't decide so chose
two-chocolate
salted caramel and lemon curd with
citrus buttercream icing, made by Baked in Red Hook,
JUL/AUG
2015
STYLING BY KABIRA DAME,
KATHRYN COSTIGAN
which gives a discount to LGBT couples.
Day did not DJ her own wedding reception but nevertheless the music rocked: funk, soul and Motown, "so the
dance floor was full and everyone danced the night away;'
says Day. "Hillary also surprised me by recording herself
singing one of my favorite songs of all time, 'Come Rain
or Come Shine; and that's the first song we danced to as a
married couple. That was very special to me:'
Fast forward 18 months and married life is a hit. "Marriage has helped us take our commitment and life-sharing
to the next level. We're now living bicoastally in NYC and
LA., so that's been a huge change. We had to purchase a
car, do some adjusting, but it's all been extremely positive
and fulfilling:' As for adding to the family? "For now we're
just continuing to focus on 'us:"
A lesbian photographer's vision for marriage equality.
BY JENNY BLOCK
PHOTOS BY STEPH GRANT
metimes a cup of coffee with a friend is more than
st that. Steph Grant is usually buzzing with ex~
ement over something. But on the day we got to~
gether recently, her excitement was even more pronounced
than usual. She had an idea. "I want to promote love;' she
told me. The next two hours slipped by and when we part~
ed ways that morning, I knew I would be hearing a lot
more about this new idea. And sure enough, after she told
it to graphic designer Dan Bradley, when she wandered
into Bullzerk, his store, on Lower Greenville, Dallas things
took of£ Grant designed the logo. ("Love" is written in her
handwriting.) Bradley printed the shirts. And the night
before the 2015 Dinah Shore, Grant put together a website.
"I stayed up working on it until 3 a.m., and my Uber was
picking me up at 4;' Grant says with a laugh. Her brilliant
idea: to have people take a photo of themselves (in a Promote
Love tee or tank, if they like)-falling in love, connecting with
a relative, volunteering, living a dream, anything, really-then
share their story on lnstagram and hashtag #PromoteLove.
Each week, Grant picks someone's story to share on the Pro~
mote Love website, then she interviews them. The rest-well,
it has its own life, and is making its way across the world, one
love story at a time.
Known for her lesbian wedding photography, much of
which has gone viral, Grant says
she wanted to parlay that success
into something even bigger, to
show that there are all kinds of
love, and all of it deserves celebrat~
ing. She runs Promote Love out of
her small loft in Dallas, mostly her
kitchen, as well as out of her car,
where she almost always has shirts
awaiting their rightful owners.
The shirts and stickers are all
about visibility for the movement,
Grant says. Plus, a portion of the
proceeds will go to a Charity of
the Month, which she will choose
throughout the year. Orders are
coming in from all over the world
and Grant has big plans for 2016,
including traveling in an Airstream,
hosting meet~up events, pop~up
shops, photo booths, and stopping
at Pride events all across the coun~
try. She especially wants to stop in
places where marriage equality is
not yet a reality.
Promote Love is about visibility
for everyone. But creating visibility
for the LGBT community is par~
ticularly close to Grant's heart. As
an out lesbian, she wants nothing
more than to live and love out loud:
"We all have a story. Those stories
are always worth telling. I am a
happier person because I am not
living a lie. I am being true to my~
self and that is a beautiful thing:'
(promotelovemovement.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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45
Tips from a lesbian wedding stylist.
BY KATE SCHAEFER
same~sex marriage legal in over half of the country, and same~sex weddings more prominent and beautiful than ever
ore, LGBT couples are faced with a unique challenge as they plan their weddings: there are no rules! This can leave
des~to~be feeling overwhelmed, or unsure of what traditional elements to include. I'd like to share a few of the lat~
est trends that LGBT couples are nailing! You can throw tradition out the window or you can take a new twist on it. Either way,
your day is about you and your spouse~to~be, and the best way to plan your big day is to stay true to whatever feels the most "you:'
(handhweddings.com)
RAINBOW BRIDE
Because LGBT couples often don't feel tied to the religious mean~
ings in traditional weddings (who wears white for purity?) they
are able to make the day truly about them as a couple. Non~white
attire and colorful jumpsuits and rompers are making major state~
ments on the runways this season, as well as down the aisles, and I
could not be happier. The best part about these pieces is that there
is a style to flatter everyone and they can be worn after the big day.
GO GENDER NEUTRAL
TAKE A SEAT AT THE TABLE
A wedding is about loved ones coming together to support
the happy couple, so why not get to know everyone! No seat~
ing chart or assigned side makes things significantly easier on
the couple because they don't have to worry about who is sit~
ting where, and it can make the wedding more fun - your
grandma might sit next to your best friend who is in drag.
SHINE ON
Using metallics such
as gold or rose gold is
a popular and subtle
way to add a touch
of elegance to your
wedding stationery.
It's also a simple
and effective way
to add dimension
without having to
add another color.
Metallic calligraphy
on your invitations
takes them up a
notch and definitely
makes a statement.
46
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2015
While plenty of lesbian brides still have their maids, and many
grooms still have their groomsmen, removing gender from the
equation makes a wedding so much easier! If you're a groom and
you want your sister in your wedding party, why not have her?
I'm seeing so many amazing weddings that include all genders!
It's really about including the people who love and support you.
Guidance from a gay male jeweler to a questioning bride.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
(
you read my Editor's Letter on page 4, you know that
hoosing a wedding ring was something I hadn't given any
hought to. So after my girlfriend proposed, it's little won~
der we fell down the rabbit hole of Google, searching for rings
everyplace, from Tiffany to Etsy. We were lost, so I decided to call
Rony Tennenbaum, a lovely gay man, jeweler and LGBT equal~
ity advocate. If we were going to do this, we should do it right!
Out, proud, and committed to his husband of 20 years, Rony has
designed innovative rings for LGBT unions before it was fashion~
able or legal. He states on his website: "I believe that society has an
obligation to accept every union, commitment, partnership, and
marriage equally without prejudice or judgment:'
Rony was thrilled about our engagement, excited to help, and
welcomed us to his New York home for a consultation. It was
while sitting on his couch trying to explain what we wanted that
I realized how important his work is. As a lesbian~bride~to~be I
had no clue when it came to the rituals that have been exclusive to
straight people since time immemorial. I'd always loved rings, but
how to choose one as part of a lifelong commitment and not feel
like I had a ball and chain around my finger?
Going into the consultation my fiancee and I had agreed that
we didn't want rings that matched, we didn't want gold, and we
certainly didn't want diamonds. But that evening, we left Rony's
apartment with iPhone photos of-you
guessed it-match~
ing gold bands inset with halfcarat diamonds! How did that
happen? Over the course of an hour, as we tried on numerous
rings, Rony patiently listened to our ramblings, only occasionally
making observations on our skin tone, hand shapes (we had the
same size ring fingers, something we hadn't realized until then),
and the function and proper care of rings.
Most importantly, he gave us a safe and unharried environment
in which to venture beyond our initial concerns
of style and budget, and our fears of conforming
to a tradition that didn't fit us. Gradually, ev~
ery preconception we had vanished. The rings
we favored were from Rony's Fusion line. The
unisex bands in glowing 14 K pink gold were of
practical design and would suit our complex~
ions-and lifestyles. Since we owned no other
gold jewelry, these would be unique in what
they symbolized. The half~carat Princess cut
diamond solitaire in each would represent our
union by making one complete carat between
both rings. Overnight we gazed at the iPhone
photos as though they were pedigree kittens we
hoped to adopt! We were thrilled to wake up
the next day and feel certain of our decision, and enthusiastically
placed our order, feeling sure that-as unexpected as they werethese rings, like us, were meant to be. (ronytennenbaum.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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47
.C
An excerpt from a new lesbian memoir.
BY KELLY FRANKENBERG
PHOTOS BY TRACEY JOY PHOTOGRAPHY
ied to listen to the words the officiant said as my
ind attempted to calm my nerves.
"Kelly, do you take Donna, to love and to
herish, to honor and comfort, in sickness and in
health, in sorrow or in joy, in hardship or ease, to have and
to hold from this day fortht
"I do:'
Donna's short royal blue dress with sequins on the
crossing straps and chest fit her beautifully. My comfortable flip-flops sparkled with jewels that matched the jewels
of my white dress.
"Donna, do you take Kelly, to love and to cherish, to
honor and comfort, in sickness and in health, in sorrow
or in joy, in hardship or ease, to have and to hold from this
day fortht
"I do:'
Donna's niece, Quynh, was the flower girl and wore a
glittery lilac-colored dress. The same color fabric Asian
take-out box purse held her pink and purple rose petals
which she dropped as she walked down the steps. Todd
held a light blue fabric-covered take-out box which housed
the rings.
48
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2015
"May I have the ringst
Todd walked up to the officiant and pulled out the fortune cookie-like ring holder from inside the take-out box.
His second-hand black pants, which were slightly too big,
rested on his black shoes. His blue shirt beneath his black
suit coat matched the fancy take-out box, as my meticulous
planning made sure themes and colors matched.
"Let these rings be forever a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end.
May these rings remind you always of the vows you have
taken here today and may these rings be blessed by the love
with which they are given:'
Donna had forgotten to take off her engagement ring.
She quickly turned to Lori to help pull it off.
"Kelly, will you place this ring on Donna's finger and say
to her, 'Donna, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love
for you:"
I repeated the officiant's words and looked at Donna who
was still turned to Lori trying to get her other ring off. I
then glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw my mother. We weren't in Hawaii, we weren't in a church, but she
was here and that's what mattered.
\J'..-~
Donna finally turned around so I could put the ring on
her finger. "Donna, will you place this ring on Kelly's finger
and say to her, 'Kelly, I give you this ring as a symbol of my
love for you: "
As Donna repeated the words, I looked in her eyes. It
felt official. We were finally getting married. I then turned
to Todd and motioned for him to come forward.
"Todd;' I said. "I want you to know that I love your
mother very much, and I also love you very much. I want
for us to be a happy family together. I promise to love your
mother forever and I promise to also love you forever, too:'
"Todd;' the officiant said, "Do you promise to love and
support your mother and her partner?"
He nodded and said, "I do:'
I placed the blue tungsten ring on his finger. "Do you
like it?" He smiled and nodded more than twice.
"By the authority of God and life itself, and by the day
given to us to live, by the love of friends who honor and
•
(
.C
support this loving relationship and by the hurts and pain
through which your lives have passed alone, by the long
struggle of people for the freedom to love, and by the delight and hope you have found in each other, I recognize
you as united in holy union. You may now embrace:'
Our lips pressed together firmly for a moment before
we wrapped our arms around each other. Donna and I
were now married in every way that was important.
"Let us congratulate Donna and Kelly:'
Clapping filled the porch. Tears and smiles reflected
pieces oflight and matched the glitter shine from our shoes
and dresses. Dad's candle stayed lit throughout the ceremony. And for that moment I forgot about all the holes in
my heart. After the ceremony the smell of Asian food filled
the kitchen. Shrimp and fried noodles. Pork and rice. Egg
rolls and spring rolls. Fish sauce and soy sauce. My mother
approached me, holding a long and skinny box.
"Someone gave this to me at my wedding;' she said.
I opened the box. It was a long serrated gold knife with
a white handle engraved with the word, "Bride:'
'Tm sorry I don't have more to give you;' Mom said with
tears in her eyes.
"No, Mom:' I tried not to cry and hugged her. "You've
given me everything:'
I then looked at Donna. Her mom handed her an envelope. I heard Donna's mom say in Vietnamese that it was
from her father. Donna opened the envelope. Inside were
ten 100-dollar bills. Even though Donna's father didn't
want to come to the ceremony, his gift recognized our
commitment to each other. My smile met Donna's.
When the photos were finished, dinner was over, and
everyone had gone home except Donna, Todd, and me,
I saw my mom resting in the small indoor porch off the
kitchen. She sat in the light pink reclining chair holding
her rosary.
"That was a really nice ceremony;' Mom said.
'Tm sorry it wasn't very religious;' I said.
"No, it didn't need to be;' she said. She paused and
looked out the window and then looked at me.
"We should be able to love whomever we want. It
shouldn't be about sex;' she said.
Donna and I exchanging our vows in front of family and
friends felt like a real wedding. People could see we were in
love. More importantly, my mother could too.
"I made Tom sit on the other side of me though because
when you guys walked down the steps you could see up
everyone's dresses;' Mom said.
"Mom!" I smiled as I bent down to hug her.
(diaryofagaypregnantbride.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
,
49
ti,♦;,, ..............................................
.
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MASCULINITY
MEETS
MATERNITY
Now butch moms-to-be can keep their unique style.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
Vanessa Newman
"Were totally 'queering' motherhood;' says Vanessa Newman,
who, along with her business partner Michelle Janayea, is on a mis~
sion to fuse contemporary androgynous design and maternity wear.
Their new"alternity" line, Butchbaby & Co., will launch a sample of
eight items in August, with a plan to open up its virtual doors to
butch and tomboy mothers~to~be by the end of the year.
Billed as the "first ever alternity wear for pregnant masculine,
transgender, and queer individuals;' Butchbaby & Co. is coming to
fruition at a time when more and more LGBT people are creating
families, and there is increasing demand from the emerging con~
sumer market of LGBT parents.
A few years ago, when she was just a freshman at Columbia Col~
lege in Chicago, the now 20~year~old Newman wondered what it
would mean for her, a black masculine~presenting lesbian, to be~
come a mother. At that time LGBT families were gaining visibility
across the nation, which, Newman said, made her "really excited
about knowing that starting a family with another woman was
something other successful women were doing and I could do too:'
The idea for Butchbaby & Co. was almost instantaneous. ''As I
began to recognize that there were queer mothers;' she observed,
"I also began to see that there weren't any markets catering to
50
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
us-from same~sex advertising or outreach to actual products for
women who may not identify as super feminine:'
Hoping the line will embody a "perfect trifecta between men's
wear, women's wear and pregnancy wear;' Newman explains that
their garments are "intended for any type of individual who wants
to carry a child, regardless of gender identity, presentation, sexual
orientation, class-were inclusive of all child bearers:'
The sample line consists of eight wardrobe essentials: "a button
up, a pullover and jeans for work, a T~shirt, sweats and hoodie to
take it easy on the weekend, and a sports bra and boxer briefs to be
comfortable at any time of the day:' There was a deliberate refusal
of what Newman calls "hyper~feminine colors;' scoop~neck shirts,
and design flourishes like ruffies.
"I think 'butch moms' are definitely going to feel more comfort~
able in both their masculinity but also in their body as it changes
to carry a child;' Newman says. Motherhood is being reimagined
by the queer community; "butch and masculine women will feel
empowered to claim what their idea of motherhood is for them~
selves:' And Butchbaby & Co. is here to make sure that, whatever
your motherhood looks like, it will be comfortable, stylish, and not
compromise your gender expression. (butch baby.co)
HOMEGROWN
Hip Chick Farms puts family food on the table.
BY MELANIE BARKER
Putting healthy food on the table can be a challenge when you're
working moms with small children. But Bay Area~based Hip Chick
Farms, a start~up founded by Serafina Palandech and her wife Jen~
nifer Johnson (former sous chef at Chez Panisse under fresh food
guru Alice Waters), aims to reimagine the frozen products moms
reach for at the end of a busy day and replace them with tasty and
nutritious bites that kids especially will love.
Palandech and Johnson live with their daughter Rubyrose on the
family farm, the Ramblin' Rose, in Sebastopol, California. While
Johnson works as Executive Chef for Ann and Gordon Getty in
San Francisco, Palandech works from home on the Hip Chick
business, sometimes assisted by her four~and~a~halfyear~old
daughter. The product is a way of using her wife's culinary talents
and pairing them with transparently sourced ingredients to solve a
problem for busy families.
"Every kid loves a chicken nugget but every parent is suspicious
about what goes into a chicken nugget;' says Palandech. Hip Chick
Farms offers meatballs, organic chicken fingers, gluten free chick~
en nuggets, and soon, a vegan product. "We use beautifully raised
chickens. We say they only have one bad day;' says Palandech, who,
as a former vegetarian, is committed to raising animals humanely.
Growing up in a suburb of L.A., Palandech never experienced a
connection "between what we ate and where it came from;' noting
that one generation later, her daughter has "no qualms about raising
the turkey she will eat for Thanksgiving:'
A culinary couple in a town that is a hive of natural and artis~
anal food activity, Palandech and Johnson belong to a progressive
community that embraces its many LGBTQ families, which are
increasingly being recognized nationally. Johnson recently cooked
for president Obama at the Getty House and Palandech relates the
story with pride.
"Jen really wanted to meet president Obama, and it was during
the time when he was in the process of re~evaluating marriage
equality, and she wanted to say something to acknowledge that. So
she went up to him and she shook his hand and said, 'President
Obama, my wife and my daughter and I love you; and then they
took the photo and she was stepping away and he reached out and
grabbed her and pulled her back and he said, 'Tell your family that
my family says hey: It was just a moment of mutual respect:'
Big things seem certain for this lesbian family business. Hip
Chick Farms was recently featured on the Food Network's Food
Fortunes and Whole Foods has shown "phenomenal" support. The
product will soon be in 600 stores, from Safeway to Sprouts."We're
growing in leaps and bounds;' says Palandech. Far from wanting a
frozen food empire, she simply wants her family living and work~
ing together. "We do whatever we can to make it work and for the
dream that one day we can all be together-and that Rubyrose can
grow up in a world where being different is celebrated and there's
no punitive actions taken against her for the lifestyle she chooses or
the lifestyle she came from:' (hipchickfarms.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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51
GENEROSITY
THROUGH
GENERATIONS
A gay man's lesbian neighbors promote sustainable living.
BY KENNY COOGAN
w
w
I
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With a flashlight, a pan of biscuits, two bunches of spinach, and
a bottle of wine in hand, we approach a small wooden gate. My
partner, Ryan, flicks open the decorative eye hook.
Although it is only 6:20 p.m., flashlights are mandatory as we
negotiate our neighbors' heavily oak~ and palm~forested backyard.
Although our neighborhood (home of the "Babe" Zaharias Golf
Course) is only a few miles north of Tampa, Fla., it has a rural vibe.
We and our neighbors, Beverly Makovec and Demi Stearns, both
have homes on substantial lots, about an acre each, which is unusu~
al for the area.
Beverly and Demi have been together for 41 years. They met at
a time when women were just entering the landscaping business,
and started out working for an environmental organization. Then,
Demi established herself as a sign painter, with Beverly helping to
prep and break down the gigs. In her day, Demi hand~painted sig~
nage for police stations, cat~sitting services, and public parks, and
has put a name on the stern of many boats and yachts. Nowadays,
both Demi and Beverly are retired; Demi gardens for recreation,
and Beverly does yard maintenance for a few contacts. We have
lived behind them for a year and a hal£
In the center of the backyard, towering over all the other foliage,
stands an elephant ear tree. It was a present, delivered probably 40
years ago by the small bird that deposited a seed. We are careful
to stay on the already trampled ferns, because the rest of the yard
looks like a scene from the Carboniferous Period-a blanket of
lush ferns reaching end to end among the trees. In the daylight, as
52
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
you pass from our lawn to their primitive backyard, the difference
is even more noticeable. Butterflies appear to dance in their patches
of sunlight, as the sun pushes through the canopy.
As we finish the four~minute walk from our backyard to theirs,
we see that the porch light is on. It is bright enough to see their
fenced~in herb and vegetable garden and homemade greenhouse.
Demi's tri~color beet seedlings are just emerging from the cold,
damp soil. Her broccoli, collard greens, Swiss chard, and peas are
perfectly spaced in five raised beds, and they, too, are benefiting
from the cooler weather.
We knock on the back door and see Beverly working in the
kitchen. We have accepted their invitation for yet another Friday
night dinner. Today we are being treated to borscht for the first
time-a vegetarian dish they're making specifically for us. Borscht,
they say, is great for frugal people and cooler days.
Beverly opens the door. "You guys, don't you dare put pants on;'
she jokes, as we both are wearing shorts in the 55~degree weath~
er. Demi joins us from another room and also comments on our
spring apparel.
Beverly takes our biscuits and starts applying butter and garlic.
The borscht is transferred to the middle of the kitchen table, along
with a large serving utensil. Behind it stands a lO~foot drafting
table, which they up~cycled from back when they used to make
signs-before up~cycling was a thing.
"It's hard to find beets fresh off the vine;' Beverly says. We all
laugh together.
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"Beverly doesn't go to our plant talks;' Demi adds, amid the
laughter, as she shakes her head. Demi is referring to the month~
ly gardening talks held at the library, which she and I and Ryan
all attend.
"You didn't let me finish;' Beverly interrupts. "I was going to say,
because they grow underground:' She then explains how to make
borscht and how to find the perfect beets.
Over the course of our dinners, which I can happily say occur
at least weekly, we have learned a wealth of information from our
neighbors. I would visit more often, but Ryan feels that I am be~
ing too clingy, like a raccoon. Between the amusement of discuss~
ing backyard poultry and the competition over whose chickens are
producing more eggs, they have also spoken of the hardships that
the LGBT community has faced.
When Beverly moved here from Cleveland in her teens, being
gay was a crime. In addition to racial discrimination, she witnessed
gays being arrested or harassed by the police. Years later, when
Demi went to the Ringling College of Art and Design, her room~
mate"figured her out" and didn't speak to her for months.
The majority of the time, Beverly and Demi teach us how to be
better stewards of the planet and how to live a more sustainable
life. "You take a fork and gently lift the plant from the soil;' Demi
says, explaining how to remove a delicate seedling from a tray and
transplant it, once it is large enough to handle the Florida climate.
In the winter, they use space heaters to warm their 1930s house,
but both women are often seen indoors wearing long pants, multi~
ple sweaters, and sometimes a knit hat. Ryan and I reckon that if
they can do it, we can at least manage not to turn on the heat in our
house until it gets below 60 degrees.
They have several rain barrels attached to their house to catch
Florida's heavy summer rains. They convinced us to do the same
and to attend a water~wise workshop held by the county extension
office. We now have four rain barrels to help irrigate our year~old
vegetable gardens. Through their horticultural knowledge and
countless donations of materials, we now have four raised vegetable
beds, 10 or more window boxes, two seedling beds, and countless
edible plants.
Throughout dinner, I ask them if they have any extra dog igloos
for our ducks to lay eggs in, and stickers for my students, and a
single AAA battery, and a wicker basket, so I can take pictures of
their kittens in it for an upcoming article I'm writing-all of which
they say yes to.
A few months ago they trapped a feral cat to have it spayed, be~
cause they didn't want feral kittens around the neighborhood. At
the time, they had four cats. Presently, they have seven. Before they
could get it in to the vet, the feral cat gave birth to four kittens,
which they helped raise in order to socialize them, so they could be
adopted out. After two of the four kittens had been adopted, Demi
had to postpone further adoptions, at their veterinarian's request.
The vet had warned them that around Halloween people do stupid
things with black cats.
"It's not like we knew anyone who does sorcery;' Beverly cries
out at us. I place my hand on my chest because I'm laughing so
hard. As the last two kittens stayed at their house longer and lon~
ger, Demi, mostly, became so attached that she finally decided to
keep them.
After the borscht is finished, the kittens, now three months
old, jump into our hosts' laps, placing their pink noses on the ta~
ble. Dinner is now over and in addition to our bottle of wine, they
have opened another. Demi asks us if we want to go to the green~
house and pick up some of the plants she is donating to my sev~
enth~grade students, who are learning about the earth's resources
through a year~long lesson in hydroponics.
"That's OK, we will be back this weekend;' I respond.
"I heard that pumpkin is good for you;' Beverly says, explaining
why she purchased a pumpkin pie for dessert. In addition to the
pie, she brings out three types of cookies, two flavors of frozen
yogurt, Christmas chocolates, and coffee. As she gropes through
the refrigerator, she asks if we need anything else.
After dessert, and another hour or two, we pack up for our trip
home through the woods. Before we leave, Demi finds some bread
and leftovers for a mother raccoon and her three babies-they've
been tapping on the back door during dinner.
In our hands, we carry our flashlights, a mostly empty bottle of
wine, a AAA battery, and a few of our leftover biscuits. A quarter
of the way through the woods, we hear Demi saying, "Wait! Wait!
Beverly wants to pay you for the spinach:' We decline, as they
have been so generous.
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
53
OUR
ANIMAL
FAMILY
Animal cruelty is rampant, but the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
is a powerful force in animal protection.
BY TIFFANY CERIDWEN LOWANA
Just an hour before I start to write this piece, my cat dies. It is
sudden and saps the air out of me like a tidal wave. How am I go~
ing to write this? The same way that the Communications staff at
the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) would: In the
thick of animal cruelty and animal death, they are not stricken to
the point of inertia-they know they have to keep going, just keep
going for the animals.
Powerhouse Communications duo Erica Martin and Kerry Bra~
non are the voice of IFA W, one of the largest animal welfare organi~
zations in the world. Both the victories and the anguish fortify their
drive. Media Relations Manager Branon, who has been with IFAW
for more than 12 years, says,"You're right-lots of bad news comes
across our desks on a regular basis. It can be overwhelming. I even
find that I don't want to watch the news at night because I need a
break from it all. What keeps me going is that I know we make a
difference. I try to stay focused on the victories .. .like implementing
a ban on seal products in all 28 EU countries, or the destruction of
ivory stockpiles in China, the U.S., France, and Belgium:'
Branon's toughest day on the job?''Last Memorial Day weekend,
I went to a failing animal sanctuary in New York State to move
about 20 dangerous wild animals to new homes across the coun~
try. It was devastating. They were literally starving. This was one of
those days where it's heartbreaking to be in the business of animal
protection. But it reinvigorated the passion within me to do every~
thing I can to save even more animals:'
IFAW surfaced in 1969, largely through the vision and inspira~
tion of Brian Davies, whose goal was to end Canada's commercial
54
CURVE
JUL/AUG
2015
baby seal hunt. What Davies began with a couple of his mates in
the Canadian province of New Brunswick has morphed into a dy~
namic organization that now has almost 300 staff members in 15
countries worldwide; today, they are at work on projects in more
than 40 countries. (IFAW gives renewed meaning to Margaret
Mead's decades~old call to action "Never doubt that a small group
of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's
the only thing that ever has:')
Erica Martin, IFA W's Vice President of Communications, says
it's all in their approach. "What makes us so effective is that we are
international, with local expertise and leadership in all of our field
offices. We use our hands~on projects on the ground to inform and
influence policy... when finding solutions, we make decisions that
benefit both animals and people. We are somewhat unique in that
we rescue individual animals as well as preserve habitat and popu~
lations, and we work from a crisis right through to policy change,
which can take years or decades:' IF AW professionals with special~
ist knowledge in different areas are also a linchpin-from
veteri~
narians and biologists to campaigners and administrative staff.
Though they try to employ all the delicacy of high~wire artists,
how do they get people to empathize with animals, and thereby
help them? "Photos and video are very important to convey a mes~
sage;' says Branon."In our case, I don't think we could do our work
without them. We need to see the problem and the solution, but we
can't all travel the world to see this for ourselves:'
Branon may well be right when she tells me that "Children really
are our future and, more specifically, the key to a better future for
======-·r-,♦;,,-======
1
F= A M" ";:cL !::I
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animals. Young children seem to have a natural affinity toward animals, and if we can harness that caring and compassion, and create
ambassadors, they will create change. My 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, is crazy about animals:' The daughter she co-parents with her
spouse, Lisa, can differentiate between whale species and is impatient to learn more. "With this type of curiosity in mind, we develop
a comprehensive curriculum and share it with students and teachers around the world. Children learn about animal characteristics,
behavior, and biology through lessons, hands-on activities, and a
companion video:' The program is called Animal Action Education
and 5 to 7 million students participate in it each year.
''As an animal welfare organization, we recognize that animals
have intrinsic value-value in their own right, whether or not they
give anything to us-and that they are sentient beings that feel
pleasure, pain, and fear;' says Martin. "We make decisions about
how we should treat animals based on sound science about animal
well-being and the ethical treatment of animals:' Branon says that
some IFAW staff members are vegan. Veganism challenges cognitive dissonance, effectively splintering an animal hierarchy. It makes
the connection that if animals feel pain, and fear, then they will feel
pain and fear when they lose their lives to fill our plates.
Is there a difference between a cat and, say, an elephant? Not
for IF AW. Its campaigns focus on six priority areas: animal rescue,
wildlife trade, education, whales, dogs and cats, and elephants. Like
most companion animals, my cat had a name. An elephant in India
has one too. "I will never forget being told that Soni, an elephant
calf orphan that I was fortunate enough to spend time with in India, had reunited with a wild elephant herd after her release. That
was a very proud moment;' says Martin.
"We have chosen animals and areas of work in which we have
expertise;' explains Branon. "We see a gap among the other animal
and conservation organizations, and we know that we can motivate
a large number of people to help push forward a positive, lasting
change for animals:'
Why is there so much cruelty toward animals? "Perhaps sometimes animals are seen as objects or property, rather than as individual sentient beings;' says Martin, "and this can lead to cruelty. And
then there is greed. One elephant dies about every 15 minutes for
its ivory. It's as coveted as white gold, fetching astronomical prices on the black market. Yet few of those who deal in ivory stop to
think that it has to be carved out of the dead face of an elephant:'
The Fund in IF AW is a reminder that it is through funding that
its work gets done. "Our original founders knew that they would
need money to be successful. The same remains true today;' Martin says. "We are animals' voices and their stewards ... to rescue and
protect animals requires excellent staff, good technology, offices,
research and development-all of which requires funding. The one
consistent measure we take very seriously is using our resources in
the most efficient and effective way-we owe that to our donors:'
And they get results. "We can't be in all places at all times, but people can trust us to do what we say we will do:'
I ask Branon whether she thinks that minority groups have
greater empathy for other minority groups. "Maybe you are a bit
more receptive to other minorities because you know what it feels
like to be marginalized. I think some of that is at play when it
comes to lesbians and animals, but probably more prominent is our
nurturing nature. Whether moms or not, our instincts generally
lead us to care for others:' She then lets this sentiment speak for
itsel£ "In January this year, we received a request from a community in northern Ontario to build houses for dogs that were living
outdoors and at risk of freezing:' Alongside IFA W and a couple of
other organizations, "a group of passionate lesbians joined forces to
build more than 30 houses to keep dogs warm in the frigid north:'
IFAW is on call 24/7 to rescue animals worldwide. Branon recalls her time in Louisiana a week after Hurricane Katrina hit in
2005. "The whole city was flooded. We ran the boat-based water
rescue, pulling up to houses and schools on the list known to have
animals inside. Then we knocked down doors and broke windows
to get the animals out. Some people were still hanging on, refusing
to leave until their pets were safe, so we rescued them too. It was a
very emotional experience:'
Martin glows, indomitable: "In 10 years, the large-scale commercial killing of wild animals like seals and whales should have been
relegated to the history books. I truly love my job. However, our
vision is for a world where animals are respected and protectedso in a way it is my dream to make our jobs redundant!" For now,
though, IFAW headquarters is humming with new projects. One
day they could be working on orphaned bear cubs in Russia, and
the next, whales in Antarctica. No two days are ever the same, says
Branon."It seems that animals need us all the time:' (ifaw.org)
JUL/AUG
2015
CURVE
55
♦
n entire generation of lesbians knows Lea
A
DeLaria as Big Boo from the hit Netflix series
OrangeIs the New Black. But while Boo is most
certainly an alter ego, there is so much more
to Lea DeLaria than her badass, bulky-butch screen
projection. Originally from Belleville, Ill., and with an
Italian-Catholic heritage that gives her a brimstone edge,
DeLaria has always been bigger than life, busting out of
her shell at an early age to embark on a performing career
that now spans 33 years. She came out in 1993 on The
Arsenio Hall Show, making her the first comedian to come
out on late night TV, and she has been vocal ever since
about being "a biiiiiiiig dyke." Two books, two comedy
albums, six jazz albums (the latest one is out in July),
countless TV, movie, and theater performances later-not
to mention a fierce social media presence-she
is riding
the crest of a pop culture wave. But as you'll see from
this interview, DeLaria is not the latest lesbian thing. This
butch stud is at the top of her game, and the time has
never been better to look at the world through her eyes.
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You just celebrated your 57th birthday. Is
this going to be the best year ever:
I don't do that. I don't set myself up to fall
like that, it's really ridiculous. When people
do that, I just want to say,"Why don't you
just step in front of a truck:"' I live what I
call a jazz lifestyle, and by that I mean tak~
ing things as they come, the way you have to
when you're singing jazz. I try not to have
any expectations.
Speaking of jazz, your new album House
of David is coming out.
FEATUREstCOVER
It's 12 jazz covers of David Bowie tunes!
What makes it different in the world of jazz
albums is that I don't just do the American
Songbook. I do unique and unusual songs,
but with the language of jazz. I'll be touring
out on weekends because we're also filming
during that time. We got a bunch of stuff
already booked.
On Season 3 of Orange Is the New Black,
you're brought in as a regular. Is this a Big
Boo comeback:
I was always a full~time cast member, but
now I'm a regular. I don't think I disappeared
in the second season. I have way more screen
time in the second season than I do in the
first season. Season 1 was Everybody Gets
to Know Ya. I think Season 3 is the best
season yet. I think a lot of us feel that way.
We love Season 3.
Do we see a different side of Big Boo:
Anything new you can reveal for those
who haven'tyet bingewatched the season:
I'm not at liberty to discuss that, sweetie.
Read Esquire's review, what do they say?
STORY
Well, I had to try! What about this role,
though-did you find the part of Big Boo,
or did the part find you:
The part found me, because there wasn't
really a Big Boo in the show. They wrote
the part for me. [Orange Is the New Black
creator] Jenji [Kohan] felt that I was every~
thing that she needed the show to be, but
they didn't have a character in this show that
was me. They took a very small character
that wasn't really going to be in it at all and
extended it and wrote it for me and now I'm
a regular.
She's hard as nails but inside she's a cream
puff: Which is the perfect way to describe
any butch you know. And that's a personal
victory for me, because I've spent my whole
life trying to put a positive face on what it
means to be butch-in
the face of much
adversity, I must say-because not even in
my own community do I get support for
that, not even from queer people do I get
support for that. Queer people are more
inclined to support transmen than they are
butches-not
that there's anything wrong
with supporting transmen. All I'm saying is
nelly fag and butch dyke still bear the brunt
of animosity in society, and especially from
our own community.
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Your career took off in the '80s. How
have things changed?
I started in 1982 in San Francisco. I
was incredibly popular, I quit my day job
and was supporting myself as a comic in
San Francisco, that's how popular I was.
But you can't really make a living there,
so I moved to the East Coast, to New
York, which naturally took me to Boston
and Provincetown, where I was making a
great living. People were coming from all
over the country because it was the only
real gay resort. Provincetown was the place
where you could go and stay with only gay
people-dance,
party, drink, you know.
So, in some respects that did open me up
to a wider audience. But I think even more
than that was the women's music circuit
that I was on. I played all of them, and at the
time there was only me and Kate Clinton.
We both started at the same time. It wasn't
until 1989 that all these other bitches came
out of the woodwork. And gay men stand~
up comics.
What was your comedy like at that time?
Because it was during the AIDS crisis.
The AIDS era was some of my biggest
angry stand~up. I was very angry in the '80s.
When I first performed, I wasn't even Lea
DeLaria. I was That Fucking Dyke. I had
to change my name because people would
FEATUREstCOVER
scream "fucking dyke!" at me on the street
and I didn't know if they were fans or not.
In 1993, you appeared on The Arsenio
Hall Show. That was a watershed mo~
ment for you and your career.
For me and for any other queer comic,
because that was the first time anybody on
American television was an openly gay com~
ic-being funny and talking about being
gay.
What kind of feedback did you receive?
I killed! I brought the house down. I be~
came a regular on The Arsenio Hall Show.
His show was taken off the air a year later,
but I was on four times during that year.
Do you think lesbians, as they're repre~
sented by the media and in culture, have
changed?
Most media, and especially in the enter~
tainment industry, is about selling a prod~
uct. So you always have to be leery of what
they're going to say about you in the me~
dia, how lesbians are represented, because
they're using our image to sell a product.
We were basically nonexistent in the '80s,
and then when we were portrayed it was in
a bad way. Most lesbian movies at the time,
you know, the lesbians always slept with
men. And then that changed in the early
'90s with lipstick lesbians, or "lesbian chic"
is what the mainstream media called it.
We've always had lipstick lesbians. We
just called them femme! In the latter
part of the '80s, lipstick lesbian became
very popular, lesbians themselves start~
ed moving more away from the idea of
butch~femme to the idea of androgyny, to
where we all kind of looked alike. I never
fell for that crap. That's who I am. And
that's kind of where we existed in the '90s
for a while, with this image that had been
usurped from us by men trying to sell a
product. And we lived it, and it gave us
The L Word.
What about butch representation?
When a butch was shown or portrayed
in any way, she was stupid, she was a truck
driver, she beat up her girlfriend, she got in
fights in bars. And then when we changed
the century, that's when the mainstreaming
of who we are started happening, so there
STORY
were these kinds of "proper lesbians"
that were out there, and they really
wanted to shove butch under the
carpet.
ed to not be one of the loved ones. Which is
why I have been at a gig in Northampton,
Massachusetts, and protested by the Reli~
gious Right and lesbians at the same time.
Do you think Big Boo is creating a
space for butch identity in popular
culture?
Big Boo might be the first real
person that is butch that has ever
been portrayed in any mainstream
media. That's one of the reasons
I'm really thrilled to be playing her.
"Why do you want to look like a
man?" If I have to answer that fuck~
ing question one more time-and by
my own people. And they also did it
to our girlfriends, the femmes: "You
know, this is a dyke bar?'"'That's why
I'm goin' in!" When people refer to
us as a community I just laugh, be~
cause we're not a community, we're
a bunch of factionalized individuals
and groups that don't trust each oth~
er. Until we start embracing our dif
ferences, we are never going to gain
our rights. That is the No. 1 issue.
We all need to shut the fuck up and
listen to each other and accept what
other people think. At first, it was
gay men hating dykes, then it was
the dykes always whining about gay
men-but through the AIDS crisis
the dykes taught the gay men how to
be political, and the gay men taught
the dykes how to make a joke once in
a while. So we came together in the
early part of the '90s, but now, be~
cause of mainstream assimilationist
wannabe queers who usurped our
movement in the early part of the
century, we're back to where we were
before. That comes down to class.
I've been around a long time watching this.
You announced your engagement in Feb~
ruary by posting a photo of Liza Minnelli
and David Gest's wedding, but hilariously,
they were Photoshopped out and you and
Chelsea Fairless are in their place, flanked
by Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson!
Why that image?
It's possibly the campiest wedding picture
of all time. How could anybody forget it2
It's unbelievable. And then we added "The
Greatest Love of All" playing in a loop be~
hind it. Why:> Because my fiancee and I are
both really funny, campy people, that's all.
And we love a good piece of camp. Chelsea
is a fashion editor. She's a show business ad~
jacent, as we would say. Her job requires her
to have a really strong wit. Between the two
of us, we spend a lot of time laughing. That
announcement, you can just see what our
wedding is going to be like. We're not going
to have a traditional wedding at all. It's going
to be crazy fun.
As a comic you've used the stage to draw
attention to these issues.
That's my role as commentator. It's never
been my idea that I should be an icon or a
role model, like Rosie or Ellen. These are
other words that people apply to me. What
is important to me is not to be this person
that keeps everybody happy. Because if
you're a role model, you have to toe a polit~
ical line. That's not me. I'm more like Scott
Thompson [The Kids in the Hall] or Sandra
Bernhard-we're trying to effect a change in
this planet. As a social commentator, I need~
You also posted it might be "ashit show:'
We said, "It'll be the event of the season,
or a shit show:'
Have you set a date for the wedding?
It'll be in the summer or fall of next year.
Because I want to invite the cast [of Orange],
and we film in the summer~fall, and there's
no way we could get a wedding together this
year. That way we can invite Laura Prepon,
Lori Petty, Taryn Manning, Jenji, and Lisa
Vinnecour, who we adore. They all live in
L.A. and they'll be here working.
Did you ever see yourself getting married?
No, I always thought it was stupid, and I
still think it's stupid-that's just me. I don't
think anybody should get married. But the
reality is, once my accountant explained my
tax breaks to me, and my fiancee is very sue~
cessful in her field but has no insurance, and
my union, SAG, has the best insurance in
the world and they recognize gay couplesand there it is. It's become more of a prac~
tical thing, rather than the romantic thing
that people think of it as. But as long as so~
ciety sets it up that you get a break if you're
married, I don't know why I wouldn't. And
the other thing is, we are perfect together. If
you ever saw us together you'd get it.
JUL/AUG
2015
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FEATURES/
THE L LIST
f all you know about the Indigo
Girls is "Closer to Fine" and maybe
"Power of Two;' then you don't really
know the Indigo Girls. Yes, harmony-drenched acoustic anthems of empowerment and equality fill their catalog, but
so do fist-pumping calls to action. That's
because Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have
always honored both sides of the folk-rock
equation. One replay of Come On Now
Social or Swamp Ophelia will testify to that.
And that even-handed approach continues on their feisty new album, One Lost
Day. For the Indigo Girls, their musical
equilibrium reflects their personal balance
of yin and yang, in an 'opposites attract' way.
'J\my and I are really polar opposites,
in terms of our personalities and even our
tastes;' Saliers says. "It's remarkable that
weve worked together like this for so long.
Obviously, that must be part of the reason
why:'
Indeed, it's been 28 years since the Indigo Girls issued their debut album, Strange
Fire, and they've known each other for another 10 years or so on top of that. Across
those decades, they have released
12 studio albums (not counting a
Christmas set), with One Lost Day
being lucky number 13. They have
sold millions of records and played
thousands of shows. So, what does
Saliers think about the fans who
have made all of that possible? "I
know that they keep showing up,
and they're loyal as hell, and they're
fun and they're deep;' she says.
'J\nd I have such gratitude. Even
though I don't interact a lot, interpersonally, with the fans, because
I'm a bit more of an introvert, every
day that we play a show I am truly
grateful to our fans:'
That fan base, which rests on
a solid LGBT foundation, has
evolved considerably over the years. Now,
even 40-something straight dudes are coming out as Indigo Girls fans. Over the years,
Ray says shes had such friends, who would
confess to her in private that they were fans
but beg not to be outed publicly as such.
She laughs about it now, saying, "They
didn't mean anything by it. They would get
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2015
tormented and get called a 'lesbian' all the
time, which is the worst thing you can be
called if you're a straight white guy, right?
"So I feel like now things have progressed
to the point where we have this generation
of men who wouldn't say it before, but now
admit that they are fans. And then we have
a younger generation of guys, like Justin
Vernon [from Bon Iver] and his buddies,
who I know, who talk about it all the time.
Justin, everybody he likes is like Michelle
Malone, Indigo Girls-it's all lesbian artists
from our era. He doesn't even bat an eye.
It would never even occur to him that it
would be weird. I love that:'
When your audience reaches that far
and that wide, theres no way to please all
the people all the time. So, in true Indigo
Girls style, Saliers and Ray just try to please
themselves by staying true to themselves.
"Of course, it means something to me that
the fans like the music;' says Saliers, "but I
think if I were to get into thinking about
that, it would completely derail my writing
process. It'd be done before it started, because it has to come from a pure place of my
own spirit and observation. I feel like one of
the reasons why Amy and I have been able
to keep a nice career going, and integrity in
the music, and fun and all that stuff is that
we haven't changed anything, ever. And I
feel like if I started thinking about what
people might like when I'm writing, then
I would be chasing opinions, and the true
song wouldn't come through:'
But fans shouldn't take that personally,
because, in fact, they don't really even try to
please each other. As Ray puts it, 'Tm sure
Emily has songs of mine that are her favorites and songs she doesn't like as much. We
don't really talk about that anymore. It used
to be that we felt like we needed to tell each
other that. Then we realized, Why? Why
do that? It's silly:'
Saliers adds, "I think, in the past I've had
to have a lot more reassurance about my
songs than I do now. I just felt very clear
that this group of songs was exactly true to
what I wanted to say,and certainly reflective
of my time in life right now and my experience. So I just felt confident that they were
songs that were worth being heard. I'm not
saying they could be measured up against
anything else and compared to my old
work, or Amy's, or anyone else's. I just felt
like, Yep, these are the songs that tell what
I want to tell. So I had very little worries
about how they were being perceived:'
She continues, "I also felt like, Well, this
is Jordan [Brooke Hamlin], a new producer. We're going to have some new
players. We have a new engineer.
Were going to record where we
haven't worked before. I sort of felt
like anything could happen, and I
felt really excited about that. And
very relaxed. I didn't feel any anxiety about approaching this record
at all:'
The exuberance the Indigo
Girls feel for their craft and their
fans is palpable on One Lost Day
and in every show they perform.
It's a remarkable feat this far into a
career, when a lot of artists would
choose to coast or even call it a
day. Not Ray and Saliers. "When
the time came to make this new
record, we had a burning desire
to make a new record, and weve crossed
the 50 mark, so I think that's pretty good;'
Saliers says. "Were still relevant and were
still working as hard as we ever have. And
that feels awesome to me. I love Amy with
all my heart. And I love working with
her. There aren't any signs of stopping:'
(indigogirls.com) •
-
FEATURES/
TRAVtEL
ALL IN THEFAMILY
The two biggest names in LGBTtravel combine forces for the ultimate vacation.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
ith Olivia Travel the pioneer
in travel for gay women, and R
Family Vacations the leader in
LGBT family getaways, a collaboration between the two companies is sure
to produce a new experience-and
one
that Olivia's president and founder, Judy
Dlugacz, describes as "the greatest vacation
we can conjure up:'
"We wanted to do a family and friends
vacation for the entire LGBT community,
and the best way to do that was to partner
with another great company with the same
values;' says Dlugacz. "R Family is that
company. We are old friends and both of us
think and breathe service, great programming, and entertainment-along
with love
for our community first and foremost:'
Kelli Carpenter, who heads up R Family
Vacations with Gregg Kaminsky, is equally
enthusiastic about the new venture. "We
had been in discussions with Olivia for a
couple of years, developing a plan for our
brands to come together to create a spectacular product;' she says. "For R Family
Vacations, it allows us an opportunity to
partner with a company that has over 30
years' experience in the travel world in order
to grow our brand to the next level:'
W
If you're familiar with either brand, you
know that each offers the trip-of a-lifetime
experience, with dedicated teams, activity-packed itineraries, and signature entertainment. The value of lesbian-only travel
will merge with the Everyone Is Welcome
motto, which embraces all types of families,
genders, and sexualities. Carpenter believes
this is "the new face of LGBT travel:' She
notes that she and Kaminsky have "always
wanted our vacations to reflect our personal lives. We travel with each other, my kids,
and our friends. There will always be people in the LGBT community who prefer to
travel with just gay men or lesbians. This is
different. This is for everyone. This is the
LGBT vacation that is for you, but now
you can bring your family and friendsstraight or gay-with you:'
For their inaugural family and friends
outing in July 2016, Dlugacz and Carpenter chose the Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. "Olivia has been
renting the entire Hard Rock Vallarta for
many years, so we know the club really
well;' says Dlugacz. "It is an amazing property right on the Pacific Coast, with giant
swimming pools and a great kids' program,
which we will enhance as only R Family
and Olivia can do. It is also a Four Diamond hotel, so the accommodations are
quite luxurious, with five restaurants at the
resort. There is also an incredible $1,800
credit per room for spa and excursions, and
much more:'
Mexico now recognizes same-sex marriage, and Carpenter notes that Puerto Vallarta is a gay-friendly town, easy to reach
from most major cities, and Hard Rock is a
trusted brand that has invested in expanding its kids' programming.
Still a year out, the resort is booking
fast. "We have just announced this joint
vacation and we are already 25 percent
full!" exclaims Dlugacz. "Gay dads, lesbian
moms, aunts, uncles, grandparents, kids of
all ages-and our families of choice-come
and play for a week. We promise you an
amazing experience!"
"This will be the biggest LGBT family
resort vacation ever offered;' says Carpenter. And into the future:'
"We all hope that this will be a very successful first vacation together, so that we
can do more. We truly are a perfect match
to make these trips the ultimate in family
and friends experiences;' says Dlugacz.
(olivia.com and rfamilyvacations.com)
JUL/AUG
2015
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65
-
THROUGH
IRISHEYES
The Emerald Isle says 'Yes' to equality, and always did.
BY GILLIAN KENDALL
T
he news that Ireland passed a vote
legalizing gay marriage on May 23the first country in the world to do
so by plebiscite-is good news for
anyone who cares about freedom. And it's
one more reason why Ireland is my favorite
place in the Northern Hemisphere.
As anyone who has spent five minutes on
any Irish tourism website knows, craic is a
Gaelic word, meaning'good time;' or, specifically,"good time in a pub, involving drinking and live music:' It's pronounced "crack;'
and one of the synonyms for "fun-loving
person" is "ho;' so when I arrived in Ireland
I told the immigration authorities at Passport Control that I was visiting their country as a "craicho:' Ho, ho, ho!
Irish people sing and socialize as naturally as other people breathe. On a Sunday
night at The Moorings, a guesthouse on the
coast in County Kerry whose pub is famous
for its "trad music" nights, 50 or so people
of all ages and styles of dress were talking,
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2015
drinking, and singing together in one largebut-cozy red-walled room. Everyone but
me seemed to know all the words to the
Irish songs. Everyone but me was unselfconscious and unafraid. Everyone but me
looked-and sounded-terrific.
The professional musicians sat in a circle
in a corner of the crowded pub, where they
were joined by several people who were
obviously not professionals, but who were
singing just for pleasure. At least, I thought
it was pleasure, except for one particular
petite, redheaded woman who, I thought,
looked sad, maybe tearful.
I sat with a handful of American and
Irish friends. Everyone else in my group
was straight, and I wondered if everyone in
the pub was, too.
Still, the cider was good, the rounds
came often, and I could gaze unashamedly
at one of the most beautiful women in the
pub, since she was the lead singer. Claire
Horgan is a curvy, dark-haired, blue-eyed
alto, and I was hoping she might be thinking of different pronouns for the old-fashioned love ballads she sang.
As I was settling into a cider-fueled nostalgia for past and distant loves, the singers
took a break, and Claire Horgan-yes!wandered over to my side and asked a
friendly question. Despite a desire to flutter my eyelashes, I realized that she wasn't
flirting, just being nice to a visitor. I told her
what a great time I was having, but mentioned my concern about the woeful-looking redhead.
Claire Horgan-internationally
known
musician-said
something gentle about
the lady being "special needs;' and went on
chatting.
During the next set, looking carefully,
I noticed that several of the people sitting
and singing with the band did indeed have
the slightly lost, out-of-place expression of
those whose intelligence has not formed
in time with their bodies. But despite their
CAPE
COD
MASSACHUSETTS
differences, they were at the heart of the ac~
tion, and the good time. Despite her profes~
sional status and considerable fame, Claire
Horgan was sharing music with them as
friends and equals. Craic, it seemed, was for
everyone.
That evening, I began a wonderful
month in the south and west of Ireland,
where I made friends in every pub I went
into. In Irish pubs, people of different sexes,
orientations, ages, and races mix in a way
we never do in American bars. It doesn't
matter who's queer, and almost everyone's
gay in the old~fashioned sense.
That night, as I joined in the singing as
best I could, I was moved by the warmth
of the Irish people: The people I met that
night in The Bridge Bar at The Moorings
in County Kerry judged men (and worn~
en!) not by the color of their skin, their
sexual identification, or their IQ scores,
but by the depth of their heart and, may~
be, by their willingness to sing openly.
(ireland.com)
LOCAL LESBIAN: PATRICIA GENDRE
This gay Dublin-based tour guide with a French
accent and French flair offers day trips and multiday
tours around her adopted country. Ireland is a traditionally conservative country, she says, and only in
the last several decades have gay rights and culture
been openly considered. Most of Ireland's big towns
have queer-friendly pubs or clubs, according to
Gendre, and while there are no spaces specifically
for women, she recently joined a women's social
networking club in Dublin named Running Amach,
which organizes a different meet-up every week.
mencas 1rst
estination
Travelers are more than welcome. Dublin's gay resource center is Outhouse, centrally located at 105
Capel St. For the great Gay-lie craic, try The George
(89 South Great George's St.), or Pantibar (7-8 Capel
St.) and The Dragon (more disco than pub, plus
"drag racing," at 64 South Great George's St.). Also
check out the chic Front Lounge pub (33-34, Parliament St.), and on Saturday nights, across the street,
the new "Mother" disco/ house party. (Contact
Patricia at patriciagendre@hotmail.fr)
l~I
Ptowntourism.com
Downloadyour
free app today!
iPtown
-
Your Provincetown.
r"
,I.
"
D!III
-
PARADISE
FOUND
A verdant corner of Hawai'i's Big Island welcomes romantic lesbians.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
S
ame-sex marriage has been legal in
Hawai'i since December 2013, and
the Aloha State is at the top of my
list for preferred honeymoon destinations around the nation. The Big Island had
long been recommended to me as the least
touristy of islands, but I was not aware of its
size and considerable geographical diversity.
There's a lot to see here-lush rainforests,
ancient and recent lava fields, volcanic cliffs
that plunge into black sand beaches, and
white sand beaches visited by surfers and
green sea turtles. When I visited last fall,
the Big Island was experiencing volcanic
eruptions and lava flows to the southeast.
Even though the locals dealt with this
natural occurrence calmly and philosophically (the Fire Goddess Pele just doing her
thing), I was somewhat relieved to be headed in the opposite direction, to the Kohala
Coast, situated on a round peninsula that
pops out of the top of the island like the
head of a sea turtle. Only a 20-minute drive
north of Kona International Airport, along
the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway-sapphire-blue ocean on one side, and dramatic
charcoal-colored lava fields on the otheris the beautifully manicured collection of
resorts that form the Kohala Coast. With
endless sunsets, sea vistas, and luxurious
spa treatments, it's heaven for newlyweds.
WHERE TO STAY
Before you choose from among my favorite places, it's worth noting that there
are numerous properties at different price
points and with various amenities along the
Kohala Coast, and the resort association
promotes them all harmoniously. No matter where you stay, be aware of your neighbors and see what they're offering! My first
lodgings were at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel
& Bungalows (MaunaLani.com). This imposing beachfront resort has everything you
need and, most importantly, it has its own
natural beachfront for swimming and seaside recreation. Once you're settled in, and
before you pick up a Mai Tai poolside, take
a historic tour of Kalahuipua'a with Mauna Lani's cultural historian, Danny Akaka.
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You don't even have to leave this sprawling
property to immerse yourself in the unique
and beautiful flora, trails, and ponds, or explore the nearby lava tubes (used by ancient
Hawaiians for shelter and to make tools),
or peruse rare petroglyphs. Danny tells
wonderful stories full of islander lore, and
if you don't already know, ask him why you
should always leave shells, coral, and lava
rocks right where they are and not smuggle
them home in your luggage.
Hilton Waikoloa Village (Hilton Waikoloa Village.com) is called a village for a
reason. This vast property, set on over 60
acres, with four distinct sections-a Grand
Promenade, Lagoon Tower, Palace Tower,
and Ocean Tower-joined by tram and canal transportation, is like a Hawaiian Disneyland. If you've brought the kids, even
the most jaded tot will have plenty of fun
distractions. And it's very nice for adults,
too. Conceived of on an epic scale, the ame-
FEATURES/
nities include a number of eateries, pools, a
dolphin habitat, tennis courts, golf courses,
and a beautiful sandy saltwater lagoon for
swimming, snorkeling, and boating. Here
you can while away the day sitting in a
partially submerged deck chair, watching
a variety of tropical fish swim around your
ankles! I stayed in a Makai Oceanside suite
in the Lagoon Tower, where I fell asleep
each evening to the gentle sound of trade
winds in the palm trees. Constructed as a
series of pavilions, Waikoloa Village also
functions as Hawai'i's largest hotel art mu~
seum. I took a private Pacific art tour with
the exceedingly knowledgeable Marcia Ray,
the hotel's art curator, along a mile~long
museum walkway studded with 1,800
works from Asian, Western and Oceanic
cultures, and valued at more than $7 mil~
lion. The piece de resistance is a white mar~
ble Buddha measuring 100 feet tall sitting
out on the aptly named Buddha Point!
For five~star, five~diamond luxury the
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai may be be~
yond many brides' budgets, but its glory
cannot be overlooked (FourSeasons.com/
Hualalai). This exclusive oceanfront prop~
erty in a transcendent setting that inspires
romance is about as perfect as it gets as
the place to take your vows with a view, or
celebrate your love. Swim with the fish in
the King's Pond. Play like a champion on
the Jack Nicklaus golf course. Laze in a ca~
bana on the gorgeous beach out front, and
wade into the caressing water to experience
a brush with a friendly green sea turtle!
Hualalai frequently tops magazine lists of
the world's best resorts, and for good rea~
son: The ambience as well as the service
is impeccable, and every detail has been
thoroughly thought through. The sooth~
ing and harmonious atmosphere, which
is apparent as soon as you enter the plan~
tation~style lobby, attracts the discerning
traveler looking for a low~key yet luxurious
respite resplendent with local flavor. Wisely,
the Four Seasons has paid attention to the
architecture and landscaping, incorporating
indigenous Hawaiian materials such as lo~
cal timbers, lava rock, and bamboo.
WHERETO EAT
When I visited, the Kohala Coast offered
one perfect dining experience after the next,
each eatery determined to serve the best the
island has to offer. The CanoeHouse at the
Mauna Lani is situated oceanfront and at
an angle to take in a brilliant sunset framed
by swaying palm trees. If you're staying at
the Mauna Lani, it will be hard not to want
to eat here every night, so good are the sur~
roundings and the bill of fare. Try the sus~
tainable, pan~roasted Big Island abalone,
or the local catch crusted with macadamia
nuts, and salads featuringjuicy, fresh toma~
toes from nearby Waimea.
TRAVtEL
Another quintessentially Hawaiian way
of doing dinner is a lii'au. The Sunset Lii'au
at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort &
Spa (WaikoloaBeachMarriott.com) is like
one big family geMogether. This beauti~
ful property, with rolling lawns and views
over Anaeho'omalu Bay, is the setting for
a Hawaiian alfresco group dinner, part
smorgasbord, part barbecue, with tradi~
tional Hawaiian dishes from salads to roast
pork (cooked in hot ashes in the ground)
and an open bar with tropical cocktails.
Entertainment begins at sunset with a cho~
reographed journey through the Pacific cul~
tures of Tahiti, New Zealand, Hawai'i, and
Samoa. The stories and songs are charming
and the Samoan fire dance is badass.
Many dining establishments take ad~
vantage of the postcard~perfect sunsets on
the northwest peninsula of the Big Island,
but the Kamuela Provision Company in
the Lagoon Tower of the Hilton Waiko~
loa Village rates a special mention-not
only for its fresh seafood options but for its
wine list, which has won a Wine Spectator
Award twice. Try to nab an outdoor table,
cliff~side, and sup on the Chilled Ocean
Sampler, with its poached jumbo shrimp,
Pacific oysters, and local poke (similar to
ceviche).
To splurge, dinner at 'ULU Ocean Grill
& Sushi Lounge at the Four Seasons Re~
sort Hualalai (uluoceangrill.com) is a must.
This beachfront seafood restaurant has
world~class ambience, top~notch service,
and innovative cuisine based on regional,
seasonal, and artisanal produce. It's desti~
nation and date night dining for locals, and
with good reason: Executive chef Massimo
Falsini works with more than 160 farm~
ers and fishermen on the Big Island, all of
JUL/AUG
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whom are leaders in sustainable dining, and
75 percent of the cuisine at 'ULU is locally produced. This is where I dined on my
last night on the Kohala Coast. Gazing at
the fading sunset as flaming torches lit up
the beach, then taking an after-dinner stroll
on the soft sand under a blaze of stars, is a
memory fit for a honeymoon.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
If you can, begin your visit to the island
with an early morning Floating Yoga session at The Fairmont Orchid (fairmont.
com/ orchid-hawaii). Under the guidance
of my patient female instructor I felt my
stress and tension drip away. This Flo-Yo
takes place on a paddleboard in calm Pauoa
Bay in front of the Fairmont's Beach Shack.
(Also the place to learn standup paddleboarding with attentive Orchid Beach Club
water experts, many of whom are women.)
A highly recommended way to work out
your core after your flight, and connect with
your beautiful environment. I didn't stay at
The Fairmont, but I wandered through its
32 tranquil and impressive acres-and
hope to return one day, if only to experience
the Spa Without Walls!
To really get out on the ocean, take a
Champagne Sunset Sail with Ocean Sports
(HawaiiOceanSports.com). The mesmerizing sapphire sea against a backdrop of the
island's rolling green hills is a sight I won't
soon forget. You may be lucky enough to
catch sight of dolphins and whales, but
you'll definitely experience a Kohala Coast
sunset while sipping unlimited bubbles
poured for you by the friendly crew.
If you're shopping for souvenirs, or need
to pick up a bikini, sarong, or flip flops, the
Kings' Shops at Waikoloa Beach Resort
has a good selection. Grab a bite while
you're there at The Three Fat Pigs & The
Thirsty Wolf (TheThreeFatPigs.com),
chef Ippy Aiona's lakeside restaurant, featuring hearty, fresh Euro- Pacific cuisine.
If it's your anniversary or honeymoon, book a Hulali Apothecary Treatment at Hualalai Spa, Hualalai Resort
(HualalaiResort.com). This is a splurgenaturally, it's the Four Seasons!-but
it's
undoubtedly the best body scrub I have
ever experienced. My treatment was a
personalized blend of local ingredients I
selected in consultation with my beauty
practitioner at The Apothecary. The black
lava salt, hibiscus, crushed macadamia
nuts, cocoa nibs, and coconut-scented oil
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CURVE
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created an exfoliation that left my skin
baby smooth and sparkling.
If you aren't staying at the lovely, breezy,
modernist Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
(MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com), drop in to
wander through and peruse its collection
of precious artworks. Local historian Patty
Cook graciously took the time to inform
me of how the property came to be (it was
ahead of its time), and the mission behind
Laurance S. Rockefeller's 1,600-piece art
collection from Asia and the Pacific. The
most artistically treasured piece in the collection is also a Buddha-this
one made
from pink granite and sculpted in seventh-century India.
No matter where you stay, it's worth
pulling yourself away from its amenities
to take a short drive to the nearby white
sandy beach at Hapuna Beach State Park.
Heavenly tranquility, crystal clear water.
GETTING THERE
Hawaiian Airlines (HawaiianAirlines.
com) flies to Honolulu, where you can
take a connecting flight to Kona International Airport. Avis Car Rental is your
best bet for getting around the island.
FEATURES/
-
TRAVtEL
PROGRESSIVE
PRAGUE
From the Mezipatra Film Festival to absurdist art, the Czech capital proudly paves its own path.
BY KELSY CHAUVIN
P
rague is a picturesque city whose
worn cobblestones only hint at its
long, rich history. With its Gothic
spires and brooding
medieval
architecture, it could be mistaken for a metropolis lost in the past. In reality, however,
the Czech capital is a thoroughly modern
destination that, yes, prizes its time-tested
landmarks, but also puts forth the face of
the future.
From the Zizkov TV Tower to the
eye-catching public art adorning the cityscape, Prague has a certain stylistic audacity
befitting the home of the Velvet Revolution. Back in 1989, the Czech Republic was
ready for a new dawn. Twenty-six years
later, the Czech people command artistic
sensibilities that express both irreverence
and tolerance.
Naturally, the LGBT community fits
beautifully into that bold spirit, and the
Mezipatra Queer Film Festival (mezipatra.
cz/ en) is at its heart. A decade before the
first Prague Pride, this festival was bravely
screening gay-centric films. Mezipatra was
launched in 2000 in Brno, the second-largest Czech city, and still takes place both
there and in Prague every November.
The festival has grown steadily since the
early days: In 2014, about 12,000 enthusiastic attendees viewed both documentaries
and narrative fiction, both short and feature
films. Filmmakers often attend, telling their
communities' diverse stories from places
like Russia, Brazil, South Korea, Australia,
Venezuela, and beyond. (FYI, all films are
screened with English translations.)
Larisa Blichovi, the festival's publicity
director, says 2014 brought a welcome wave
of special guests and perspectives.
"We tried-as
we do every year-to
have more lesbian and transgender films. It
is hard to find enough of them;' says Blichovi. "Our international guests were very special in 2014. A highlight was hosting writer
Eli Leven and transgender actress Saga
Becker, who brought their movie Something
Must Break. The film won our main prize,
and Becker [went on to win the Best Actress Award at the Guldbagge ceremony,
Sweden's Oscars]. We were very happy we
met them and that our jury honored this
JUL/AUG
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special film. We think it's a great moment
for transgender actors:'
The film screenings are just part of what
makes Mezipatra stand out among all the
great LGBT events across Europe.
"It's also about socializing, meeting new
people, meeting authors, and perhaps learning new things, while attending discussions
and other events;' says Blichovi. "We have a
nice 'off' program-with
chill outs, parties
with international music, brunches, filmmaker conversations:'
Prague of course offers plenty of yearround queer events, along with its fair share
of cool, friendly bars, restaurants, and cafes.
Lucia Kajankova, Mezipatra's program
director, recommends her favorite watering
holes: "The hidden gems in Old Town are
two queer cafe-bars, Q Cafe (q-cafe.cz/ en/)
and Erra (cafeerra.cz);' she says."Or you can
travel 15 minutes outside the city center to
hip Vinohrady and visit Piano (Milesovska
10) or the new lesbian bar Sapfo (sapfo.cz).
If you're a lesbian who likes beer, take a tour
of the Staropramen Brewery (pivovary-staropramen.cz), or try the country's best at
the legendary U Zlateho Tygra beer hall
(uzlatehotygra.cz/ en):'
Old Town ("Stare Mesto" in Czech) is
the main tourist area, as well as the place
to immerse yourself in the centuries-old
atmosphere of romantic Prague. There
you'll find world-famous landmarks like the
Charles Bridge (circa 1357), the Astronomical Clock (1410), the Powder Gate (1475),
and the gorgeous 1905 Art-Nouveau/
Art- Deco Municipal House (obecnidum.
cz/en).
A walking tour with the boys from
Prague4Gay (prague4gay.com) is a great
way to take it all in-along with some great
LGBT history. Partners Petr Prokopfc and
Trevor Sage offer group and individual
tours that offer both popular and less famous tales of the city. If you're lucky, they'll
take you to one of Old Town's coolest gay
spots, Cafe Cafe (cafe-cafe.cz), where you
can recharge on coffee and baked treats.
Prague4Gay's website serves as a great
resource for queer gatherings, like the
monthly lesbian Freedom party (facebook.
com/freedomnight.cz),
usually held at
the thumping P.M. Club (pmclub.net).
The lez-centric dive JampaDampa (jampadampal.webnode.cz) is a versatile club
hosting burlesque, karaoke, and theme
nights.
And then there's Pride (praguepride.cz/
en). This year, the festivities will take over
Prague from August 10 to 16, celebrating
the great strides made toward global LGBT
equality and gay rights.
Prague Pride is "a touch of punk, a touch
of professionalism, all-around inspiration;'
proclaims its website. The organization
goes on to express the spirit of this courageous community in what could be the universal LGBT maxim for the people: "So our
youth is not afraid and the majority just get
used to it:'
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FEATURES/
TRAVt.__E_L_
TAKE A SIDETRIP TO BERLIN
For those who've
always longed to
visit New York in the
seamy 1970s, your
time capsule awaits.
Berlin has long
been a bastion of all
things funky, sultry,
and underground,
and today that
chic aloofness has
its own appeal for
queer travelers.
Tuesday night's
"Disco Girl" at
Mobel-Olfe (moebel-olfe.de) packs 'em in at this small dive bar,
which is housed in a former furniture store. In fact, the bar took
its name from the store ("mobel" means "furniture; "Olfe" was
the designer's name), because, conveniently, it already had a big
bright sign. Internationally roaming DJ Mary Ocher (maryocher.
com) usually sets the tone for a few hundred flirty Berliners who
barely have the floor space to dance, much less get to the bar ...
but who cares because some sexy girl will probably just order
for you. It's that kind of place, in that kind of city.
There are several reliable sources that keep the pulse of the
city and will point you to good lesbian-Berlin parties. Top among
them are Siegessau/e magazine (siegessaeule.de) and its city
guide, Out in Berlin (out-in-berlin.de), which publish in German
and English, and L-MAG (I-mag.de), whose website can be
translated online.
Along with the irresistible tourist sights of Berlin-the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the murals on the amazing
East Side Gallery (eastsidegallery-berlin.de), a section of the
Berlin Wall-any good queer won't miss the Schwules Museum
(schwulesmuseum.de) in the gay 'hood of Kreuzberg. And rightfully so; after all, the engrossing Gay Museum opened in 1985,
and is the only dedicated LGBT museum in the world.
While you're in the neighborhood, grab a coffee at the oldschool lesbian cafe Begine (begine.de), or head to cute Sissi
(sissi-berlin.de), one of many gay-owned restaurants in the
neighborhood of Nollendorfplatz-once
the home of Cabaret
author Christopher Isherwood. Back then, Berlin was naughty
and secretive. Today, that legendary naughtiness is right out
where we can all enjoy it.
HOW TO GET THERE
Travel between Prague and Berlin is a scenic opportunity. Sure,
a flight will zip you there, but why go through all that airport
rigmarole when you have such easy-access train stations in both
cities, affordable rates, and the ability to book ahead with Euraii,
which also sells passes for train travel across Europe. So climb
aboard and kick back. (eurail.com)
Where
best
can you
that
offer?
go to find
Southern
Follow
your
the
California
dreams
very
has to
to
a city
unlike any other. Where the legendary
Sunset
Strip
meets
the
stylish
West
Hollywood Design District. Where eclectic
dining
meets
everything
electric
nightlife.
that's conventional,
and mundane
Leave
expected
at home, and go big, go
bold, go WeHo. visitwesthollywoodcom
•
visitwest holl,Ywood
-
QUEER
CATALONIA
Barcelona and Sitges offer the quintessential Spanish adventure.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
few years ago, when I told a friend I
was planning a romantic vacation in
Paris, she said, "No, go to Barcelona
instead!" When I finally did visit the
second most populated city in Spain-and
the capital of Catalonia-I
was delighted
even beyond her recommendation. The
largest metropolis on the Mediterranean,
and a very busy seaport, Barcelona has absorbed countless cultural influences while
maintaining its distinct Catalonian identity.
The ideal of independence and self-governance is palpable in Barcelona-from
its
distinctive cuisine, to its idiosyncratic art
and architecture, to Catalan nationalism,
which is expressed by a majority of the
population, judging by the red-and-gold
Catalan flags displayed everywhere.
A
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WHERE TO STAY
WHERETO EAT
The gayest place in town is the Axel Hotel (axelhotels.com), which proudly flies
the rainbow flag. This boutique hotel and
urban spa may be a little heavy on the hotand-buff gay-boy imagery, but the property
welcomes all (it bills itself as "heterofriendly"). The chic amenities include a wellness
club for bodycentric guests, a Sky Bar on
the terrace with charming neighborhood
views, and an outdoor plunge pool and
hot tub perfect for flirting at sunset. Conveniently located on the Carrer di\ribau,
which connects you to some of Barcelona's
"eat streets;' this is a sophisticated choice of
accommodation. The Axel Barcelona is so
popular that the chain is opening a sister
property, Two Hotel, this summer.
Or, where not to eat? You cannot go
wrong in Barcelona, with its dazzling array
of tapas and market-fresh dining experiences. For something hands-on-and
a fun
way to immerse yourself in culinary Catalan pride-try
a cooking class with your
girl at Espai Boisa (espaiboisa.com). A cab
ride from the Axel Hotel, this makes a perfect lunch date. The classes are in English,
and you will be guided by a charismatic-yet-friendly Spanish chef who introduces you to 100 percent organic cuisine made
with local and seasonal ingredients. I'm
pleased to relay that I learned how to make
(from scratch) authentic paella (the secret is
in the base, or sofrito ). Espai Boisa is unlike
any other cooking class. Here you will learn
important kitchen ethics such as hygiene,
respect for ingredients, and fraternity in the
kitchen (this is a great romantic experience,
assisted by the making of a cocktail while
you cook: white sangria made with cava,
or Spanish champagne!). Espai Boisa promotes Catalan gastronomy using the best
ingredients and wines from rural Barcelona. On the menu the day I participated-in
addition to paella-was codfish with tomatoes, raisins, and pine nuts; watermelon
gazpacho; a potato and onion tortilla, and
to finish, Catalan cream (similar to a creme
bnllee). Highly recommended.
For a lunch where you don't have to
do any cooking, try QU-QU Restaurant
(ququrestaurant.es), which will put you
right on La Rambla, the tree-lined shopping artery of Barcelona. Decorated in
quirky Catalan style, QU-QU is casual
dining, with bites such as stuffed olives, anchovies, fried squid, Iberian croquettes, and
charcuterie. Or try your luck at many of the
markets and eateries along La Rambla.
For dinner, there is a very palatable group
of five restaurants in Barcelona known as
Mussol (look out for the owl logo). One is
an easy walk from the Axel Hotel. Mussol
specializes in popular, earthy Catalan cuisine such as rustic fried eggs with acornfed Iberco ham (mussolrestaurant.com). A
tip: Don't expect to eat lunch and dinner
on your usual schedule-mealtimes
here
are around three hours later than in the
English-speaking world. For heaven's sake,
don't go in search of Starbucks or Sprite:
The local coffee is delici6s, and a glass of
wine with your meal is a much better bet
than soda.
WHATTO SEE AND DO
One of the "queerest" things about
Barcelona is its architecture; specifically,
the buildings created by Antoni Gaudi.
This extraordinary Catalan architect is
responsible for some of the most fantastical buildings on earth. Start with Park
Guell (parkguell.cat/ en), which is a kind
of Disneyland of Gaudi, and worth a visit
if you want to immerse yourself in his vision. The most iconic Gaudi structure is La
Sagrada Familia (sagradafamilia.org), the
eyeball-bending basilica that made Gaudi
world famous. There really is nothing like
it-not even if you stood outside a Gothic cathedral and dropped some acid. You
do not have to be religious to admire this
expression of Christianity as a struggle between matter and spirit.
To experience what it might have been
like to live in a Gaudi structure, take the
official "Modernisme" tour by Barcelona
Walking Tours (barcelonaturisme.cat).
Casa Batll6 (casabatllo.es/ en) is a block of
apartments commissioned by the wealthy
aristocrat Josep Batll6, who wanted something completely different, and boy did
he get it! This building displays Gaudi's
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beachside tapas, and wander through the
historic streets. You'll be wishing the walls
could talk during your guided tour of the
Maricel Palace, which was built between
1913 and 1918 by the millionaire Charles
Deering to house his art collections-and
more than a little intrigue (museusdesitg~
es.com). Reward yourself with a long, lazy
lunch at Pie Nie (restaurantpicnic.com),
where you can enjoy tasty seafood tapas,
then work it off by exploring some of the
17 sand beaches nearby.
Stay overnight at the Melia Hotel (melia.
com/ es), a grand, white~stepped pyramid
with spacious rooms that boast their own
balconies, and lovely views of the ocean and
town. Dinner anywhere along the ocean~
front is good, but for a romantic evening,
Restaurante Fragata is my pick.
LOCAL LESBIAN:
CELINA KOEKENBIER
Barcelona has its own magazine and
website for Spanish-speaking lesbians
and bisexual/bicurious women from
Spain and Latin America, MagLes.
Its editor, Celina Koekenbier, highly
recommends that U.S. lesbians visit
during summer for Girlie Circuit in
Barcelona, the Girlicious monthly
parties, Melon Party Barcelona, Fulanita VIP Madrid, the OlaGirls Festival
in Alicante, and of course Barcelona,
Madrid, and Mas Palomas Prides.
(maglesrivista.com)
WHERE THE GIRLS ARE
humor: Its structure-especially
the roof,
which glitters with a mosaic of glass tiles
-looks like a dragon collided with some
fairytale turrets. The fa;:ade resembles a
pond covered with water lilies, the balconies
look like carnival masks, and the interior is
nothing short of trippy, with its organic Art
Nouveau shapes mimicking various natural
shapes, from shells, to bones, to trees.
For more outdoorsy pleasures, the wine
country of the Penedes is less than an hour
away by car. At the Jean Leon Winery
(jeanleon.com), you can take a guided tour,
enjoy a wine tasting in a chic ambience, and
learn why the French winemaker and Bev~
erly Hills restaurateur Jean Leon chose this
part of the world over all others in which to
grow grapes and make fine wines.
Continue on for a half hour to the mag~
ical and luminous Mediterranean town
of Sitges (sitgestur.com), a queer~friend~
ly place to promenade, sunbathe, enjoy
In Sitges, pick up the gay map, which will
direct you to a number of LGBT bars and
nightspots where you can dance the night
away in true Catalan fashion. Barcelona is
the gay capital of Spain, and while I was
there I dined at the charming, old~world
Flamant Restaurant (flamantrestaurant.
com) with Joan Igual, vice~president of
ACEGAL (Business Association for Gays
and Lesbians of Catalonia) and Pride
Barcelona. Throughout the year, there are
many LGBT events, such as SNOW Pride
in the Catalan Pyrenees in January and
Pride Barcelona (pridebarcelona.org) in
June, plus you can take a tour with Rain~
bow Barcelona Tours (rainbowbarcelona.
com) any time of the year; it's the very first
private tour company for the LGBT com~
munity in Barcelona.
La Sue BCN is a lesbian nightclub on
Calle Villarroel, run by local lesbian Sue
Santiago, and is part of a lesbian renaissance
of business owners, artists, singers, writers,
and others, contribut~
ing to a vibrant lesbian
community. The club,
according to Santiago,
provides "the right en~
vironment where local
and international lesbian artists can exhibit
their art, present their books, teach their
workshops, perform their monologues, and
also play sports' tournaments;' says Sue,
who will be coordinating this year's Bar~
celona Pride Parade. "Don't forget to pop
by La Sue BCN to enjoy our house drink,
Mojito Moreno, and relax!"
LAST LOOK/
CROSSWO
ACROSS
1.
4.
Wedding _
Bledel
She plays Alex in Orange /s
the New Black, Laura_
35. LGBT advocate in Congress
from Wisconsin, Tammy_
6.
Longing
7.
Good wood for floors
36. Tense (2 words)
Actor, model, DJ and TV
personality headlining "Girls
with Flair" at Austin's SXSW (2
words)
37. Refusal
8.
Bottled water brand
39. Viral ideas or pictures
38. Yes in Spain
9.
Winged figure
39. One of the most successful
coaches in women's hockey,
Shannon
13. Cocktail addition
40. Laughter on the internet,
abbreviation
10. Movement that started in
the '90s emphasizing female
and youth empowerment (2
words)
42. Mountain top
43. Kisses in reverse?
14.
41. Harry Potter's best friend
di-dah
44. Beachy stuff
15. Flop
46. Music genre
17. Show
48. Side
18. Road on a GPS, abbr.
11. Crime fighting lesbian duo
with a web series (goes with
47 across)
45. The Voice contestant who
released her debut EP Boomerang, Kristen_
20. Valentine's Day period, for
short
12. Give in
47. See 11across
22. Sing the praises of
16. Romantic getaway option
48. Get brown on the beach
23. "Pow!"
17. LGBT Oregon governor, Kate
50. Has a little Manhattan
19. "_ Wiedersehen"
51. The L Word star, Clementine
24. Character with a lesbian
wedding, in an old Friends
episode
21. Skirt feature
23. Author of Dykes to Watch Out
For comic strip
52. Romantic verses
49. Rogers' state
25. Affectionate dogs
27. Stand-up comedian of Tinder
Live! fame (2 words)
DOWN
26. Eye color
29. Take a_ check, polite
phrase when declining a date
28. Place to get a little tipsy
1.
Sara Gilbert's partner
30. Notorious killer of Cleopatra
2.
Secretly split to unite?
31. Ellen's wife
3.
U.R.L. ending
33. "Fuel" performer_
5.
Let loose
34. She plays Kitty in Jenny's
32. ER actor who came out
Bello
side
DiFranco
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-
CALIFORNIA
DREAMING
Lesbian wedding bells are ringing at one Santa Barbara resort.
BY KELSY CHAUVIN
dream wedding requires one part fantasy, two parts reality-one for the
couple and one for the location. Many
couples embark on their nuptial planning with images of storybook romance
dancing in their heads, only to find the picturesque venues heavily booked and the
others far from photogenic. Throw in the
lesbian factor and a whole different set of
stumbling blocks might emerge.
But sometimes, for lucky brideMo-be,
reality turns out to be even better than they
imagined. For Natalie and Allison Yallouz,
tying the knot marked not just their union,
after seven years of couplehood, but the
convergence of their shared wedding ideals-thanks to their finding the perfect place
to exchange their vows. Enter Santa Barbara, a matrimonial hotspot. Its near-perfect
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weather and idyllic location on the Southern California coast create a serene setting
surrounded by palm trees and ocean breezes. And while several resorts cater to couples, few can match both the locale and the
LG BT-friendly appeal of El Encanto by Belmond (belmond.com/ el-encanto-santa-barbara/luxury-hotel).
Perched high in the hills above Santa
Barbara, the resort dates back to the 19 lOs,
but its original cottages and villas have been
converted to fine hotel accommodations. A
decade ago, the luxury hotel company Belmond (then called Orient-Express) took
over the property, renovating the property,
refurbishing its original architectural details,
and adding a diffside swimming pool and
boutique spa. Today, the resort is one of the
city's most beautiful lodging options, with
sweeping Pacific Ocean views and lush green
gardens.
True to the Belmond mission, lesbian
and gay travelers are made to feel especially
welcome. So it's no wonder that the Yallouzes found a warm reception when they came
to the hotel from their home in Woodland
Hills for a scouting visit.
"When you are two women looking at
potential wedding venues together, you
definitely want to make sure you are comfortable with the staff at the venue, and vice
versa;' says Allison, 29. "The second we met
with El Encanto's event director, we were
comfortable-and
we were assured that
the resort welcomed the idea of two women
getting married there ... We found that larger
resorts didn't offer the intimate feeling that
Belmond El Encanto did:'
FEATURES/
TRAVtEL
The couple found that no other venue
could compete with El Encanto.
'i\.t other locations we looked at, there
were multiple weddings taking place at the
same time, which to us took away from our
special day;' says Natalie, 31. "While Bel~
mond El Encanto isn't on the beach, the view
trumps any resort that's directly on the sand.
You could see out to the Channel Islands
and beyond-it's breathtaking. The rooms
give you so much privacy, you feel like you
have your own little condo for the weekend:'
A wedding experience is also contextual,
so jaunts to nearby city sights like the 1786
landmark Mission Santa Barbara or the
stunning Santa Barbara Courthouse are as
easy as checking out an electric bike to ride
down the hill. Shopping and dining out are
big in this well~heeled town, and State Street
offers you miles of opportunity, whether
you're on a spree or just a stroll. Drop by les~
bian~owned Jill's Place (jillsplacesb.com) for
steak, seafood, and wines direct from nearby
vineyards, or hit the super~friendly Sun~
day~night gay party at the Wildcat Lounge
(wildcatlounge.com).
At any wedding, the ambience is meant
to feel charmed. For Allison and Natalie, the
feeling struck them in an instant at El En~
canto.
"The second we stepped foot on the prop~
erty we fell in love;' says Allison. "We imme~
diately knew this was the place where we
were going to say'I do:"
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TLOOKtSTARS
Summer Love
With Mars in lovestruck Cancer and Venus in dramatic Leo, you'll wear your
heart on your sleeve, but don't drip on your pants.
By Charlene Lichtenstein
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Leo (July 24-Aug 23)
Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 22)
You may party hearty through
the summer, but it is just
You may look confident
and totally in control but
underneath your strong
surface, there is a trepidation
and sense of vulnerability.
Don't think this is a bad thing,
The summer may be hot but
you are hotter. While you
may prefer to laze the time
away, you are better served
by engaging in hot pursuits.
a ruse for seduction. The
fact is you are much more
interested in seeing who you
Supermodel-turned-actor Cara
Delevingne turns 23 on August 12.
CANCER :%
1/✓
(June 22-July 23)
Hold your breath and
brace yourself before
you enter a lesbian Crab's
home. It is full of knickknacks, dust collectors
and assorted treacly
junk. Cluttered doesn't
even begin to describe
the scene; it's almost
womblike. However, unlike
filthy and lazy Sagittarians,
these Crab babes know
how to dust and keep a
clean and tidy home. Ya
gotta scrub-a-dub, bub!
LEO
(July 24-Aug 23)
It's easy to spot a typical
Leo home. For one thing,
it's the biggest on the
block and probably hogs
the corner. Lionesses love
excess and the more the
better. Her tastes run to
the extravagant, large and
plush furniture (preferably
in wild animal skin design)
and shaggy carpets in
bright colors. Curious to
know who might have
purchased that oversized
phony zebra skinned
couch? Guess who ...
1/✓
1/✓
1/✓ Taurus (April 21-May 21)
1/✓ Throw caution to the winds
1/✓ this summer, Taurus, and say
1/✓
1/✓ what is in your heart and on
1/✓ your mind. There is someone
1/✓ out there who appreciates
1/✓ your honesty and candor. In
1/✓
1/✓ fact she may even find it sexy
1/✓ and alluring. Pepper your
1/✓ words with some salty action
1/✓
1/✓ and get spicy.
1/✓
1/✓ Gemini (May 22-June 21)
1/✓ Get ready to pay dearly for
1/✓
1/✓ your jollies this summer,
1/✓ Gemini. You are developing
1/✓ some very expensive tastes.
1/✓
1/✓ This is all fine as long as you
1/✓ don't go over your budget. Be
1/✓ strict and discerning, then if
1/✓ what and who you want to do
1/✓
1/✓ requires a pool of cash, jump
1/✓ in and get wet.
1/✓
1/✓
1/✓ Cancer (June 22-July 23)
1/✓ You make a strong first
1/✓ impression this summer
1/✓ with everyone you meet so
1/✓
1/✓ prepare your public face
1/✓ and plan your meetings with
1/✓ a calculated eye, Cancer.
1/✓
1/✓ The influential people you
1/✓ meet now can set you on a
1/✓ successful course of fame,
:%
Charlene
Lichtenstein
is the author ~
of HerScopes:
A GuidetoAstrology ~
for Lesbians
(Simon& Schuster),1/✓
nowavailableas anebook(tinyurl. 1/✓
1/✓
1/,
com/HerScopes).
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2015
can lure back to your love
nest. Choose a lovergrrl who
gives you everything you
need, including an occasional
feather dusting.
fortune and fantastic females.
Who hoo!
Lioness. It is all in the way
you play it out. So strut and
fret your hour upon the stage
and see how you can charm,
cajole and tempt the high
priestesses. Virgin offering
anyone?
Virgo (Aug 24-Sept 23)
Your deeply held secrets
swirl through the summer.
Will one or two be released
unexpectedly into social
media? Possibly. And this
may be part of your plan,
Virgo. Gal pals bolster your
confidence and goad you
to get everything out in the
open and off your chest.
Libra (Sept 24-Oct 23)
Your hard work can be
rewarded this summer if
you keep your eye on the
corporate prize. Take a
calculated risk whether that
means pushing for a raise or
promotion or befriending a
well-connected co-worker.
Put your plans in place and
take one more step up the
ladder.
Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)
Plan a few getaways designed
to get you out of your shell
and into others. Not only
can you discover hidden
treasures, you can do so with
a comely travel companion.
Or is it to discover the hidden
treasures of a comely travel
companion? Book any type of
adventure you like.
If a certain lady catches your
eye, go for her. If your tastes
tend towards more than one
tall frosty drink, imbibe with
abandon. But know your limit.
Capricorn (Dec 23-Jan 20)
Focus on what is important to
you in a lovergrrl and set your
sites for utopia. There will be
many choices if you keep an
open mind and get out there
and look. Of course, there
are certain high maintenance
ladies that will thrill your
heart and leave you begging
for more. Maybe that is your
idea of utopia?
Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)
Although relaxing jaunts and
long vacations are tempting,
you are much better off
using your time productively
to get a few things off your
desk. Start by focusing on
small projects that have
been gathering dust and
finish them off. Then you will
have plenty of time for silly
dalliances.
Pisces (Feb 20-March 20)
Your dance card fills up and
you will need to carefully
choose which parties you
decide to attend. Oh would
this last forever! But it
won't, Guppie. So use your
popularity plus time wisely
and move with the shakers.
Let a couple of special ladies
shake your world.
STAR
ATTRACTIO
MELISSA
ijHERl~GE,
PATTI
LABELL~/~
jLIVI~~
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