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Description
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ToC Layshia Scores! (p20); Festive and Femme (p38); True Tomboys (p42); Real Roxane Gay (p48); Jill Soloway Jill of All Trades (p50); Chely Wright Is Back (p54); Kristen Stewart Is Cool (p60); Brilliant Berlin (p66); In Laos, Women Create (p73)
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issue
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6
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Date Issued
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Nov-Dec 2016
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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_Vol26_No6_Novembe r-December-2016_O CR_PDFa.pdf
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extracted text
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BROOKS
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2016
FEATURES
LAYSHIA SCORES!
The WNBA's Layshia Clarendon
has won a place in our hearts
on and off the court.
I
FESTIVE AND FEMME
Four fabulous looks to get you
through the holidays in style.
TRUE TOMBOYS
A message of strength, of
truth, and of inclusion from
our leading label of undies and
activewear.
REAL GAY
Roxane Gay, that is: feminist
thinker, writer, and bisexual
pioneer.
I.
JILL OF ALL TRADES
Jill Soloway is staging her own
feminist revolution, starting
with TV.
I.
CHELY WRIGHT IS BACK
The music icon returns to
her career after some big life
moments.
BRILLIANT BERLIN
The German capital is a model
of tolerance and culture.
IN LAOS, WOMEN CREATE
The Southeast Asian country
has an enviable womancentric
arts and crafts movement.
2
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
IN EVERYISSUE
4
EDITOR'S NOTE
6
CURVETTES
8
FEEDBACK
10
THE GAYDAR
80
ST AR s
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////A
W///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
TRENDS
REVIEWS
OUT IN FRONT
Meet the community leaders
who are doing us proud. By
Sheryl Kay
DRINKS
t
Our holiday guide to the mos
ethical and merry festive
beverages.
IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT ... LGBT news from ac~oss
the country. By OutNew
Global
FOOD
Chef Shelley Robinson takes
Canad a by storm · By Gillian
Kendall
WOMEN WE LOVE
Each issue we pick a lucky lady
with a look and a life to match.
SHORT STORY
.
Take a dip into our short fiction, this issue set in a lesbian
sex cuI b· By AL.
· Brooks
LESBOFILE
What's new and noteworthy
with our favorite celesb1ans.
By Jocelyn Voo
VIEWS
POLITICS
e thoughts and heartfelt .
~~n~ctions on a different topic
each issue from our contributing politics ed •1tor. By Victona
A. Brownworth
ISSUES
• -depth look into a hot
Our 1n
.
ueer
button topic affecting q
women.
3 FILMS
The true story of the wrongly• d San Antonio four. By
conv1cte
Marcie Bianco
4 BOOKS
.
A Latina aut hors, perspective
on parenting and borders for
women of C olor · By v,ctona
Bond
LAST LOOK
CROSSWORD
.
can you ta me our Queer Quiz?
By Myles Mellor
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
3
right to continue to kneel during the national anthem, and I will
do whatever I can to be part of the solution.
Holiday Wishes
L
ooking back, 2016 has been, for most of us, a very
difficult year, with some highs but many lows, a
few triumphs and a lot of challenges. For Victoria
Brownworth's excellent recap turn to page 16. In addition to her
analysis and heartfelt observations, I wish to add one of my own.
This year has demonstrated the importance of intersectionality.
Jill Soloway, interviewed on page 50, notes that intersectionality
is instrumental in toppling the patriarchy, to borrow her phrase,
because it reveals the ways that minorities experience oppression
and exposes how we are all "otherized" by a dominant culture.
As lesbians and queer women, whether black or white, we know
how common it is to feel helpless and depressed, especially when
faced with the escalating police brutality against people of color
and the ongoing murders of transwomen-often women of color.
Rather than feel despair, it is important to feel, to think, and to act.
To protest, in some way, the abuse of those whose lives intersect
with ours, and which very well could be our own. Megan Rapinoe
wrote a piece for The Players'Tribune titled "Why I Am Kneeling":
I haven't experienced over-policing, racial profiling, police
brutality or the sight of a family member's body lying dead in the
street. But I cannot stand idly by while there are people in this
country who have had to deal with that kind of heartache.
There is no perfect way to protest. I know that nothing I do will
take away the pain of those families. But I feel in my heart it is
4
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
While we may not always agree on what our culture is, it connects
us, even if we disagree. In this, our Culture issue, we pay tribute
to women who make culture and who challenge it. On our cover
is Kristen Stewart, who, after a protracted and conflicted coming
out, is finally coming into her own as an artist; her authenticity
and talent are worth our attention far more than the details of her
love life. Chely Wright, whose life flourished after she came out,
is back in the swing of things career-wise, and WNBA star Layshia
Clarendon continues to speak out and inspire others both on and
off the basketball court. We support the San Antonio Four's quest
to be exonerated of a crime they did not commit, and we support
the LGBTfolk in Bangladesh in their struggle for equality and safety
after the brutal murder of their activists.
To chart such developments is one of the functions of our
lesbian media. Which is why its health and survival are important.
In August, Curve's publisher, Silke Bader, joined forces with LGBT
activist and entrepreneur Linda Riley to create a new entity and
acquire DIVA magazine, the UK's only newsstand magazine for
lesbians, thus strengthening lesbian media by taking it out of the
hands of those who are not part of our community and do not
understand it as well as we do.
This past September, we saw the demise of AfterEllen.com, a
beloved and thriving portal into lesbian culture, after its current
owners (who are not women or LGBT)deemed it not profitable.
It is important that we support our lesbian media, and that our
media is owned and operated by us, if for no other reason than to
safeguard its existence into the future. As we leave 2016 and enter
2017,we'd like to thank you for supporting Curve and continuing to
subscribe to one of the world's last remaining newsstand magazines
for queer women. Stay tuned for more positive and proactive
developments from the Curve team in the New Year!
MERRYNJOHNS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
merryn@curvemag.com
W@Merryn1
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cu RVETTES
A.L. BROOKS
A.L. Brooks resides in London, although she has lived
as far afield as Aberdeen and Australia. She works 9
to 5 in corporate financial systems and spends many
a lunchtime in the gym attempting to achieve the
firm abs she likes to write so much about. She then
negates all that with a couple of glasses of red wine
and half a slab of dark chocolate in the evenings.
When not writing she likes Latin dancing, cooking,
travelling, reading other writers' les-fic, and listening
to mellow jazz.
curve
THE BEST-SELLING
NOV/DEC
2016
LESBIAN
» VOLUME
MAGAZINE
26 NUMBER
6
PUBLISHER Silke Bader
FOUNDINGPUBLISHER Frances Stevens
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Merryn Johns
SENIORCOPY EDITOR Katherine Wright
CONTRIBUTINGEDITORS Marcie Bianco, Victoria A.
Brownworth, Lyndsey D'Arcangelo, Anita Dolce Vita,
Sheryl Kay, Gillian Kendall, Dave Steinfeld,
Jocelyn Voo
EDITORIALASSISTANTSAnnalese Davis
OPERATIONS
DIRECTOROF OPERATIONS Jeannie Sotheran
JANECZYZELSKA
Jane Czyzselska is the editor-in-chief of DIVA
magazine, Europe's best-selling magazine for lesbian
and bi women. She is also a media commentator
and host of debates about LGBT culture and politics
and is honored to have been voted 27th most
influential member of the UK LGBT community in the
Independent on Sunday's Rainbow List in 2015. She is
also a qualified psychotherapeutic
counselor. Follow
her on Twitter @czyzselska
PROOFING
PROOFREADER Marcie Bianco
ADVERTISING
NATIONAL SALES Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021
EMAIL todd@curvemagazine.com
ART/PRODUCTION
ART DIRECTOR Bruno Cesar Guimaraes
SOCIAL MEDIA
MANAGERAnnalese Davis
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melany Joy Beck, Kelsy Chauvin, Mallorie DeRiggi, Dar
Dowling,
Jill Goldstein,
Kristin Flickinger,
Sarah Hasu, Kim
Hoffman, Allana J. Higginson, Francesca Lewis, Charlene
Lichtenstein, Sassafras Lowrey, Kelly McCartney, Myles
Mellor, Laurie K. Schenden, Janelle Sorenson, Rosanna
Rios-Spicer, Yana Tallon-Hicks, Sarah Toce
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Steph Brusig, Erica Camille, Grace Chu, Meagan Cignoli,
Sara Lautman, Syd London, Maggie Parker, Diana Price, B.
Proud, Robin Roemer, Leslie Van Stelten
MARCIE BIANCO
Marcie Bianco PhD writes, lectures, and makes
media appearances about feminism, queer identity,
gender, and race relations. She is a contributing
editor at Curve and an adjunct professor in New York
City. She has contributed to AfterEllen, Buzzfeed, The
Daily Dot, Feministing, The Huffington Post, Pacific
Standard, Quartz, Rolling Stone, Salon, Slate, Vanity
Fair, Women and Hollywood, and The Women's Media
Center, to name just a few. Follow her commentary on
Twitter @MarcieBianco
DAVESTEINFELD
Dave Steinfeld grew up in suburban Connecticut
but has lived for years in New York City. He has
been obsessed with music for as long as he can
remember and started writing about it professionally
in 1999. He has since written for numerous outlets
and is a contributing editor for Curve for which he
has interviewed Lucas Silveira, Ani DiFranco, Mary
Gauthier, Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton and others.
Although nothing comes close to music, Dave's other
interests include books, basketball, and Buddhism.
6
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
CONTACT INFO
Curve Magazine
PO Box 467
New York, NY 10034
PHONE (415) 871-0569
SUBSCRIPTIONINQUIRIES(800) 705-0070 (toll-free in
usonly)
ADVERTISINGEMAIL todd@curvemagazine.com
EDITORIALEMAIL editor@curvemag.com
LETTERSTO THE EDITOREMAIL letters@curvemagazine.com
Volume 26 Issue 6 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: $35/year, $45
Canadian (U.S. funds only) and $55 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 necessarily represent the opinions of the editor, unless
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Inquiries: Please write to Curve, Avalon Media LLC., PO Box 467 New
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FIT&FAB
BITTER
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M[Gl!NI\IPINO[
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[Xp[Rj
111'3
Ellen
DeGeneres
GOING
WILDIN
lH[fN~f\;;APPWOflH[\\IJRLD'SMlllllNflllEIITilllfSIIWI
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but instead give him more
woman because of my social
brought tears to my eyes
anxiety. My anxiety was a
seeing that people still care
love and support. Not long
product of nervousness
about the victims' families after
ago I came out of the closet
about my sexuality. I am of
more than two months. I have
as a bisexual female to my
the generation who socialized
been writing different places
mother and that secret was
in bars because there was
to thank them for the support,
killing me and thinking about
nowhere else for lesbians to
but nobody has responded.
how strong my brother was
meet each other. Many of us
Me and my family still struggle
inspired me to do it. Anyways,
smoked then indoors while
with how to move on with
thanks for caring and having
waiting for friends. We smoked
my brother gone. I feel that
an awesome magazine for
to have something to do and to
the LGBT community needs
us the community and other
look like we didn't care that we
more support than ever and
people so they can educate
were nervous about meeting
less hate. My brother was
themselves. Thank you for the
girls. Because of this many
openly gay to our family and
support. -Gillymar Menendez,
ELLENFOREVER
lesbians of my generation
we never thought less of him,
BrooksvilleIll.
I never ever get tired of seeing,
have lung cancer or other
watching or reading about
chest ailments. Young people:
the amazing Ellen DeGeneres
smoking is not cool and it only
["Finding Ellen;' Vol. 26 #5].
helps with anxiety temporarily.
YOU SAID IT: BEST FACEBOOK COMMENTS
I have had a crush on her
Try to find the cause of your
forever, so I was glad to finally
anxiety and deal with it without
Support LesbianMedia
HillaryClintonOn Deathbed!
see her in Curve. Reading her
smoking. Don't let society
After the weirdness going on
A few weeks ago, Clinton
publicly call out Donald Trump
deprive you of good health in
with AfterEllen,I realizedthat if
releasedwhat mental health
as a "bully" made my day. Now
your old age. -Name withheld
we don't support publications
experts are calling the most
I love her even more! -Nancy
Tonnato,Glen Burnie Md.
like Curve magazine,we will
comprehensive mental
REMEMBERINGORLANDO
sadly lose them. I don't want
health care reform plan in our
My name is Gillymar
to see that happen. So am
country's history and I have
THE POLITICSOF
BREATHING
Menendez, sister of Gilberto
ordering a subscription today!
not heard a word about it in
B. Silva Menendez, victim of
I prefer the print magazine
the news,just a few tweets
Thank you for the article
the Orlando Pulse shooting.
over the digital subscription
in social media. Thank you
"Taking Her Breath Away"
A couple of days ago I was
after working on a computer all
for continuing to call out the
by Victoria Brownworth
reading the last issue of Curve
day. Thank you for all you do.
[Vol. 26 #5]. I have been a
and noticed the page about
-KarenWoHer
misogyny.-DianeDeKelbRittenhouse
smoker since I was a young
#OrlandoStrong. It really
WHAT
ISYOUR
WISH
FOR
THE
HOLIDAYS?
11% TURKEYWITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS AND FREE-FLOWINGCOCKTAILS!
22%
TO SHARE LOVE AND JOY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
23%
PEACEON EARTH AND GOODWILL TO (WO)MANKIND
44%
TO ELECTOUR FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT
Send to:
WRITE
Curve
USI
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Email: letters@curvemagazine.com
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CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
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11
GIRL GAYDAR
CELESBIANGOSSIP
SHE SAID WHAT?
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
9
TRENDS/
p
%
THE GAYDAR
THEGAVDAR
Takes one to know one? Let our gaydar help
you decide who's hot, who's not, who's
shaking it and who's faking it in lesboland.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
t½i~
Sia releases a new single and
makes a video that pays tribute
to the Orlando Pulse nightclub
victims
Michelle Obama U-hauls it to the
Ellen show to co-host with Ellen; boxof-wine drinking hijinks ensue during
a trip to CVS
The CBS series
Supergirl adds a
lesbian character to
the new season
The Great British Bake
Off's three female stars,
including super lez Sue
Perkins, stay with the BBC
while the show-and Paul
Hollywood-abscond to
Channel 4
i
w
0
2
OUT magazine's
spread on racist
misogynist Milo
Yiannopoulis
who, among
other things, says
lesbians lie about
hate crimes
She's back!
Anne Heche
plays gay again
opposite Alicia
Silverstone in
the new film
Catfight
The nearly $1
million grant
given to Old
Dominion U
to study why
lesbians drink
so muchDeeplez
drama?
Bridget Jones
star Renee
Zellweger
talks lesbian
subtext, a
lesbian friend
who hit on her,
and more with
The Advocate
Holland Taylor and
Sarah Paulson's very
public lovefest on
Twitter on the night of
the Emmys
Lesbian farming! Thanks to
Rush Limbaugh we all know what
profession to move into to show
off our radical lesbian-feministseparatist side
10
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
Halle Berry says she
wants to get makeyoutey with Jodie
Foster. Great, now join
the queue
We're all ears for Young M.A., a black
lesbian who raps about dildos, and who
is getting mega famous on YouTube
§
w
('.)
<(
('.)
VIEWS/NE
THE
BEA
ARTHUR
RESIDENCE,
AN
18-BED
SHELTER
FOR
HOMELESS
LGBTYOUTH
ISDUE
FOR
MAKENNA JOHNSTON
>>Paris
Coaching and Cooking
It wasn't all that long ago that Makenna Johnston and
her wife Evie were working at Bridge Beyond, a nonprofit
they started in Muhuru Bay, Kenya. The community-based
organization helped sex workers living with HIV, researched solutions to water access in the community,
and educated 35,000 people using a unique version of
Community Led Total Sanitation training, which triggered
the building of over 1,000 latrines.
"The notion was that development could be a community-led process, rather than the Western-led melee that it
completion In February
2017. Golden Girls star Bea
Arthur left $300,000 In her
will to the Ali Forney Center
In New York City. Before her
passing Arthur said, "These
kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by
their families because of
the fact that they are lesbian, gay or transgender. This
organization really Is saving lives." Arthur revived her one-woman Broadway benefit In 2005, which raised $40,000 for the
center and continued to use her fame and status to promote
the organization's work until she died In 2009. The building will
soon be open to provide shelter, on-site counseling and case
management to New York's LGBT homeless youth.
is today;' says Johnston.
There were great successes, but malaria sidelined her
for weeks, and eventually the two returned to the U.S.
Johnston spent a short time teaching at the university
level, and then went on to create a personal coaching
business.
"It took a lot of gumption and chutzpah to put myself
on the Internet as an out lesbian coach, but I did it over
time;' she says. "And now it is part of my brand-not
on
purpose, per se, but just by virtue of the fact that my
brand is so much a part of me, and being out is a part of
me as well:'
And if anyone defines guts and gumption, it's Johnston.
A few months ago she embarked on another new venture,
this time highlighting her flair for the gourmet. Just after
the attacks in Paris in November 2015, Johnston heard
that the French estate of the celebrated chef Julia Child
was going on the market. Having had a longtime love affair with France, French cuisine, and Julia Child, Johnston
decided she had to buy the property.
"La Pitchoune felt like the perfect place for us to reset
our lives, after Evie's12 years in the active-duty military;'
Johnston says. "The home just felt like the kind of space
where we could host strangers and turn them into
friends:'
"La Peetch" is 20 minutes north of Cannes, in
Provence. It can house six people, and Johnston plans to
rent it immediately on Airbnb. Then, beginning in 2017,
the couple will host weeklong culinary school experienc-
• THE
LEGAL
DEFINITION
OF
"parent" has been revised by the
New York Court of Appeals and no
longer describes a person related
only by biology or adoption to a
child. The Court found that this
rule had "become unworkable
when applied to increasingly varied
familial relationships." The decision
in Brooke S.B. v. Elizabeth A. C.C.
followed an appeal on behalf of
a child seeking time with both
mothers after his same-sex parents
split up. Under the new law, nonbiological, non-adoptive parents
are no longer automatically barred
from seeking custody and visitation.
A party can establish standing by
showing "clear and convincing
evidence that the parties agreed
to conceive a child and to raise the
child together."
• AFOUR-YEAR-OLD
CHILD
in Australia has begun gender
transition, before their first day of
kindergarten, as part of the Safe
Schools program. The child is the
youngest Australian on record
to change their gender, while
hundreds of other children and
their parents have sought advice
from the gender dysphoria unit.
The New South Wales government
has revealed there are a number
of children in the state's schools
transitioning. "The Safe Schools
is only one resource that can be
used from a variety of resources
in how we would support that
family, student and school to
accommodate a child going
through transition;' said Education
Department deputy secretary of
school operations Gregory Prior.
• ONE
OFRUSSl.6:S
TOP
LGBT
websites has been blocked
nationwide by a Siberian court
on the eve of the State Duma
elections. BlueSystem.ru received
no warning, and was unable to
defend itself in court, the website's
team wrote on its social media
page. The site is visited by 100,000
people a day and is described as
the biggest gay news portal on
the Russian Internet. "The Kremlin
is afraid of gays," the website's
team wrote. Russia has been
harshly criticized for its gay-rights
record, including a vaguely worded
law banning "propaganda of
nontraditional sexual relations"
that critics say has led to attacks
against LGBT people.
es on the estate, which will include morning yoga and
OUTNEWS
GLOBAL
movement classes.
"We're not claiming that attending the school will result
in 'mastering the art of French cooking,'" says Johnston.
"It's more like a courageous dabble:' - By Sheryl Kay
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
11
TRENDS/PROFILE
WOMEN
WELOVE
»
DEVMO
The California-based bisexual
rapper wants to change the world
through music, one beat at a time.
PHOTO BY MAGNUS HASTINGS
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TRENDStGOSSIP
LESBOFILE
TWO COUPLES COME OUT AND TWO CELEBS COME TO TERMS.
BY JOCELYN VOO
• ANGIE MOVES ON BUT WILL SHE BE BACK?
We heard about the breakup of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie from the media, but select people
in Jolie's circle reportedly heard about it in a private phone call. According to Radar Online,
Jenny Shimizu, a serious girlfriend of Jolie's in the 1990s when they worked together on Firefox,
was one of those people. "Angelina is seeing her part in things now and she is just trying to
make amends with people she loved throughout her past," the insider told Radar. "She was
certain that she made the right choice by leaving Brad and is not second-guessing herself
at all." We're not holding our breath for a rebound reunion anytime soon (Shimizu married
socialite Michelle Harper in 2014), but it's good to know that ex-girlfriends can still be friends.
With a single word: "Yes," actress-singer Bella Thorne confirmed over Twitter that she is
bisexual. But that's only the start of the story. Soon after that revelation, rumors started
swirling about her breaking up with her boyfriend in order to start dating her brother's
ex-girlfriend, a longterm friend who coincidentally also is named Bella. There are tweets
showing the two Bellas frolicking in a pool together, photos of them kissing, and Thorne
referring to Bella Pendergast as her "soul mate" in one tweet. Of course, there's still the fact
that Pendergast recently lnstagrammed a photo of her with her boyfriend ...
• LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE
A decade after New York Times bestselling Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert
chronicled her self-discovery through travel, she is still discovering herself. Gilbert
announced her split from her second husband back in July. But now she has disclosed
that the catalyst for the divorce was because she was in love with Rayya Elias, her best
friend of 15 years who is fighting cancer. "The thought of someday sitting in a hospital
room with her, holding her hand and watching her slide away, without ever having let
her (or myself!) know the extent of my true feelings for her ... well, that thought was
unthinkable," she wrote in a Facebook post. We wish them the best in love and health.
• THE OTHER SIDE OF ABBY
When you think of Abby Wambach, you think gold medal-winning Olympian, FIFAWomen's
Cup champion, and the iconic kiss with wife Sarah Huffman after winning the World Cup last
year. But in her new book Forward, Wambach reveals her spiraling addiction to prescription
drugs and alcohol, which largely contributed to her and Huffman's divorce. "She was literally
on the front lines of this and was my biggest advocate-my biggest champion and was there
for me in times when I didn't even know I could be there for myself," she wrote. "For me this is
really hard. Obviously going through any divorce is difficult, but [I have] nothing but love for
Sarah." We can't wait to see what Abby tackles next.
NOV/DEC
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TRENDS/SHE
SAID
"lntersectionality: it's a
word that describes how
multiple forms of oppression are
linked: women, people of color, queer
people, trans people, disabled people
have all suffered by being 'otherized' by
the cis-male gaze ..."
Transparent creator Jill Soloway
delivers a feminist master
class at TIFF
"That
I'm the 'boy'
in the relationship, and
take care of all the 'boy' things.
I'm the one who's into crafts and
homemaking and stuff like that. And my
girlfriend, who's more feminine than me,
is in the living room watching sports and
drinking a beer!"
Layshia Clarendon to Curve on
the thing that people wrongly
assume about her
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16 THE POLITICAL LEGACYOF 2016
18 LGBT RIGHTSIN BANGLADESH
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The Year oJLiving
1 umulluoU_'tly
1
POLITICS»
The year's best and worst moments for lesbians.
Dickens put it best in A Tale of Two Cities:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst
of times:' No opening of any novel could
better describe how 2016 was for womenlesbian, bi, straight, queer, trans. We had
some monumental and surprising highs
and some terrible and tragic lows.
Donald Trump embodied misogyny,
racism, and every phobia that hurts other
human beings except straight white
men-while the prospect of Hillary Clinton
becoming our first woman president was,
for many women and girls, an historic
moment that we had barely dared dream
of. Many of us saw Clinton's potential
presidency as not just a door opening for
women, but a door closing on the Old Boys'
Club that is American government.
Politics dominated the year, but our
hearts demanded more, and out lesbians
and lesbian couples have provided us with
inspiration. Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth
Gilbert announcing her lesbianism at 47
was bittersweet: Her beloved, Syrian-born
writer Rayya Elias,had just been diagnosed
with cancer. Gilbert said, "Death-or the
prospect of death-has a way of clearing
away everything." Sarah Paulson and
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ev v1cToR1A A. eRowNwoRTH
Holland Taylor gave us hope about the
eternal nature of lesbian love; reading their
tweets all year had us swooning.
Pride month brought us to 47 years since
Stonewall, the uprising that would change
America forever. Hillary Clinton marched in
the New York Pride parade, as she first did
in 2000, but Donald Trump was nowhere to
be seen.
This year's Pride saw the worst mass
killing in modern U.S. history when Omar
Mateen shot up Pulse nightclub in Orlando,
Fla. on June 12, killing 49 LGBTQ people,
and creating another defining moment
for our community. The mainstream could
not ignore us. We were Latin, white, black,
Asian. The first victim was a black lesbian
bouncer, Kimberly Morris. The last was
also the youngest-Akyra Monet Murray,
18, who had just graduated from high
school in Philadelphia 10 days earlier. The
Orlando tragedy shadowed us for weeks.
Democrats held a sit-in on the House floor,
wearing rainbow pins and calling for gun
control. Republicans ended it, but for a
moment lawmakers who we've supported
held us close in solidarity.
In late July, with the Republican and
Democratic
National
conventions,
headlines shifted to a different battle, even
if no weapons were drawn. Republicans
met in Cleveland five weeks after Orlando,
after the GOP tweeted out their "thoughts
and prayers" to the victims but did nothing
to protect us. The RNC platform was
insult to injury: Women were once again
targets. Trump chose a far right extremist
as his running mate: Indiana governor Mike
Pence, who believes abortion should be
outlawed and pledged that he and Trump
"will see Roe v. Wade consigned to the ash
heap of history." Pence has signed antiLGBT legislation as well as closing down
Planned Parenthood clinics in his state,
and in 2015 made STD testing inaccessible
to thousands causing an outbreak of HIV/
New England
AIDS, according to the
Journal of Medicine. (Indiana has a high
percentage of IV drug users and at least 181
new cases of HIV were directly linked to the
outbreak.) Pence wants marriage equality
overturned, and the RNC added support
for conversion therapy for lesbians and gay
men to its platform.
The DNC in Philadelphia was the
antithesis of the Cleveland RNC. In addition
to making history, nominating the first
woman presidential candidate ever by
a major political party, the DNC was a
showcase of diversity. LGBTQ delegates
made up 11.5 percent of all delegates-a
record number-and there were nearly a
dozen out lesbian legislators, including
Reps. Kate Brown and Tina Kotek from
Oregon and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI),
the only openly LGBT member of the
Senate and its first out lesbian.
Clinton promised to make her cabinet
50 percent female and also promised to
pass the Equality Act, a bill in the United
States House of Representatives and
the Senate that, if passed, would amend
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include
protections that ban discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation, gender identity,
and sex in the areas of employment,
housing, public accommodations, public
education, federal funding, credit, and the
jury system. Clinton's promise countered
one of the worst aspects of 2016: the bills
that tried to wreck LGBTQ lives, like North
Carolina's HB2.
The lesbian political powerhouse LPAC
was prominent at the DNC, and lesbians
were onstage. The first out trans person
ever to speak at a convention, Sarah
McBride, made history. Abby Wambach,
the best soccer player in history, with a
scoring record better than that of any
woman or man, spoke about her work for
Clinton's campaign and for lesbian lives.
Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, the
county's first Hispanic, first female and
first lesbian sheriff in the seventh-largest
district in the country, also spoke. Clinton
mentioned us in her speech making the
DNC the most LGBTin history.
The Rio Olympics were the gayest in
history, with 31 out lesbians performing in
an array of competitions from soccer and
field hockey to volleyball and basketball.
Lesbians also scooped the Emmys in
September, with nominees in front of and
behind the camera. Sarah Paulson won for
her role as Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J.
Simpson and declared her love for Holland
Taylor from the stage, while Jill Soloway,
creator of Transparent, won Best Directing
for the second consecutive year and called
for the end of the patriarchy. Lesbian
comedians were everywhere in 2016, and
not just Ellen. Tig Notaro's debut show was
nominated for an Emmy as was lesbian
icon Lily Tomlin, still making us laugh at 77.
Kate McKinnon, the only out lesbian on SNL
in the show's 42-year history, won an Emmy
and thanked Hillary Clinton and Ellen.
Despite these achievements, violence
against queer women, and the corrective
rape of lesbians are widespread. In midAugust a CDC report revealed that LGBT
high school students are likely to be
victims of physical and sexual violence and
bullying, and are at higher risk of suicide,
depression, addiction and poor school
performance.
A few days after the Pulse shooting, the
New York Times reported, "Even before
the shooting rampage at a gay nightclub
in Orlando, Fla., lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people were already the most
likely targets of hate crimes in America,
according to an analysis of data collected
by the Federal Bureau of Investigation:'
What followed were sobering statistics:
LGBT people are twice as likely to be
targeted as African Americans, and the
rate of hate crimes against LGBT people
has even surpassed that of crimes against
Jews, the previous record-holders for most
hate crimes in America. Violence against
lesbians and trans women was most likely
to include sexual assault. In a cruel irony,
this violence has escalated since the
U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex
marriage in June 2015.
One of the most tumultuous years in our
collective history is drawing to a close. The
holidays loom with their mixed messages
about love and good will. The rage that has
simmered all year, stoked by Trump's hate
for so many groups, women in particular,
won't disappear overnight. Did we know,
as Jill Soloway said at the Emmys, that we
were so hated? I'm not sure we really did.
Here are my wishes for the coming
year: That violence against us ebbs. That
we find love that surpasses struggle. That
we achieve our best lives, even if that
achievement doesn't include fame or
fortune. That we accept ourselves for who
we are as women, whatever our orientation,
size, or ability.
The best of times is also the worst
of times. In 2016, in spite of illness and
incapacitation, I won a couple of awards for
my novel, Ordinary Mayhem; I celebrated
my 17th anniversary with my wife; and
in 2016 I spoke to you, in every issue and
on curvemag.com, about the things that
matter to us, as lesbians. And for all of
those things I am deeply grateful.•
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LGBTQrights, was ordered to apologize or
else face persecution for going against the
Koran. He thereby became a fugitive.
REGRESSIVE 377
_l--1esl1i,1ns
i11
Ba11gl,1desl1
After the murder of LGBTQ
activists, the South Asian
country's queer community
is fighting for survival.
BY PALLAVI BHATTACHARYA
In Bangladesh, a country where
the majority of the population is
homophobic, an endearing young
lesbian named Dhee won the hearts
of the LGBTQ community last year.
She wasn't a flesh-and-blood girl but
a cartoon character, the brainchild
of the country's LGBTQ rights
group Boys of Bangladesh. The
comic strips were printed in boxed
sets, with a first run of 4,000. The
LGBTQ community in Bangladesh
was instantly able to relate to the
discrimination that Dhee faced on
a daily basis. The comic went viral
on line, eliciting both positive and
negative comments.
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HATE CRIMES
In 2014, the year before the fictional
Dhee created a sensation, the first LGBTQ
magazine in Bangladesh, Roopbaan, was
launched, and the first Rainbow Rally in
the country was organized. But on April 25,
2016, Roopbaan's editor Xulhaz Mannan and
his fellow LGBTQactivist Tanay Mojumdar
were hacked to death by Islamic extremists,
in full view of Mannan's ailing octogenarian
mother. Mannan had carried out his LGBTQ
rights activism despite having received
death threats.
While condolences poured in from proLGBTQorganizations worldwide, all of them
condemning the barbaric attack, messages
appeared online that Mannan's mother
should be executed for having produced
a "bastard son." A few weeks later, another
LGBTQ activist in Bangladesh received a
chilling message that he would be killed.
LGBTQ activists, who were coming out in
public in Bangladesh, went underground.
Many LGBTQ people deactivated their
profiles on social media, and scrubbed
photographs that hinted at same-sex
relationships.
There had been a precedent: In 2010, the
blogger Avijit Roy,who was of Bangladeshi
origin and wrote in favor of LGBTQ rights,
was hacked to death. Bangladeshi Nobel
laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was pro-
Section 377 of the Bangladeshi Penal
Code spells it out: "Whoever voluntarily
has carnal intercourse against the order of
nature with any man, woman, or animal,
shall be punished with imprisonment for life,
or with imprisonment of either description
for a term which may extend to 10 years,
and shall also be liable to a fine." Penetration
is referred to as carnal intercourse. Though
lesbian sex can't quite be described as
illegal by these standards, the fallout from
this law is that lesbians are discriminated
against as well. Lesbians who've eloped
have been charged not under Section 377
but with human trafficking. The country
is way behind the United States as far as
reproductive rights for lesbians, especially
concerning their legal rights to surrogacy,
IVF,and adoption.
Liton Hossain, an LGBTQ activist from
Bangladesh who is currently living in exile
in London, is unsure if he'll ever return to his
homeland. He says ruefully, "The majority in
Bangladesh aren't in favor of LGBTQrights.
The primary reason for this is religious
beliefs. Even if someone from the LGBTQ
community is harassed, she or he cannot
lodge a complaint with the police, as the
country's law disfavors them. Two girls are
afraid to hold hands in public. Awareness
of LGBTQissues is very low in Bangladesh:'
HOMOPHOBIC VIEWS
After same-sex marriage was legalized
in the U.S., LGBTQactivists in Bangladesh
interviewed youngsters in their country's
capital, Dhaka, on their views of the legal
sanctions against it in their country. Most
opposed the idea of same-sex marriage.
Some said that in a Muslim majority country,
lesbian and gay marriages couldn't be
permissible because Islam opposed it. The
liberal argument that surfaced to counteract
this view was that because Bangladesh is
officially a secular nation, Islam couldn't be
cited as a reason to restrict these marriages.
Some realized that by disallowing
same-sex unions, personal freedoms were
being denied. Nevertheless, some still
argued that the country should oppose
it, as homosexuality was not in sync with
Bangladesh's social milieu. Some believed
VIEWS/
that it would deter procreation. Some
considered homosexuality a choice, or a
genetic problem, or a vice, or a disease.
A woman nonchalantly replied to the
interviewer that homosexuals would
naturally go on to be targets of ridicule. It
was mentioned during the course of the
interviews that Facebook was flooded with
homophobic comments from Bangladeshis
after people laced their profile pictures
in rainbow hues. A few said that they
were neither for nor against LGBTQ rights.
There were also responses in support of
homosexual marriages.
PARENTS' REACTIONS
As in all homophobic nations, many
parents react wrathfully in Bangladesh
when their LBTQ daughters disclose their
sexual orientation. Exiled activist Hossain
says, "They usually avoid telling their
parents if they're LBTQ.They [the parents]
generally torture their daughters if they
come to know about this, which may be on
the physical level, too. Many erroneously
think that their daughter has 'turned' lesbian
after having read about it on the Internet,
[or] is trying to be Westernized or modern in
a detrimental way. Parents may send them
to a doctor for a checkup. They can force
them into marriage, falsely hoping that it'll
solve things. Lesbian suicides arising out of
homophobia are common in Bangladesh,
but they are under-reported, or some other
pretext is cited as the trigger:'
Arshi Abira, who was born female and
identifies as genderqueer (and dates
women), is a Bangladeshi Canadian
psychology student, and has faced
excruciating opposition from her mother,
who ironically happens to have a master's
degree in psychology from Bangladesh.
Narrating her ordeal, she says, "When I
was about 10, Mother told me awful stories
about lesbian teachers in colleges who
pull girls into classrooms and touch them
inappropriately. She pressured me to dress
in stereotypically feminine ways whenever
she got the chance. She didn't understand
why I didn't have the so-called feminine
instincts, or care for attracting men:'
When Arshi clearly came out to her
mother, she said that Arshi was going
through psychosis and needed behavior
therapy to convert her to a feminine
heterosexual girl. In this so-called therapy,
Arshi was coerced to chant that she was
not homosexual. She says, "Mother told me
to observe men every day and try to find
something to like about them, and that if I
could find one thing to like about them, we
could build on that and start to find more
and more things that I would like about
them:'
When that obviously didn't work and her
mother found that she had got physical
with her girlfriend, Arshi says the situation
at home became immensely agonizing
for her. She says, "There was no way to
reconcile my sexuality and my mother's
ideals. I had no choice but to move out:'
Abia Khan,* a queer cisgender woman
of Bangladeshi origin who has settled
in Canada and is studying software
engineering, was thrown out of her house
by her homophobic parents and had to
live in a women's shelter. She says, "There
are numerous times I had contemplated
suicide:' Her therapist helped her greatly,
and she also found solace after she could
befriend queer women of color online.
However, when asked if she will go on to
live happily ever after in the future, she
replies, "It's unlikely. When I am stable in
my career, I may agree to a marriage of
convenience with someone of my parents'
choosing." Akhi Fayad,*a student of French
in Bangladesh, is fortunate to have a liberal
father, who had no qualms whatsoever
when she came out as a lesbian.
ISS
in Bangladesh. She is highly critical of the
way Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the current
prime minister of Bangladesh, is dealing
with hate crimes against the Bangladeshi
LGBTQ community. One of her multiple
Twitter updates in support of LGBTQrights
reads: "No civilized country needs to debate
on homosexual rights. Even a kid knows
that homosexual rights are human rights:'
Social media provides avenues through
which LGBTQBangladeshis can find solace.
On the Facebook group page Bangladesh
Against Homophobia (@LGBT.Bangladesh)
there is information on LGBTQ rights; and
on Queer South Asians (closed group) there
is information on LGBTQ rights, emotional
support, and an opportunity to find friends
and partners.
Despite the atrocities that LGBTQ
activists have suffered in Bangladesh, Liton
Hossain is hopeful: "After the gruesome
killings of LGBTQ activists, other LGBTQ
activists are still fighting for their cause,
even if they are operating clandestinely.
Future generations should be more liberal,
and I hope that homophobia will gradually
be eradicated from the country. The
Bangladesh government should abolish
Section 377 and regard LGBTQ rights as a
humanitarian issue:'
Let's hope that in the future Dhee won't
just exist in the comics or inside the closet
anymore, but can live and love openly in
Bangladesh.•
WOMEN ACTIVISTS
When asked why there aren't as many
female activists in her country as there
are male activists, Akhi explains, "There
are women LGBTQ activists, but they
are not as vocal as the men are. Women
don't put themselves out there like men
do for obvious reasons. There's always
the fear of disclosure of identity, and
the consequences afterwards. I started
working for the LGBTQcommunity officially
in 2013, and I had to remain underground,
along with my co-workers. Women have a
lot to lose, more than men in our society;'
referring to the physical and economic
precariousness of women.
Taslima Nasreen, a woman
of
Bangladeshi origin, is a bestselling author,
doctor, and identifies as a secular humanist
and feminist. She is currently living in exile
in Sweden. She advocates LGBTQ rights
and expressed her outrage on social media
after the tragic murders of the gay activists
*Name changed to protect identity
/=lC,HT ~DR
l~
Bl".\- R \~ fffS
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Out on the Court
WNBA player Layshia Clarendon uses her voice as a means for positive change.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
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VIEWS!SPO
S
croll through Layshia Clarendon's
Twitter feed and you'll find
everything from fun and goofy
pies to serious and thoughtprovoking commentary on political and
social issues such as Black Lives Matter
and the LGBT community. The starting
point guard for the WNBA's Atlanta Dream
is accustomed to using her voice to call
plays and lead others into position on the
court. Off the court, Clarendon focuses on
enacting positive change. She's not afraid
to speak her mind, and she knows how to
do it effectively.
"I don't go on the offensive. I like to
listen and engage in conversation, even
when I'm upset or angry," Clarendon says.
"I want to meet people where they are and
have an open dialogue. If I'm just yelling
my side, and people are yelling back at
me, we aren't going to hear each other. So
I try to meet people where they are, and
be gentle in my activism. But that doesn't
mean I'm going to be soft, or that I won't
block people on Twitter."
Clarendon, who has been sporting her
signature mohawk since her senior year,
certainly isn't soft. She'sa strong, articulate,
confident 25-year-old woman who also
happens to be a professional athlete who's
highly visible on social media. It's a gift she
doesn't take lightly, and one she's been
trying to build on for the past few years.
"I have this opportunity to affect so
many people and it blows my mind that
it's all because I can dribble a basketball.
People care about what we say because
we're pro athletes? It's kind of crazy that
we have that influence, and it's a great
responsi bi Iity."
Clarendon believes that the reason she
is so poised and self-aware relates directly
to the way her father taught her to behave
on the court. As a high school referee, he
often reminded Clarendon not to react
when other players got in her face or made
a dirty play. He told her to remain calm and
respectful, because the person who reacts
is always the one who ends up getting
the foul. It's good advice, Clarendon says.
Not only in basketball, but in life. That's
why she always tries to stay in the present
moment, and take the high road. But as an
out lesbian and a woman of color, it can be
challenging.
"A lot of the time I just feel compassion
for people who say mean or rude things,
because it's obvious they don't feel that
great about themselves," Clarendon says.
"It really gives me a lot more empathy for
where they are in life, rather than focusing
on what they said about me."
Clarendon wasn't always this selfassured and comfortable in her skin. There
were some growing pains, she admits,
especially after she realized she was
gay. But when it comes to her parents,
Clarendon jokes that she was always the
favorite. She was the middle child, the one
who never got into any trouble, did her
schoolwork, and got good grades.
Even though her relationship with her
father hit a bump or two after she came
out, they are now closer than ever. And
Clarendon says she has her sister to thank
for paving the way.
"She was playing basketball for
Pepperdine when she first came out," the
California native explains. "And my parents
basically stopped going to her games. It
was hard. I didn't come out until college
and my relationship with my sister suffered
as a result, because I had it a lot easier than
her. But we've begun to talk openly about
it, and we're working on healing those
wounds."
Growing up, Clarendon vividly recalls
playing basketball from sunup to sundown
every single day. From travel games and
tournaments on the weekends to shooting
hoops in her backyard, she ate, slept, and
dreamed about basketball. Looking back,
however, she can't pinpoint a specific time
when she set her sights on the WNBA.
Sure, she was a fan. She watched the
games and looked up to Sue Bird-one of
the all-time great point guards in the 20year history of the league. But it wasn't
until Clarendon was home with her family
during the offseason that the reality of
being drafted ninth overall in the 2013
WNBA draft really sunk in.
"One of my aunts had this picture of
me in the sixth grade and I had written
on the back of it that I was going to be in
the WNBA someday and asked her to save
the picture. I got teary-eyed when I saw
that, because it definitely gave me some
perspective, like wow-I did dream about
this and here I am:'
Clarendon played college basketball
at the University of California, Berkeley.
Not only was it the perfect place to
showcase her hardwood prowess, but it
was also the perfect place to come out,
she says. It never crossed her mind that
her sexuality might negatively affect her
basketball career, because by then she
was "unapologetically comfortable" in
her own shoes and she wasn't going to let
anyone negatively influence that.
From the moment Clarendon was
drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2013, she
intended to stay true to herself, regardless.
And that's a quality her fans, teammates,
and coaches appreciate.
"When I was in Indiana, Coach (Lin)
Dunn was super-hard on me in practice,"
she laughs. "I mean, she would really ride
me. But then we'd get to the airport and
be waiting for a flight, and she'd tell me to
come sit next to her and start asking me all
these deep questions about what I wanted
to do in life. We'd talk about activism, too,
and bond over that. We really appreciated
each other."
After two years with the Fever,Clarendon
figured she'd found a permanent home
in Indiana and hoped to stay with the
team for the rest of her career. But life
as a pro athlete is full of uncertainty, and
this past spring she was traded to Atlanta
in exchange for a draft pick. It came as a
complete shock to Clarendon, who had
just moved into a new apartment and
stocked her refrigerator with groceries.
She was given 24 hours to pack before she
had to be on a plane to Georgia. Her life
changed in the blink of an eye.
"I was heartbroken," she says. "But I
didn't have much time to dwell. I arrived in
Atlanta with an open mind."
In the end, the trade ended up working
out in Clarendon's favor. She became
the starting point guard for Atlanta and
has thrived in that role ever since. Her
teammates and coaches embraced her
with open arms, and so have the fans.
But while the WNBA has been around for
20 years, players, teams, and the league
itself are still fighting for relevancy. "It's
basically sexism and how ingrained it is in
our society," says Clarendon.
"It's frustrating. When we were traveling
last year for games, so many people would
come up to us and ask what college we
play for. It's frustrating. We're professionals
and we still have to fly commercial. Yeah,
it's been 20 years, but we're still so young.
We're a baby sport with a lot of growing to
do." (wnba.com) •
NOV/DEC
2016
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21
Travelers take pride in exploring
New York State for all kinds of
reasons. There are boundless
indoor and outdoor activities
for everyone, from families to
couples, whether you're in the
mood for relaxation or new
adventures. Enjoy a New York
State getaway you'll love - and
one that you can only find here.
26CHEF SHELLEYON TOP
28SEXYBEDTIMESTORIES
32LATINASSEEKINGJUSTICE
NOV/DEC
2016
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23
-HOLIDA
DRINKIN
GUIDE
. L
ITY
WINES
l11riil
1i#
Recommendations for LGBT-friendly,
progressive, and top quality libations.
CHEERS TO EQUALITY
Equality Wines is the world's first pairing
of excellent wines and equal rights, co-created by Matt Grove and Elissa Nauful to
celebrate equality for all. Jim Obergefell
and the late John Arthur, whose landmark
Supreme Court case ruled in favor of
marriage equality across the country, are
honored with the first release of the outstanding Love Wins Cuvee. This delicate
and delicious bottle of pink bubbles is
a 2008 estate-bottled California sparkling wine that makes a perfect toast for
Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve or the New
Year and pairs beautifully with a cheese
plate or appetizers. To serve at your festive
table, uncork a bottle of the superb The
Decision Pinot Noir, which is bursting with
ripe red and black fruits and bright spicy
warmth. Aged 16 months in French oak,
The Decision complements roast turkey
and all the trimmings, right through to a
freshly-baked cherry pie.
"We chose producers and grapes from
the Russian River Valley not only for the
24
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
amazing grapes that are grown in the
area, but also because Western Sonoma
County is known for its inclusiveness and
acceptance of all people," said Nauful,
co-founder of Equality Wines. Both wines
come from famed vintners in the Russian
River Valley, Ca., and include Iron Horse
Vineyards (Cuvee) and Giusti Ranch (Pinot
Noir). "I am honored and also humbled to
be a part of this historic release of wines
and the historic decision that redefined
marriage for all people," said Jim Obergefell. "Beyond the contribution that John
Arthur and I made, there are numerous
other plaintiffs as well as attorneys and
advocates that we all should raise a glass
to in honor of their commitment on the
anniversary of this landmark decision." A
portion of all proceeds goes to non-profit
partners in the fight for LGBTequality.
Readers receive a 15%discount on orders
at equalitywines.com, use the promo code
CURVE.
A BOOST FOR BORDEAUX
One of France's leading wine regions
is benefiting from a new generation of
young winemakers, including two talented
and dedicated women. These young Bordelais are well traveled and well educated,
but devoted to their region and look to the
future of Bordeaux with excitement and
enterprise, breathing new life into their
estates, vineyards, and wines. Separately
and together they are creating a diversity of style, accessibility and affordability
in these world-famous wines. The new
generation's motto is "real wine for real
people." We're talking superior wines for
around $15.
Standing out in particular are two
winemakers whose wines show particular finesse and deliciousness. Sylvie
Courselle of Chateau Thieuley Bordeaux
and Rachel Hubert of Chateau Peybonhomme-Les-Tours. "When I was born my
father was very disappointed that I was
a girl," says Sylvie Courselle. How times
have changed-Sylvie now runs the entire
winery with her sister Marie, something
which is becoming more common now in
France. Together, the sisters are challeng-
ing the methods of the patres familias.
They aim for less oaky wines, more fruit
forward, so that they can be enjoyed earlier. They are also increasing production of
fresh dry whites.
Over at Rachel Hubert's Chateau Peybonhomme-Les-Tours, Hubert is bringing her own ideas to the family business.
Trained as a chemist, she enjoys experimenting with less well-known grape varieties; she is eliminating the addition of
sulfites (preservatives), and replacing barrels with vessels known as amphorae.
Whatever you're serving at your holiday
table, it's likely Bordeaux has a grape variety to suit: Bordeaux is famous for reds,
which constitute 86 percent of wine produced in the region, but it also makes Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.
It's important to note that unlike the US,
45 percent of Bordeaux's vineyards are
certified either organic, biodynamic, or
integrated viticulture, good news for the
health conscious. And you never know:
there could be a hardworking female
winemaker behind that traditional looking
French label! (vins-bordeaux.fr)
Chef Shelley Robinson is making luscious meals and lesbian history.
BY GILLIAN KENDALL
S
helley Robinson is one of the leading chefs of Canada, which makes
her one of the top lesbian chefs
in-dare we say it?-the world.
She's also extremely hardworking,
as Curve learned when we caught up with
Robinson on her first day off in five weeks.
In September, she began her new role
at Gateway Casinos & Entertainment in
Edmonton, Alberta. As the regional executive chef, Robinson oversees seven
eateries, including five quick-service cafes as well as the upscale pub Match and
the new fine-dining restaurant Atlas Steak
+ Fish, which seats 150 people. She's the
head of a staff of some 100 cooks, servers,
and kitchen crew. "It's a lot of responsibility;' she says. "A lot of people report to me.
It's definitely a progression in my career.
There's a much higher volume here, in a
Vegas-type setting. It suits my personality-I enjoy the glamour, the showcase of
it. Most of it's busy and loud. Atlas is a little
different. It's the jewel in the crown."
Before taking on her new role, Robin26
CURVE
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2016
son had been the regional executive chef
for the Coast Hotels, Vancouver, for two
years. "However," she says, "we parted
ways. So my name was out there, and I
was approached by Gateway Casinos, a
prominent entertainment venue in western Canada. They were opening the Grand
Villa Casino in downtown Edmonton this
fall and a brand-new, 70,000-square-foot
food and beverage venue in the West Edmonton Mall next spring. Edmonton is in
a boom, and I was excited about the opportunities."
Chef Shelley was born in Vancouver 55
years ago and has spent some 30 years
cooking. In her career, she has owned her
own restaurant and cheese shop, co-authored four cookbooks, worked as a pastry chef, food stylist, and consultant, and
learned to source what she cooks. "When
you go to cooking school," she says, "they
teach you to cook, but not how to work
on your own, be a manager-all the things
you need." And having won the Food Network's Chopped Canada and excelled on
Bravo's Top Chef Canada, Robinson has
demonstrated that she can out-cook just
about anyone. But TV is not her favorite
work. Some reality cooking shows can be
premeditated, she says, and so, not entirely fair. But Chopped was more exciting to
her team: "We opened the ingredient basket to find grape leaves, lamb, peppers,
pork shoulder, grapefruit, gin, and ricotta!"
At her new workplace, Robinson says,
"I'm absolutely out, and they have embraced who I am and supported my desire
to stay connected to the queer community. They've supported me in attending
whatever events I want to attend, and in
supporting a variety of different groups."
Robinson's career is clearly on a high
boil, but in her three decades in the kitchen has she seen some culinary mishaps?
Even the most accomplished chefs are
human, Robinson admits. "Well, there's
the bad chicken story." The bad chicken
story happened very long ago and far
away, at a hotel that shall remain nameless. Robinson was fairly new there and
REVIEWS!FO
doing her first major wedding. "Cornish
game hen was on the menu, the entree.
I trusted the cooks to do the work during
the service, and I was overseeing the plating. Then, after we'd done just six tables,
the banquet captain comes back and tells
me the chicken's underdone, people are
complaining and sending it back. It was
true-the meat wasn't cooked near the
bone. It was raw. It was horrible. We started running around with the chicken we
were about to serve. We had chicken in
"
microwaves, chicken in ovens, blasting it.
People were waiting, hungry, and we were
cooking like mad, but the service was of
course very messed up."
However, the chef used the situation
as a learning experience. "What I learned
from that event was that I must check everything personally:'
More recently, in Vancouver, she's enjoyed hosting secret dinners. "Basically, I
just have my friends over for a great meal,
but I make them help pay for it," she says.
In Edmonton, she hopes to do similar
work. "Last night, I attended an event with
a top food writer and a lot of great chefs.
We had an opportunity to talk about collaborating, doing pop-up dinners, secret
dinners, that sort of thing. I hope to keep
my dark side alive!"
Take note, single ladies: Robinson says
she's currently unpartnered. "I'm single
and looking." Lesbian foodies-residents
or visitors, start angling for an invitation to
dinner. (chefshelleyrobinson.com) •
'MABSOlUTElY
OUT."
PUSSY R
POETRY
Some questions for lesbian
sex haiku guru Anna Pulley.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
28
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2016
egardless of where you are on your lady-loving journey, The Lesbian Sex Haiku
Book (With Cats!) has something for you. It
chronicles every stage of falling in love and
breaking up, and it comforts you with ridiculously funny haikus and equally funny illustrations of
cats "in varying stages of sexual awkwardness."
The book's author, Anna Pulley, is a nationally
known writer and cultural critic whose sexual
identity, she readily admits, is as changeable
as the seasons: "Sometimes queer, sometimes
bisexual, sometimes lesbian, sometimes lesbian-identified bisexual. It depends on the day,
which is a very 'bisexual' answer, I realize," Pulley
observes. "I don't much care how other people
identify me, as long as it's not straight!" She even
whipped up a haiku to encapsulate her feelings
about her sexuality:
REVIEWS/S
Shortly after, I met and fell in love
with a married woman who lived across
the country. We wrote hundreds of haikus to each other-it
was super-gay
and super-impractical,
but it worked
because I was in no way ready to be
in a "real" relationship. When I started
to date again-with
people who were
available and in my zip code-I
kept
writing haikus because I was in the
habit and because dating is hilarious
and awful. Almost 500 haikus later,
here we are!
MYHtART
ISGAY,
BUT
MY
VAGINA
ISltSS
DISCRIMINATORY.
What inspired you to write a book
about lesbian sex, cats, and haiku?
It was a potent cocktail of insane
grief, Twitter, and falling in love with
a married woman. What happened
was my life fell apart. My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, my fiancee
dumped me, and I was struggling to
survive in San Francisco on a $6 an
hour internship. And because my life
very suddenly became a shit-stew,
I found myself with a horrid case of
writer's block. Writing is how I understand the world, and to suddenly be
without that creative outlet was especially devastating.
One morning I got out of bed, threw
some clothes on, and went to work,
only to discover that in my haste and
depression I had forgotten to put on
a bra. This struck me as incredibly
funny. Like, I have a college degree,
I am a grown-ass woman, and I forgot how to dress myself. How did that
happen? So, I wrote a haiku about it.
Haiku is great because it's so short. It
requires very little time and emotional energy. I told myself I would write
one haiku a day until I no longer felt
stymied. A happy coincidence
was
that I was contractually
obligated
to tweet for my internship, so I used
Twitter as a kind of haiku game to get
over my fear and stuckness. Here's
one:
Your dating luck hasn't been all that
bad. Your girlfriend, Kelsey Beyer,
illustrated this book. How did that
collaboration happen?
That was a happy accident as well.
Originally, Wendy MacNaughton [Pen
& Ink; The Gutsy Girl] was going to illustrate it, but then she got too busy
and famous. Thankfully, I happened to
be dating a very talented illustrator at
the time, who did not balk at all when I
asked her to draw cats in varying stages of sexual awkwardness. I, perhaps
stupidly, didn't have any concerns initially, but Kelsey and I did end up going
to couples therapy-to
make the whole
process that much more lesbian. Neither of us had ever made a book before
and didn't know what we were doing,
so it was helpful to have an objective
third party to talk to.
Why cats? What's the deal with lesbians and their cats?
The connection
between lesbians
and cats is fascinating. And butches
and pit bulls, but that is another topic!
My friend Nicole Pasulka wrote about
this recently for New York magazineevidently it all goes back to witchcraft.
Cats are closely tied to witches, and
lesbians, along with witches,
have
been historically persecuted and have
formed alliances.
But also, Kelsey was already drawing
lesbian cat birthday cards for a friend,
so she was in that mindset. Once she
started watching videos of Maru, the
famous Japanese cat that dives into
boxes, it seemed like a no-brainer. Of
course the drawings should be of cats.
Then there's the more obvious "pussy"
connection, and the fact that cats rule
I~ACt
AllMY
~tARS
INYOGA:
~AlllNG,
~lYING,
~ARTING
INPUBllC.
the Internet with an iron fist. We bow
humbly to them.
Your haikus rely upon stereotypes for
humor-is there truth to stereotypes?
Do they have a literary function?
I am wildly interested in stereotypes.
Where do they come from, what is the
core assumption
behind them, and
why do they have the potential to be
so fucked up or so funny based on who
says them?
I certainly embody a great many stereotypes-I drive a pickup truck. I was
a PE teacher. I was vegetarian for a decade. I've worked at a lot of nonprofits.
I love flannel and vests and beanies. I
drink cheap beer. I love to cohabitate,
etc.
But part of the function and fun of
stereotypes is to recognize ourselves
in them, even if they're not 100 percent
accurate, and to use them as a bonding tool, or to figure out if the hot girl
you're after is into women. If I threw a
"Who killed Jenny?" into a conversation
with a stranger, and she "got" it, then
we'd be connecting in this easy, cool
way. It's a kind of visibility.
That's what I was after in the book,
to use stereotypes in a way that's absurd but that also highlights our unique
struggles and cultural markers, and to
let other queer women know they aren't alone, that they've probably had at
least some similar experiences in their
own lives. For instance, the stereotype
that lesbians are afraid to ask women
out. We go to bars and stare at women
but rarely ever talk to them. My secret
plan is to urge queer women to act! To
read these absurd haikus and be like,
"Wait, I totally do that sometimes and
it is not working!" I don't know if that
counts as a "literary function," but in
those instances where we are letting
a stereotype or an assumption about
ourselves hold us back, I definitely am
trying to urge people to not give in to
that.
What's your favorite haiku in the
book?
It's "How Lesbian Sex Works":
Picture foreplay that
lasts more than a few minutes.
Now, add some crying.•
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
29
THE
CLUB
Can women really enjoy no-stringsattached sexual encounters? Can one
night of sex with a stranger change
your life? Find out at "the club."
BY A.L. BROOKS
30
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2016
REVIEWS/SHORT
L
ou showered slowly, standing
under the hot water with her
head tipped back, enjoying
the sensation as it gushed over
her breasts and down over her abs. It
was early yet, but she liked to take her
time before heading out to the club.
For her, this was a subtle form of foreplay. She listened to her body tell her
what mood it was in. More often than
not she was the "aggressor" on club
nights, but that took so much energy
to pull off. It was a struggle. In order
to keep the interactions exactly as she
desired them-not
very vocal and at
a pace she controlled-required
her
to be the one in charge. And yet, that
went against her basic instincts.
She had learned, though, it was generally the only way it worked for her.
Occasionally, she had been the one
who found a spot on the wall, waited,
and let someone else come to her.
Usually on nights like tonight, when
she was just too tired to do anything
else. But those nights were always the
most uncomfortable for her. She could
never be sure who or what she was
going to get. Battling herself was definitely wearing her down, and thoughts
of how to change that had crept to the
forefront of her mind lately.
It was funny, but since that time with
Max, she'd struggled to find that same
level of intensity. That had been, by far,
her best, most...intimate ...experience
at the club since she'd discovered it a
year ago. In other circumstances, Max
would definitely be the kind of woman
she could imagine having something
more with, someone who could kindle
that kind of passion in her with one
look, one touch.
Their first kiss had been so powerful, and the sex that had followed had
stayed in her memory for days, weeks.
Of course, a relationship was out of
the question. To build a relationship,
she would have to relate to someone,
to converse, to share, to reveal. All
things Lou was incapable of.
This was why the club had been such
a godsend. It was the magical solution
for her. At the club, once she'd gone
through all the mental gymnastics to
get herself through the front door,
she was able to set aside her inherent,
painful shyness. She could transform
herself into anyone she wanted to be.
The club gave her the physical release she needed for her inner passionate self, the hidden Lou that was
desperate to be free. She just wasn't
quite strong enough to achieve it in
everyday life.
Her job at the insurance company
allowed her to keep her interactions to
email and the occasional phone call.
Face-to-face
situations
were rarely
needed, and if they were, most people just accepted that she was quiet
and perhaps a little odd, but harmless
enough. She was grateful for that.
She enjoyed her work, and it paid well
enough for her quiet lifestyle.
Tonight, because she was so tired,
she would wait by the wall and see
who approached. She would let someone else make all the moves and hope
that person didn't push her into an
uncomfortable
headspace, that she
would be able to release the pressure
that had built up inside of her these
past couple of weeks.
The taxi dropped her a couple of
streets away-she
never liked to be
dropped right at the door. She used
her time as she approached the club
to gather her bravery. The cold November rain had settled in for the
weekend, so she kept her umbrella
close over her head to protect her hair
she'd so carefully styled.
Mandy let her in, took Lou's cash,
and then left her to stow her coat,
soggy umbrella, and bag in one of the
lockers. Mandy had introduced herself
that first night, which Lou imagined
she did to all the newbies, but it had
taken Lou a couple of months to feel
comfortable enough to meet her eyes,
smile an unspoken greeting, and tell
Mandy her name.
In the locker room, Lou shook herself, trying to dispel the maudlin
thoughts. She arched her back a coupie of times to release some tension,
STO
and then, finally ready, stepped out
into the hallway.
She walked through into the Green
room and stopped for a drink. It took
her a while to get into the feel of the
evening. On her very first night, she
hadn't watched anyone much at all,
too embarrassed to be caught staring.
Then she'd realized that everyone was
voyeuristic, and gradually, she had allowed herself to look too.
She sat at the bar with her first beer.
The barwoman was the dark-haired
one with the long ponytail, and she
gave Lou a small smile. Lou had seen
her in the gym she used each morning.
She was pretty sure the woman didn't
know her as their workout sessions
had only crossed paths a few times.
She was fit, had a nice lean body, but
she was too thin for Lou. She much
preferred curves and softness.
It was pretty quiet, only two couples
already fully in action, and two other
women on the long wall, quietly sipping their drinks while they watched
the couples and the door to see who
came in.
As she sipped her beer, the room
gradually filled. Not everyone stopped
in Green, of course. Quite a few wandered through to Blue or Red, although, they invariably took their time
as they crossed the room to check
things out. Lou struggled to tune in to
what her body wanted tonight. All she
could come up with was the vague notion that she didn't want to think about
it in any detail. She wanted to feel and
come, and she really didn't care how
that happened.
She walked into Blue and ordered
her drink from the cute woman with
braids who always gave her a small
wink whenever their paths crossed.
It was probably against the rules, but
Lou had been here enough times to
know all three barwomen by sight, and
they all acknowledged
her in some
way. She smiled back and made her
way to the stools at the centre bar.•
The Club is now available from YLVA
Publishing
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
31
Four Latina lesbians imprisoned for allegedly committing an
unthinkable crime protest their innocence and await release.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
T
he documentary
that riveted
film festival audiences across the
country this summer will soon
be available to watch from the
comfort of your living room this fall
on the Investigation Discovery channel.
Southwest of Salem: The Story of
the San Antonio Four documents the
trial, incarceration, and journey toward
exoneration of four Latina lesbians from
San Antonio, Texas. Nicknamed the San
Antonio Four by the media during their
trial in 1994, Elizabeth "Liz" Ramirez,
Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra "Cassie"
Rivera, and Anna Vasquez have spent half
their lives trying to extricate themselves
32
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
from the sinister quicksand of the criminal
justice system-for a crime they never
committed.
In 1994, the four women were accused
of sexually molesting Ramirez's two
nieces, who were 7 and 9 years old at
the time. With over a decade of footage,
including
interviews,
out
lesbian
director Deborah Esquenazi exposes
how these women became victims of
toxic masculinity and a system that
aims to criminalize marginalized people.
Javier Limon, the father of Ramirez's two
nieces, took revenge against his sisterin-law for rejecting his sexual advances
and for telling him she was a lesbian.
He punished her, her partner Mayhugh,
and their two close friends, Rivera
and Vasquez. Elizabeth Ramirez was
convicted and sentenced to 37.5 years
in prison in 1997, and the others were
sentenced to 25 years each in 1998. All
because a lesbian turned down a man's
advances.
Presumed innocence is a not a
privilege routinely granted to Americans
like the San Antonio Four: "We're
lesbians, we're Latina, we're poor, and
we live in one of the poorest areas of San
Antonio," Vasquez, who was released
from prison in 2012, tells me in a tearful
phone interview. "We were guilty in their
REVIEWS/
eyes already because we were lesbian,"
she says, speaking of her interrogation
by homicide detectives,
who were
fixated on her and her friends' sexuality.
"They associated homosexuals with
child abuse. I had no idea that we were
already guilty from the get-go."
"Minorities are vulnerable," Ramirez
points out in our phone interview. "It
may be a stereotype, but we don't
have the financial means to fight [the
accusations]. I had no money, no voice,"
her voice trails off in a sign of defeat
and fatigue, suggesting the realization
of how unjust the justice system can
be. Vasquez articulates their injustice
more directly: "Race does play a part
in it, and it helps to have money in
the justice system. What if we had an
unlimited amount of money? Or if we
were four white straight women? This
case wouldn't even have gone to trial."
She's right. Statistics
prove, as
reported by Latina magazine in a recent
online article, that Latina women are "69
percent more likely to be incarcerated
than white women," and that at the state
level Latinas are "27.6 percent more
likely to have a harsher sentence for a
similar crime"-a
figure that jumps to
47.6 percent at the federal level.
The women were told repeatedly
by investigators, and even by their
lawyers, that they would never win a trial
that pitted them against children. The
presence of Esquenazi's sympathetic
directorial hand is evident as we learn
that it wasn't until a white manliterally, a random white guy from
Canada-questioned
the legitimacy of
the case against these four lesbians
that the tide began to turn. Intrigued
by the Canadian's interest in the four
women, and his research into their case,
Esquenazi's colleague, the investigative
journalist Debbie Nathan, got involved
in 2010 and then took the case to the
Innocence Project of Texas to help free
the four women.
In 2012, one of Ramirez's nieces
recanted her testimony, saying her father
forced her to tell lies in court, and soon
the women were released on parole.
But these women have yet to be
exonerated. They are still criminals in the
eyes of the law. They are still registered
sex offenders, even though the court
declared them not guilty. They still have
to report bimonthly to the city of San
Antonio. And they still cannot travel
outside a 75-mile radius of the city
without permission.
These women are still not free.
"We're in a prison without bars,"
Vasquez explains, elaborating
upon
how their lives have been curtailed and
affected by the fact that they have not
been exonerated. "We have such a huge
fear, you know? We believe-we feel like
we won't have to go back to prison, but
we also felt that way in the first trial. We
cannot fully live our lives," she says. "We
hesitate when we make big decisions, like
buying an automobile. It's something we
really have to think about." She indicates
that even the most mundane activities
that other people take for granted, these
four women cannot because their lives
exist in such a precarious state.
"The criminal court of appeals meets
behind closed doors and then one day,
out of nowhere, they will have a decision,"
Esquenazi explains to me in a phone
interview. "There is a possibility they will
Fl
say that they need more information, so
they may want to have another hearing,
which may or may not be public. In its
very secrecy, it is kind of creepy. We
don't know what is happening behind
closed doors. We don't know how many
years that could take-if they make a
decision at all."
This is where Esquenazi leaves us, the
viewers-in
limbo, alongside the four
Latina lesbians who are still awaiting
exoneration.•
At the time we went to
print in October 2016, no
date had been set for the
exoneration hearing. If
you'd like to help, you can
go to the documentary's
website and contact
District Attorney Nicholas
LaHood on behalf of
the San Antonio Four.
(southwestofsalem.com)
Do you trmt the justice ~y~tcmto find the 1ruth?
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NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
33
IEWS!BOOKS
O
n the brink of the 2016 presidential
election, the obvious becomes ever
more pressing. Women's lives are
shaped by our access to opportunities, or the lack thereof: opportunities
to control our bodies, opportunities to
succeed professionally, and opportunities to be caring, present mothers,
daughters, and lovers. Many of us would
like to believe that we all manifest our
destinies on our own terms (and hopefully we do!), but one of the things an
election year highlights is that our private lives unfold in a historical contextthat the terrain of our lives is mapped
not only by our private decisions, but by
public policy decisions, too.
Black Dove: Mama, Mi]o, and Me, Ana
Castillo's most recent book, one the author calls a mix of "memoir and personal
essay," is very much about the opportunities Castillo has made for herself and
consequently for other Chicano and
Mexican-American writers as the result
of her 40-year career. But it's also about
examining those opportunities through
the lens of social and cultural shifts in
American life.
"I have spent all of my career writing
across genre," Castillo tells me. "And
since I was trained in and have taught in
the social sciences at colleges and universities across the country, thinking of
my story as well as that of my family in
historical context, complete with the attending details, wasn't anything I set out
to do. It's just part of who I am.
"As a Chicano, as a Mexican woman,
I do empathize, deeply, with those that
make treacherous journeys across the
border, and those who wait for their loved
ones on both sides. Since I am an educated woman and a public figure, some people think I'm different from those many
look down upon. I'm not."
Years before Donald Trump made the
absurd case for building a wall along the
U.S.-Mexico border, Castillo was confronted with how polarizing the immigration debate can be. In 2007, while on
tour in support of her novel The Guardians, a suspense tale about a teacher
who mounts a search for a family member who has disappeared while crossing
the border, Castillo says, "Sometimes
10 people, sometimes 30 people would
just walk out of readings. I hadn't expe-
CHANGING
BORDERS
Ana Castillo's latest book
questions borders for
women of color.
BY VICTORIA
BOND
34
NOV/DEC
CURVE
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rienced anything like that since the '70s.
And we still, in 2016, haven't gotten to a
place where we have a satisfactory immigration law. It's not a coincidence that we
now have a representative of the extreme
right and moneyed interest in the personification of Trump."
As much as Castillo herself, as a lifelong activist, can't help but touch on the
political, Black Dove is very much about
the personal, as the book's subtitle suggests. Castillo writes about, among other things, being sexually assaulted as a
teen by a family member, and recounts
a heart-wrenching breakup with a woman (Castillo identifies as bisexual though
laughingly remarks that she has spent
most of her life single), but the richest
section of the book is about Castillo's son,
Marcello.
Castillo portrays her son as a handsome, likable, graffiti-artist hip-hop head
who in his early 20s, after graduating from
college, commits an unarmed robbery in
the midst of depression and addiction.
Castillo lets Marcello speak for himself by
including emails they exchanged during
his two-year incarceration. And though
Castillo discusses Marcello's experience
in light of the often-dehumanizing pressures that come with being a young man
of color in a city such as Chicago, where
police harassment and street violence are
everyday occurrences (Castillo also came
of age there in the volatile 1960s), Marcello's emails, along with Castillo's own feelings of having failed her son, infuse this
section of the book with a riveting immediacy that yields the sense that mother
and son have both embraced the work
of healing, and have irrevocably changed
for the better as a result.
In a moment when we are regularly barraged with think pieces on current events
where the writer's anecdotal experience
feels more like a gimmick than an actual
life event (I have written my share of these
pieces myself), Black Dove is a refreshing read. Castillo's work encourages the
reader to consider how all our experiences are always in an organic conversation,
not a stilted one, with history's sweep
and ever-changing circumstances. How
our ability and willingness to cross over
real and imagined borders creates, and
forecloses, opportunities in all our lives.
(anacastillo.com) •
I,
'-'
,,';~
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,
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.... t
YOUCANHELPTHEM
DONATENOW
IFAW.ORG/CURVE
QIFAW
International Fund for Animal Welfare
42
SPARRINGSTYLE
46
JUST FOR KICKS
38
A FEMME
FESTIVE
SEASON
curve
FASHION
ACCESSORIES
IDENTITY
»
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
37
Holiday Office Party
The Outfit: Akris Trousers, TFNC
Top (Asos), Chloe 'Drew' Mini
Leather and Leopard-Print Calf Hair
Shoulder Bag
Why It Works: Amping up classic
winter whites with luxe silk trousers
and soft gold sequins makes
an easy, comfortable outfit feel
festive and elegant, while leopard
print-the must-have print of the
season and a bona fide "neutral" as
far as both I and Jenna Lyons are
concerned-keeps things playful
and a little bit rock 'n roll.
STYLE/
HOLIDAYCHIC
Morning Gift Exchange
at the Homestead
The Outfit: Akris Trousers,J. Crew
'Tippy' Sweater, Faux Fur Scarf
from Anthropologie
Why It Works: What's the difference
between silk pajamas and silk
trousers? To-die-for tailoring of
course! Add tissue-thin cashmere
with a dash of faux fur in pretty
blush shades and you'll be toasty
and oh-so-lnstagram worthy.
FEMME FOR THE
HOLIDAYS
FOUR
EASY
LOOKS
TO
TAKE
YOU
FROM
THANKSGIVING
TO
NEW
YEAR'S
EVE.
BY ANITA DOLCE VITA
Queer fashion biogs primarily focus on masculinity and androgyny, while largely ignoring the
incredible contributions that femmes have made to the queer style movement. Bloggers like Aja
Aguirre, founder of the queer style blog Fit for a Femme, are creating much needed space and
visibility for femme fashion, which dismantles beauty norms perpetuated by the dominant culture
and reclaims femininity from the male gaze. In the spirit of the season, Aja delivers special holiday
gifts of fierce, fearless femme fashion inspiration for a variety of occasions. Cheers to femme style!
(fitforafemme.com)
Merr the(I
Christmas
...
,.,.,
• ....,IOlll[r
._unulillnQlu•,
Holiday Meet the Parents
or Family Brunch
The Outfit: Vintage Skirt, J. Crew 'Tippy' Sweater, Eleven Objects
Lace Collar, BCBGeneration Boots
Why It Works: Holiday plaid in a classic cut equals instant polish,
while the length still lets you play on the floor with the little ones
under the tree! Suede boots and simple cashmere add pretty but
practical finishing touches. If a lace collar isn't your speed, try a
statement necklace or scarf.
e>U
Pl
•
STYLE/
HOLIDAYCHIC
STYLE/
FOOTWEAR
As far as American shoe bran
ds go, Converse holds a spe
cial place in the hearts
and closets of lesbians, with
many of us possessing a
cherished pair of Chuck
Taylor sneakers or two. Wh
at makes them so quintess
entially queer? Could
it be the fusion of sportsw
ear and streetwear? Or is
it
thei
r unique durability,
characterized by a smooth
yet firm rubber sole and roun
ded rubber toe? Maybe
it's the supportive ankle of
the high top and the snu
g tongue of the low top.
Or is it the trademark star
insignia that makes us feel
special? The unique and
humorous designs, often
involving a collaboration with
a notable design house,
adds freshness and vibranc
y to a classic silhouette. This
year, the Converse Chuck
Taylors are snazzy and spa
rkle with good cheer. They
brighten the dullest holiday
party, or at least start a con
versation while keeping you
comfortable. Our pick?
The Chuck Taylor All Star
Metallic Rubber High Top
and
Rub
ber Low Top, priced
between $70 and $85. (con
verse.com)
46
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2016
48 QUEENS OF CULTURE
58MUSIC MAVENS
60KRISTENFORTHE WIN
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
47
[
-
:~
1; _-·.
.;_;;
A
~-
~.
I
makers
I
Feminist writer Roxane Gay is the first black
woman to write a comic book series for Marvel.
BYJANECZYZSELSKA
SPECIALtCULTU
.........
..
....&.... ........
.,
.....11...-/
'Il
YAV
Ir
makers
TOPPL
NG
THE
PATRARCHY
Jill Soloway continues her TV revolution.
I
BY MARCIE BIANCO
Transparent showrunner Jill Soloway is revolutionizing
television and, on a larger scale, the art of storytelling in an age
of American culture dominated by identity. "No one can just go
to work and get away with just making a TV show anymore;' she
said matter-of-factly at a recent New York press conference. "I'm
always asking the question of myself and the other writers, 'What
can we do that has never been done and that's gonna change
the world?' " For Soloway, the aim of Transparent is "to go with
realest possible feeling when we're shooting;' she observed. "I
really want it to be like a documentary:'
Season 3, which premiered September 23 on Amazon, begins
with Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) surrounded by a loving family and
an equally loving girlfriend (played again by Angelica Houston),
as well as a terrifically supportive set of close friends. Yet, she is
not happy. "A lot of us experience the feeling of what happens
when you get everything that you want," Soloway said in our
interview. "The dream of becoming-the dream of coming-is
kind of like an antidepressant. And then you come out and now
you have your new self but you still have to deal with your self;'
she explained. "It's not enough to just identify as trans; [Maura]
now has to have a life."
Transparent has radically changed how marginalized identities
are portrayed in entertainment by portraying them: gender fluid;
transgender; sexually fluid; queer people of color; people with
HIV. She's also representing elder sexuality, intergenerational
sex, and kink. Soloway has changed how mainstream America
sees and thinks about queer and trans people, and she how trans
people are employed in the entertainment industry. Transparent
currently has over 50 trans and gender nonconforming cast and
crew members. While she said she doesn't "think about political
correctness that much;' she believes she has a "responsibility
to find creative trans people." Not only to find them, but to train
them, employ them, give them opportunities in the industry, in
50
CURVE
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2016
order to help "people get to the place of representing themselves."
"Do you know what 'intersectionality' means?;' Soloway said
with excitement in our interview. She's on a high about it, perhaps
because a few days prior she'd held a public discussion with
black feminist superstar bell hooks at the New School in New York
City about how to make the personal political through creative
enterprise. She also delivered a masterclass on the "Female Gaze" at
TIFF.Soloway's unrepentant nerdiness is more than endearing-it's
kickstarted a revolution to fight the "otherizing" of minorities and the
objectification of women. During the New School talk, she yielded
an auditorium full of laughs when she said, "I live in a fantasy world
where I believe the patriarchy will be toppled any minute now."
It's not such a fantasy. Read the 'Thanksgiving Paris Manifesto"
that she and her girlfriend, iconic lesbian poet Eileen Myles, posted
on their website topplethepatriarchy.com. Soloway's production
company, Topple Productions, is producing her new show, I Love
Dick, and Transparent is already greenlit for a fourth season. She is
earning numerous awards and accolades, from the TelevisionIndustry
Advocacy Awardsto the Emmyfor Outstanding Directing Fora Comedy
Series,which she also won in 2015. It looks like Soloway is well on her
way to creating the feminist world she dreamed of after all.
<(
<(
>=
SPECIALtCULTU
MOVES
AND
MOVEMENTS
Nicole Conn's cinematic vision reflects a
changing lesbian culture.
BY MELANIE BARKER
It was while watching the 1989 lesbian classic Desert
Hearts at a college film festival that Nicole Conn had an
epiphany: she would become a filmmaker. "I was rapt
the entire film. On the four-hour drive home, everyone
chatting around me in our packed van disappeared. All
I could think of was how to create the feelings I had just
experienced for women everywhere." She started raising
money, auditioning,
and so began a 25-year career
making 'lesbian films,' a genre that was largely unheard
of before she came along.
Claire
Whatever you think of it, Conn's groundbreaking
of the Moon (1992) opened doors in the industry for lesbianthemed cinema. "It was beloved by so many women all
over the country and world, but absolutely loathed by the
progressive lesbians in San Francisco, New York," recalls
Conn. "It still works as a modern day love story about one
women's struggle [for] her sexual identity."
Before Ellen DeGeneres came out, and before Ilene
Chaiken created The L Word, Conn started a conversation
about how we could be represented
and what our
aesthetic might be. "I think my main contribution to our
'library,' I believe, is really quality filmmaking shot with
micro-indie-budgets,
giving the lesbian community films
that looked like they were shot for several millions of
dollars instead of under $200K. This entitled the viewer
to feel proud of the fare. Far more importantly, though,
many women, upon seeing each of my films-Claire of the
Moon, Cynara, little man, Elena Undone and A Perfect Endingsaid the stories evoked powerful feelings that resonated
for them so deeply that they realized they were gay, or
finally were willing to come out.
"After Elena Undone, I can't even tell you how many letters
I got where the viewer wrote they were Elena or Peyton.
How many left their husbands or families. How many women
after seeing A Perfect Ending realized they had been wasting
their lives, not following their passions. They were desperate
to go on the journey, a two-hour marathon of feeling where
they could self-identify and then many of them went onto
make brave and courageous changes." Things have changed
since Conn began making movies: film, TV, and society are
more inclusive of us and gone are the coming-out stories
that defined us. "Lesbian characters live fully realized lives
and deal with the same challenges, hopes and dreams as the
rest of society, such as raising kids, making a living."
While the Internet has brought Conn's films to women
in countries where being LGBT is punishable by death,
it has also divested Conn of earnings; piracy has virtually
destroyed her ability to finance films or secure profits. She is
currently crowdfunding
her next project, Nesting Doll, which
she describes as her "most meaningful project to date,"
inspired by her special needs son, Nicholas, her daughter
Gabrielle, and four different women and the way in which
they experience different mother/daughter
relationships.
While it's more mainstream there is still "a beautiful womanwoman love story," says Conn. "I'm so blessed by women
from all over the world who have supported my efforts. I'm
dedicated to making the very best films with the resources at
my disposal to repay them for their love, letters, donations,
and support throughout the past 25 years." And here's to 25
more years of filmmaking. (nicoleconn.com)
NOV/DEC
2016
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Ir
l1
~--
.
. ';,
.V
7
I
makers
I
FLMNGTHE
FEMALE
Marina Rice Bader is creating a world of
women on film.
BY LISA TEDESCO
In case you hadn't heard, Hollywood is a boys' club:
Female visibility behind the camera, and in front of it, is
a never-ending fight for equality. We are, however, at a
turning point in mainstream entertainment.
Numerous
LGBTQ voices are being heard, and the representation of
these characters is reaching new heights and platforms.
Female filmmakers are pushing boundaries, though
they are often without big budgets or insider power.
Writer-director
Marina Rice Bader has set out on a
cultural adventure to bring the world films that show
strength and beauty through her female characters and
themes. "I'm excited to be a filmmaker at this time in
history, when women are working to lift each other up
and gender disparity is being discussed in such a big
way," says Bader.
She is helping to pave the way, especially in lesbian
cinema. With a slew of films already under her belt, and
many fans all over the world, Bader has created the
foundation that we've been dreaming about. "The first
step in fixing a problem is shouting it from the rooftops,"
she says. "We are doing that from every platform, with
more diverse voices than ever, which is why I truly
believe we'll one day be in a place where we get to use
our mighty voices for something other than achieving
what should already be ours."
Bader's most recent films made a lasting impression
at Outfest,
the country's
most popular
LGBT film
festival. These films examine the inexplicable emotional
upheavals in the everyday lives of women. "Anatomy of
a Love Seen is a direct reflection of my own conflicted
feelings about long-term love and relationships,"
says
Bader. "It's the highest of highs, but the lows will kill you.
52
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2016
It's gorgeous and messy, and I don't understand romantic
love at all." Perhaps a sentiment many lesbians share.
She genuinely cares for her audience and the people
she affects with each of her films. "It's the desire to touch
people on some level. The idea that someone feels a little
lonely or a little down and finding one of my films helps
them in a small way. Keeping them company. A love story
on a date night. A turning point for someone coming out,"
says Bader. Her newest film, Ava's Impossible Things, relates
to our struggle with family, and how family secrets and
dynamics affect our dreams, desires, and shape or thwart
romantic love.
Working to create a platform geared specifically
for
women has been Bader's strong suit. Her production
company, Soul Kiss Films, goes by the slogan Empowering
Women One Film at a Time, which is an entirely achievable
mission
given
Bader's output.
Creating
a culturally
accepting space in which queer women and their friends
can lend their talents to filmmaking is a struggle in the film
business, but with a little help from Marina Rice Bader, I
think we have a better chance than we had before.
"I'd love to be remembered as a woman who walked the
walk, took risks, followed her passion, and shined a little
light in the darkness." (soulkissfilms.com)
--~
'( ..
~-· .
I
makers
RDNG
HGH
For over a quarter of a century
Mariah Hanson has delivered
epic good times to queer women
and she shows no sign of stopping.
BY MELANIE BARKER
Who hasn't heard of The Dinah, the legendary weeklong
Palm Springs festival for lesbians, queer girls and
their friends? The growth and longevity of this cultural
phenomenon, which began in 1990, has taken even its
organizer by surprise. "I knew it had the potential to be a
game-changing event and my goal was to elevate the
stature of women's events to rival that of the men's. But to
become a line item on the average lesbian's bucket list? I
never expected that and I think it's pretty damn cool," says
Hanson. She and her production team work hard to live up
to that standard every year, meeting the expectations of
new generations of women by making each year bigger and
better than the year before.
Hanson's team have a lot to be proud of at a time when
lesbian festivals and spaces are steadily vanishing all across
the country. But she is most proud of the community that the
event creates. "We believe every single person who walks
through our doors is important and has their own, oftentimes
life-changing, reason to be there. For some, it's a coming out
rite of passage; for others it's to mend a broken heart; and for
others still it's an annual sojourn with good friends. Whatever
the reason, we take the trust put into us very seriously."
Along with community, the event provides culture for
women. "Entertainment is the lifeblood of any society. Life is
hard. We need to let our hair down and simply be happy that
we are alive and The Dinah makes you feel happy to be alive.
The joy that happens is hard to describe but it permeates
every aspect of the weekend. I think of it as the lesbian
Woodstock," says Hanson.
Thinking back to her own nascent days a baby dyke,
Hanson reveals that her experience of coming out was
"nothing short of very awkward. I was very shy and had
no idea what I was doing and in retrospect, in spite of my
feigned bravado, I am sure it showed. My heart goes out to
shy people who struggle to just be comfortable in their own
skin. It's part of why I love the event I produce. You can be who
you are and you feel accepted, understood, a part of something.
It's an empowering event."
Offering a sneak preview of next year's Dinah, Hanson reveals
that it's "music driven with some really cool and different
talent. I love that we booked Keala Kennelly, the world's most
respected female surfer, who broke the glass ceiling in a
predominantly male-dominated sport. I also love that we're
bringing Butterscotch, another pioneer in women's music
who broke the glass ceiling for beat box. This year's theme
is celebrating women who have broken barriers because
that is what The Dinah has been and continues to be about."
(thedinah.com)
NOV/DEC
2016
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53
The 2010s have been a big dang deal
in the life of Chely Wright. She kicked off
the decade by coming out in a very public
way, with a huge media blitz supporting
an autobiography (Like Me) and an album
(Lifted Off the Ground); she also became
a philanthropist, founding the LikeMe
Organization, whose goals are to sustain
and strengthen the LGBT community.
Over the next few years, she released
the documentary Wish Me Away, got
married, got pregnant, had twin boys, ran
a Kickstarter campaign, and suffered the
loss of her mother.
Pooling the emotional aftereffects
of all those life changes (and with the
funds earned through Kickstarter), Wright
emerged in 2016 with / Am the Rain, the
beautiful new album she made with
producer Joe Henry. With all the songs
but one written (or co-written) by Wright,
the record features guest appearances
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CURVE
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2016
by Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, and
the Milk Carton Kids, testifying to Wright's
transition out of the commercial country
music she was once largely known for and
into the more rough-and-tumble realm of
Americana. That was a big reason why
Wright wanted to work with Henry, and it
became a large part of their vision for the
project: "We set out not to make a record
that was, 'Look! Here are 13 songs you can
hear on the radio!' "
Instead, Wright offers up 13 songs that
turn their gaze inward, looking at presence
and compassion, faith and foundations.
Even a simple scan of the song titles
reveals the album's introspective intent"lnside," "At the Heart of Me," "What About
Your Heart," "Pain," and "See Me Home,"
among others. Indeed, she's come a long
way from "Single White Female."
In the middle of the set, Wright makes
Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" her
own, with an intimate perspective gained
from love and loss. Because she sticks to
Dylan's original pronouns, the tenderness
in her voice expresses all it needs to as
she sings "Yes, and only if my own true
love was waitin'. Yes, and if I could hear
her heart a-softly poundin'. Only if she
was lyin' by me, then I'd lie in my bed once
again."
Though she loves putting a gay spin on
the cut, she's also content to sing songs
straight, as it were. "To interpret a song,
you don't have to have lived through every
perfect detail," she explains. "And I often
say this: I'm pretty sure Johnny Cash never
shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.
My job is to tell a story in four and a half
minutes, and I don't feel shackled to the
idea that I need to make everything a
female pronoun now. And, quite frankly, I
still feel good about singing 'single white
female looking for a man like you.' I'm a
character in the song."
Having grown up in Kansas, Wright
moved to Nashville in 1989 in hopes of
making it big. Her debut album dropped
five years later, and her first No. 1 single
five years after that. It would be another 11
years before she would come out publicly.
Thanks to artists like Brandy Clark and
Kacey Musgraves, commercial country
music has begun to lean a little more to
the left in recent years, but if she had it all
to do over again, even in the current, more
accepting climate, would Wright be out
from the start? "If I were a new artist who
just got to town, I might be a little tentative
to be the first. I might be a little tentative
to try to get a real record deal, being out,
because out of the 20 real hit makers that
there are right now, none of them are out,"
she says. "So I would follow that lead,
probably, and say, 'Now's not the time to
come out.' Doesn't mean that I wouldn't
have tried to get, maybe, a couple of hits
under my belt and then come out right
after I had a No. 1 record."
She continues, "I mean, I thought about
it back then. I had fantasies about walking
out on the ACM [Academy of Country
Music] stage after I did a performance or
gave an award or got an award and said,
'Thanks for this.' I really did. I thought
about it. I really wanted myself to have
the courage to do it, but...as far as being
a new artist coming to town, being
openly gay and telling the world, I would
be really reticent to approach the labels
and say, 'Hey, I'm gay. Will you give me a
record deal?' Maybe it's a lack of courage
on my part."
Clearly, courage is something Wright
has come to find in herself. If you've
seen Wish Me Away, or are familiar with
the fruits of her charitable work through
LikeMe, you'll discover it too. Comparing
and contrasting her two main ways to
make an impact-music
and activismshe says, "It does feel good to have
people say, 'You've been a soundtrack to
my 20s.' Or, 'My mom listened to you and
now I listen to you, and you're a part of
our lives.' That's a good feeling on a...l
don't want to say 'shallow' level. ..but it
makes you feel good about the workthe time, the effort, the idea that you sat
down and wrote 50 songs, even if only
two of them are good. That makes you
feel good.
"But, as far as on a spiritual level,
and whether I've kept my commitment
with God to try to put more into the
world than I take out-someone
being
touched
by my coming out story
is definitely the best of the best."
(chely.com) •
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
55
Depressed and alone following the
death of her parents, with despair gnawing
at her soul, a young woman named Sonia
Feldman channeled the energy of her
Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher, Sakyong
Mipham Rinpoche, and had a vision. "I saw
an entire world, at peace and in touch with
its heart. I looked for myself in this vision
and I was right there, with my three spiritual
supports-the love of my teacher, and the
feminine and masculine love and support
of my parents:'
She saw herself as what she could
become: an enlightened artist beyond
self-doubt, using her voice without fear
of judgment. She named herself Yaysh.
"Rapping or singing is my worldly vehicle
for expressing my spiritual and human
freedom, my mind and my heart. I wanted
to find a way to work with the pain of being
alive in the world;' says Yaysh, who briefly
contemplated religious servitude. We're
glad she changed her mind.
Her influences are worldly black women:
56
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2016
Missy Elliot. Aaliya, Lauryn Hill, Erykah
Badu, Jill Scott, Etta James, to name a few.
Yaysh is a talented interloper with good
intentions. She discovered rapping while
hanging out in the 'hood. Put on the spot
to demonstrate her abilities in freestyling,
she discovered she had natural swag and
attitude. "When I rap I don't really think
about race. I am a soul in a body being
human and my body happens to be under
the category of Caucasian. But my soul is
just like everyone's soul-colorless. As a
whitey I have privilege and it saddens me
that it is still like that, but I can't help the
skin I was born in either, and you have to
have tremendous compassion for the
ignorance of our species and all the pain
we have caused each other because of ego
and desire, to the point of creating racism
and sexism and homophobia and war."
For Yaysh, hip-hop "has its roots in black
culture and street life and struggle," but it
is about self-expression. "I am just myself. I
am Yaysh. I am. I am a woman. Right now I
have short hair with a mild pink pastel toner
in it. I get my hair cleaned up at the hiphop barber shop by John C from Oakland,
and by my beautiful southern, gay, black,
confident hairdresser and colorist Miles."
Yaysh says her music has been
received "astonishingly well," especially
her single "Wild One." Her sound is
upbeat and rhythmic, her vocal range
incredible. Her image is sharp, rascally,
fresh and different. But she insists she
has no persona, no brand, no packaging.
"There is nothing to sell here. I don't even
know what's coming next. No box for this
one. I am label-less." If she has any kind
of tagline it's "wisdom with swag." What
does that mean, exactly? "Freedom-in
every aspect, especially sexuality, and
that's what I represent."
Yaysh's debut album is out early next
year and we can't wait. (yayshplz.com) •
It's been nearly four years since the
Colorado-based band SHEL unveiled
their amazing self-titled debut. Their longsophomore set, Just Crazy Enough, was
released this year-and is worth the wait.
'SHEL' is an acronym formed from the
first names of the four Holbrook sisters:
Sarah, Hannah, Eva, and Liza. All four are
in their 20s and their orientations vary. ("I
think you could say that we love men and
women," quips Hannah.) Here's a quick
thumbnail sketch of the sisters, from oldest
to youngest: Hannah plays keyboards and
arranges most of SHEL'svocal harmonies.
Perhaps not surprisingly for an older sister,
she has a maternal streak and boasts both
a good sense of humor and an old soul.
Eva sings lead and writes the lion's share of
the lyrics. (She also plays the mandolin.) In
interviews, she tends to take the lead. Her
look hearkens back to an earlier era. Sarah
is a self-described "queer violinist" whose
outer beauty is matched by her inner
radiance. Playing the violin is only one of
her talents; Sarah also makes films, biogs,
and designed the cover of the band's first
CD. Liza is the baby, acknowledged by
the other sisters as their favorite. She is a
percussionist extraordinaire, equally at
home whether she's beatboxing or playing
the djembe. Each sister has her own unique
talent, and it wouldn't be SHEL if any one of
them were absent.
When asked about female influences,
the sisters offer a diverse list of names.
Eva cites the 19th-century English novelists
the Bronte sisters as inspirations-but is
quick to give props to Dolly Parton and
Emmylou Harris. Hannah says, "Melody
Bardot [is] probably my favorite singer
right now" but cites the Brennan sisters,
Enya and Moya, who formed the band
Clannad, as well. "Imogen Heep has been
a huge inspiration for all of us, I think;'
says Liza. "She's incredibly inventive and
imaginative ...And Audrey Hepburn. Not
only was she a phenomenal actress and
a gorgeous woman but she was a huge
activist." Sarah adds, "Jodie Foster. I just
think she's amazing. [And] the band Heart,
I think, inspired us a lot. Two sisters totally
rocking it out, you know?"
Just Crazy Enough is more concise and
pop oriented than their debut, perhaps
because Dave Stewart-the male half of
the Eurythmics-co-produced
the album
with the Holbrooks and their longtime
collaborator Brent Maher. "Dave did all
of his parts in L.A.;' says Eva. "We only
recorded in Nashville... [So] we were always
really excited to come [to the studio] the
days the tracks would come back from
Dave:' The album title comes from its
second song, the catchy "You Could Be
My Baby." That's followed by the equally
infectious "Rooftop;' but Just Crazy Enough
is hardly front-loaded with good tracks, as
the last four songs demonstrate. "I Know"
is another blast of catchy pop, followed
by a fascinating cover of Metallica's "Enter
Sandman;' slowed down to an eerie lullaby
("We did a Led Zeppelin cover on the last
album, so we figured we might as well
commit further sacrilege and try a Metallica
cover on this one;' explains Eva.) After that
is "Moonshine Hill," an upbeat bluegrass
jam. The album closer, "Stronger Than My
Fears," was used in the campaign for the
inaugural Women's Sports Film Festival. All
in all, one listen to SHELand you'll be crazy
for them. (shelmusic.com) •
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Over the past decade or so, Nikki
Glaspie has become
one of the
most prolific drummers
in popular
music. Her credits include touring
with Beyonce for five years (which
took her all over the world) and
playing with Dumpstaphunk, the New
Orleans-based band spearheaded by
the legendary Ivan Neville. She has
recorded or performed with everyone
from George Michael to Brenda Russell
to Cee-Lo. But the project that is closest
to Glaspie's heart is The Nth Power, the
band she co-founded in 2012. Their
album Abundance, which arrived last
year, was a heady mixture of funk, rock,
gospel, and steamy soul, and featured
five members. In addition to Glaspie on
drums, and occasionally on vocals, The
Nth Power included Nick Cassarino on
lead vocals and guitar, Nate Edgar on
bass, Nigel Hall on keyboards (that's
four people whose names begin with
"n," for those keeping track), and
Weedie Braimah on percussion.
Since then, Braimah has departed
and keyboardist Courtney Smith has
replaced Hall. This new lineup of The
Nth Power has been touring relentlessly
and in fact will probably have released
a live album by the time you read
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this. Their CD To Be Free: Live is slated
for official release on 11/11 but should
be available at shows before then.
"We already recorded two nights in
Boston," Glaspie told me recently. "And
we're [planning to] do a live recording
in Brooklyn, at The Knitting Factory ...
We're super-excited
to be releasing
this live album." Fans can look forward
to new material on To Be Free, as well
as one or two songs from Abundance.
"We come from all different types of
[musical] backgrounds," says Glaspie
of her bandmates. "Nick will bring in
some James Taylor. I'll bring in some
Parliament-Funkadelic.
And Nate will
bring in some Lee 'Scratch' Perry,
'cause he's a reggae specialist ...There's
lots of different genres and influences
that we have." The common ground
they share is mainly '70s soul. Glaspie
cites Earth, Wind & Fire, Marvin Gaye,
and the lesser-known Leon Ware as
influences.
"When we started, our
mantra was a Leon Ware record called
Musical Massage. That was kind of
where we all met. And we listened to it
for months and months!"
Glaspie-who
is openly gay-cites
Angela Mia Bachemin, an instructor
she had at Berklee College of Music, as
one of her primary female influences.
"She's a drummer
herself,"
says
Glaspie. "She was like, 'You're [gonna
have] to hit it a little bit harder. They're
not gonna give it to you. As soon as you
show up, they're gonna be expecting
you to sound quote-unquote like a girl.'
And that's my thing now: Yes, I sound
like a girl, because I am a girl!" When
I ask if she's had to overcompensate
for her gender by being more forceful
at times, she replies, "Absolutely! Just
because people will take you for a joke
when they see you. But I just use that
as fire, you know what I mean?
"[The] sexism has kind of faded
away," she adds. "In the sense that
people have seen me and they know
what I come with. There's a lot of
people that say, 'Oh my God, you're
one of the greatest female drummers
I've ever seen.' And then there's other
people that are like, 'No, you're not one
of the greatest female drummers I've
ever seen-you're
one of the greatest
drummers I've ever seen.'"
Despite her confidence
and her
resume, Glaspie has a
impressive
spiritual streak, which is evident not
only when you talk to her but when you
listen to The Nth Power's music. "In this
society, we're so consumed with more,
more, more," she says. "We're consumed
with collecting
material things. And
when you die, you can't take it with you!
What I've found is that love is the best
currency." (nikkiglaspie.com) •
MICHELLE CITRIN
MADYX
SOAK
LITTLE GIRL, BIG VOICE
WE'RE MAD ABOUT HER
DIVE RIGHT IN
This Brooklyn-based musical wonder might
be small but she sure has a big bluesy voice.
Her melodies are jazzy and folk-influenced,
with a warm coffeehouse style, which
makes her a delight to listen to these days,
with all the other cultural noise out there.
Her quirky, insightful lyrics, and her general
cuteness, make her one of our favorite finds
this year. She's been billed as one of the New
Jewish Rock Stars but she's not really new
-she already has six albums under her belt,
with the latest, Left Brained Right Hearted
out now. (michellecitrin.com)
After the recent tragedy of Orlando we
needed an upbeat anthem. "Where the Wild
Things Are" was a catchy summer pop tune
to lift our moods. Behindthis Pride-centric ear
candy was Michelle Blanchard,also known as
Madyx, a 23-year-old pop artist who started
dropping beats about a year ago. Based in
Los Angeles, Madyx is often described as a
mix between Pink and Katy Perry,and that's
her sound-she's even got the hair down,
rocking a purple undercut. But even better,
Madyx is proudly one of ours. We can't wait
to hear what she does next. (madyx.com)
SOAK is the stage name of a baby-faced
young butch by the name of Bridie
Monds-Watson, who was born in Northern
Ireland in 1997. Through her muic videos
and live touring she's been catching the
attention of critics and earning new fans
with her androgynous look and intriguing
sound. Her young, introspective lyrics are
strangely endearing and a joy to listen to.
"Sea Creatures" from her debut album
Before We Forgot How to Dream is a catchy
'90s throwback that's sure to have you
hooked on SOAK. (soakmusic.co.uk)
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KRISTtN
ST[WART
ISTH[
ACTOR
0~HtR
GtN[RATION.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
FEATURES/
he lesbian appeal of Kristen
Stewart arguably began with
her first film performances as
Patricia Clarkson's adorable
tomboy daughter in Rose Troche's The Safety of Objects (2001), and as
the adorable tomboy daughter of Jodie
Foster in Panic Room (2002). Seeing Stewart at work as a 9-year-old, I was actually
reminded of Jodie Foster when she was
a child star. Like Foster, Stewart stayed in
the business and, also like Foster, grew a
show-business shell that both attracted
fans and prevented them from getting too
close to her. This armor and the ambiguity it created served Stewart during the
Twilight juggernaut but kept her from her
lesbian fan base. She teased us with outings such as The Runaways, in which she
portrayed Joan Jett, but she still seemed
somehow unknowable.
It's only recently that we've felt able to
claim Stewart as one of our own. The August 2015 issue of Nylon reveals a rapport
shared by Stewart and Jett on the set of
The Runaways. "Your people are here for
you," Jett would tell Stewart by way of
encouragement. "Kristen, pussy to the
wood!" she would yell, if her trainee's guitar performance needed more grit.
But when would Kristen come out?
"Google me," she would say. "I'm not hiding." She was, just in plain sight. She certainly dressed like one of us, and she spent
a lot of time with Alicia Cargile. What was
her problem? Come out, already!
Stewart resisted. She told Nylon: "I am
an actress, man. I live in the fucking ambiguity of this life, and I love it. I don't feel like
it would be true for me to be like, 'I'm coming out!' No, I do a job. Until I decide that
I'm starting a foundation, or that I have
some perspective or opinion that other
people should be receiving ... I don't. I'm
just a kid making movies."
If that seems evasive, a year later everything had changed. In a Los Angeles
Times interview this past July, Stewart declared: "I've discovered a way to live my
life and not feel like I'm hiding at all. And
I think that's pretty apparent for anyone
who cares-not that everyone does. But
I think that if you had been tracking it in
any way, it's more apparent that I'm more
relaxed than I used to be." The media had
indeed been tracking her intimacies-with
Cargile, and with French singer Soko for
a few months, then with Cargile again.
Stewart knew that hiding was pointless. In
fact, she didn't seem to care anymore. As
we went to print, the tabloids were reporting that Stewart had split from Cargile and
was dating St. Vincent. They were allegedly inseparable in New York this fall, where
Stewart took St. Vincent to the 54th New
York Film Festival, to a sushi dinner, and exploring the city. They were photographed
strolling together in the East Village.
Getting Stewart to come out on our
terms was about as hard as getting her to
smile. At only 26 years old and with a net
worth of $70 million, Stewart could be forgiven for feeling the pressure to have both
privacy and career credibility. But finally
she is mastering herself and her power.
And in that photo with St. Vincent she is
smiling.
Watching Stewart at the press conferences for the New York Film Festival
in early October, where she had three
non-mainstream films showing (Certain
Women, Personal Shopper, and Billy Lynn's
Long Halftime Walk), I thought there was
still a lot of "the kid" about her, but more of
the serious artist. At the press conference
for director Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women, she showed off her long legs in shorts
topped with a T-shirt and a black blazer,
but seemed a little awkward, nervously
tapping her maroon and cream oxfords,
and occasionally biting at her thumbnail.
She answered questions, but her answers
were brief, halting, or self-deprecating.
She was funny, too, her comments sometimes underscored by wild gesticulating. Stewart was animated by the topic:
COVERSTORY
Certain Women is part of the "good shit"
she's been making recently, working with
non-mainstream directors she grew up
admiring. "I'm really not precious about
it," she says. "I've just gotten super lucky
lately." Certain Women is a drama built
around a quadrant of women who live
in a small Montana town. Stewart plays
a young lawyer in a tiny firm who must
drive for hours to teach education law to
a group of teachers after work. When a female rancher, a Native American, falls for
her, Stewart's character, glad of the company but struggling to get by, is oblivious
to the woman's attentions. In one scene,
Stewart eats a hamburger and wipes her
mouth with a rolled napkin, the cutlery still
inside it. It's a curious gesture: unpretentious, awkward, just like Stewart herself.
Asked why she chose that gesture for her
character, she says, "She has no time. I
don't know-there's stuff on your face,
just get it off. She's so distracted and fucking self-absorbed ... What do you mean,
though?," Stewart adds, leaning toward
the journalist who asked the question, as
if she herself might get to learn something
more by examining her own choices.
Stewart is not interested in fame or
money. Her focus is on artistic process.
"I would never draw attention to the distinction between doing a big movie and a
small one ... I guess you could technically
draw a distinction, because you have more
money to play with," she tells us. "I mean,
naturally, it affects the dynamic a little bit
[but] I've never approached anything going, 'Oh, this is bigger now, therefore I'm
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less entitled to something meaningful."
Lately, Stewart has deliberately chosen
meaningful work, especially independent
films in Europe. In an interview she did
in Cannes to promote her appearance in
the Woody Allen film Cafe Society, Stewart was asked if she enjoyed the world's
most glamorous film festival. "I love how
people take film very seriously here. I've
devoted my life to observing people and
studying behavior and wanting to be part
of making films. This has been my entire
life, really.... Usually, when I'm attending a
film premiere in Hollywood, I become very
nervous in those situations, but here in
Cannes I'm much more comfortable and
I enjoy my time here so much."
In the film Clouds of Sils Maria (2014),
written and directed by French auteur Olivier Assayas, Stewart plays a nerdy and
fastidious personal assistant to a particularly dykey-looking and neurotic Juliette
Binoche. Stewart won a Cesar Award
(the French Oscar) for her efforts, and so
pleased was Assayas that he wrote another role for her, this time as the underpaid
but protective "personal shopper" for a famous young actress; Personal Shopper is
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a genuinely scary multi-genre ghost story
about loneliness and the digital age.
In the film, Stewart plays Maureen
Cartwright, a fraternal twin with the same
heart condition that has just killed her
brother, Lewis. They shared an oath that
the first one of them to die would send
the other a sign from the other side. Like
her deceased twin, Maureen is an amateur
medium. His death gives her the opportunity to test her paranormal skills, but it also
opens a Pandora's box of paranoia and
psychic tension, and launches Maureen
into an existential crisis about who she is
and how much control she has over her
life. In Personal Shopper Stewart seems to
be a lot like herself: intuitive, tense, testing
her limits. She is spiritually and literally naked in the film. If you wish to see a topless
Stewart and more, this is where to look,
but the exposing scenes aren't gratuitous.
Speaking at the New York Film Festival
press screening of the film, Assayas said
that Stewart is "completely spontaneous
and physical ... I think what is extraordinary with Kristen is how smart she is with
understanding the most intricate complexities of filmmaking. She brings such
incredible pace, rhythm. She recreates the
character from the inside, and she does
it knowingly, but at the same time she is
guided by her body." It's really her physicality, he says, that shapes this film. And in
particular, it is her physicality portrayed in
isolation. Often, she is alone, or alone with
technology-a screen or a cell phone text.
Stewart arrived late to the press conference with Assayas, possibly because the
night before she had been honored with
her own An Evening With... event held by
the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which
was celebrating her recent "enigmatic
roles in complex films" and her willingness
to "challenge herself and her fans."
Stewart took to the stage amidst cheers
and immediately demonstrated her rapport with her director. She looked tired but
gorgeous, fashion-savvy but also serious.
"Some of the sexiest shit I've done on
screen, I'm alone," she tells us. "It was like,
Oh my god, it's just such massive disconnection. You're just fabricating a wonderful
reality that's not real, it's just perception."
"It was really up to Kristen within the
shot to put the emphasis on this or that,"
says Assayas, "and she dug up from within
FEATURES/
the character and within the story whatever resonated with her.... I think one thing
Kristen masters in a way that's unique is
time within a specific shot." So much so
that Stewart became almost a co-creator,
in control of the pace of filming, extending
the duration of certain shots or scenes. "I
was not bored one second. I was always
discovering something new that Kristen
was bringing ... It's very much a combination of Kristen's work and mine."
It's perhaps ironic that Stewart's physical presence has been harnessed to
such commanding effect in a film that is
essentially about absence and the power
of the things we can't see. "Nothingness
was the start of it," says Stewart about
creating her role, "and it's like you can't really always take credit for something that
comes through you. It's fucking weird, but
the first time you approach something like
that, it's cool."
While the film is essentially about Stewart stalking a ghost, the ghost is also
stalking her. It's a parable of 21st-century
surveillance, the result of the proliferation
of mobile and digital technology. "Yeah,
it's funny because I think Maureen wants
to be invisible, and at the same time she
wants to be really seen," says Stewart. "She
struggles with that, and I think that's pretty
much everyone right now. Even the most
out there people ... I don't hide anything.
I don't have any public social-media things
that I engage with, but I ultimately want to
be seen. It's weird. We think we have more
control over that now than we've ever had,
because we have it in our hands, but we
have none. I don't know. Like, I have this
weird preoccupation with other people,
which is so unbelievably distracting ...
it's so time-consuming. It's like there are
two sides to it: We stalk each other. I stalk
people. I get stalked. We all are obsessive,
you know what I mean? The whole movie she's struggling with this identity crisis,
because she's two very separate versions
of a person-and that's not a bad thing,
it's just hard to sort of contend with as a
younger person."
She's not only describing her character;
she's describing herself, hiding in plain
sight, wanting to be, and terrified of being, seen. Ask Stewart a direct question,
COVERSTORY
though, and she's likely to answer: Does
she have a personal shopper?
"I have a stylist, and she's rad. But I
choose my shit. I don't, like, get dressed
by someone. But you know, this isn't mine,"
she says, plucking at her gorgeous tailored tuxedo jacket, which she has paired
with mustard plaid ski pants and sky-high
black stilettos. "We just borrow this stuff
and go, 'Thanks,' and then we give it back."
Does she believe in the paranormal?
"It's that thing of, if that's real for you,
then what the hell else is there? There's so
much that we don't see that we know to
be true. It's kind of a self-protective reduction to say, 'Do you believe in ghosts? Have
they touched you?' Well, what else doesn't
touch you, but exists? ... I don't know what
the fuck energy is-there's something that
doesn't go away, and whether I'm making
that up or I'm actually being left with some
residual debris, I feel people fucking intrinsically, you know what I mean? I think
it leaves shadows."
It's easy to think that mega-famous film
stars are so privileged that they're above
fear and impervious to danger, but there's
FEATUREStCOVER
STORY
something about Stewart (and her liberal
use of F-bombs) that indicates vulnerability. Personal Shopper is, she has said, "the
most isolating and lonely movie I've ever
made," but she was drawn to the story because she felt she had much in common
with Maureen. "When I was younger, I suffered a lot from anxiety and doubts. And,
like Maureen, I know that feeling of intense
isolation that comes from being stuck in
your own head."
The shoot, which involved 16-hour days,
was emotionally and physically exhausting. "But that's what makes the process
of acting exciting for me. It may seem
strange, but I feel more alive and fulfilled
when I'm suffering and reaching the point
of exhaustion .... It's been my experience
that all those times which while you're going through them are so devastating-are
actually the experiences that are going
to make you stronger and more aware.
Whenever I've gone through traumatic
moments, I've always come out afterward
feeling more alive and confident. You have
this sense that you can finally be happy
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and feel fulfilled, the way you want to be
in life."
In Personal Shopper, Stewart is so convincing that it's easy to believe she is in
fact a "nobody," shadowing a "somebody."
Might she actually desire anonymity? Possibly. "The biggest issue I have is meeting
people for the first time and having to
deal with the fact that they already have a
specific impression of who I am. Those impressions are not necessarily wrong, but
they're very subjective. People think they
know you from what they've read or from
some of the characters they've seen you
play in your films, and you're put in the position of having to correct or adjust those
impressions."
If she could be anonymous again she
says she'd like to "go to a mall or someplace where I would be able to observe
a lot of people. Being curious about
people and wanting to observe and
study people is one of the reasons I became interested in acting. I would love
to be able to meet someone, look them
straight in the face, and not be recog-
nized. It would be really interesting to
be able to meet someone that way and
not have any preconceived impressions
get in the way of that process."
It's the processes of art and of life
that Stewart is committed to now, not
an image of herself that can be endlessly consumed. "I try to do the things
that I feel passionate about and focus
on the work rather than on the money
involved .... My view is that you can't be
truly happy unless you keep reflecting
on your life and questioning your actions and decisions and whether you're
doing the right thing or not," she says.
Has she beaten her anxiety, the conflictedness about fame that kept her
guard up for so long? "I've learnt that
you shouldn't worry so much about how
things might not be how you would like
them to be, but instead focus on all the
good things that are around. I try to
get out and do things that are going to
make me feel happy and be creative in
my life. I don't want to be passive when
it comes to leading my life." •
70 BRIGHTON BEACH BEAUTIES
73 THE CRAFTY LADIESOF LAOS
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WHERE TO STAY
If you really want to "stay gay," peruse
Visit Berlin's Pink Pillow Berlin Collection,
a partnership between Berlin's official
tourism body and some of the city's
premier hotels. The initiative caters to
LGBT travelers, offering sensitivity training
for all hotel staff, extending friendliness
to LGBT guests, and promoting the
availability of information about the local
LGBT scene. At the time of publication,
there were approximately 60 Pink Pillow
Berlin Collection hotels, some starting
from as little as 30 euros a night! We
stayed at the delightful Westin Grand
Berlin, a luxury property on an historic site,
conveniently located in the lively district
of Mitte, near shopping, restaurants, and
public transportation, and an easy walk to
the Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz,
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and Museum Island. The Westin is grand in
scale, with its large mezzanine structure,
generous modern rooms, wellness area,
lovely restaurant, bar, and lounge, and
very welcoming staff. You might also be
lucky enough to score your own souvenir
piece of the Berlin Wall to take home with
you; the Westin keeps an original monolith
of concrete out front for enterprising and
able-bodied guests to chip away at, upon
invitation! (westingrandberlin.com)
WHERETO GO
To get a panoramic view of the city,
head to the German Reichstag. Bring
your passport with you to gain clearance,
as there are tightened security measures
these days, but the view from the top is
spectacular and worth queuing up for. To
begin your visit elegantly, go to the rooftop
FEATURES/
for lunch-Kafer Dachgarten Restaurant
serves fresh modern German cuisine,
which goes nicely with a local wine or beer
and is a great start to your explorations of
the city. (en.feinkost-kaefer.de/berlin)
While Berlin is very walkable, public
transportation is cheap and efficient,
and taxis are also reliable if you lose your
bearings. If you happen to be staying at
the Westin you'll find plenty to do within
walking distance. The Brandenburg Gate
is spectacular as an architectural marvel,
and to witness history come to life, don't
miss The Gate Berlin, an immersive art
installation that will transport you through
300 years of history-the
Napoleonic
Wars, the Roaring Twenties, World War 11,
the Fall of the Wall, and beyond. Featuring
giant screens and surround sound, The
Gate Berlin is an experience brought to you
by the creators of the FIFA World Football
Museum. This exhibit is a truly unique form
of edu-tainment; open daily and with a
cycle of 20 minutes. (thegate-berlin.de)
Close by is the Holocaust Memorial
to the murdered Jews of Europe, and, as
somber as that may sound, it is a stunning
monolithic memorial of 2,711 concrete
stelae with a subterranean information
center-one
of several important sites
dedicated to remembering the terrible
legacy of World War 11,which is not just
the burden of Berliners but is shared by
an international community increasingly
riven by conflict and terror. That Germany,
and Berlin in particular, can come to
terms with its past, integrating it into the
contemporary
landscape and beauty
of the city, shows its commitment to
remembrance and renewal, a living
testament to the fact that things can get
better, which is inspiring for us all.
Berlin consists of 12 unique districts,
but the one that is "hot" right now is
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Originally two
working-class boroughs divided by the
Berlin Wall, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
quickly came together after 1989 and
today is a cosmopolitan neighborhood
featuring many vintage shops, design
stores, coffe shops, galleries, and
boutiques. It's the perfect place to stroll
and to pick up a unique one-off souvenir.
The famous East Side Gallery features
the longest-surviving stretch of the Berlin
Wall, plus there's a river, green space, and
Moritzplatz, an arty enclave with galleries
and more.
TRAVEL
If you want to learn what is hip, new,
and vibrant in this revitalized city, book a
walking tour with Catrin and Karoline from
Of/Berlin. These young women know the
city inside out, and can tailor a tour to your
liking based on your particular interests,
whether that means viewing key works of
graffiti; sampling ice cream, coffee, and
pastries; or shopping for vintage clothes
and trendy upcycled accessories. Catrin
and Karoline know the cool new leaders
in design in the Kreuzberg area, such as
Simon Lockwood's light sculpture studio,
Ad Infinitum, the sunglasses design firm
Papp-Up, makers of Panama hats using
recycled materials at Panama Hutgalerie,
or their own concept store featuring gifts,
souvenirs, design accessories, and more
(ofberlin.com). Kreuzberg is the Brooklyn
of Berlin, a hipster heaven but also down
to earth with its Turkish grocery stores,
coffee shops, and the extensive and
colorful Turkish market at Maybachufer.
in 1999; Museum Island includes the Old
Museum and the Old National Gallery. To
see the famous bust of Egyptian queen
Nefertiti and many stunning pieces from
antiquity, go to the New Museum (smb.
museum).You never know what might be
showing in Berlin while you're there. When
we visited, Cate Blanchett was appearing
virtually in a 13-monologue installation
titled "Manifesto" by Julian Rosefeldt at the
Hamburger Bahnhof Museum. Well worth
the detour is the Gay Museum Berlin,
which was founded in 1985 and displays
fascinating art, mementoes, and archival
materials from our recent LGBT history. It's
the world's largest institution of its kind and
is dedicated to preserving our culture as
we create it (schwulesmuseum.de). During
my visit, the exhibition SuperQueeroes:
Our LGBTI* Comic Book Heroes and
Heroines was on show, featuring the work
of Alison Bechdel, Diane DeMassa of
Hothead Paisan fame, and others.
CULTURE
I lost count of the museums to visit,
but of interest to design-savvy dykes is
the Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, which is the
world's largest showcase of modern
minimalist Bauhaus design (bauhaus.
de), and the Berlin Wall Museum located
at the legendary Checkpoint Charlie
border crossing. This museum's exhibits
tell the story of the history of the wall, as
well as displaying fascinating artifacts
(mauermuseum.de). But the jewel in the
crown of Berlin's impressive collection
of museums is Museum Island, five
historic buildings that were built by the
pre-eminent architects of their day and
were World Heritage listed by UNESCO
CUISINE
Berlin is in the midst of a food revolution,
boasting both good and simple ethnic
cuisineand14 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Say good-bye to sausage, spaetzle, and
strudel-today's
German cuisine offers
you so much more! Restaurant Reinstoff
is a two-Michelin-star modern gourmet
flagship in Berlin's thriving dining scene
and is located in a warehouse landmark,
the Edison Courtyards in Berlin-Mitte,
where Germany's first light bulbs were
manufactured.
Chef Daniel Achilles
dazzles diners: With his business partner,
Sabine Demel, and an intelligent and
impeccable service team, he delivers
an elegant and upscale experience, one
The plating at Restaurant Reinstoff
cherished by locals and reserved for
date night, a special occasion, or top-tier
business-but compared to what you'd
pay in America for such transcendent
quality, it is still an affordable experience.
The plates are small and impeccably
prepared and presented: Choose from two
menus, the "nearby," using locally sourced
ingredients-for example, European perch
with crabapple, parsley root, cider, and
pumpernickel, or the "faraway," using
imported specialty goods-squid
with
kiwi and green juniper, lemon leaf oil, and
pickle weed vinaigrette. Everything pairs
well with local wines like a zippy Gruner
Veltliner or an aromatic Riesling Kabinett!
Another outstanding dining experience
is provided courtesy of Berlin-born badboy chef Tim Raue, once a knockabout
inner-city gang member with a delinquent
childhood, but now one of the country's
top chefs, and a celebrity. If anyone is
a symbol of the city's reinvention, it's
Raue. His eponymous Michelin-starred
restaurant is located near Checkpoint
Charlie (tim-raue.de). The most famous
crossing point between the former East
and West Berlin is now a meeting point of
East and West food fusion. Raue's menu of
Asian-inspired cuisine is an intuitive and
passionate blend of Japanese precision,
intense Thai flavors, and the philosophy
of Chinese cooking. A charismatic and
energetic presence, Raue has abandoned
the stodgier elements of German cooking
such as bread, white sugar, dairy products,
and gluten. His menu features classics such
as langoustine with wasabi, Cantonesestyle; suckling pig with dashi and Japanese
mustard; and Thai mango with lime and
saffron-all served in a charming and
eclectic design environment.
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Germany proudly and actively promotes
its national parks, biodiversity and rural
heritage, and even in urban Berlin, a
connection to nature is cherished. As it is
in many other cities, farm-to-table dining is
all the rage in Berlin. But I've never quite
had it presented to me with such simplicity
and aplomb as at Einsunternull. The
restaurant, which has its home in a chic and
minimalist space, is committed to bringing
nature to the table in its utmost refinement
and purity. An entire dish may be planned
around one or two ingredients-say,
mushrooms
and
hazelnuts.
Dining
here is a subtle and sensual experience
where nothing is predictable and you
taste ingredients in their most intense
form, as if for the first time, plucked from
the source but presented with artistic
refinement. My advice is to leave your
usual dining expectations at the door and
just go with the menu. It's an especially
rewarding experience if you're vegetarian.
(einsunternull.com/en)
For something more casual and down
to earth, Osmans Tochter is a modern and
authentic Turkish restaurant run by women
cooks, offering traditional Turkish dishes
served with freshness and flair in a hip
brasserie environment (osmanstoechter.
de). An even more inexpensive dinner
at Kanaan Restaurant is of great cultural
value, and highly recommended, because
in spirit it captures what today's Berlin
is trying to achieve. Located in grungy
Prenzlauer Berg, the most urban corner
of Pankow, this venture was started with
very little capital by two expats: Oz Ben
David from Israel and Jalil Dabit from
Palestine, who preside over chefs from
Syria, Morrocco and Russia! The delicious,
modestly presented, home-cooked, and
absolutely authentic Middle Eastern dishes
are designed to be ordered and shared
family-style (try the hummus, which is
sublime). The restaurant is set up like a
pub and is in a rundown building, which is
being revitalized; it's particularly appealing
to its young and unpretentious clientele
(beer and wine is cheap and there's a pool
table and a nightclub downstairs). I can't
think of a better example of reunification
and a gesture toward world peace than
this heartwarming establishment!
To dig even deeper into the fabric of
Berlin, take a cooking class with Goldhahn
& Sampson in vibrant Charlottenburg
in the City West. The open commercial
kitchen and dining room is located in
the rear of a delightful gourmet shop
and bookstore, which sells specialty
products-this
is the place to pick up
some real Berlin coffee or a good bottle
of Sekt, a sparkling German wine. Learn
how to prepare a variety of meals with
fresh local produce under the tender
and encouraging eyes of female cookswe were lucky enough to cook with
Lisa Shoemaker, American expat and
longterm Berliner, a cookbook author
and translator. Pick a class, from Alpine
cooking to North African cuisine. Berlin
today is an international city and this is a
great place to experience that, hands-on.
Classes cost 35 euros and up, with food
and wine included.
So take many long strolls around this
beautiful city; eat, drink, and celebrate the
fact that unity can overcome divisionand even the most divided places can
grow together harmoniously again. •
FEATURES/
TRAVEL
GETTING THERE
IFYOUGO
There is no better way to fly than Air Berlin. Now with additional
flights from the US and with direct routes from New York, LA, San
Francisco and Boston there is also good news for budget flyers!
Economy section now features 46 XL seats with 20 percent more
legroom, which certainly makes a difference on long-haul flights.
Wi-Fi is available from an altitude of 10,000 feet. (airberlin.com)
Pick up a Berlin Welcome Card, a handy pocket
guide produced by Visit Berlin with suggestions for
important sites, bus tours and boat trips, exhibitions,
and attractions, with ticket discounts. Bring good
walking shoes and be prepared to wander and
explore. (berlin-welcomecard.de; visitberlin.com)
MAN~flA
KA
l
The award-winning publisher of Germany's lesbian
magazine, L.Mag shares her insider tips on the best
of Berlin for the girls. Kay is not only a journalist, but
a filmmaker and nightlife expert, too. "It's probably
hard to believe for Americans, but in most bars and
pubs where no food is served, there is still a lot of
smoking going on-legally
as well as illegally, and
nobody cares or complains! Bars in Berlin usually
never close at a fixed time, but rather, mostly when
the grumpy bartenders want to go home!"
BEST BAR NIGHT: TUESDAYS AT MOBEL OLFE
It's called "Madchendisco" (girls' disco) but it's a very lively, laid back bar night
with lots of girls (boys are welcome) and an all-female bar crew and DJs in
a queer bar, named after an old furniture store at hotspot Kottbusser Tor in
Kreuzberg. Starts at 7pm and by 10pm it's packed.
BEST DYKE PARTY: MONDO KLIT ROCK
Bi-monthly club night for girls who like girls at Roadrunner's Paradise in
Prenzlauer Berg. Held by famous party host Dagmar it takes place in the
atmospheric club house of Roadrunner's motorcycle club. Attracts a crowd
of 300 flirty, communicative dykes between 25-40 years old.
BESTSTARTTOTHEWEEKEND:
RAKET
Gay girls and their friends unwind after work at Rakete in Prenzlauer Berg.
When she doesn't organize big parties, Dagmar hosts this (almost) weekly
after work bar every Friday,starting at 8pm, in the very cozy and small Rakete
(Rocket) bar on Prenzlauer Berg's main boulevard Schonhauser Allee. Feels
like a family reunion, but is open to newcomers.
BEST GAY BAR: ROSES ON ORANIENSTRASSE
It's full of tourists on the weekend, but this is the place to meet local
Kreuzberger gays and lesbians on weeknights. Roses is plush (furry carpet
lines the walls), smoky, and the place to get totally wasted. Watch out for
bartender legend Gabriella, who has been working there forever and is a
dyke's dream-mean and charming at the same time.
BEST PLACE DURING THE DAY: SUDBLOCK
This gay and lesbian run neighborhood cafe, bar, club and community center
has set a new standard when it comes to offering space to the neighboring
Turkish community, LGBTpeople, and the handicapped. There is a place and
a party for everyone at Sud block, which is located at Kottbusser Tor, opposite
the U-Bahn station. In the summer there's a huge outdoor area, lunch, and on
Sundays their famous brunch (pay as you like) where you can meet everybody
from Berlin's leftie-queer-alternative scene.
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
69
~~,G~TON
llGns
rnfUAllO
GA
l ~K
A seaside capital of LGBT
culture is ready for its close-up.
BY KELSY CHAUVIN
Like many queer travelers, I had long
been hearing about Brighton, England.
It's famous as a big gay hotspot and home
to a legendary Pride celebration. People
say that Brighton's LGBT community
rivals Oakland's and P-town's, and that
because of its compact size it compares
to the great gay neighborhoods of New
York and San Francisco. Naturally, I was
skeptical, so I kept my expectations low
until I could finally see for myself.
As it turns out, the rumors were true.
Brighton is way gay and incredibly
charming,
with
loads
of
great
restaurants, nightlife, and places to
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2016
discover in and around town.
Perched on the southern shore of
the English Channel, Brighton is often
referred to along with its sister city of
Hove (they essentially feel like the same
town, and are distinguished mainly by
the disjointed street grids). They're a
manageable pair of towns to explore
by foot or bicycle, especially along the
seaside promenade, which is dotted
with colorful artists' workshops, as well
as chip shops and cafes.
The iconic Brighton Pier, whose
storied past began in 1899 as the Palace
Pier, today is a throwback waterfront-
entertainment
complex,
with rides,
games, and eateries-and
is still the
best place to catch a sunset. But the
pier is no match for the eye-catching
and somewhat bizarre Royal Pavilion
a few blocks away. The former royal
residence dates back to 1787, though its
ornate domes and minarets were added
later, and in the architectural styles of
the Orient. The building is marvelous
both inside and out, and what was once
plain-old royal ostentation today serves
as a glimpse of Brighton's quirky roots.
As a favorite British seaside getaway,
Brighton has an abundance of hotels,
big and small. Skip the big-box
variety and consider
Drakes Hotel
(drakesofbrighton.com),
a chic LGBTfriendly indie inn on the waterfront, with
an especially good restaurant serving
locally sourced foods. Another cozy
boutique hotel that's off the main drag
is the Claremont (theclaremont.eu) in
Hove. Housed in a Victorian townhouse
a block from the beach, the Claremont
also has a spacious rear garden made
FEATURES/
for relaxing and, of course, shady
outdoor weddings.
Strolling along Hove's Church Street,
through The Lanes area in Brighton, or
down the pedestrian-only Kensington
Gardens strip of cafes and vintage
stores (don't miss the thrift emporium
Snooper's
Paradise;
snoopersattic.
co.uk), I was delighted to take in the
local eye candy. Chic lesbians, punk and
goth kids, colorful gay boys, and every
style, age, and ethnicity in between
make this city a joyful place to roam.
Ultimately, however, all roads lead
to the Marlborough
Pub & Theatre
(marlboroughtheatre.org.uk),
a lesbiancentric, all-welcoming nightly hangout
with a roomy theatre upstairs. It's
conveniently located in the center of
town; has cheap drinks, lots of seating,
and a pool table; and is an incredibly
easy place to strike up a chat with one
of the very outgoing ladies of Brighton.
So easy, in fact, that on my first visit
there I wound up meeting Abby Butcher,
creative producer of Pink Fringe. It's a
multimedia
organization
"committed
to the
ongoing
development
of
artists making queer work," as its
website proclaims, hosting a diverse,
international swath of brave performers.
Their works fall along a spectrum
comprising
the
political,
feminist,
humorous,
musical,
and
deeply
personal. Its shows go up year-round,
with special programming every spring
in conjunction
with Brighton Fringe
(brig htonfri nge.org).
While the Marlborough is a go-to for
queer ladies, all sorts of gay bars pepper
this city. Poison Ivy is a compact, wildly
decorated,
lesbian-leaning
pub with
karaoke nights. Waterfront clubs like
Legends, Envy, and Bar Revenge are
the places to dance and flirt, especially
late at night and on weekends. Great
Eastern is a bit out of the main LGBT
area, known as Kemptown, and offers a
more traditional pub vibe. (Note: Many
of these bars either don't have websites
TRAVEL
or only use Facebook.)
I wish my trip had coincided with
Traumfrau, (traumfrau.co.uk),
the big
monthly party that calls itself "Brighton's
queer night for the unusual crowd."
Or better still, it would have been a
highlight to catch an LGBT comedy
night
at Komedia
(komedia.co.uk/
brighton), a top local venue that's won
awards for its hilarious programming.
Brighton's culinary scene is truly
impressive. As a fan of Indian cuisine, I
had one of my favorite dinners at Azaro
(azaro.co.uk) in Hove, a family-run
restaurant serving delicious "healthful
Indian" dishes. For the ever-necessary
Sunday roast, Hove's new-style pub
The Better
Half (thebetterhalfpub.
co.uk) can't be beat; just beware of
the addictive array of local ciders.
Vegetarian food is big in Brighton,
Terre (terreaterre.co.uk)
and Terre
is among the most innovative and
delectable.
But the dinner I loved
best was at 64° (64degrees.co.uk),
a
FEAiTURES/
TRAVEL
a compact restaurant in The Lanes
where you can sit at the bar and watch
amazing chefs make wildly delectable
dishes with ease.
I wasn't able to hike through Devils
Dyke, a beautiful natural area on the
South Downs, nor catch Brighton Pride
(brighton-pride.org), which takes place
in August and they say is so fantastic it's
worth planning your whole trip around.
But they're top on my list for my next
visit. Because, as with any memorable,
vibrant, and welcoming city, once there
is never enough.•
Find information and LGBT travel tips
at visitbrighton.com/gay-brighton.
VISIT VIA LONDON
Trains to Brighton and Hove
take just an hour from London's
Victoria Station. Tie in a visit to
the Big Smoke and get a taste
of big-city British life in any
number of ways. Reserve a room
at the historic and architecturally
marvelous
Milestone
Hotel
(milestonehotel.com),
which is
across the street from Kensington
Palace-home to William, Kate,
Harry, and other members of
the royal family. There you can
stroll Kensington Gardens, catch
a show or a tour at the majestic
Royal Albert Hall (royalalberthall.
com), or relax with a cocktail on
the posh, open-air Roof Gardens
before dining at Babylon. Feeling
contemporary?
Head to the
newly expanded Tate Modern
(tate.org.uk) at the south foot of
the Millennium Bridge, where
you can also wander the Thames
Promenade. Head to Soho to see
what London ladies are up to at
the sultry lesbian club SHE Soho
(she-soho.com), or pop in to
some other queer watering holes
around Old Compton Street.
(visitbritain.com)
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Slightly smaller than the state of
Michigan, Laos, on Mainland Southeast
Asia, is populated by a vibrant mosaic
of 49 main ethnic groups and roughly
160 subgroups (belonging to four main
language groups and speaking 82
living languages). At first, it's a dizzying
concept to wrap your head around, but
Laos's cultural melange begins to make
sense when you are immersed in the
center of it all. From the international
airport in Luang Prabang, it's a short 15
minutes by car to the peninsula, the hub
of tourist activity, where open-air shops,
guesthouses, and crepe stands run by
Hmong, Kmhmu, and Lao Lum women
and men line the main road.
PRIDE IN CULTURE
To better understand this ultimate
melting
pot-and
to
support
an
organization owned by women-head
to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology
Centre, or TAEC; it's located in the
Khamyong neighborhood,
on a hill
overlooking the town.
Founded in 2006 by Thongkhoun
Soutthivilay, a Luang Prabang resident,
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2016
and Tara Gujadhur, an American expat,
TAEC is on a mission "to promote pride
and appreciation for the cultures and
knowledge of Laos's diverse peoples,
support
ethnic
communities
to
safeguard their tangible and intangible
cultural heritage, and promote their
sustainable livelihood development."
The TAEC museum houses four
permanent
exhibitions
representing
the country's most well-known ethnic
groups-the Akha, Hmong, Tai Lue, and
Kmhmu. The exhibitions display objects
such as textiles, jewelry, and household
tools that are unique to each culture. You
can explore on your own or sign up for a
guided tour.
Stitching
Our Stories, a special
exhibition focusing on local women, is
one of TAEC's many community initiatives
aimed at celebrating and supporting
local heritage. Through a partnership
with Photo Forward, an international arts
and media program, TAEC worked with a
select group of local women on a twoyear storytelling project. Armed with the
basics in photography and videography
taught by Photo Forward, the women
recorded their lives-an
educational
experience not just for outsiders but
for the women
themselves.
Their
photographs are on display permanently
online at photoforward.org.
TAEC's regional and global renown
is the result of Soutthivilay's extensive
experience in museum conservation and
collections and Gujadhur's expertise in
sustainable tourism and her background
in anthropology. And they are grounded
in a shared belief in the women of their
community.
"What I do like," Gujadhur says in an
email, "is being able to show women
in Laos, a place in which women aren't
traditionally expected to work outside
the home, excel, speak out, or lead, that
it is possible to do all these things, and
that we can create and manage thriving
businesses and organizations, provide
employment, and earn income-without
a man!"
For those who prefer learning through
shopping, check out TAEC's boutique
store, on Sakkarine Road across from the
Villa Santi Hotel. As you browse through
intricately designed jewelry and colorful
beaded wallets, notice the differences in
technique that are the signature of each
ethnic group. In line with the principles
of fair trade, the artisans who handcraft
the items receive 50 percent of the sale
price. (taeclaos.org)
Once you begin wandering around
Luang Prabang, it won't take long to see
local entrepreneurship in action. Fruit,
fresh fish from the Mekong and Nam Khan
rivers, laundry detergent, and Beerlao
are displayed for sale in front of wooden
or whitewashed concrete houses, in the
colorful entryways into people's homes.
Fruit shake stands and noodle shops,
too, are run out of people's homes, and
many of these businesses are run by the
family matriarch. Mrs. Tao is one such
entrepreneur.
combination
of broth, rice noodles,
meat, herbs, and an optional chili sauce,
is probably the most popular street food
in Luang Prabang, and Mrs. Tao's never
disappoints. Like most local vendors,
Mrs. Tao uses aromatic basil and mint,
and jeow sukee, an addicting peanut
sauce that gives Vietnamese pho a
Lao flavor, ingredients that are locally
sourced from the lively morning market
near Wat Mai. If soup in 90-degree
weather isn't your thing, don't worry;
Mrs. Tao also serves up a deliciously
hearty omelet, fried rice, and noodle
dishes-each for under $4.00.
EAT SIMPLY AND WELL
For the last 12 years, she's operated
a pho noodle shop out of her home in
the Phonehueng neighborhood, on a
quaint side street a few doors down
from the nonprofit Big Brother Mouse.
Even though her in-laws own the house
(one day it will belong to her and her
husband), she's clearly in chargeas cook, accountant,
and business
manager. "I wanted to make money and
didn't know what else to do," she says
when asked why she opened the shop.
"But I knew I didn't want to work for
anyone else."
Tucked behind young palm trees and
bright bougainvillea, the shop might
WEAVE AND CHILL
Ubiquitous in Luang Prabang are
textiles, largely displayed as sinhs, or
skirts, which you will quickly understand
are more than just articles of clothing.
The sinh is an iconic symbol of Laos, and
the local weavers at Ock Pop Tok will
not only explain its cultural significance,
they'll show you how it's made.
Combining
their
technical
weaving expertise, photography, and
development training, but above all a
love for the art and craft of Lao textiles,
cofounders
Veomanee
Douangdala
and Joanna Smith created Ock Pop
Tok, which means "east meets west,"
in 2000. Since its inception, Ock Pop
Tok, or OPT, has expanded from a
boutique shop to a business-oriented,
community-driven
social
enterprise
(with roughly 600 local weavers) whose
easily be missed by travelers were it
not for the bilingual menu hanging
outside. Pho, the simple yet satisfying
mission is "to elevate the profile of Lao
textiles and artisans."
The heart and soul of OPT is the
Living Crafts Centre (LCC) across from
Phou Si market overlooking the Mekong
River. For the traveler, it is both a serene
retreat from the busy streets and a onestop hub for art, food, and shopping.
Begin by taking a free guided tour of
the tropical grounds, where you'll see
women weavers at work and meet a
vital component of silk weaving, the
silkworm, housed in wooden crates.
For a hands-on activity, take a class in
weaving and dyeing, during which you'll
prepare your own dyes from the LCC's
plants and try your hand at weaving
and spinning. On display and available
for purchase at the LCC are intricately
designed wall hangings (ask a staff
member to explain the naga, a common
motif), as well as gorgeous scarves and
shawls. Profits from the artisanal wares
sold here and in OPT's boutique shops
in town are distributed according to fair
trade principles. (ockpoptok.com)
Is it intimidating
to run a womenoriented
business in a patriarchal
society? Not really, says Smith in an
email. "Being women just makes it
even more exciting and inspiring."
After
exploring
the LCC, relax
with a refreshing tamarind juice or
indulge in fresh spring rolls made
from locally sourced ingredients
at
the Silk Road Cafe, right onsite. The
tranquility just might lull you to sleep,
in which case you should book one of
the LCC's charming riverside villas.
Four spacious and modern rooms are
warmly decorated to represent distinct
ethnic groups. Breakfast is included
and can be enjoyed on your private
balcony overlooking
the majestic and
very scenic Mekong River.
by the iconic night market below as you
cool off with a Beerlao on the chilled-out
fourth-floor terrace lounge.
From the cafe (with vegan options)
WHERE TO STAY
2016 STATEMENT
OF OWNERSHIP
Publication Title: Curve.
Occupying the town's tallest building,
on the ground level, watch life unfold
Indigo House is a centrally-located four-
in front of you as locals whiz by, taking
Publication No.: 0010-355.
story hotel run by a Luang Prabang native,
their
Filing Date Nov 1, 2016
Ms.
Or relax in your private room, which
Souphaphone
Sioudomphanh.
kids to school
been
elegantly
on
motorbikes.
Owned by her family since 1994, it is
has
also Luang Prabang's first private hotel.
chic blend of traditional and modern.
Set on the main road half a block from
Beautiful textiles soften teak furniture,
the official tourism office, the delightful
paper
hotel boasts some of the best views of
light, and indigo, the warmest
Luang Prabang. You'll be mesmerized
ties it all together. •
lampshades
designed
cast
a
in
a
soothing
color,
Issue Frequency: Bi-monthly
Feb/Mar, Apr/May, Jun/July, Aug/Sep, Oct/ Nov, Dec/Jan
Number of Issues Published Annually: 6
Annual Subscription Price: $35.00
Complete Mailing Address: PO Box 467 New York NY 10034.
Contact Person: SiIke Bader
Telephone: (415) 871-0569
Publisher SiIke Bader PO Box 467 New York NY 10034
Editor: Merryn Johns PO Box 467 New York NY 10034
Owner(s): Avalon Media LLC Po Box 467 New York NY
10034
Silke Bader PO Box 467 New York NY 10034
Publication Title: Curve.
Issue Date for Circulation Data Nov 24
Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No.
Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months:
A) Total No. Copies Net Press Run 47,815.B) Paid
Circulation. (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1)
Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated
on Form 3541: 10,846; (2) Mailed In-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 0; (3) Paid
Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales
_ rough Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors,
Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution outside
USPS:23,258; (4) Paid Distribution by Other
Classes of Mail_ rough the USPS 2003. C) Total
Paid Distribution: 36,107.D) Free or Nominal
Rate Distribution by Mail and Outside the Mail:
(1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies
included on Form 3541: 0; (2) Free or Nominal
Rate In-County Copies included on Form 3541: 0;
(3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other
Classes Mailed_ rough the USPS:61; (4) Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail:
10,846. E) Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution:
10,907. F) Total Distribution 47,014. G) Copies
Not Distributed: 801. H) Total: 47,815.I) Percent
Paid 76.8%. Extent and Nature of Circulation/No.
Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing
Date A) Total No. Copies Net Press Run: 45,543. B)
Paid Circulation. (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1)
Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated
on Form 3541: 9756; (2) Mailed In-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 0; (3) Paid
Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales
_ rough Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors,
Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS: 21,546; (4)
Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail_ rough
the USPS 1800. C) Total Paid Distribution: 33,102.
D) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (by Mail
and Outside the Mail): (1) Free or Nominal Rate
Outside-County as Stated on Form 3541: 0; (2)
Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies included on
Form 3541: 0; (3) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution
Mailed at Other Classes_ rough the USPS 41; (4)
Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail:
10,946. E) Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution:
10,987. F) Total Distribution 44,730. G) Copies
Not Distributed: 813 H) Total: 45,543. I) Percent
Paid: 74%. Publication of Statement of
Ownership: Nov/Dec 2016
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
75
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LAST LOOK/
CROSSWO
Test your
lesbian knowledge
with our queer crossword.
BY MYLES MELLOR
ACROSS
1.
One of the stars in The Danish
Girl, Alicia __
27. Ellen DeGeneres' voiceover
role in Finding Nemo
6.
5.
Pink is one, representing the
diversity of gays and lesbians
worldwide
30. Eve lived here and it was called
Eden
7.
Bible book describing the love
between
and Naomi
33. British Knight who campaigns for
LBGT rights (first name)
8.
First name of the star who has
a lesbian scene with Rooney
Mara in Side Effects
32. Jillian Michaels & Heidi
Rhoades, for example
9.
Character in Grey's Anatomy
who develops a lesbian
relationship with another
doctor,_
Hahn
34. Heather _ _, starred in Lip
Service
10. Unexpected sports outcome
11. Brooklyn Community Pride
Center city, abbr.
35. The L Word is an example of a
lesbian one (2 words)
37. English-born DJ who was in
a relationship with Lindsay
Lohan, __ Ronson
13. Film about a lesbian
relationship in the photography
and fashion world (2 words)
40. Palindromic girl's name
16. First name of the lover of
Virginia Woolf, described in the
book Orlando
42. Originally called
18. Nicola_, the first openly LBGT
person to win an Olympic gold
medal
41. Lesbian band,_
Girls
17. Shock
18. True Blood star who identifies
as bisexual,_
Paquin
22. UK's'gay capital' in Sussex
Cristina Barcelona
Lesbian stand-up comedian
who is an activist for gay rights,
Clinton
3. Wanting something badly
4.
2016
rock
1.
2.
The dark side
5. People who you adore and
fantasize about
23. Year,for short
26. Former name of Portia
DeGeneres
28.
women
31. Brand spankin' _
36. Vintage
38. Curve for example, short for
39. For instance, abbr.
21. Alternative word
25. Actor who played the role of
the first man to get sex-change
surgery, Eddie __
NOV/DEC
14. - sexual
15. Pussy Riot's genre, _
19. Harebrained
24. Nurse, for short
CURVE
12. - habit
DOWN
20. Melissa Etheridge song "Who
are_ waiting for"
78
She plays Tala in/ Can't Think
Straight (2 words)
Black, TV series popular
with lesbians
29. "A _'s Worth" song by Alicia
Keys affirming freedom for
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TLOOK!STARS
A Fond Femme Farewell
With Venus in rowdy Sagittarius and Mars in rebellious Aquarius,
we say goodbye to a bumpy 2016.
By Charlene Lichtenstein
Artist Georgia O'Keeffe
was born on November 15, 1887.
SCORPIO /'.
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
SAGITTARIUS1/,
{Nov 23-Dec 22) 1/,
Advice for keeping your horsie 1/,
from trotting far afield: Give her 1/,
1/,
room to roam, don't question 1/,
her whereabouts and trust her 1/,
to do the right thing. There is 1/,
nothing more frustrating for a 1/,
1/,
Sapphic Archer than to have her 1/,
every move probed. Probe into 1/,
other things. Rub her thighs and 1/,
tell her how smart she is. Lesbian 1/,
1/,
Archers love to be thought
1/,
of as brilliant and worldly but 1/,
remember that action and not 1/,
talk get these girls galloping. 1/,
1/,
Saddle her up and ridel
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
Charlene
Lichtenstein
is theauthor 1/,
of HerScopes:
A Guideto Astrology1/,
ForLesbians
(Simon
& Schuster)1/,
1/,
nowavailable
asanebook. 1/,
{October 24-November 22)
This girlfriend smokes and
where there is smoke, there's firel
She possessesthe innate ability
for deep probing intimacy and
strong emotion and takes it one
giant step further than sister her
water signs Cancer and Pisces.
Once is never enough for these
sexually robust mommas and
she is one of the few women
who can bring out the best in
anyone during lovemaking. Want
to soar to the highest heights?
Find yourself a passionate Scorp
and hop on her engine.
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Leo (July 24-August 23)
Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 22)
You're itching for a far-flung
romance with a spicy foreign
lady. But you may not have
to travel far, in fact you may
already know her. Search
your list of gal pals and see
who could become your
next lovergrrl. Sometimes
familiarity breeds contempt
but in your case familiarity
breeds temptation.
Prepare yourself for a frenetic,
fun-filled fall and winter.
Holiday party invitations arrive
as you suddenly find yourself
on top of everyone's to-do list.
All of this hazy, crazy activity
will have its pros and cons.
How many events can you
possibly enjoy all at once? Will
you be naughty or nice, Leo?
Oh let's guess.
You are the one to know this
winter, Sagittarius. Not only
do you have ample charisma,
poise and panache, you also
know just what to say to charm
anyone to your way of thinking.
Recruit a bevy of admirers and
plot to achieve your eventual
world domination. Or is it
dominatrix? I get confused.
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
Virgo (August 24-Sept 23)
If you can focus on your
career and do what you
need to do right now,
you will wind up with a
very merry end-of-year
celebration. Yet it will be
hard to concentrate while
you have all these hot and
heady diversions going on.
Prioritize, Taurus. Work now
and work it later.
Virgos may settle themselves
in at home for the duration of
the holiday season with a hot
toddy and a hottie to keep
them warm. Life looks pretty
good from your comfy couch.
But consider also inviting a few
bosom buddies over for an
intimate soiree one night. You
can toss a holiday bash that
will have tongues wagging.
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Libra (September 24-Oct 23)
Escaping the responsibilities
of a particular relationship
is futile, Gemini. And that is
why you should put aside all
other projects to focus on
her and only her. The two
of you could use a holiday
vacation ...together. For those
on the prowl, an expedition
for big gayme hunting could
be a life changer.
Give your creativity free reign
this winter, Libra. Your ideas,
now carefully curated and
deployed, can take you to new
heights of accomplishment. If
you have been sitting on the
fence waiting for the right time
to take action, this is it. You
seem to know just what to say
to get her to do what you want.
Be very creative.
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)
Capricorn (Dec 23-Jan 20)
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)
Aqueerians like to live life
in the fast lane and now
as things speed up for
you, capitalize on all of the
subsequent successful results.
Gather like-minded ladies
around you, put your pet
project into action and see
how things progress. By the
end of the year you will be in
a position to rule. And it's not
lonely at the top.
Pisces (Feb 20-March 20)
Things are brewing at work,
Cancer. In the coffee room
things can get steamy and
perky rather quickly and
coming to work takes on new
meaning. So far so good.
That is, until your affair is
exposed and so are you. Will
it all be worth it in the end?
(tinyurl.com/HerScopes) Heck yeah!
80
You may have a secret admirer,
Capricorn. She is torrid, sexy
and totally fabulous ...and she
can also be high maintenance.
Life could become one huge
scavenger hunt in order to find
her. I know that you are ready
for the expensive task. It will
all be worth it, even if only as a
valuable life lesson.
Deck your halls with lusty
babes who are ready to stuff
your stocking. Scorpios are
great at planning the perfect
soiree. So start planning one
that will have the neighbors
gossiping about it for weeks.
Choose your guest list
and check it twice. Go with the
naughty and not the nice.
Finalize your end-of-year plans
now. If you want to make
your mark on the world, this
is the time to do it. Guppies
have great intuition now and
can discern the motives of
others. Use your acumen and
personal flair to disarm any
hidden enemies and gain
complete control. Take no
prisoners unless they're sexy.
GOING
WILDIN
COSTA
RICA
SO~TH
AFRICA
RIO
OtJAN
tiRO
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NOV/DEC
2016
FEATURES
LAYSHIA SCORES!
The WNBA's Layshia Clarendon
has won a place in our hearts
on and off the court.
I
FESTIVE AND FEMME
Four fabulous looks to get you
through the holidays in style.
TRUE TOMBOYS
A message of strength, of
truth, and of inclusion from
our leading label of undies and
activewear.
REAL GAY
Roxane Gay, that is: feminist
thinker, writer, and bisexual
pioneer.
I.
JILL OF ALL TRADES
Jill Soloway is staging her own
feminist revolution, starting
with TV.
I.
CHELY WRIGHT IS BACK
The music icon returns to
her career after some big life
moments.
BRILLIANT BERLIN
The German capital is a model
of tolerance and culture.
IN LAOS, WOMEN CREATE
The Southeast Asian country
has an enviable womancentric
arts and crafts movement.
2
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
IN EVERYISSUE
4
EDITOR'S NOTE
6
CURVETTES
8
FEEDBACK
10
THE GAYDAR
80
ST AR s
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////A
W///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
TRENDS
REVIEWS
OUT IN FRONT
Meet the community leaders
who are doing us proud. By
Sheryl Kay
DRINKS
t
Our holiday guide to the mos
ethical and merry festive
beverages.
IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT ... LGBT news from ac~oss
the country. By OutNew
Global
FOOD
Chef Shelley Robinson takes
Canad a by storm · By Gillian
Kendall
WOMEN WE LOVE
Each issue we pick a lucky lady
with a look and a life to match.
SHORT STORY
.
Take a dip into our short fiction, this issue set in a lesbian
sex cuI b· By AL.
· Brooks
LESBOFILE
What's new and noteworthy
with our favorite celesb1ans.
By Jocelyn Voo
VIEWS
POLITICS
e thoughts and heartfelt .
~~n~ctions on a different topic
each issue from our contributing politics ed •1tor. By Victona
A. Brownworth
ISSUES
• -depth look into a hot
Our 1n
.
ueer
button topic affecting q
women.
3 FILMS
The true story of the wrongly• d San Antonio four. By
conv1cte
Marcie Bianco
4 BOOKS
.
A Latina aut hors, perspective
on parenting and borders for
women of C olor · By v,ctona
Bond
LAST LOOK
CROSSWORD
.
can you ta me our Queer Quiz?
By Myles Mellor
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
3
right to continue to kneel during the national anthem, and I will
do whatever I can to be part of the solution.
Holiday Wishes
L
ooking back, 2016 has been, for most of us, a very
difficult year, with some highs but many lows, a
few triumphs and a lot of challenges. For Victoria
Brownworth's excellent recap turn to page 16. In addition to her
analysis and heartfelt observations, I wish to add one of my own.
This year has demonstrated the importance of intersectionality.
Jill Soloway, interviewed on page 50, notes that intersectionality
is instrumental in toppling the patriarchy, to borrow her phrase,
because it reveals the ways that minorities experience oppression
and exposes how we are all "otherized" by a dominant culture.
As lesbians and queer women, whether black or white, we know
how common it is to feel helpless and depressed, especially when
faced with the escalating police brutality against people of color
and the ongoing murders of transwomen-often women of color.
Rather than feel despair, it is important to feel, to think, and to act.
To protest, in some way, the abuse of those whose lives intersect
with ours, and which very well could be our own. Megan Rapinoe
wrote a piece for The Players'Tribune titled "Why I Am Kneeling":
I haven't experienced over-policing, racial profiling, police
brutality or the sight of a family member's body lying dead in the
street. But I cannot stand idly by while there are people in this
country who have had to deal with that kind of heartache.
There is no perfect way to protest. I know that nothing I do will
take away the pain of those families. But I feel in my heart it is
4
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
While we may not always agree on what our culture is, it connects
us, even if we disagree. In this, our Culture issue, we pay tribute
to women who make culture and who challenge it. On our cover
is Kristen Stewart, who, after a protracted and conflicted coming
out, is finally coming into her own as an artist; her authenticity
and talent are worth our attention far more than the details of her
love life. Chely Wright, whose life flourished after she came out,
is back in the swing of things career-wise, and WNBA star Layshia
Clarendon continues to speak out and inspire others both on and
off the basketball court. We support the San Antonio Four's quest
to be exonerated of a crime they did not commit, and we support
the LGBTfolk in Bangladesh in their struggle for equality and safety
after the brutal murder of their activists.
To chart such developments is one of the functions of our
lesbian media. Which is why its health and survival are important.
In August, Curve's publisher, Silke Bader, joined forces with LGBT
activist and entrepreneur Linda Riley to create a new entity and
acquire DIVA magazine, the UK's only newsstand magazine for
lesbians, thus strengthening lesbian media by taking it out of the
hands of those who are not part of our community and do not
understand it as well as we do.
This past September, we saw the demise of AfterEllen.com, a
beloved and thriving portal into lesbian culture, after its current
owners (who are not women or LGBT)deemed it not profitable.
It is important that we support our lesbian media, and that our
media is owned and operated by us, if for no other reason than to
safeguard its existence into the future. As we leave 2016 and enter
2017,we'd like to thank you for supporting Curve and continuing to
subscribe to one of the world's last remaining newsstand magazines
for queer women. Stay tuned for more positive and proactive
developments from the Curve team in the New Year!
MERRYNJOHNS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
merryn@curvemag.com
W@Merryn1
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A.L. BROOKS
A.L. Brooks resides in London, although she has lived
as far afield as Aberdeen and Australia. She works 9
to 5 in corporate financial systems and spends many
a lunchtime in the gym attempting to achieve the
firm abs she likes to write so much about. She then
negates all that with a couple of glasses of red wine
and half a slab of dark chocolate in the evenings.
When not writing she likes Latin dancing, cooking,
travelling, reading other writers' les-fic, and listening
to mellow jazz.
curve
THE BEST-SELLING
NOV/DEC
2016
LESBIAN
» VOLUME
MAGAZINE
26 NUMBER
6
PUBLISHER Silke Bader
FOUNDINGPUBLISHER Frances Stevens
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Merryn Johns
SENIORCOPY EDITOR Katherine Wright
CONTRIBUTINGEDITORS Marcie Bianco, Victoria A.
Brownworth, Lyndsey D'Arcangelo, Anita Dolce Vita,
Sheryl Kay, Gillian Kendall, Dave Steinfeld,
Jocelyn Voo
EDITORIALASSISTANTSAnnalese Davis
OPERATIONS
DIRECTOROF OPERATIONS Jeannie Sotheran
JANECZYZELSKA
Jane Czyzselska is the editor-in-chief of DIVA
magazine, Europe's best-selling magazine for lesbian
and bi women. She is also a media commentator
and host of debates about LGBT culture and politics
and is honored to have been voted 27th most
influential member of the UK LGBT community in the
Independent on Sunday's Rainbow List in 2015. She is
also a qualified psychotherapeutic
counselor. Follow
her on Twitter @czyzselska
PROOFING
PROOFREADER Marcie Bianco
ADVERTISING
NATIONAL SALES Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021
EMAIL todd@curvemagazine.com
ART/PRODUCTION
ART DIRECTOR Bruno Cesar Guimaraes
SOCIAL MEDIA
MANAGERAnnalese Davis
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melany Joy Beck, Kelsy Chauvin, Mallorie DeRiggi, Dar
Dowling,
Jill Goldstein,
Kristin Flickinger,
Sarah Hasu, Kim
Hoffman, Allana J. Higginson, Francesca Lewis, Charlene
Lichtenstein, Sassafras Lowrey, Kelly McCartney, Myles
Mellor, Laurie K. Schenden, Janelle Sorenson, Rosanna
Rios-Spicer, Yana Tallon-Hicks, Sarah Toce
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Steph Brusig, Erica Camille, Grace Chu, Meagan Cignoli,
Sara Lautman, Syd London, Maggie Parker, Diana Price, B.
Proud, Robin Roemer, Leslie Van Stelten
MARCIE BIANCO
Marcie Bianco PhD writes, lectures, and makes
media appearances about feminism, queer identity,
gender, and race relations. She is a contributing
editor at Curve and an adjunct professor in New York
City. She has contributed to AfterEllen, Buzzfeed, The
Daily Dot, Feministing, The Huffington Post, Pacific
Standard, Quartz, Rolling Stone, Salon, Slate, Vanity
Fair, Women and Hollywood, and The Women's Media
Center, to name just a few. Follow her commentary on
Twitter @MarcieBianco
DAVESTEINFELD
Dave Steinfeld grew up in suburban Connecticut
but has lived for years in New York City. He has
been obsessed with music for as long as he can
remember and started writing about it professionally
in 1999. He has since written for numerous outlets
and is a contributing editor for Curve for which he
has interviewed Lucas Silveira, Ani DiFranco, Mary
Gauthier, Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton and others.
Although nothing comes close to music, Dave's other
interests include books, basketball, and Buddhism.
6
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
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M[Gl!NI\IPINO[
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but instead give him more
woman because of my social
brought tears to my eyes
anxiety. My anxiety was a
seeing that people still care
love and support. Not long
product of nervousness
about the victims' families after
ago I came out of the closet
about my sexuality. I am of
more than two months. I have
as a bisexual female to my
the generation who socialized
been writing different places
mother and that secret was
in bars because there was
to thank them for the support,
killing me and thinking about
nowhere else for lesbians to
but nobody has responded.
how strong my brother was
meet each other. Many of us
Me and my family still struggle
inspired me to do it. Anyways,
smoked then indoors while
with how to move on with
thanks for caring and having
waiting for friends. We smoked
my brother gone. I feel that
an awesome magazine for
to have something to do and to
the LGBT community needs
us the community and other
look like we didn't care that we
more support than ever and
people so they can educate
were nervous about meeting
less hate. My brother was
themselves. Thank you for the
girls. Because of this many
openly gay to our family and
support. -Gillymar Menendez,
ELLENFOREVER
lesbians of my generation
we never thought less of him,
BrooksvilleIll.
I never ever get tired of seeing,
have lung cancer or other
watching or reading about
chest ailments. Young people:
the amazing Ellen DeGeneres
smoking is not cool and it only
["Finding Ellen;' Vol. 26 #5].
helps with anxiety temporarily.
YOU SAID IT: BEST FACEBOOK COMMENTS
I have had a crush on her
Try to find the cause of your
forever, so I was glad to finally
anxiety and deal with it without
Support LesbianMedia
HillaryClintonOn Deathbed!
see her in Curve. Reading her
smoking. Don't let society
After the weirdness going on
A few weeks ago, Clinton
publicly call out Donald Trump
deprive you of good health in
with AfterEllen,I realizedthat if
releasedwhat mental health
as a "bully" made my day. Now
your old age. -Name withheld
we don't support publications
experts are calling the most
I love her even more! -Nancy
Tonnato,Glen Burnie Md.
like Curve magazine,we will
comprehensive mental
REMEMBERINGORLANDO
sadly lose them. I don't want
health care reform plan in our
My name is Gillymar
to see that happen. So am
country's history and I have
THE POLITICSOF
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Menendez, sister of Gilberto
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I prefer the print magazine
the news,just a few tweets
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"Taking Her Breath Away"
A couple of days ago I was
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for continuing to call out the
by Victoria Brownworth
reading the last issue of Curve
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[Vol. 26 #5]. I have been a
and noticed the page about
-KarenWoHer
misogyny.-DianeDeKelbRittenhouse
smoker since I was a young
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ISYOUR
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GIRL GAYDAR
CELESBIANGOSSIP
SHE SAID WHAT?
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
9
TRENDS/
p
%
THE GAYDAR
THEGAVDAR
Takes one to know one? Let our gaydar help
you decide who's hot, who's not, who's
shaking it and who's faking it in lesboland.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
t½i~
Sia releases a new single and
makes a video that pays tribute
to the Orlando Pulse nightclub
victims
Michelle Obama U-hauls it to the
Ellen show to co-host with Ellen; boxof-wine drinking hijinks ensue during
a trip to CVS
The CBS series
Supergirl adds a
lesbian character to
the new season
The Great British Bake
Off's three female stars,
including super lez Sue
Perkins, stay with the BBC
while the show-and Paul
Hollywood-abscond to
Channel 4
i
w
0
2
OUT magazine's
spread on racist
misogynist Milo
Yiannopoulis
who, among
other things, says
lesbians lie about
hate crimes
She's back!
Anne Heche
plays gay again
opposite Alicia
Silverstone in
the new film
Catfight
The nearly $1
million grant
given to Old
Dominion U
to study why
lesbians drink
so muchDeeplez
drama?
Bridget Jones
star Renee
Zellweger
talks lesbian
subtext, a
lesbian friend
who hit on her,
and more with
The Advocate
Holland Taylor and
Sarah Paulson's very
public lovefest on
Twitter on the night of
the Emmys
Lesbian farming! Thanks to
Rush Limbaugh we all know what
profession to move into to show
off our radical lesbian-feministseparatist side
10
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
Halle Berry says she
wants to get makeyoutey with Jodie
Foster. Great, now join
the queue
We're all ears for Young M.A., a black
lesbian who raps about dildos, and who
is getting mega famous on YouTube
§
w
('.)
<(
('.)
VIEWS/NE
THE
BEA
ARTHUR
RESIDENCE,
AN
18-BED
SHELTER
FOR
HOMELESS
LGBTYOUTH
ISDUE
FOR
MAKENNA JOHNSTON
>>Paris
Coaching and Cooking
It wasn't all that long ago that Makenna Johnston and
her wife Evie were working at Bridge Beyond, a nonprofit
they started in Muhuru Bay, Kenya. The community-based
organization helped sex workers living with HIV, researched solutions to water access in the community,
and educated 35,000 people using a unique version of
Community Led Total Sanitation training, which triggered
the building of over 1,000 latrines.
"The notion was that development could be a community-led process, rather than the Western-led melee that it
completion In February
2017. Golden Girls star Bea
Arthur left $300,000 In her
will to the Ali Forney Center
In New York City. Before her
passing Arthur said, "These
kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by
their families because of
the fact that they are lesbian, gay or transgender. This
organization really Is saving lives." Arthur revived her one-woman Broadway benefit In 2005, which raised $40,000 for the
center and continued to use her fame and status to promote
the organization's work until she died In 2009. The building will
soon be open to provide shelter, on-site counseling and case
management to New York's LGBT homeless youth.
is today;' says Johnston.
There were great successes, but malaria sidelined her
for weeks, and eventually the two returned to the U.S.
Johnston spent a short time teaching at the university
level, and then went on to create a personal coaching
business.
"It took a lot of gumption and chutzpah to put myself
on the Internet as an out lesbian coach, but I did it over
time;' she says. "And now it is part of my brand-not
on
purpose, per se, but just by virtue of the fact that my
brand is so much a part of me, and being out is a part of
me as well:'
And if anyone defines guts and gumption, it's Johnston.
A few months ago she embarked on another new venture,
this time highlighting her flair for the gourmet. Just after
the attacks in Paris in November 2015, Johnston heard
that the French estate of the celebrated chef Julia Child
was going on the market. Having had a longtime love affair with France, French cuisine, and Julia Child, Johnston
decided she had to buy the property.
"La Pitchoune felt like the perfect place for us to reset
our lives, after Evie's12 years in the active-duty military;'
Johnston says. "The home just felt like the kind of space
where we could host strangers and turn them into
friends:'
"La Peetch" is 20 minutes north of Cannes, in
Provence. It can house six people, and Johnston plans to
rent it immediately on Airbnb. Then, beginning in 2017,
the couple will host weeklong culinary school experienc-
• THE
LEGAL
DEFINITION
OF
"parent" has been revised by the
New York Court of Appeals and no
longer describes a person related
only by biology or adoption to a
child. The Court found that this
rule had "become unworkable
when applied to increasingly varied
familial relationships." The decision
in Brooke S.B. v. Elizabeth A. C.C.
followed an appeal on behalf of
a child seeking time with both
mothers after his same-sex parents
split up. Under the new law, nonbiological, non-adoptive parents
are no longer automatically barred
from seeking custody and visitation.
A party can establish standing by
showing "clear and convincing
evidence that the parties agreed
to conceive a child and to raise the
child together."
• AFOUR-YEAR-OLD
CHILD
in Australia has begun gender
transition, before their first day of
kindergarten, as part of the Safe
Schools program. The child is the
youngest Australian on record
to change their gender, while
hundreds of other children and
their parents have sought advice
from the gender dysphoria unit.
The New South Wales government
has revealed there are a number
of children in the state's schools
transitioning. "The Safe Schools
is only one resource that can be
used from a variety of resources
in how we would support that
family, student and school to
accommodate a child going
through transition;' said Education
Department deputy secretary of
school operations Gregory Prior.
• ONE
OFRUSSl.6:S
TOP
LGBT
websites has been blocked
nationwide by a Siberian court
on the eve of the State Duma
elections. BlueSystem.ru received
no warning, and was unable to
defend itself in court, the website's
team wrote on its social media
page. The site is visited by 100,000
people a day and is described as
the biggest gay news portal on
the Russian Internet. "The Kremlin
is afraid of gays," the website's
team wrote. Russia has been
harshly criticized for its gay-rights
record, including a vaguely worded
law banning "propaganda of
nontraditional sexual relations"
that critics say has led to attacks
against LGBT people.
es on the estate, which will include morning yoga and
OUTNEWS
GLOBAL
movement classes.
"We're not claiming that attending the school will result
in 'mastering the art of French cooking,'" says Johnston.
"It's more like a courageous dabble:' - By Sheryl Kay
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
11
TRENDS/PROFILE
WOMEN
WELOVE
»
DEVMO
The California-based bisexual
rapper wants to change the world
through music, one beat at a time.
PHOTO BY MAGNUS HASTINGS
12
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
TRENDStGOSSIP
LESBOFILE
TWO COUPLES COME OUT AND TWO CELEBS COME TO TERMS.
BY JOCELYN VOO
• ANGIE MOVES ON BUT WILL SHE BE BACK?
We heard about the breakup of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie from the media, but select people
in Jolie's circle reportedly heard about it in a private phone call. According to Radar Online,
Jenny Shimizu, a serious girlfriend of Jolie's in the 1990s when they worked together on Firefox,
was one of those people. "Angelina is seeing her part in things now and she is just trying to
make amends with people she loved throughout her past," the insider told Radar. "She was
certain that she made the right choice by leaving Brad and is not second-guessing herself
at all." We're not holding our breath for a rebound reunion anytime soon (Shimizu married
socialite Michelle Harper in 2014), but it's good to know that ex-girlfriends can still be friends.
With a single word: "Yes," actress-singer Bella Thorne confirmed over Twitter that she is
bisexual. But that's only the start of the story. Soon after that revelation, rumors started
swirling about her breaking up with her boyfriend in order to start dating her brother's
ex-girlfriend, a longterm friend who coincidentally also is named Bella. There are tweets
showing the two Bellas frolicking in a pool together, photos of them kissing, and Thorne
referring to Bella Pendergast as her "soul mate" in one tweet. Of course, there's still the fact
that Pendergast recently lnstagrammed a photo of her with her boyfriend ...
• LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE
A decade after New York Times bestselling Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert
chronicled her self-discovery through travel, she is still discovering herself. Gilbert
announced her split from her second husband back in July. But now she has disclosed
that the catalyst for the divorce was because she was in love with Rayya Elias, her best
friend of 15 years who is fighting cancer. "The thought of someday sitting in a hospital
room with her, holding her hand and watching her slide away, without ever having let
her (or myself!) know the extent of my true feelings for her ... well, that thought was
unthinkable," she wrote in a Facebook post. We wish them the best in love and health.
• THE OTHER SIDE OF ABBY
When you think of Abby Wambach, you think gold medal-winning Olympian, FIFAWomen's
Cup champion, and the iconic kiss with wife Sarah Huffman after winning the World Cup last
year. But in her new book Forward, Wambach reveals her spiraling addiction to prescription
drugs and alcohol, which largely contributed to her and Huffman's divorce. "She was literally
on the front lines of this and was my biggest advocate-my biggest champion and was there
for me in times when I didn't even know I could be there for myself," she wrote. "For me this is
really hard. Obviously going through any divorce is difficult, but [I have] nothing but love for
Sarah." We can't wait to see what Abby tackles next.
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
13
TRENDS/SHE
SAID
"lntersectionality: it's a
word that describes how
multiple forms of oppression are
linked: women, people of color, queer
people, trans people, disabled people
have all suffered by being 'otherized' by
the cis-male gaze ..."
Transparent creator Jill Soloway
delivers a feminist master
class at TIFF
"That
I'm the 'boy'
in the relationship, and
take care of all the 'boy' things.
I'm the one who's into crafts and
homemaking and stuff like that. And my
girlfriend, who's more feminine than me,
is in the living room watching sports and
drinking a beer!"
Layshia Clarendon to Curve on
the thing that people wrongly
assume about her
14
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
16 THE POLITICAL LEGACYOF 2016
18 LGBT RIGHTSIN BANGLADESH
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
15
The Year oJLiving
1 umulluoU_'tly
1
POLITICS»
The year's best and worst moments for lesbians.
Dickens put it best in A Tale of Two Cities:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst
of times:' No opening of any novel could
better describe how 2016 was for womenlesbian, bi, straight, queer, trans. We had
some monumental and surprising highs
and some terrible and tragic lows.
Donald Trump embodied misogyny,
racism, and every phobia that hurts other
human beings except straight white
men-while the prospect of Hillary Clinton
becoming our first woman president was,
for many women and girls, an historic
moment that we had barely dared dream
of. Many of us saw Clinton's potential
presidency as not just a door opening for
women, but a door closing on the Old Boys'
Club that is American government.
Politics dominated the year, but our
hearts demanded more, and out lesbians
and lesbian couples have provided us with
inspiration. Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth
Gilbert announcing her lesbianism at 47
was bittersweet: Her beloved, Syrian-born
writer Rayya Elias,had just been diagnosed
with cancer. Gilbert said, "Death-or the
prospect of death-has a way of clearing
away everything." Sarah Paulson and
16
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
ev v1cToR1A A. eRowNwoRTH
Holland Taylor gave us hope about the
eternal nature of lesbian love; reading their
tweets all year had us swooning.
Pride month brought us to 47 years since
Stonewall, the uprising that would change
America forever. Hillary Clinton marched in
the New York Pride parade, as she first did
in 2000, but Donald Trump was nowhere to
be seen.
This year's Pride saw the worst mass
killing in modern U.S. history when Omar
Mateen shot up Pulse nightclub in Orlando,
Fla. on June 12, killing 49 LGBTQ people,
and creating another defining moment
for our community. The mainstream could
not ignore us. We were Latin, white, black,
Asian. The first victim was a black lesbian
bouncer, Kimberly Morris. The last was
also the youngest-Akyra Monet Murray,
18, who had just graduated from high
school in Philadelphia 10 days earlier. The
Orlando tragedy shadowed us for weeks.
Democrats held a sit-in on the House floor,
wearing rainbow pins and calling for gun
control. Republicans ended it, but for a
moment lawmakers who we've supported
held us close in solidarity.
In late July, with the Republican and
Democratic
National
conventions,
headlines shifted to a different battle, even
if no weapons were drawn. Republicans
met in Cleveland five weeks after Orlando,
after the GOP tweeted out their "thoughts
and prayers" to the victims but did nothing
to protect us. The RNC platform was
insult to injury: Women were once again
targets. Trump chose a far right extremist
as his running mate: Indiana governor Mike
Pence, who believes abortion should be
outlawed and pledged that he and Trump
"will see Roe v. Wade consigned to the ash
heap of history." Pence has signed antiLGBT legislation as well as closing down
Planned Parenthood clinics in his state,
and in 2015 made STD testing inaccessible
to thousands causing an outbreak of HIV/
New England
AIDS, according to the
Journal of Medicine. (Indiana has a high
percentage of IV drug users and at least 181
new cases of HIV were directly linked to the
outbreak.) Pence wants marriage equality
overturned, and the RNC added support
for conversion therapy for lesbians and gay
men to its platform.
The DNC in Philadelphia was the
antithesis of the Cleveland RNC. In addition
to making history, nominating the first
woman presidential candidate ever by
a major political party, the DNC was a
showcase of diversity. LGBTQ delegates
made up 11.5 percent of all delegates-a
record number-and there were nearly a
dozen out lesbian legislators, including
Reps. Kate Brown and Tina Kotek from
Oregon and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI),
the only openly LGBT member of the
Senate and its first out lesbian.
Clinton promised to make her cabinet
50 percent female and also promised to
pass the Equality Act, a bill in the United
States House of Representatives and
the Senate that, if passed, would amend
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include
protections that ban discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation, gender identity,
and sex in the areas of employment,
housing, public accommodations, public
education, federal funding, credit, and the
jury system. Clinton's promise countered
one of the worst aspects of 2016: the bills
that tried to wreck LGBTQ lives, like North
Carolina's HB2.
The lesbian political powerhouse LPAC
was prominent at the DNC, and lesbians
were onstage. The first out trans person
ever to speak at a convention, Sarah
McBride, made history. Abby Wambach,
the best soccer player in history, with a
scoring record better than that of any
woman or man, spoke about her work for
Clinton's campaign and for lesbian lives.
Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, the
county's first Hispanic, first female and
first lesbian sheriff in the seventh-largest
district in the country, also spoke. Clinton
mentioned us in her speech making the
DNC the most LGBTin history.
The Rio Olympics were the gayest in
history, with 31 out lesbians performing in
an array of competitions from soccer and
field hockey to volleyball and basketball.
Lesbians also scooped the Emmys in
September, with nominees in front of and
behind the camera. Sarah Paulson won for
her role as Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J.
Simpson and declared her love for Holland
Taylor from the stage, while Jill Soloway,
creator of Transparent, won Best Directing
for the second consecutive year and called
for the end of the patriarchy. Lesbian
comedians were everywhere in 2016, and
not just Ellen. Tig Notaro's debut show was
nominated for an Emmy as was lesbian
icon Lily Tomlin, still making us laugh at 77.
Kate McKinnon, the only out lesbian on SNL
in the show's 42-year history, won an Emmy
and thanked Hillary Clinton and Ellen.
Despite these achievements, violence
against queer women, and the corrective
rape of lesbians are widespread. In midAugust a CDC report revealed that LGBT
high school students are likely to be
victims of physical and sexual violence and
bullying, and are at higher risk of suicide,
depression, addiction and poor school
performance.
A few days after the Pulse shooting, the
New York Times reported, "Even before
the shooting rampage at a gay nightclub
in Orlando, Fla., lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people were already the most
likely targets of hate crimes in America,
according to an analysis of data collected
by the Federal Bureau of Investigation:'
What followed were sobering statistics:
LGBT people are twice as likely to be
targeted as African Americans, and the
rate of hate crimes against LGBT people
has even surpassed that of crimes against
Jews, the previous record-holders for most
hate crimes in America. Violence against
lesbians and trans women was most likely
to include sexual assault. In a cruel irony,
this violence has escalated since the
U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex
marriage in June 2015.
One of the most tumultuous years in our
collective history is drawing to a close. The
holidays loom with their mixed messages
about love and good will. The rage that has
simmered all year, stoked by Trump's hate
for so many groups, women in particular,
won't disappear overnight. Did we know,
as Jill Soloway said at the Emmys, that we
were so hated? I'm not sure we really did.
Here are my wishes for the coming
year: That violence against us ebbs. That
we find love that surpasses struggle. That
we achieve our best lives, even if that
achievement doesn't include fame or
fortune. That we accept ourselves for who
we are as women, whatever our orientation,
size, or ability.
The best of times is also the worst
of times. In 2016, in spite of illness and
incapacitation, I won a couple of awards for
my novel, Ordinary Mayhem; I celebrated
my 17th anniversary with my wife; and
in 2016 I spoke to you, in every issue and
on curvemag.com, about the things that
matter to us, as lesbians. And for all of
those things I am deeply grateful.•
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LGBTQrights, was ordered to apologize or
else face persecution for going against the
Koran. He thereby became a fugitive.
REGRESSIVE 377
_l--1esl1i,1ns
i11
Ba11gl,1desl1
After the murder of LGBTQ
activists, the South Asian
country's queer community
is fighting for survival.
BY PALLAVI BHATTACHARYA
In Bangladesh, a country where
the majority of the population is
homophobic, an endearing young
lesbian named Dhee won the hearts
of the LGBTQ community last year.
She wasn't a flesh-and-blood girl but
a cartoon character, the brainchild
of the country's LGBTQ rights
group Boys of Bangladesh. The
comic strips were printed in boxed
sets, with a first run of 4,000. The
LGBTQ community in Bangladesh
was instantly able to relate to the
discrimination that Dhee faced on
a daily basis. The comic went viral
on line, eliciting both positive and
negative comments.
18
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2016
HATE CRIMES
In 2014, the year before the fictional
Dhee created a sensation, the first LGBTQ
magazine in Bangladesh, Roopbaan, was
launched, and the first Rainbow Rally in
the country was organized. But on April 25,
2016, Roopbaan's editor Xulhaz Mannan and
his fellow LGBTQactivist Tanay Mojumdar
were hacked to death by Islamic extremists,
in full view of Mannan's ailing octogenarian
mother. Mannan had carried out his LGBTQ
rights activism despite having received
death threats.
While condolences poured in from proLGBTQorganizations worldwide, all of them
condemning the barbaric attack, messages
appeared online that Mannan's mother
should be executed for having produced
a "bastard son." A few weeks later, another
LGBTQ activist in Bangladesh received a
chilling message that he would be killed.
LGBTQ activists, who were coming out in
public in Bangladesh, went underground.
Many LGBTQ people deactivated their
profiles on social media, and scrubbed
photographs that hinted at same-sex
relationships.
There had been a precedent: In 2010, the
blogger Avijit Roy,who was of Bangladeshi
origin and wrote in favor of LGBTQ rights,
was hacked to death. Bangladeshi Nobel
laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was pro-
Section 377 of the Bangladeshi Penal
Code spells it out: "Whoever voluntarily
has carnal intercourse against the order of
nature with any man, woman, or animal,
shall be punished with imprisonment for life,
or with imprisonment of either description
for a term which may extend to 10 years,
and shall also be liable to a fine." Penetration
is referred to as carnal intercourse. Though
lesbian sex can't quite be described as
illegal by these standards, the fallout from
this law is that lesbians are discriminated
against as well. Lesbians who've eloped
have been charged not under Section 377
but with human trafficking. The country
is way behind the United States as far as
reproductive rights for lesbians, especially
concerning their legal rights to surrogacy,
IVF,and adoption.
Liton Hossain, an LGBTQ activist from
Bangladesh who is currently living in exile
in London, is unsure if he'll ever return to his
homeland. He says ruefully, "The majority in
Bangladesh aren't in favor of LGBTQrights.
The primary reason for this is religious
beliefs. Even if someone from the LGBTQ
community is harassed, she or he cannot
lodge a complaint with the police, as the
country's law disfavors them. Two girls are
afraid to hold hands in public. Awareness
of LGBTQissues is very low in Bangladesh:'
HOMOPHOBIC VIEWS
After same-sex marriage was legalized
in the U.S., LGBTQactivists in Bangladesh
interviewed youngsters in their country's
capital, Dhaka, on their views of the legal
sanctions against it in their country. Most
opposed the idea of same-sex marriage.
Some said that in a Muslim majority country,
lesbian and gay marriages couldn't be
permissible because Islam opposed it. The
liberal argument that surfaced to counteract
this view was that because Bangladesh is
officially a secular nation, Islam couldn't be
cited as a reason to restrict these marriages.
Some realized that by disallowing
same-sex unions, personal freedoms were
being denied. Nevertheless, some still
argued that the country should oppose
it, as homosexuality was not in sync with
Bangladesh's social milieu. Some believed
VIEWS/
that it would deter procreation. Some
considered homosexuality a choice, or a
genetic problem, or a vice, or a disease.
A woman nonchalantly replied to the
interviewer that homosexuals would
naturally go on to be targets of ridicule. It
was mentioned during the course of the
interviews that Facebook was flooded with
homophobic comments from Bangladeshis
after people laced their profile pictures
in rainbow hues. A few said that they
were neither for nor against LGBTQ rights.
There were also responses in support of
homosexual marriages.
PARENTS' REACTIONS
As in all homophobic nations, many
parents react wrathfully in Bangladesh
when their LBTQ daughters disclose their
sexual orientation. Exiled activist Hossain
says, "They usually avoid telling their
parents if they're LBTQ.They [the parents]
generally torture their daughters if they
come to know about this, which may be on
the physical level, too. Many erroneously
think that their daughter has 'turned' lesbian
after having read about it on the Internet,
[or] is trying to be Westernized or modern in
a detrimental way. Parents may send them
to a doctor for a checkup. They can force
them into marriage, falsely hoping that it'll
solve things. Lesbian suicides arising out of
homophobia are common in Bangladesh,
but they are under-reported, or some other
pretext is cited as the trigger:'
Arshi Abira, who was born female and
identifies as genderqueer (and dates
women), is a Bangladeshi Canadian
psychology student, and has faced
excruciating opposition from her mother,
who ironically happens to have a master's
degree in psychology from Bangladesh.
Narrating her ordeal, she says, "When I
was about 10, Mother told me awful stories
about lesbian teachers in colleges who
pull girls into classrooms and touch them
inappropriately. She pressured me to dress
in stereotypically feminine ways whenever
she got the chance. She didn't understand
why I didn't have the so-called feminine
instincts, or care for attracting men:'
When Arshi clearly came out to her
mother, she said that Arshi was going
through psychosis and needed behavior
therapy to convert her to a feminine
heterosexual girl. In this so-called therapy,
Arshi was coerced to chant that she was
not homosexual. She says, "Mother told me
to observe men every day and try to find
something to like about them, and that if I
could find one thing to like about them, we
could build on that and start to find more
and more things that I would like about
them:'
When that obviously didn't work and her
mother found that she had got physical
with her girlfriend, Arshi says the situation
at home became immensely agonizing
for her. She says, "There was no way to
reconcile my sexuality and my mother's
ideals. I had no choice but to move out:'
Abia Khan,* a queer cisgender woman
of Bangladeshi origin who has settled
in Canada and is studying software
engineering, was thrown out of her house
by her homophobic parents and had to
live in a women's shelter. She says, "There
are numerous times I had contemplated
suicide:' Her therapist helped her greatly,
and she also found solace after she could
befriend queer women of color online.
However, when asked if she will go on to
live happily ever after in the future, she
replies, "It's unlikely. When I am stable in
my career, I may agree to a marriage of
convenience with someone of my parents'
choosing." Akhi Fayad,*a student of French
in Bangladesh, is fortunate to have a liberal
father, who had no qualms whatsoever
when she came out as a lesbian.
ISS
in Bangladesh. She is highly critical of the
way Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the current
prime minister of Bangladesh, is dealing
with hate crimes against the Bangladeshi
LGBTQ community. One of her multiple
Twitter updates in support of LGBTQrights
reads: "No civilized country needs to debate
on homosexual rights. Even a kid knows
that homosexual rights are human rights:'
Social media provides avenues through
which LGBTQBangladeshis can find solace.
On the Facebook group page Bangladesh
Against Homophobia (@LGBT.Bangladesh)
there is information on LGBTQ rights; and
on Queer South Asians (closed group) there
is information on LGBTQ rights, emotional
support, and an opportunity to find friends
and partners.
Despite the atrocities that LGBTQ
activists have suffered in Bangladesh, Liton
Hossain is hopeful: "After the gruesome
killings of LGBTQ activists, other LGBTQ
activists are still fighting for their cause,
even if they are operating clandestinely.
Future generations should be more liberal,
and I hope that homophobia will gradually
be eradicated from the country. The
Bangladesh government should abolish
Section 377 and regard LGBTQ rights as a
humanitarian issue:'
Let's hope that in the future Dhee won't
just exist in the comics or inside the closet
anymore, but can live and love openly in
Bangladesh.•
WOMEN ACTIVISTS
When asked why there aren't as many
female activists in her country as there
are male activists, Akhi explains, "There
are women LGBTQ activists, but they
are not as vocal as the men are. Women
don't put themselves out there like men
do for obvious reasons. There's always
the fear of disclosure of identity, and
the consequences afterwards. I started
working for the LGBTQcommunity officially
in 2013, and I had to remain underground,
along with my co-workers. Women have a
lot to lose, more than men in our society;'
referring to the physical and economic
precariousness of women.
Taslima Nasreen, a woman
of
Bangladeshi origin, is a bestselling author,
doctor, and identifies as a secular humanist
and feminist. She is currently living in exile
in Sweden. She advocates LGBTQ rights
and expressed her outrage on social media
after the tragic murders of the gay activists
*Name changed to protect identity
/=lC,HT ~DR
l~
Bl".\- R \~ fffS
NOV/DEC
2016
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Out on the Court
WNBA player Layshia Clarendon uses her voice as a means for positive change.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
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VIEWS!SPO
S
croll through Layshia Clarendon's
Twitter feed and you'll find
everything from fun and goofy
pies to serious and thoughtprovoking commentary on political and
social issues such as Black Lives Matter
and the LGBT community. The starting
point guard for the WNBA's Atlanta Dream
is accustomed to using her voice to call
plays and lead others into position on the
court. Off the court, Clarendon focuses on
enacting positive change. She's not afraid
to speak her mind, and she knows how to
do it effectively.
"I don't go on the offensive. I like to
listen and engage in conversation, even
when I'm upset or angry," Clarendon says.
"I want to meet people where they are and
have an open dialogue. If I'm just yelling
my side, and people are yelling back at
me, we aren't going to hear each other. So
I try to meet people where they are, and
be gentle in my activism. But that doesn't
mean I'm going to be soft, or that I won't
block people on Twitter."
Clarendon, who has been sporting her
signature mohawk since her senior year,
certainly isn't soft. She'sa strong, articulate,
confident 25-year-old woman who also
happens to be a professional athlete who's
highly visible on social media. It's a gift she
doesn't take lightly, and one she's been
trying to build on for the past few years.
"I have this opportunity to affect so
many people and it blows my mind that
it's all because I can dribble a basketball.
People care about what we say because
we're pro athletes? It's kind of crazy that
we have that influence, and it's a great
responsi bi Iity."
Clarendon believes that the reason she
is so poised and self-aware relates directly
to the way her father taught her to behave
on the court. As a high school referee, he
often reminded Clarendon not to react
when other players got in her face or made
a dirty play. He told her to remain calm and
respectful, because the person who reacts
is always the one who ends up getting
the foul. It's good advice, Clarendon says.
Not only in basketball, but in life. That's
why she always tries to stay in the present
moment, and take the high road. But as an
out lesbian and a woman of color, it can be
challenging.
"A lot of the time I just feel compassion
for people who say mean or rude things,
because it's obvious they don't feel that
great about themselves," Clarendon says.
"It really gives me a lot more empathy for
where they are in life, rather than focusing
on what they said about me."
Clarendon wasn't always this selfassured and comfortable in her skin. There
were some growing pains, she admits,
especially after she realized she was
gay. But when it comes to her parents,
Clarendon jokes that she was always the
favorite. She was the middle child, the one
who never got into any trouble, did her
schoolwork, and got good grades.
Even though her relationship with her
father hit a bump or two after she came
out, they are now closer than ever. And
Clarendon says she has her sister to thank
for paving the way.
"She was playing basketball for
Pepperdine when she first came out," the
California native explains. "And my parents
basically stopped going to her games. It
was hard. I didn't come out until college
and my relationship with my sister suffered
as a result, because I had it a lot easier than
her. But we've begun to talk openly about
it, and we're working on healing those
wounds."
Growing up, Clarendon vividly recalls
playing basketball from sunup to sundown
every single day. From travel games and
tournaments on the weekends to shooting
hoops in her backyard, she ate, slept, and
dreamed about basketball. Looking back,
however, she can't pinpoint a specific time
when she set her sights on the WNBA.
Sure, she was a fan. She watched the
games and looked up to Sue Bird-one of
the all-time great point guards in the 20year history of the league. But it wasn't
until Clarendon was home with her family
during the offseason that the reality of
being drafted ninth overall in the 2013
WNBA draft really sunk in.
"One of my aunts had this picture of
me in the sixth grade and I had written
on the back of it that I was going to be in
the WNBA someday and asked her to save
the picture. I got teary-eyed when I saw
that, because it definitely gave me some
perspective, like wow-I did dream about
this and here I am:'
Clarendon played college basketball
at the University of California, Berkeley.
Not only was it the perfect place to
showcase her hardwood prowess, but it
was also the perfect place to come out,
she says. It never crossed her mind that
her sexuality might negatively affect her
basketball career, because by then she
was "unapologetically comfortable" in
her own shoes and she wasn't going to let
anyone negatively influence that.
From the moment Clarendon was
drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2013, she
intended to stay true to herself, regardless.
And that's a quality her fans, teammates,
and coaches appreciate.
"When I was in Indiana, Coach (Lin)
Dunn was super-hard on me in practice,"
she laughs. "I mean, she would really ride
me. But then we'd get to the airport and
be waiting for a flight, and she'd tell me to
come sit next to her and start asking me all
these deep questions about what I wanted
to do in life. We'd talk about activism, too,
and bond over that. We really appreciated
each other."
After two years with the Fever,Clarendon
figured she'd found a permanent home
in Indiana and hoped to stay with the
team for the rest of her career. But life
as a pro athlete is full of uncertainty, and
this past spring she was traded to Atlanta
in exchange for a draft pick. It came as a
complete shock to Clarendon, who had
just moved into a new apartment and
stocked her refrigerator with groceries.
She was given 24 hours to pack before she
had to be on a plane to Georgia. Her life
changed in the blink of an eye.
"I was heartbroken," she says. "But I
didn't have much time to dwell. I arrived in
Atlanta with an open mind."
In the end, the trade ended up working
out in Clarendon's favor. She became
the starting point guard for Atlanta and
has thrived in that role ever since. Her
teammates and coaches embraced her
with open arms, and so have the fans.
But while the WNBA has been around for
20 years, players, teams, and the league
itself are still fighting for relevancy. "It's
basically sexism and how ingrained it is in
our society," says Clarendon.
"It's frustrating. When we were traveling
last year for games, so many people would
come up to us and ask what college we
play for. It's frustrating. We're professionals
and we still have to fly commercial. Yeah,
it's been 20 years, but we're still so young.
We're a baby sport with a lot of growing to
do." (wnba.com) •
NOV/DEC
2016
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Travelers take pride in exploring
New York State for all kinds of
reasons. There are boundless
indoor and outdoor activities
for everyone, from families to
couples, whether you're in the
mood for relaxation or new
adventures. Enjoy a New York
State getaway you'll love - and
one that you can only find here.
26CHEF SHELLEYON TOP
28SEXYBEDTIMESTORIES
32LATINASSEEKINGJUSTICE
NOV/DEC
2016
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-HOLIDA
DRINKIN
GUIDE
. L
ITY
WINES
l11riil
1i#
Recommendations for LGBT-friendly,
progressive, and top quality libations.
CHEERS TO EQUALITY
Equality Wines is the world's first pairing
of excellent wines and equal rights, co-created by Matt Grove and Elissa Nauful to
celebrate equality for all. Jim Obergefell
and the late John Arthur, whose landmark
Supreme Court case ruled in favor of
marriage equality across the country, are
honored with the first release of the outstanding Love Wins Cuvee. This delicate
and delicious bottle of pink bubbles is
a 2008 estate-bottled California sparkling wine that makes a perfect toast for
Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve or the New
Year and pairs beautifully with a cheese
plate or appetizers. To serve at your festive
table, uncork a bottle of the superb The
Decision Pinot Noir, which is bursting with
ripe red and black fruits and bright spicy
warmth. Aged 16 months in French oak,
The Decision complements roast turkey
and all the trimmings, right through to a
freshly-baked cherry pie.
"We chose producers and grapes from
the Russian River Valley not only for the
24
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2016
amazing grapes that are grown in the
area, but also because Western Sonoma
County is known for its inclusiveness and
acceptance of all people," said Nauful,
co-founder of Equality Wines. Both wines
come from famed vintners in the Russian
River Valley, Ca., and include Iron Horse
Vineyards (Cuvee) and Giusti Ranch (Pinot
Noir). "I am honored and also humbled to
be a part of this historic release of wines
and the historic decision that redefined
marriage for all people," said Jim Obergefell. "Beyond the contribution that John
Arthur and I made, there are numerous
other plaintiffs as well as attorneys and
advocates that we all should raise a glass
to in honor of their commitment on the
anniversary of this landmark decision." A
portion of all proceeds goes to non-profit
partners in the fight for LGBTequality.
Readers receive a 15%discount on orders
at equalitywines.com, use the promo code
CURVE.
A BOOST FOR BORDEAUX
One of France's leading wine regions
is benefiting from a new generation of
young winemakers, including two talented
and dedicated women. These young Bordelais are well traveled and well educated,
but devoted to their region and look to the
future of Bordeaux with excitement and
enterprise, breathing new life into their
estates, vineyards, and wines. Separately
and together they are creating a diversity of style, accessibility and affordability
in these world-famous wines. The new
generation's motto is "real wine for real
people." We're talking superior wines for
around $15.
Standing out in particular are two
winemakers whose wines show particular finesse and deliciousness. Sylvie
Courselle of Chateau Thieuley Bordeaux
and Rachel Hubert of Chateau Peybonhomme-Les-Tours. "When I was born my
father was very disappointed that I was
a girl," says Sylvie Courselle. How times
have changed-Sylvie now runs the entire
winery with her sister Marie, something
which is becoming more common now in
France. Together, the sisters are challeng-
ing the methods of the patres familias.
They aim for less oaky wines, more fruit
forward, so that they can be enjoyed earlier. They are also increasing production of
fresh dry whites.
Over at Rachel Hubert's Chateau Peybonhomme-Les-Tours, Hubert is bringing her own ideas to the family business.
Trained as a chemist, she enjoys experimenting with less well-known grape varieties; she is eliminating the addition of
sulfites (preservatives), and replacing barrels with vessels known as amphorae.
Whatever you're serving at your holiday
table, it's likely Bordeaux has a grape variety to suit: Bordeaux is famous for reds,
which constitute 86 percent of wine produced in the region, but it also makes Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.
It's important to note that unlike the US,
45 percent of Bordeaux's vineyards are
certified either organic, biodynamic, or
integrated viticulture, good news for the
health conscious. And you never know:
there could be a hardworking female
winemaker behind that traditional looking
French label! (vins-bordeaux.fr)
Chef Shelley Robinson is making luscious meals and lesbian history.
BY GILLIAN KENDALL
S
helley Robinson is one of the leading chefs of Canada, which makes
her one of the top lesbian chefs
in-dare we say it?-the world.
She's also extremely hardworking,
as Curve learned when we caught up with
Robinson on her first day off in five weeks.
In September, she began her new role
at Gateway Casinos & Entertainment in
Edmonton, Alberta. As the regional executive chef, Robinson oversees seven
eateries, including five quick-service cafes as well as the upscale pub Match and
the new fine-dining restaurant Atlas Steak
+ Fish, which seats 150 people. She's the
head of a staff of some 100 cooks, servers,
and kitchen crew. "It's a lot of responsibility;' she says. "A lot of people report to me.
It's definitely a progression in my career.
There's a much higher volume here, in a
Vegas-type setting. It suits my personality-I enjoy the glamour, the showcase of
it. Most of it's busy and loud. Atlas is a little
different. It's the jewel in the crown."
Before taking on her new role, Robin26
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son had been the regional executive chef
for the Coast Hotels, Vancouver, for two
years. "However," she says, "we parted
ways. So my name was out there, and I
was approached by Gateway Casinos, a
prominent entertainment venue in western Canada. They were opening the Grand
Villa Casino in downtown Edmonton this
fall and a brand-new, 70,000-square-foot
food and beverage venue in the West Edmonton Mall next spring. Edmonton is in
a boom, and I was excited about the opportunities."
Chef Shelley was born in Vancouver 55
years ago and has spent some 30 years
cooking. In her career, she has owned her
own restaurant and cheese shop, co-authored four cookbooks, worked as a pastry chef, food stylist, and consultant, and
learned to source what she cooks. "When
you go to cooking school," she says, "they
teach you to cook, but not how to work
on your own, be a manager-all the things
you need." And having won the Food Network's Chopped Canada and excelled on
Bravo's Top Chef Canada, Robinson has
demonstrated that she can out-cook just
about anyone. But TV is not her favorite
work. Some reality cooking shows can be
premeditated, she says, and so, not entirely fair. But Chopped was more exciting to
her team: "We opened the ingredient basket to find grape leaves, lamb, peppers,
pork shoulder, grapefruit, gin, and ricotta!"
At her new workplace, Robinson says,
"I'm absolutely out, and they have embraced who I am and supported my desire
to stay connected to the queer community. They've supported me in attending
whatever events I want to attend, and in
supporting a variety of different groups."
Robinson's career is clearly on a high
boil, but in her three decades in the kitchen has she seen some culinary mishaps?
Even the most accomplished chefs are
human, Robinson admits. "Well, there's
the bad chicken story." The bad chicken
story happened very long ago and far
away, at a hotel that shall remain nameless. Robinson was fairly new there and
REVIEWS!FO
doing her first major wedding. "Cornish
game hen was on the menu, the entree.
I trusted the cooks to do the work during
the service, and I was overseeing the plating. Then, after we'd done just six tables,
the banquet captain comes back and tells
me the chicken's underdone, people are
complaining and sending it back. It was
true-the meat wasn't cooked near the
bone. It was raw. It was horrible. We started running around with the chicken we
were about to serve. We had chicken in
"
microwaves, chicken in ovens, blasting it.
People were waiting, hungry, and we were
cooking like mad, but the service was of
course very messed up."
However, the chef used the situation
as a learning experience. "What I learned
from that event was that I must check everything personally:'
More recently, in Vancouver, she's enjoyed hosting secret dinners. "Basically, I
just have my friends over for a great meal,
but I make them help pay for it," she says.
In Edmonton, she hopes to do similar
work. "Last night, I attended an event with
a top food writer and a lot of great chefs.
We had an opportunity to talk about collaborating, doing pop-up dinners, secret
dinners, that sort of thing. I hope to keep
my dark side alive!"
Take note, single ladies: Robinson says
she's currently unpartnered. "I'm single
and looking." Lesbian foodies-residents
or visitors, start angling for an invitation to
dinner. (chefshelleyrobinson.com) •
'MABSOlUTElY
OUT."
PUSSY R
POETRY
Some questions for lesbian
sex haiku guru Anna Pulley.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
28
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2016
egardless of where you are on your lady-loving journey, The Lesbian Sex Haiku
Book (With Cats!) has something for you. It
chronicles every stage of falling in love and
breaking up, and it comforts you with ridiculously funny haikus and equally funny illustrations of
cats "in varying stages of sexual awkwardness."
The book's author, Anna Pulley, is a nationally
known writer and cultural critic whose sexual
identity, she readily admits, is as changeable
as the seasons: "Sometimes queer, sometimes
bisexual, sometimes lesbian, sometimes lesbian-identified bisexual. It depends on the day,
which is a very 'bisexual' answer, I realize," Pulley
observes. "I don't much care how other people
identify me, as long as it's not straight!" She even
whipped up a haiku to encapsulate her feelings
about her sexuality:
REVIEWS/S
Shortly after, I met and fell in love
with a married woman who lived across
the country. We wrote hundreds of haikus to each other-it
was super-gay
and super-impractical,
but it worked
because I was in no way ready to be
in a "real" relationship. When I started
to date again-with
people who were
available and in my zip code-I
kept
writing haikus because I was in the
habit and because dating is hilarious
and awful. Almost 500 haikus later,
here we are!
MYHtART
ISGAY,
BUT
MY
VAGINA
ISltSS
DISCRIMINATORY.
What inspired you to write a book
about lesbian sex, cats, and haiku?
It was a potent cocktail of insane
grief, Twitter, and falling in love with
a married woman. What happened
was my life fell apart. My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, my fiancee
dumped me, and I was struggling to
survive in San Francisco on a $6 an
hour internship. And because my life
very suddenly became a shit-stew,
I found myself with a horrid case of
writer's block. Writing is how I understand the world, and to suddenly be
without that creative outlet was especially devastating.
One morning I got out of bed, threw
some clothes on, and went to work,
only to discover that in my haste and
depression I had forgotten to put on
a bra. This struck me as incredibly
funny. Like, I have a college degree,
I am a grown-ass woman, and I forgot how to dress myself. How did that
happen? So, I wrote a haiku about it.
Haiku is great because it's so short. It
requires very little time and emotional energy. I told myself I would write
one haiku a day until I no longer felt
stymied. A happy coincidence
was
that I was contractually
obligated
to tweet for my internship, so I used
Twitter as a kind of haiku game to get
over my fear and stuckness. Here's
one:
Your dating luck hasn't been all that
bad. Your girlfriend, Kelsey Beyer,
illustrated this book. How did that
collaboration happen?
That was a happy accident as well.
Originally, Wendy MacNaughton [Pen
& Ink; The Gutsy Girl] was going to illustrate it, but then she got too busy
and famous. Thankfully, I happened to
be dating a very talented illustrator at
the time, who did not balk at all when I
asked her to draw cats in varying stages of sexual awkwardness. I, perhaps
stupidly, didn't have any concerns initially, but Kelsey and I did end up going
to couples therapy-to
make the whole
process that much more lesbian. Neither of us had ever made a book before
and didn't know what we were doing,
so it was helpful to have an objective
third party to talk to.
Why cats? What's the deal with lesbians and their cats?
The connection
between lesbians
and cats is fascinating. And butches
and pit bulls, but that is another topic!
My friend Nicole Pasulka wrote about
this recently for New York magazineevidently it all goes back to witchcraft.
Cats are closely tied to witches, and
lesbians, along with witches,
have
been historically persecuted and have
formed alliances.
But also, Kelsey was already drawing
lesbian cat birthday cards for a friend,
so she was in that mindset. Once she
started watching videos of Maru, the
famous Japanese cat that dives into
boxes, it seemed like a no-brainer. Of
course the drawings should be of cats.
Then there's the more obvious "pussy"
connection, and the fact that cats rule
I~ACt
AllMY
~tARS
INYOGA:
~AlllNG,
~lYING,
~ARTING
INPUBllC.
the Internet with an iron fist. We bow
humbly to them.
Your haikus rely upon stereotypes for
humor-is there truth to stereotypes?
Do they have a literary function?
I am wildly interested in stereotypes.
Where do they come from, what is the
core assumption
behind them, and
why do they have the potential to be
so fucked up or so funny based on who
says them?
I certainly embody a great many stereotypes-I drive a pickup truck. I was
a PE teacher. I was vegetarian for a decade. I've worked at a lot of nonprofits.
I love flannel and vests and beanies. I
drink cheap beer. I love to cohabitate,
etc.
But part of the function and fun of
stereotypes is to recognize ourselves
in them, even if they're not 100 percent
accurate, and to use them as a bonding tool, or to figure out if the hot girl
you're after is into women. If I threw a
"Who killed Jenny?" into a conversation
with a stranger, and she "got" it, then
we'd be connecting in this easy, cool
way. It's a kind of visibility.
That's what I was after in the book,
to use stereotypes in a way that's absurd but that also highlights our unique
struggles and cultural markers, and to
let other queer women know they aren't alone, that they've probably had at
least some similar experiences in their
own lives. For instance, the stereotype
that lesbians are afraid to ask women
out. We go to bars and stare at women
but rarely ever talk to them. My secret
plan is to urge queer women to act! To
read these absurd haikus and be like,
"Wait, I totally do that sometimes and
it is not working!" I don't know if that
counts as a "literary function," but in
those instances where we are letting
a stereotype or an assumption about
ourselves hold us back, I definitely am
trying to urge people to not give in to
that.
What's your favorite haiku in the
book?
It's "How Lesbian Sex Works":
Picture foreplay that
lasts more than a few minutes.
Now, add some crying.•
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
29
THE
CLUB
Can women really enjoy no-stringsattached sexual encounters? Can one
night of sex with a stranger change
your life? Find out at "the club."
BY A.L. BROOKS
30
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
REVIEWS/SHORT
L
ou showered slowly, standing
under the hot water with her
head tipped back, enjoying
the sensation as it gushed over
her breasts and down over her abs. It
was early yet, but she liked to take her
time before heading out to the club.
For her, this was a subtle form of foreplay. She listened to her body tell her
what mood it was in. More often than
not she was the "aggressor" on club
nights, but that took so much energy
to pull off. It was a struggle. In order
to keep the interactions exactly as she
desired them-not
very vocal and at
a pace she controlled-required
her
to be the one in charge. And yet, that
went against her basic instincts.
She had learned, though, it was generally the only way it worked for her.
Occasionally, she had been the one
who found a spot on the wall, waited,
and let someone else come to her.
Usually on nights like tonight, when
she was just too tired to do anything
else. But those nights were always the
most uncomfortable for her. She could
never be sure who or what she was
going to get. Battling herself was definitely wearing her down, and thoughts
of how to change that had crept to the
forefront of her mind lately.
It was funny, but since that time with
Max, she'd struggled to find that same
level of intensity. That had been, by far,
her best, most...intimate ...experience
at the club since she'd discovered it a
year ago. In other circumstances, Max
would definitely be the kind of woman
she could imagine having something
more with, someone who could kindle
that kind of passion in her with one
look, one touch.
Their first kiss had been so powerful, and the sex that had followed had
stayed in her memory for days, weeks.
Of course, a relationship was out of
the question. To build a relationship,
she would have to relate to someone,
to converse, to share, to reveal. All
things Lou was incapable of.
This was why the club had been such
a godsend. It was the magical solution
for her. At the club, once she'd gone
through all the mental gymnastics to
get herself through the front door,
she was able to set aside her inherent,
painful shyness. She could transform
herself into anyone she wanted to be.
The club gave her the physical release she needed for her inner passionate self, the hidden Lou that was
desperate to be free. She just wasn't
quite strong enough to achieve it in
everyday life.
Her job at the insurance company
allowed her to keep her interactions to
email and the occasional phone call.
Face-to-face
situations
were rarely
needed, and if they were, most people just accepted that she was quiet
and perhaps a little odd, but harmless
enough. She was grateful for that.
She enjoyed her work, and it paid well
enough for her quiet lifestyle.
Tonight, because she was so tired,
she would wait by the wall and see
who approached. She would let someone else make all the moves and hope
that person didn't push her into an
uncomfortable
headspace, that she
would be able to release the pressure
that had built up inside of her these
past couple of weeks.
The taxi dropped her a couple of
streets away-she
never liked to be
dropped right at the door. She used
her time as she approached the club
to gather her bravery. The cold November rain had settled in for the
weekend, so she kept her umbrella
close over her head to protect her hair
she'd so carefully styled.
Mandy let her in, took Lou's cash,
and then left her to stow her coat,
soggy umbrella, and bag in one of the
lockers. Mandy had introduced herself
that first night, which Lou imagined
she did to all the newbies, but it had
taken Lou a couple of months to feel
comfortable enough to meet her eyes,
smile an unspoken greeting, and tell
Mandy her name.
In the locker room, Lou shook herself, trying to dispel the maudlin
thoughts. She arched her back a coupie of times to release some tension,
STO
and then, finally ready, stepped out
into the hallway.
She walked through into the Green
room and stopped for a drink. It took
her a while to get into the feel of the
evening. On her very first night, she
hadn't watched anyone much at all,
too embarrassed to be caught staring.
Then she'd realized that everyone was
voyeuristic, and gradually, she had allowed herself to look too.
She sat at the bar with her first beer.
The barwoman was the dark-haired
one with the long ponytail, and she
gave Lou a small smile. Lou had seen
her in the gym she used each morning.
She was pretty sure the woman didn't
know her as their workout sessions
had only crossed paths a few times.
She was fit, had a nice lean body, but
she was too thin for Lou. She much
preferred curves and softness.
It was pretty quiet, only two couples
already fully in action, and two other
women on the long wall, quietly sipping their drinks while they watched
the couples and the door to see who
came in.
As she sipped her beer, the room
gradually filled. Not everyone stopped
in Green, of course. Quite a few wandered through to Blue or Red, although, they invariably took their time
as they crossed the room to check
things out. Lou struggled to tune in to
what her body wanted tonight. All she
could come up with was the vague notion that she didn't want to think about
it in any detail. She wanted to feel and
come, and she really didn't care how
that happened.
She walked into Blue and ordered
her drink from the cute woman with
braids who always gave her a small
wink whenever their paths crossed.
It was probably against the rules, but
Lou had been here enough times to
know all three barwomen by sight, and
they all acknowledged
her in some
way. She smiled back and made her
way to the stools at the centre bar.•
The Club is now available from YLVA
Publishing
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
31
Four Latina lesbians imprisoned for allegedly committing an
unthinkable crime protest their innocence and await release.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
T
he documentary
that riveted
film festival audiences across the
country this summer will soon
be available to watch from the
comfort of your living room this fall
on the Investigation Discovery channel.
Southwest of Salem: The Story of
the San Antonio Four documents the
trial, incarceration, and journey toward
exoneration of four Latina lesbians from
San Antonio, Texas. Nicknamed the San
Antonio Four by the media during their
trial in 1994, Elizabeth "Liz" Ramirez,
Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra "Cassie"
Rivera, and Anna Vasquez have spent half
their lives trying to extricate themselves
32
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
from the sinister quicksand of the criminal
justice system-for a crime they never
committed.
In 1994, the four women were accused
of sexually molesting Ramirez's two
nieces, who were 7 and 9 years old at
the time. With over a decade of footage,
including
interviews,
out
lesbian
director Deborah Esquenazi exposes
how these women became victims of
toxic masculinity and a system that
aims to criminalize marginalized people.
Javier Limon, the father of Ramirez's two
nieces, took revenge against his sisterin-law for rejecting his sexual advances
and for telling him she was a lesbian.
He punished her, her partner Mayhugh,
and their two close friends, Rivera
and Vasquez. Elizabeth Ramirez was
convicted and sentenced to 37.5 years
in prison in 1997, and the others were
sentenced to 25 years each in 1998. All
because a lesbian turned down a man's
advances.
Presumed innocence is a not a
privilege routinely granted to Americans
like the San Antonio Four: "We're
lesbians, we're Latina, we're poor, and
we live in one of the poorest areas of San
Antonio," Vasquez, who was released
from prison in 2012, tells me in a tearful
phone interview. "We were guilty in their
REVIEWS/
eyes already because we were lesbian,"
she says, speaking of her interrogation
by homicide detectives,
who were
fixated on her and her friends' sexuality.
"They associated homosexuals with
child abuse. I had no idea that we were
already guilty from the get-go."
"Minorities are vulnerable," Ramirez
points out in our phone interview. "It
may be a stereotype, but we don't
have the financial means to fight [the
accusations]. I had no money, no voice,"
her voice trails off in a sign of defeat
and fatigue, suggesting the realization
of how unjust the justice system can
be. Vasquez articulates their injustice
more directly: "Race does play a part
in it, and it helps to have money in
the justice system. What if we had an
unlimited amount of money? Or if we
were four white straight women? This
case wouldn't even have gone to trial."
She's right. Statistics
prove, as
reported by Latina magazine in a recent
online article, that Latina women are "69
percent more likely to be incarcerated
than white women," and that at the state
level Latinas are "27.6 percent more
likely to have a harsher sentence for a
similar crime"-a
figure that jumps to
47.6 percent at the federal level.
The women were told repeatedly
by investigators, and even by their
lawyers, that they would never win a trial
that pitted them against children. The
presence of Esquenazi's sympathetic
directorial hand is evident as we learn
that it wasn't until a white manliterally, a random white guy from
Canada-questioned
the legitimacy of
the case against these four lesbians
that the tide began to turn. Intrigued
by the Canadian's interest in the four
women, and his research into their case,
Esquenazi's colleague, the investigative
journalist Debbie Nathan, got involved
in 2010 and then took the case to the
Innocence Project of Texas to help free
the four women.
In 2012, one of Ramirez's nieces
recanted her testimony, saying her father
forced her to tell lies in court, and soon
the women were released on parole.
But these women have yet to be
exonerated. They are still criminals in the
eyes of the law. They are still registered
sex offenders, even though the court
declared them not guilty. They still have
to report bimonthly to the city of San
Antonio. And they still cannot travel
outside a 75-mile radius of the city
without permission.
These women are still not free.
"We're in a prison without bars,"
Vasquez explains, elaborating
upon
how their lives have been curtailed and
affected by the fact that they have not
been exonerated. "We have such a huge
fear, you know? We believe-we feel like
we won't have to go back to prison, but
we also felt that way in the first trial. We
cannot fully live our lives," she says. "We
hesitate when we make big decisions, like
buying an automobile. It's something we
really have to think about." She indicates
that even the most mundane activities
that other people take for granted, these
four women cannot because their lives
exist in such a precarious state.
"The criminal court of appeals meets
behind closed doors and then one day,
out of nowhere, they will have a decision,"
Esquenazi explains to me in a phone
interview. "There is a possibility they will
Fl
say that they need more information, so
they may want to have another hearing,
which may or may not be public. In its
very secrecy, it is kind of creepy. We
don't know what is happening behind
closed doors. We don't know how many
years that could take-if they make a
decision at all."
This is where Esquenazi leaves us, the
viewers-in
limbo, alongside the four
Latina lesbians who are still awaiting
exoneration.•
At the time we went to
print in October 2016, no
date had been set for the
exoneration hearing. If
you'd like to help, you can
go to the documentary's
website and contact
District Attorney Nicholas
LaHood on behalf of
the San Antonio Four.
(southwestofsalem.com)
Do you trmt the justice ~y~tcmto find the 1ruth?
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NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
33
IEWS!BOOKS
O
n the brink of the 2016 presidential
election, the obvious becomes ever
more pressing. Women's lives are
shaped by our access to opportunities, or the lack thereof: opportunities
to control our bodies, opportunities to
succeed professionally, and opportunities to be caring, present mothers,
daughters, and lovers. Many of us would
like to believe that we all manifest our
destinies on our own terms (and hopefully we do!), but one of the things an
election year highlights is that our private lives unfold in a historical contextthat the terrain of our lives is mapped
not only by our private decisions, but by
public policy decisions, too.
Black Dove: Mama, Mi]o, and Me, Ana
Castillo's most recent book, one the author calls a mix of "memoir and personal
essay," is very much about the opportunities Castillo has made for herself and
consequently for other Chicano and
Mexican-American writers as the result
of her 40-year career. But it's also about
examining those opportunities through
the lens of social and cultural shifts in
American life.
"I have spent all of my career writing
across genre," Castillo tells me. "And
since I was trained in and have taught in
the social sciences at colleges and universities across the country, thinking of
my story as well as that of my family in
historical context, complete with the attending details, wasn't anything I set out
to do. It's just part of who I am.
"As a Chicano, as a Mexican woman,
I do empathize, deeply, with those that
make treacherous journeys across the
border, and those who wait for their loved
ones on both sides. Since I am an educated woman and a public figure, some people think I'm different from those many
look down upon. I'm not."
Years before Donald Trump made the
absurd case for building a wall along the
U.S.-Mexico border, Castillo was confronted with how polarizing the immigration debate can be. In 2007, while on
tour in support of her novel The Guardians, a suspense tale about a teacher
who mounts a search for a family member who has disappeared while crossing
the border, Castillo says, "Sometimes
10 people, sometimes 30 people would
just walk out of readings. I hadn't expe-
CHANGING
BORDERS
Ana Castillo's latest book
questions borders for
women of color.
BY VICTORIA
BOND
34
NOV/DEC
CURVE
2016
rienced anything like that since the '70s.
And we still, in 2016, haven't gotten to a
place where we have a satisfactory immigration law. It's not a coincidence that we
now have a representative of the extreme
right and moneyed interest in the personification of Trump."
As much as Castillo herself, as a lifelong activist, can't help but touch on the
political, Black Dove is very much about
the personal, as the book's subtitle suggests. Castillo writes about, among other things, being sexually assaulted as a
teen by a family member, and recounts
a heart-wrenching breakup with a woman (Castillo identifies as bisexual though
laughingly remarks that she has spent
most of her life single), but the richest
section of the book is about Castillo's son,
Marcello.
Castillo portrays her son as a handsome, likable, graffiti-artist hip-hop head
who in his early 20s, after graduating from
college, commits an unarmed robbery in
the midst of depression and addiction.
Castillo lets Marcello speak for himself by
including emails they exchanged during
his two-year incarceration. And though
Castillo discusses Marcello's experience
in light of the often-dehumanizing pressures that come with being a young man
of color in a city such as Chicago, where
police harassment and street violence are
everyday occurrences (Castillo also came
of age there in the volatile 1960s), Marcello's emails, along with Castillo's own feelings of having failed her son, infuse this
section of the book with a riveting immediacy that yields the sense that mother
and son have both embraced the work
of healing, and have irrevocably changed
for the better as a result.
In a moment when we are regularly barraged with think pieces on current events
where the writer's anecdotal experience
feels more like a gimmick than an actual
life event (I have written my share of these
pieces myself), Black Dove is a refreshing read. Castillo's work encourages the
reader to consider how all our experiences are always in an organic conversation,
not a stilted one, with history's sweep
and ever-changing circumstances. How
our ability and willingness to cross over
real and imagined borders creates, and
forecloses, opportunities in all our lives.
(anacastillo.com) •
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YOUCANHELPTHEM
DONATENOW
IFAW.ORG/CURVE
QIFAW
International Fund for Animal Welfare
42
SPARRINGSTYLE
46
JUST FOR KICKS
38
A FEMME
FESTIVE
SEASON
curve
FASHION
ACCESSORIES
IDENTITY
»
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
37
Holiday Office Party
The Outfit: Akris Trousers, TFNC
Top (Asos), Chloe 'Drew' Mini
Leather and Leopard-Print Calf Hair
Shoulder Bag
Why It Works: Amping up classic
winter whites with luxe silk trousers
and soft gold sequins makes
an easy, comfortable outfit feel
festive and elegant, while leopard
print-the must-have print of the
season and a bona fide "neutral" as
far as both I and Jenna Lyons are
concerned-keeps things playful
and a little bit rock 'n roll.
STYLE/
HOLIDAYCHIC
Morning Gift Exchange
at the Homestead
The Outfit: Akris Trousers,J. Crew
'Tippy' Sweater, Faux Fur Scarf
from Anthropologie
Why It Works: What's the difference
between silk pajamas and silk
trousers? To-die-for tailoring of
course! Add tissue-thin cashmere
with a dash of faux fur in pretty
blush shades and you'll be toasty
and oh-so-lnstagram worthy.
FEMME FOR THE
HOLIDAYS
FOUR
EASY
LOOKS
TO
TAKE
YOU
FROM
THANKSGIVING
TO
NEW
YEAR'S
EVE.
BY ANITA DOLCE VITA
Queer fashion biogs primarily focus on masculinity and androgyny, while largely ignoring the
incredible contributions that femmes have made to the queer style movement. Bloggers like Aja
Aguirre, founder of the queer style blog Fit for a Femme, are creating much needed space and
visibility for femme fashion, which dismantles beauty norms perpetuated by the dominant culture
and reclaims femininity from the male gaze. In the spirit of the season, Aja delivers special holiday
gifts of fierce, fearless femme fashion inspiration for a variety of occasions. Cheers to femme style!
(fitforafemme.com)
Merr the(I
Christmas
...
,.,.,
• ....,IOlll[r
._unulillnQlu•,
Holiday Meet the Parents
or Family Brunch
The Outfit: Vintage Skirt, J. Crew 'Tippy' Sweater, Eleven Objects
Lace Collar, BCBGeneration Boots
Why It Works: Holiday plaid in a classic cut equals instant polish,
while the length still lets you play on the floor with the little ones
under the tree! Suede boots and simple cashmere add pretty but
practical finishing touches. If a lace collar isn't your speed, try a
statement necklace or scarf.
e>U
Pl
•
STYLE/
HOLIDAYCHIC
STYLE/
FOOTWEAR
As far as American shoe bran
ds go, Converse holds a spe
cial place in the hearts
and closets of lesbians, with
many of us possessing a
cherished pair of Chuck
Taylor sneakers or two. Wh
at makes them so quintess
entially queer? Could
it be the fusion of sportsw
ear and streetwear? Or is
it
thei
r unique durability,
characterized by a smooth
yet firm rubber sole and roun
ded rubber toe? Maybe
it's the supportive ankle of
the high top and the snu
g tongue of the low top.
Or is it the trademark star
insignia that makes us feel
special? The unique and
humorous designs, often
involving a collaboration with
a notable design house,
adds freshness and vibranc
y to a classic silhouette. This
year, the Converse Chuck
Taylors are snazzy and spa
rkle with good cheer. They
brighten the dullest holiday
party, or at least start a con
versation while keeping you
comfortable. Our pick?
The Chuck Taylor All Star
Metallic Rubber High Top
and
Rub
ber Low Top, priced
between $70 and $85. (con
verse.com)
46
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NOV/DEC
2016
48 QUEENS OF CULTURE
58MUSIC MAVENS
60KRISTENFORTHE WIN
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
47
[
-
:~
1; _-·.
.;_;;
A
~-
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I
makers
I
Feminist writer Roxane Gay is the first black
woman to write a comic book series for Marvel.
BYJANECZYZSELSKA
SPECIALtCULTU
.........
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....&.... ........
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.....11...-/
'Il
YAV
Ir
makers
TOPPL
NG
THE
PATRARCHY
Jill Soloway continues her TV revolution.
I
BY MARCIE BIANCO
Transparent showrunner Jill Soloway is revolutionizing
television and, on a larger scale, the art of storytelling in an age
of American culture dominated by identity. "No one can just go
to work and get away with just making a TV show anymore;' she
said matter-of-factly at a recent New York press conference. "I'm
always asking the question of myself and the other writers, 'What
can we do that has never been done and that's gonna change
the world?' " For Soloway, the aim of Transparent is "to go with
realest possible feeling when we're shooting;' she observed. "I
really want it to be like a documentary:'
Season 3, which premiered September 23 on Amazon, begins
with Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) surrounded by a loving family and
an equally loving girlfriend (played again by Angelica Houston),
as well as a terrifically supportive set of close friends. Yet, she is
not happy. "A lot of us experience the feeling of what happens
when you get everything that you want," Soloway said in our
interview. "The dream of becoming-the dream of coming-is
kind of like an antidepressant. And then you come out and now
you have your new self but you still have to deal with your self;'
she explained. "It's not enough to just identify as trans; [Maura]
now has to have a life."
Transparent has radically changed how marginalized identities
are portrayed in entertainment by portraying them: gender fluid;
transgender; sexually fluid; queer people of color; people with
HIV. She's also representing elder sexuality, intergenerational
sex, and kink. Soloway has changed how mainstream America
sees and thinks about queer and trans people, and she how trans
people are employed in the entertainment industry. Transparent
currently has over 50 trans and gender nonconforming cast and
crew members. While she said she doesn't "think about political
correctness that much;' she believes she has a "responsibility
to find creative trans people." Not only to find them, but to train
them, employ them, give them opportunities in the industry, in
50
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
order to help "people get to the place of representing themselves."
"Do you know what 'intersectionality' means?;' Soloway said
with excitement in our interview. She's on a high about it, perhaps
because a few days prior she'd held a public discussion with
black feminist superstar bell hooks at the New School in New York
City about how to make the personal political through creative
enterprise. She also delivered a masterclass on the "Female Gaze" at
TIFF.Soloway's unrepentant nerdiness is more than endearing-it's
kickstarted a revolution to fight the "otherizing" of minorities and the
objectification of women. During the New School talk, she yielded
an auditorium full of laughs when she said, "I live in a fantasy world
where I believe the patriarchy will be toppled any minute now."
It's not such a fantasy. Read the 'Thanksgiving Paris Manifesto"
that she and her girlfriend, iconic lesbian poet Eileen Myles, posted
on their website topplethepatriarchy.com. Soloway's production
company, Topple Productions, is producing her new show, I Love
Dick, and Transparent is already greenlit for a fourth season. She is
earning numerous awards and accolades, from the TelevisionIndustry
Advocacy Awardsto the Emmyfor Outstanding Directing Fora Comedy
Series,which she also won in 2015. It looks like Soloway is well on her
way to creating the feminist world she dreamed of after all.
<(
<(
>=
SPECIALtCULTU
MOVES
AND
MOVEMENTS
Nicole Conn's cinematic vision reflects a
changing lesbian culture.
BY MELANIE BARKER
It was while watching the 1989 lesbian classic Desert
Hearts at a college film festival that Nicole Conn had an
epiphany: she would become a filmmaker. "I was rapt
the entire film. On the four-hour drive home, everyone
chatting around me in our packed van disappeared. All
I could think of was how to create the feelings I had just
experienced for women everywhere." She started raising
money, auditioning,
and so began a 25-year career
making 'lesbian films,' a genre that was largely unheard
of before she came along.
Claire
Whatever you think of it, Conn's groundbreaking
of the Moon (1992) opened doors in the industry for lesbianthemed cinema. "It was beloved by so many women all
over the country and world, but absolutely loathed by the
progressive lesbians in San Francisco, New York," recalls
Conn. "It still works as a modern day love story about one
women's struggle [for] her sexual identity."
Before Ellen DeGeneres came out, and before Ilene
Chaiken created The L Word, Conn started a conversation
about how we could be represented
and what our
aesthetic might be. "I think my main contribution to our
'library,' I believe, is really quality filmmaking shot with
micro-indie-budgets,
giving the lesbian community films
that looked like they were shot for several millions of
dollars instead of under $200K. This entitled the viewer
to feel proud of the fare. Far more importantly, though,
many women, upon seeing each of my films-Claire of the
Moon, Cynara, little man, Elena Undone and A Perfect Endingsaid the stories evoked powerful feelings that resonated
for them so deeply that they realized they were gay, or
finally were willing to come out.
"After Elena Undone, I can't even tell you how many letters
I got where the viewer wrote they were Elena or Peyton.
How many left their husbands or families. How many women
after seeing A Perfect Ending realized they had been wasting
their lives, not following their passions. They were desperate
to go on the journey, a two-hour marathon of feeling where
they could self-identify and then many of them went onto
make brave and courageous changes." Things have changed
since Conn began making movies: film, TV, and society are
more inclusive of us and gone are the coming-out stories
that defined us. "Lesbian characters live fully realized lives
and deal with the same challenges, hopes and dreams as the
rest of society, such as raising kids, making a living."
While the Internet has brought Conn's films to women
in countries where being LGBT is punishable by death,
it has also divested Conn of earnings; piracy has virtually
destroyed her ability to finance films or secure profits. She is
currently crowdfunding
her next project, Nesting Doll, which
she describes as her "most meaningful project to date,"
inspired by her special needs son, Nicholas, her daughter
Gabrielle, and four different women and the way in which
they experience different mother/daughter
relationships.
While it's more mainstream there is still "a beautiful womanwoman love story," says Conn. "I'm so blessed by women
from all over the world who have supported my efforts. I'm
dedicated to making the very best films with the resources at
my disposal to repay them for their love, letters, donations,
and support throughout the past 25 years." And here's to 25
more years of filmmaking. (nicoleconn.com)
NOV/DEC
2016
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Ir
l1
~--
.
. ';,
.V
7
I
makers
I
FLMNGTHE
FEMALE
Marina Rice Bader is creating a world of
women on film.
BY LISA TEDESCO
In case you hadn't heard, Hollywood is a boys' club:
Female visibility behind the camera, and in front of it, is
a never-ending fight for equality. We are, however, at a
turning point in mainstream entertainment.
Numerous
LGBTQ voices are being heard, and the representation of
these characters is reaching new heights and platforms.
Female filmmakers are pushing boundaries, though
they are often without big budgets or insider power.
Writer-director
Marina Rice Bader has set out on a
cultural adventure to bring the world films that show
strength and beauty through her female characters and
themes. "I'm excited to be a filmmaker at this time in
history, when women are working to lift each other up
and gender disparity is being discussed in such a big
way," says Bader.
She is helping to pave the way, especially in lesbian
cinema. With a slew of films already under her belt, and
many fans all over the world, Bader has created the
foundation that we've been dreaming about. "The first
step in fixing a problem is shouting it from the rooftops,"
she says. "We are doing that from every platform, with
more diverse voices than ever, which is why I truly
believe we'll one day be in a place where we get to use
our mighty voices for something other than achieving
what should already be ours."
Bader's most recent films made a lasting impression
at Outfest,
the country's
most popular
LGBT film
festival. These films examine the inexplicable emotional
upheavals in the everyday lives of women. "Anatomy of
a Love Seen is a direct reflection of my own conflicted
feelings about long-term love and relationships,"
says
Bader. "It's the highest of highs, but the lows will kill you.
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2016
It's gorgeous and messy, and I don't understand romantic
love at all." Perhaps a sentiment many lesbians share.
She genuinely cares for her audience and the people
she affects with each of her films. "It's the desire to touch
people on some level. The idea that someone feels a little
lonely or a little down and finding one of my films helps
them in a small way. Keeping them company. A love story
on a date night. A turning point for someone coming out,"
says Bader. Her newest film, Ava's Impossible Things, relates
to our struggle with family, and how family secrets and
dynamics affect our dreams, desires, and shape or thwart
romantic love.
Working to create a platform geared specifically
for
women has been Bader's strong suit. Her production
company, Soul Kiss Films, goes by the slogan Empowering
Women One Film at a Time, which is an entirely achievable
mission
given
Bader's output.
Creating
a culturally
accepting space in which queer women and their friends
can lend their talents to filmmaking is a struggle in the film
business, but with a little help from Marina Rice Bader, I
think we have a better chance than we had before.
"I'd love to be remembered as a woman who walked the
walk, took risks, followed her passion, and shined a little
light in the darkness." (soulkissfilms.com)
--~
'( ..
~-· .
I
makers
RDNG
HGH
For over a quarter of a century
Mariah Hanson has delivered
epic good times to queer women
and she shows no sign of stopping.
BY MELANIE BARKER
Who hasn't heard of The Dinah, the legendary weeklong
Palm Springs festival for lesbians, queer girls and
their friends? The growth and longevity of this cultural
phenomenon, which began in 1990, has taken even its
organizer by surprise. "I knew it had the potential to be a
game-changing event and my goal was to elevate the
stature of women's events to rival that of the men's. But to
become a line item on the average lesbian's bucket list? I
never expected that and I think it's pretty damn cool," says
Hanson. She and her production team work hard to live up
to that standard every year, meeting the expectations of
new generations of women by making each year bigger and
better than the year before.
Hanson's team have a lot to be proud of at a time when
lesbian festivals and spaces are steadily vanishing all across
the country. But she is most proud of the community that the
event creates. "We believe every single person who walks
through our doors is important and has their own, oftentimes
life-changing, reason to be there. For some, it's a coming out
rite of passage; for others it's to mend a broken heart; and for
others still it's an annual sojourn with good friends. Whatever
the reason, we take the trust put into us very seriously."
Along with community, the event provides culture for
women. "Entertainment is the lifeblood of any society. Life is
hard. We need to let our hair down and simply be happy that
we are alive and The Dinah makes you feel happy to be alive.
The joy that happens is hard to describe but it permeates
every aspect of the weekend. I think of it as the lesbian
Woodstock," says Hanson.
Thinking back to her own nascent days a baby dyke,
Hanson reveals that her experience of coming out was
"nothing short of very awkward. I was very shy and had
no idea what I was doing and in retrospect, in spite of my
feigned bravado, I am sure it showed. My heart goes out to
shy people who struggle to just be comfortable in their own
skin. It's part of why I love the event I produce. You can be who
you are and you feel accepted, understood, a part of something.
It's an empowering event."
Offering a sneak preview of next year's Dinah, Hanson reveals
that it's "music driven with some really cool and different
talent. I love that we booked Keala Kennelly, the world's most
respected female surfer, who broke the glass ceiling in a
predominantly male-dominated sport. I also love that we're
bringing Butterscotch, another pioneer in women's music
who broke the glass ceiling for beat box. This year's theme
is celebrating women who have broken barriers because
that is what The Dinah has been and continues to be about."
(thedinah.com)
NOV/DEC
2016
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The 2010s have been a big dang deal
in the life of Chely Wright. She kicked off
the decade by coming out in a very public
way, with a huge media blitz supporting
an autobiography (Like Me) and an album
(Lifted Off the Ground); she also became
a philanthropist, founding the LikeMe
Organization, whose goals are to sustain
and strengthen the LGBT community.
Over the next few years, she released
the documentary Wish Me Away, got
married, got pregnant, had twin boys, ran
a Kickstarter campaign, and suffered the
loss of her mother.
Pooling the emotional aftereffects
of all those life changes (and with the
funds earned through Kickstarter), Wright
emerged in 2016 with / Am the Rain, the
beautiful new album she made with
producer Joe Henry. With all the songs
but one written (or co-written) by Wright,
the record features guest appearances
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2016
by Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, and
the Milk Carton Kids, testifying to Wright's
transition out of the commercial country
music she was once largely known for and
into the more rough-and-tumble realm of
Americana. That was a big reason why
Wright wanted to work with Henry, and it
became a large part of their vision for the
project: "We set out not to make a record
that was, 'Look! Here are 13 songs you can
hear on the radio!' "
Instead, Wright offers up 13 songs that
turn their gaze inward, looking at presence
and compassion, faith and foundations.
Even a simple scan of the song titles
reveals the album's introspective intent"lnside," "At the Heart of Me," "What About
Your Heart," "Pain," and "See Me Home,"
among others. Indeed, she's come a long
way from "Single White Female."
In the middle of the set, Wright makes
Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" her
own, with an intimate perspective gained
from love and loss. Because she sticks to
Dylan's original pronouns, the tenderness
in her voice expresses all it needs to as
she sings "Yes, and only if my own true
love was waitin'. Yes, and if I could hear
her heart a-softly poundin'. Only if she
was lyin' by me, then I'd lie in my bed once
again."
Though she loves putting a gay spin on
the cut, she's also content to sing songs
straight, as it were. "To interpret a song,
you don't have to have lived through every
perfect detail," she explains. "And I often
say this: I'm pretty sure Johnny Cash never
shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.
My job is to tell a story in four and a half
minutes, and I don't feel shackled to the
idea that I need to make everything a
female pronoun now. And, quite frankly, I
still feel good about singing 'single white
female looking for a man like you.' I'm a
character in the song."
Having grown up in Kansas, Wright
moved to Nashville in 1989 in hopes of
making it big. Her debut album dropped
five years later, and her first No. 1 single
five years after that. It would be another 11
years before she would come out publicly.
Thanks to artists like Brandy Clark and
Kacey Musgraves, commercial country
music has begun to lean a little more to
the left in recent years, but if she had it all
to do over again, even in the current, more
accepting climate, would Wright be out
from the start? "If I were a new artist who
just got to town, I might be a little tentative
to be the first. I might be a little tentative
to try to get a real record deal, being out,
because out of the 20 real hit makers that
there are right now, none of them are out,"
she says. "So I would follow that lead,
probably, and say, 'Now's not the time to
come out.' Doesn't mean that I wouldn't
have tried to get, maybe, a couple of hits
under my belt and then come out right
after I had a No. 1 record."
She continues, "I mean, I thought about
it back then. I had fantasies about walking
out on the ACM [Academy of Country
Music] stage after I did a performance or
gave an award or got an award and said,
'Thanks for this.' I really did. I thought
about it. I really wanted myself to have
the courage to do it, but...as far as being
a new artist coming to town, being
openly gay and telling the world, I would
be really reticent to approach the labels
and say, 'Hey, I'm gay. Will you give me a
record deal?' Maybe it's a lack of courage
on my part."
Clearly, courage is something Wright
has come to find in herself. If you've
seen Wish Me Away, or are familiar with
the fruits of her charitable work through
LikeMe, you'll discover it too. Comparing
and contrasting her two main ways to
make an impact-music
and activismshe says, "It does feel good to have
people say, 'You've been a soundtrack to
my 20s.' Or, 'My mom listened to you and
now I listen to you, and you're a part of
our lives.' That's a good feeling on a...l
don't want to say 'shallow' level. ..but it
makes you feel good about the workthe time, the effort, the idea that you sat
down and wrote 50 songs, even if only
two of them are good. That makes you
feel good.
"But, as far as on a spiritual level,
and whether I've kept my commitment
with God to try to put more into the
world than I take out-someone
being
touched
by my coming out story
is definitely the best of the best."
(chely.com) •
NOV/DEC
2016
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Depressed and alone following the
death of her parents, with despair gnawing
at her soul, a young woman named Sonia
Feldman channeled the energy of her
Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher, Sakyong
Mipham Rinpoche, and had a vision. "I saw
an entire world, at peace and in touch with
its heart. I looked for myself in this vision
and I was right there, with my three spiritual
supports-the love of my teacher, and the
feminine and masculine love and support
of my parents:'
She saw herself as what she could
become: an enlightened artist beyond
self-doubt, using her voice without fear
of judgment. She named herself Yaysh.
"Rapping or singing is my worldly vehicle
for expressing my spiritual and human
freedom, my mind and my heart. I wanted
to find a way to work with the pain of being
alive in the world;' says Yaysh, who briefly
contemplated religious servitude. We're
glad she changed her mind.
Her influences are worldly black women:
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2016
Missy Elliot. Aaliya, Lauryn Hill, Erykah
Badu, Jill Scott, Etta James, to name a few.
Yaysh is a talented interloper with good
intentions. She discovered rapping while
hanging out in the 'hood. Put on the spot
to demonstrate her abilities in freestyling,
she discovered she had natural swag and
attitude. "When I rap I don't really think
about race. I am a soul in a body being
human and my body happens to be under
the category of Caucasian. But my soul is
just like everyone's soul-colorless. As a
whitey I have privilege and it saddens me
that it is still like that, but I can't help the
skin I was born in either, and you have to
have tremendous compassion for the
ignorance of our species and all the pain
we have caused each other because of ego
and desire, to the point of creating racism
and sexism and homophobia and war."
For Yaysh, hip-hop "has its roots in black
culture and street life and struggle," but it
is about self-expression. "I am just myself. I
am Yaysh. I am. I am a woman. Right now I
have short hair with a mild pink pastel toner
in it. I get my hair cleaned up at the hiphop barber shop by John C from Oakland,
and by my beautiful southern, gay, black,
confident hairdresser and colorist Miles."
Yaysh says her music has been
received "astonishingly well," especially
her single "Wild One." Her sound is
upbeat and rhythmic, her vocal range
incredible. Her image is sharp, rascally,
fresh and different. But she insists she
has no persona, no brand, no packaging.
"There is nothing to sell here. I don't even
know what's coming next. No box for this
one. I am label-less." If she has any kind
of tagline it's "wisdom with swag." What
does that mean, exactly? "Freedom-in
every aspect, especially sexuality, and
that's what I represent."
Yaysh's debut album is out early next
year and we can't wait. (yayshplz.com) •
It's been nearly four years since the
Colorado-based band SHEL unveiled
their amazing self-titled debut. Their longsophomore set, Just Crazy Enough, was
released this year-and is worth the wait.
'SHEL' is an acronym formed from the
first names of the four Holbrook sisters:
Sarah, Hannah, Eva, and Liza. All four are
in their 20s and their orientations vary. ("I
think you could say that we love men and
women," quips Hannah.) Here's a quick
thumbnail sketch of the sisters, from oldest
to youngest: Hannah plays keyboards and
arranges most of SHEL'svocal harmonies.
Perhaps not surprisingly for an older sister,
she has a maternal streak and boasts both
a good sense of humor and an old soul.
Eva sings lead and writes the lion's share of
the lyrics. (She also plays the mandolin.) In
interviews, she tends to take the lead. Her
look hearkens back to an earlier era. Sarah
is a self-described "queer violinist" whose
outer beauty is matched by her inner
radiance. Playing the violin is only one of
her talents; Sarah also makes films, biogs,
and designed the cover of the band's first
CD. Liza is the baby, acknowledged by
the other sisters as their favorite. She is a
percussionist extraordinaire, equally at
home whether she's beatboxing or playing
the djembe. Each sister has her own unique
talent, and it wouldn't be SHEL if any one of
them were absent.
When asked about female influences,
the sisters offer a diverse list of names.
Eva cites the 19th-century English novelists
the Bronte sisters as inspirations-but is
quick to give props to Dolly Parton and
Emmylou Harris. Hannah says, "Melody
Bardot [is] probably my favorite singer
right now" but cites the Brennan sisters,
Enya and Moya, who formed the band
Clannad, as well. "Imogen Heep has been
a huge inspiration for all of us, I think;'
says Liza. "She's incredibly inventive and
imaginative ...And Audrey Hepburn. Not
only was she a phenomenal actress and
a gorgeous woman but she was a huge
activist." Sarah adds, "Jodie Foster. I just
think she's amazing. [And] the band Heart,
I think, inspired us a lot. Two sisters totally
rocking it out, you know?"
Just Crazy Enough is more concise and
pop oriented than their debut, perhaps
because Dave Stewart-the male half of
the Eurythmics-co-produced
the album
with the Holbrooks and their longtime
collaborator Brent Maher. "Dave did all
of his parts in L.A.;' says Eva. "We only
recorded in Nashville... [So] we were always
really excited to come [to the studio] the
days the tracks would come back from
Dave:' The album title comes from its
second song, the catchy "You Could Be
My Baby." That's followed by the equally
infectious "Rooftop;' but Just Crazy Enough
is hardly front-loaded with good tracks, as
the last four songs demonstrate. "I Know"
is another blast of catchy pop, followed
by a fascinating cover of Metallica's "Enter
Sandman;' slowed down to an eerie lullaby
("We did a Led Zeppelin cover on the last
album, so we figured we might as well
commit further sacrilege and try a Metallica
cover on this one;' explains Eva.) After that
is "Moonshine Hill," an upbeat bluegrass
jam. The album closer, "Stronger Than My
Fears," was used in the campaign for the
inaugural Women's Sports Film Festival. All
in all, one listen to SHELand you'll be crazy
for them. (shelmusic.com) •
NOV/DEC
2016
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Over the past decade or so, Nikki
Glaspie has become
one of the
most prolific drummers
in popular
music. Her credits include touring
with Beyonce for five years (which
took her all over the world) and
playing with Dumpstaphunk, the New
Orleans-based band spearheaded by
the legendary Ivan Neville. She has
recorded or performed with everyone
from George Michael to Brenda Russell
to Cee-Lo. But the project that is closest
to Glaspie's heart is The Nth Power, the
band she co-founded in 2012. Their
album Abundance, which arrived last
year, was a heady mixture of funk, rock,
gospel, and steamy soul, and featured
five members. In addition to Glaspie on
drums, and occasionally on vocals, The
Nth Power included Nick Cassarino on
lead vocals and guitar, Nate Edgar on
bass, Nigel Hall on keyboards (that's
four people whose names begin with
"n," for those keeping track), and
Weedie Braimah on percussion.
Since then, Braimah has departed
and keyboardist Courtney Smith has
replaced Hall. This new lineup of The
Nth Power has been touring relentlessly
and in fact will probably have released
a live album by the time you read
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2016
this. Their CD To Be Free: Live is slated
for official release on 11/11 but should
be available at shows before then.
"We already recorded two nights in
Boston," Glaspie told me recently. "And
we're [planning to] do a live recording
in Brooklyn, at The Knitting Factory ...
We're super-excited
to be releasing
this live album." Fans can look forward
to new material on To Be Free, as well
as one or two songs from Abundance.
"We come from all different types of
[musical] backgrounds," says Glaspie
of her bandmates. "Nick will bring in
some James Taylor. I'll bring in some
Parliament-Funkadelic.
And Nate will
bring in some Lee 'Scratch' Perry,
'cause he's a reggae specialist ...There's
lots of different genres and influences
that we have." The common ground
they share is mainly '70s soul. Glaspie
cites Earth, Wind & Fire, Marvin Gaye,
and the lesser-known Leon Ware as
influences.
"When we started, our
mantra was a Leon Ware record called
Musical Massage. That was kind of
where we all met. And we listened to it
for months and months!"
Glaspie-who
is openly gay-cites
Angela Mia Bachemin, an instructor
she had at Berklee College of Music, as
one of her primary female influences.
"She's a drummer
herself,"
says
Glaspie. "She was like, 'You're [gonna
have] to hit it a little bit harder. They're
not gonna give it to you. As soon as you
show up, they're gonna be expecting
you to sound quote-unquote like a girl.'
And that's my thing now: Yes, I sound
like a girl, because I am a girl!" When
I ask if she's had to overcompensate
for her gender by being more forceful
at times, she replies, "Absolutely! Just
because people will take you for a joke
when they see you. But I just use that
as fire, you know what I mean?
"[The] sexism has kind of faded
away," she adds. "In the sense that
people have seen me and they know
what I come with. There's a lot of
people that say, 'Oh my God, you're
one of the greatest female drummers
I've ever seen.' And then there's other
people that are like, 'No, you're not one
of the greatest female drummers I've
ever seen-you're
one of the greatest
drummers I've ever seen.'"
Despite her confidence
and her
resume, Glaspie has a
impressive
spiritual streak, which is evident not
only when you talk to her but when you
listen to The Nth Power's music. "In this
society, we're so consumed with more,
more, more," she says. "We're consumed
with collecting
material things. And
when you die, you can't take it with you!
What I've found is that love is the best
currency." (nikkiglaspie.com) •
MICHELLE CITRIN
MADYX
SOAK
LITTLE GIRL, BIG VOICE
WE'RE MAD ABOUT HER
DIVE RIGHT IN
This Brooklyn-based musical wonder might
be small but she sure has a big bluesy voice.
Her melodies are jazzy and folk-influenced,
with a warm coffeehouse style, which
makes her a delight to listen to these days,
with all the other cultural noise out there.
Her quirky, insightful lyrics, and her general
cuteness, make her one of our favorite finds
this year. She's been billed as one of the New
Jewish Rock Stars but she's not really new
-she already has six albums under her belt,
with the latest, Left Brained Right Hearted
out now. (michellecitrin.com)
After the recent tragedy of Orlando we
needed an upbeat anthem. "Where the Wild
Things Are" was a catchy summer pop tune
to lift our moods. Behindthis Pride-centric ear
candy was Michelle Blanchard,also known as
Madyx, a 23-year-old pop artist who started
dropping beats about a year ago. Based in
Los Angeles, Madyx is often described as a
mix between Pink and Katy Perry,and that's
her sound-she's even got the hair down,
rocking a purple undercut. But even better,
Madyx is proudly one of ours. We can't wait
to hear what she does next. (madyx.com)
SOAK is the stage name of a baby-faced
young butch by the name of Bridie
Monds-Watson, who was born in Northern
Ireland in 1997. Through her muic videos
and live touring she's been catching the
attention of critics and earning new fans
with her androgynous look and intriguing
sound. Her young, introspective lyrics are
strangely endearing and a joy to listen to.
"Sea Creatures" from her debut album
Before We Forgot How to Dream is a catchy
'90s throwback that's sure to have you
hooked on SOAK. (soakmusic.co.uk)
NOV/DEC
2016
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KRISTtN
ST[WART
ISTH[
ACTOR
0~HtR
GtN[RATION.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
FEATURES/
he lesbian appeal of Kristen
Stewart arguably began with
her first film performances as
Patricia Clarkson's adorable
tomboy daughter in Rose Troche's The Safety of Objects (2001), and as
the adorable tomboy daughter of Jodie
Foster in Panic Room (2002). Seeing Stewart at work as a 9-year-old, I was actually
reminded of Jodie Foster when she was
a child star. Like Foster, Stewart stayed in
the business and, also like Foster, grew a
show-business shell that both attracted
fans and prevented them from getting too
close to her. This armor and the ambiguity it created served Stewart during the
Twilight juggernaut but kept her from her
lesbian fan base. She teased us with outings such as The Runaways, in which she
portrayed Joan Jett, but she still seemed
somehow unknowable.
It's only recently that we've felt able to
claim Stewart as one of our own. The August 2015 issue of Nylon reveals a rapport
shared by Stewart and Jett on the set of
The Runaways. "Your people are here for
you," Jett would tell Stewart by way of
encouragement. "Kristen, pussy to the
wood!" she would yell, if her trainee's guitar performance needed more grit.
But when would Kristen come out?
"Google me," she would say. "I'm not hiding." She was, just in plain sight. She certainly dressed like one of us, and she spent
a lot of time with Alicia Cargile. What was
her problem? Come out, already!
Stewart resisted. She told Nylon: "I am
an actress, man. I live in the fucking ambiguity of this life, and I love it. I don't feel like
it would be true for me to be like, 'I'm coming out!' No, I do a job. Until I decide that
I'm starting a foundation, or that I have
some perspective or opinion that other
people should be receiving ... I don't. I'm
just a kid making movies."
If that seems evasive, a year later everything had changed. In a Los Angeles
Times interview this past July, Stewart declared: "I've discovered a way to live my
life and not feel like I'm hiding at all. And
I think that's pretty apparent for anyone
who cares-not that everyone does. But
I think that if you had been tracking it in
any way, it's more apparent that I'm more
relaxed than I used to be." The media had
indeed been tracking her intimacies-with
Cargile, and with French singer Soko for
a few months, then with Cargile again.
Stewart knew that hiding was pointless. In
fact, she didn't seem to care anymore. As
we went to print, the tabloids were reporting that Stewart had split from Cargile and
was dating St. Vincent. They were allegedly inseparable in New York this fall, where
Stewart took St. Vincent to the 54th New
York Film Festival, to a sushi dinner, and exploring the city. They were photographed
strolling together in the East Village.
Getting Stewart to come out on our
terms was about as hard as getting her to
smile. At only 26 years old and with a net
worth of $70 million, Stewart could be forgiven for feeling the pressure to have both
privacy and career credibility. But finally
she is mastering herself and her power.
And in that photo with St. Vincent she is
smiling.
Watching Stewart at the press conferences for the New York Film Festival
in early October, where she had three
non-mainstream films showing (Certain
Women, Personal Shopper, and Billy Lynn's
Long Halftime Walk), I thought there was
still a lot of "the kid" about her, but more of
the serious artist. At the press conference
for director Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women, she showed off her long legs in shorts
topped with a T-shirt and a black blazer,
but seemed a little awkward, nervously
tapping her maroon and cream oxfords,
and occasionally biting at her thumbnail.
She answered questions, but her answers
were brief, halting, or self-deprecating.
She was funny, too, her comments sometimes underscored by wild gesticulating. Stewart was animated by the topic:
COVERSTORY
Certain Women is part of the "good shit"
she's been making recently, working with
non-mainstream directors she grew up
admiring. "I'm really not precious about
it," she says. "I've just gotten super lucky
lately." Certain Women is a drama built
around a quadrant of women who live
in a small Montana town. Stewart plays
a young lawyer in a tiny firm who must
drive for hours to teach education law to
a group of teachers after work. When a female rancher, a Native American, falls for
her, Stewart's character, glad of the company but struggling to get by, is oblivious
to the woman's attentions. In one scene,
Stewart eats a hamburger and wipes her
mouth with a rolled napkin, the cutlery still
inside it. It's a curious gesture: unpretentious, awkward, just like Stewart herself.
Asked why she chose that gesture for her
character, she says, "She has no time. I
don't know-there's stuff on your face,
just get it off. She's so distracted and fucking self-absorbed ... What do you mean,
though?," Stewart adds, leaning toward
the journalist who asked the question, as
if she herself might get to learn something
more by examining her own choices.
Stewart is not interested in fame or
money. Her focus is on artistic process.
"I would never draw attention to the distinction between doing a big movie and a
small one ... I guess you could technically
draw a distinction, because you have more
money to play with," she tells us. "I mean,
naturally, it affects the dynamic a little bit
[but] I've never approached anything going, 'Oh, this is bigger now, therefore I'm
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less entitled to something meaningful."
Lately, Stewart has deliberately chosen
meaningful work, especially independent
films in Europe. In an interview she did
in Cannes to promote her appearance in
the Woody Allen film Cafe Society, Stewart was asked if she enjoyed the world's
most glamorous film festival. "I love how
people take film very seriously here. I've
devoted my life to observing people and
studying behavior and wanting to be part
of making films. This has been my entire
life, really.... Usually, when I'm attending a
film premiere in Hollywood, I become very
nervous in those situations, but here in
Cannes I'm much more comfortable and
I enjoy my time here so much."
In the film Clouds of Sils Maria (2014),
written and directed by French auteur Olivier Assayas, Stewart plays a nerdy and
fastidious personal assistant to a particularly dykey-looking and neurotic Juliette
Binoche. Stewart won a Cesar Award
(the French Oscar) for her efforts, and so
pleased was Assayas that he wrote another role for her, this time as the underpaid
but protective "personal shopper" for a famous young actress; Personal Shopper is
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a genuinely scary multi-genre ghost story
about loneliness and the digital age.
In the film, Stewart plays Maureen
Cartwright, a fraternal twin with the same
heart condition that has just killed her
brother, Lewis. They shared an oath that
the first one of them to die would send
the other a sign from the other side. Like
her deceased twin, Maureen is an amateur
medium. His death gives her the opportunity to test her paranormal skills, but it also
opens a Pandora's box of paranoia and
psychic tension, and launches Maureen
into an existential crisis about who she is
and how much control she has over her
life. In Personal Shopper Stewart seems to
be a lot like herself: intuitive, tense, testing
her limits. She is spiritually and literally naked in the film. If you wish to see a topless
Stewart and more, this is where to look,
but the exposing scenes aren't gratuitous.
Speaking at the New York Film Festival
press screening of the film, Assayas said
that Stewart is "completely spontaneous
and physical ... I think what is extraordinary with Kristen is how smart she is with
understanding the most intricate complexities of filmmaking. She brings such
incredible pace, rhythm. She recreates the
character from the inside, and she does
it knowingly, but at the same time she is
guided by her body." It's really her physicality, he says, that shapes this film. And in
particular, it is her physicality portrayed in
isolation. Often, she is alone, or alone with
technology-a screen or a cell phone text.
Stewart arrived late to the press conference with Assayas, possibly because the
night before she had been honored with
her own An Evening With... event held by
the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which
was celebrating her recent "enigmatic
roles in complex films" and her willingness
to "challenge herself and her fans."
Stewart took to the stage amidst cheers
and immediately demonstrated her rapport with her director. She looked tired but
gorgeous, fashion-savvy but also serious.
"Some of the sexiest shit I've done on
screen, I'm alone," she tells us. "It was like,
Oh my god, it's just such massive disconnection. You're just fabricating a wonderful
reality that's not real, it's just perception."
"It was really up to Kristen within the
shot to put the emphasis on this or that,"
says Assayas, "and she dug up from within
FEATURES/
the character and within the story whatever resonated with her.... I think one thing
Kristen masters in a way that's unique is
time within a specific shot." So much so
that Stewart became almost a co-creator,
in control of the pace of filming, extending
the duration of certain shots or scenes. "I
was not bored one second. I was always
discovering something new that Kristen
was bringing ... It's very much a combination of Kristen's work and mine."
It's perhaps ironic that Stewart's physical presence has been harnessed to
such commanding effect in a film that is
essentially about absence and the power
of the things we can't see. "Nothingness
was the start of it," says Stewart about
creating her role, "and it's like you can't really always take credit for something that
comes through you. It's fucking weird, but
the first time you approach something like
that, it's cool."
While the film is essentially about Stewart stalking a ghost, the ghost is also
stalking her. It's a parable of 21st-century
surveillance, the result of the proliferation
of mobile and digital technology. "Yeah,
it's funny because I think Maureen wants
to be invisible, and at the same time she
wants to be really seen," says Stewart. "She
struggles with that, and I think that's pretty
much everyone right now. Even the most
out there people ... I don't hide anything.
I don't have any public social-media things
that I engage with, but I ultimately want to
be seen. It's weird. We think we have more
control over that now than we've ever had,
because we have it in our hands, but we
have none. I don't know. Like, I have this
weird preoccupation with other people,
which is so unbelievably distracting ...
it's so time-consuming. It's like there are
two sides to it: We stalk each other. I stalk
people. I get stalked. We all are obsessive,
you know what I mean? The whole movie she's struggling with this identity crisis,
because she's two very separate versions
of a person-and that's not a bad thing,
it's just hard to sort of contend with as a
younger person."
She's not only describing her character;
she's describing herself, hiding in plain
sight, wanting to be, and terrified of being, seen. Ask Stewart a direct question,
COVERSTORY
though, and she's likely to answer: Does
she have a personal shopper?
"I have a stylist, and she's rad. But I
choose my shit. I don't, like, get dressed
by someone. But you know, this isn't mine,"
she says, plucking at her gorgeous tailored tuxedo jacket, which she has paired
with mustard plaid ski pants and sky-high
black stilettos. "We just borrow this stuff
and go, 'Thanks,' and then we give it back."
Does she believe in the paranormal?
"It's that thing of, if that's real for you,
then what the hell else is there? There's so
much that we don't see that we know to
be true. It's kind of a self-protective reduction to say, 'Do you believe in ghosts? Have
they touched you?' Well, what else doesn't
touch you, but exists? ... I don't know what
the fuck energy is-there's something that
doesn't go away, and whether I'm making
that up or I'm actually being left with some
residual debris, I feel people fucking intrinsically, you know what I mean? I think
it leaves shadows."
It's easy to think that mega-famous film
stars are so privileged that they're above
fear and impervious to danger, but there's
FEATUREStCOVER
STORY
something about Stewart (and her liberal
use of F-bombs) that indicates vulnerability. Personal Shopper is, she has said, "the
most isolating and lonely movie I've ever
made," but she was drawn to the story because she felt she had much in common
with Maureen. "When I was younger, I suffered a lot from anxiety and doubts. And,
like Maureen, I know that feeling of intense
isolation that comes from being stuck in
your own head."
The shoot, which involved 16-hour days,
was emotionally and physically exhausting. "But that's what makes the process
of acting exciting for me. It may seem
strange, but I feel more alive and fulfilled
when I'm suffering and reaching the point
of exhaustion .... It's been my experience
that all those times which while you're going through them are so devastating-are
actually the experiences that are going
to make you stronger and more aware.
Whenever I've gone through traumatic
moments, I've always come out afterward
feeling more alive and confident. You have
this sense that you can finally be happy
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and feel fulfilled, the way you want to be
in life."
In Personal Shopper, Stewart is so convincing that it's easy to believe she is in
fact a "nobody," shadowing a "somebody."
Might she actually desire anonymity? Possibly. "The biggest issue I have is meeting
people for the first time and having to
deal with the fact that they already have a
specific impression of who I am. Those impressions are not necessarily wrong, but
they're very subjective. People think they
know you from what they've read or from
some of the characters they've seen you
play in your films, and you're put in the position of having to correct or adjust those
impressions."
If she could be anonymous again she
says she'd like to "go to a mall or someplace where I would be able to observe
a lot of people. Being curious about
people and wanting to observe and
study people is one of the reasons I became interested in acting. I would love
to be able to meet someone, look them
straight in the face, and not be recog-
nized. It would be really interesting to
be able to meet someone that way and
not have any preconceived impressions
get in the way of that process."
It's the processes of art and of life
that Stewart is committed to now, not
an image of herself that can be endlessly consumed. "I try to do the things
that I feel passionate about and focus
on the work rather than on the money
involved .... My view is that you can't be
truly happy unless you keep reflecting
on your life and questioning your actions and decisions and whether you're
doing the right thing or not," she says.
Has she beaten her anxiety, the conflictedness about fame that kept her
guard up for so long? "I've learnt that
you shouldn't worry so much about how
things might not be how you would like
them to be, but instead focus on all the
good things that are around. I try to
get out and do things that are going to
make me feel happy and be creative in
my life. I don't want to be passive when
it comes to leading my life." •
70 BRIGHTON BEACH BEAUTIES
73 THE CRAFTY LADIESOF LAOS
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WHERE TO STAY
If you really want to "stay gay," peruse
Visit Berlin's Pink Pillow Berlin Collection,
a partnership between Berlin's official
tourism body and some of the city's
premier hotels. The initiative caters to
LGBT travelers, offering sensitivity training
for all hotel staff, extending friendliness
to LGBT guests, and promoting the
availability of information about the local
LGBT scene. At the time of publication,
there were approximately 60 Pink Pillow
Berlin Collection hotels, some starting
from as little as 30 euros a night! We
stayed at the delightful Westin Grand
Berlin, a luxury property on an historic site,
conveniently located in the lively district
of Mitte, near shopping, restaurants, and
public transportation, and an easy walk to
the Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz,
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and Museum Island. The Westin is grand in
scale, with its large mezzanine structure,
generous modern rooms, wellness area,
lovely restaurant, bar, and lounge, and
very welcoming staff. You might also be
lucky enough to score your own souvenir
piece of the Berlin Wall to take home with
you; the Westin keeps an original monolith
of concrete out front for enterprising and
able-bodied guests to chip away at, upon
invitation! (westingrandberlin.com)
WHERETO GO
To get a panoramic view of the city,
head to the German Reichstag. Bring
your passport with you to gain clearance,
as there are tightened security measures
these days, but the view from the top is
spectacular and worth queuing up for. To
begin your visit elegantly, go to the rooftop
FEATURES/
for lunch-Kafer Dachgarten Restaurant
serves fresh modern German cuisine,
which goes nicely with a local wine or beer
and is a great start to your explorations of
the city. (en.feinkost-kaefer.de/berlin)
While Berlin is very walkable, public
transportation is cheap and efficient,
and taxis are also reliable if you lose your
bearings. If you happen to be staying at
the Westin you'll find plenty to do within
walking distance. The Brandenburg Gate
is spectacular as an architectural marvel,
and to witness history come to life, don't
miss The Gate Berlin, an immersive art
installation that will transport you through
300 years of history-the
Napoleonic
Wars, the Roaring Twenties, World War 11,
the Fall of the Wall, and beyond. Featuring
giant screens and surround sound, The
Gate Berlin is an experience brought to you
by the creators of the FIFA World Football
Museum. This exhibit is a truly unique form
of edu-tainment; open daily and with a
cycle of 20 minutes. (thegate-berlin.de)
Close by is the Holocaust Memorial
to the murdered Jews of Europe, and, as
somber as that may sound, it is a stunning
monolithic memorial of 2,711 concrete
stelae with a subterranean information
center-one
of several important sites
dedicated to remembering the terrible
legacy of World War 11,which is not just
the burden of Berliners but is shared by
an international community increasingly
riven by conflict and terror. That Germany,
and Berlin in particular, can come to
terms with its past, integrating it into the
contemporary
landscape and beauty
of the city, shows its commitment to
remembrance and renewal, a living
testament to the fact that things can get
better, which is inspiring for us all.
Berlin consists of 12 unique districts,
but the one that is "hot" right now is
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Originally two
working-class boroughs divided by the
Berlin Wall, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
quickly came together after 1989 and
today is a cosmopolitan neighborhood
featuring many vintage shops, design
stores, coffe shops, galleries, and
boutiques. It's the perfect place to stroll
and to pick up a unique one-off souvenir.
The famous East Side Gallery features
the longest-surviving stretch of the Berlin
Wall, plus there's a river, green space, and
Moritzplatz, an arty enclave with galleries
and more.
TRAVEL
If you want to learn what is hip, new,
and vibrant in this revitalized city, book a
walking tour with Catrin and Karoline from
Of/Berlin. These young women know the
city inside out, and can tailor a tour to your
liking based on your particular interests,
whether that means viewing key works of
graffiti; sampling ice cream, coffee, and
pastries; or shopping for vintage clothes
and trendy upcycled accessories. Catrin
and Karoline know the cool new leaders
in design in the Kreuzberg area, such as
Simon Lockwood's light sculpture studio,
Ad Infinitum, the sunglasses design firm
Papp-Up, makers of Panama hats using
recycled materials at Panama Hutgalerie,
or their own concept store featuring gifts,
souvenirs, design accessories, and more
(ofberlin.com). Kreuzberg is the Brooklyn
of Berlin, a hipster heaven but also down
to earth with its Turkish grocery stores,
coffee shops, and the extensive and
colorful Turkish market at Maybachufer.
in 1999; Museum Island includes the Old
Museum and the Old National Gallery. To
see the famous bust of Egyptian queen
Nefertiti and many stunning pieces from
antiquity, go to the New Museum (smb.
museum).You never know what might be
showing in Berlin while you're there. When
we visited, Cate Blanchett was appearing
virtually in a 13-monologue installation
titled "Manifesto" by Julian Rosefeldt at the
Hamburger Bahnhof Museum. Well worth
the detour is the Gay Museum Berlin,
which was founded in 1985 and displays
fascinating art, mementoes, and archival
materials from our recent LGBT history. It's
the world's largest institution of its kind and
is dedicated to preserving our culture as
we create it (schwulesmuseum.de). During
my visit, the exhibition SuperQueeroes:
Our LGBTI* Comic Book Heroes and
Heroines was on show, featuring the work
of Alison Bechdel, Diane DeMassa of
Hothead Paisan fame, and others.
CULTURE
I lost count of the museums to visit,
but of interest to design-savvy dykes is
the Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, which is the
world's largest showcase of modern
minimalist Bauhaus design (bauhaus.
de), and the Berlin Wall Museum located
at the legendary Checkpoint Charlie
border crossing. This museum's exhibits
tell the story of the history of the wall, as
well as displaying fascinating artifacts
(mauermuseum.de). But the jewel in the
crown of Berlin's impressive collection
of museums is Museum Island, five
historic buildings that were built by the
pre-eminent architects of their day and
were World Heritage listed by UNESCO
CUISINE
Berlin is in the midst of a food revolution,
boasting both good and simple ethnic
cuisineand14 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Say good-bye to sausage, spaetzle, and
strudel-today's
German cuisine offers
you so much more! Restaurant Reinstoff
is a two-Michelin-star modern gourmet
flagship in Berlin's thriving dining scene
and is located in a warehouse landmark,
the Edison Courtyards in Berlin-Mitte,
where Germany's first light bulbs were
manufactured.
Chef Daniel Achilles
dazzles diners: With his business partner,
Sabine Demel, and an intelligent and
impeccable service team, he delivers
an elegant and upscale experience, one
The plating at Restaurant Reinstoff
cherished by locals and reserved for
date night, a special occasion, or top-tier
business-but compared to what you'd
pay in America for such transcendent
quality, it is still an affordable experience.
The plates are small and impeccably
prepared and presented: Choose from two
menus, the "nearby," using locally sourced
ingredients-for example, European perch
with crabapple, parsley root, cider, and
pumpernickel, or the "faraway," using
imported specialty goods-squid
with
kiwi and green juniper, lemon leaf oil, and
pickle weed vinaigrette. Everything pairs
well with local wines like a zippy Gruner
Veltliner or an aromatic Riesling Kabinett!
Another outstanding dining experience
is provided courtesy of Berlin-born badboy chef Tim Raue, once a knockabout
inner-city gang member with a delinquent
childhood, but now one of the country's
top chefs, and a celebrity. If anyone is
a symbol of the city's reinvention, it's
Raue. His eponymous Michelin-starred
restaurant is located near Checkpoint
Charlie (tim-raue.de). The most famous
crossing point between the former East
and West Berlin is now a meeting point of
East and West food fusion. Raue's menu of
Asian-inspired cuisine is an intuitive and
passionate blend of Japanese precision,
intense Thai flavors, and the philosophy
of Chinese cooking. A charismatic and
energetic presence, Raue has abandoned
the stodgier elements of German cooking
such as bread, white sugar, dairy products,
and gluten. His menu features classics such
as langoustine with wasabi, Cantonesestyle; suckling pig with dashi and Japanese
mustard; and Thai mango with lime and
saffron-all served in a charming and
eclectic design environment.
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Germany proudly and actively promotes
its national parks, biodiversity and rural
heritage, and even in urban Berlin, a
connection to nature is cherished. As it is
in many other cities, farm-to-table dining is
all the rage in Berlin. But I've never quite
had it presented to me with such simplicity
and aplomb as at Einsunternull. The
restaurant, which has its home in a chic and
minimalist space, is committed to bringing
nature to the table in its utmost refinement
and purity. An entire dish may be planned
around one or two ingredients-say,
mushrooms
and
hazelnuts.
Dining
here is a subtle and sensual experience
where nothing is predictable and you
taste ingredients in their most intense
form, as if for the first time, plucked from
the source but presented with artistic
refinement. My advice is to leave your
usual dining expectations at the door and
just go with the menu. It's an especially
rewarding experience if you're vegetarian.
(einsunternull.com/en)
For something more casual and down
to earth, Osmans Tochter is a modern and
authentic Turkish restaurant run by women
cooks, offering traditional Turkish dishes
served with freshness and flair in a hip
brasserie environment (osmanstoechter.
de). An even more inexpensive dinner
at Kanaan Restaurant is of great cultural
value, and highly recommended, because
in spirit it captures what today's Berlin
is trying to achieve. Located in grungy
Prenzlauer Berg, the most urban corner
of Pankow, this venture was started with
very little capital by two expats: Oz Ben
David from Israel and Jalil Dabit from
Palestine, who preside over chefs from
Syria, Morrocco and Russia! The delicious,
modestly presented, home-cooked, and
absolutely authentic Middle Eastern dishes
are designed to be ordered and shared
family-style (try the hummus, which is
sublime). The restaurant is set up like a
pub and is in a rundown building, which is
being revitalized; it's particularly appealing
to its young and unpretentious clientele
(beer and wine is cheap and there's a pool
table and a nightclub downstairs). I can't
think of a better example of reunification
and a gesture toward world peace than
this heartwarming establishment!
To dig even deeper into the fabric of
Berlin, take a cooking class with Goldhahn
& Sampson in vibrant Charlottenburg
in the City West. The open commercial
kitchen and dining room is located in
the rear of a delightful gourmet shop
and bookstore, which sells specialty
products-this
is the place to pick up
some real Berlin coffee or a good bottle
of Sekt, a sparkling German wine. Learn
how to prepare a variety of meals with
fresh local produce under the tender
and encouraging eyes of female cookswe were lucky enough to cook with
Lisa Shoemaker, American expat and
longterm Berliner, a cookbook author
and translator. Pick a class, from Alpine
cooking to North African cuisine. Berlin
today is an international city and this is a
great place to experience that, hands-on.
Classes cost 35 euros and up, with food
and wine included.
So take many long strolls around this
beautiful city; eat, drink, and celebrate the
fact that unity can overcome divisionand even the most divided places can
grow together harmoniously again. •
FEATURES/
TRAVEL
GETTING THERE
IFYOUGO
There is no better way to fly than Air Berlin. Now with additional
flights from the US and with direct routes from New York, LA, San
Francisco and Boston there is also good news for budget flyers!
Economy section now features 46 XL seats with 20 percent more
legroom, which certainly makes a difference on long-haul flights.
Wi-Fi is available from an altitude of 10,000 feet. (airberlin.com)
Pick up a Berlin Welcome Card, a handy pocket
guide produced by Visit Berlin with suggestions for
important sites, bus tours and boat trips, exhibitions,
and attractions, with ticket discounts. Bring good
walking shoes and be prepared to wander and
explore. (berlin-welcomecard.de; visitberlin.com)
MAN~flA
KA
l
The award-winning publisher of Germany's lesbian
magazine, L.Mag shares her insider tips on the best
of Berlin for the girls. Kay is not only a journalist, but
a filmmaker and nightlife expert, too. "It's probably
hard to believe for Americans, but in most bars and
pubs where no food is served, there is still a lot of
smoking going on-legally
as well as illegally, and
nobody cares or complains! Bars in Berlin usually
never close at a fixed time, but rather, mostly when
the grumpy bartenders want to go home!"
BEST BAR NIGHT: TUESDAYS AT MOBEL OLFE
It's called "Madchendisco" (girls' disco) but it's a very lively, laid back bar night
with lots of girls (boys are welcome) and an all-female bar crew and DJs in
a queer bar, named after an old furniture store at hotspot Kottbusser Tor in
Kreuzberg. Starts at 7pm and by 10pm it's packed.
BEST DYKE PARTY: MONDO KLIT ROCK
Bi-monthly club night for girls who like girls at Roadrunner's Paradise in
Prenzlauer Berg. Held by famous party host Dagmar it takes place in the
atmospheric club house of Roadrunner's motorcycle club. Attracts a crowd
of 300 flirty, communicative dykes between 25-40 years old.
BESTSTARTTOTHEWEEKEND:
RAKET
Gay girls and their friends unwind after work at Rakete in Prenzlauer Berg.
When she doesn't organize big parties, Dagmar hosts this (almost) weekly
after work bar every Friday,starting at 8pm, in the very cozy and small Rakete
(Rocket) bar on Prenzlauer Berg's main boulevard Schonhauser Allee. Feels
like a family reunion, but is open to newcomers.
BEST GAY BAR: ROSES ON ORANIENSTRASSE
It's full of tourists on the weekend, but this is the place to meet local
Kreuzberger gays and lesbians on weeknights. Roses is plush (furry carpet
lines the walls), smoky, and the place to get totally wasted. Watch out for
bartender legend Gabriella, who has been working there forever and is a
dyke's dream-mean and charming at the same time.
BEST PLACE DURING THE DAY: SUDBLOCK
This gay and lesbian run neighborhood cafe, bar, club and community center
has set a new standard when it comes to offering space to the neighboring
Turkish community, LGBTpeople, and the handicapped. There is a place and
a party for everyone at Sud block, which is located at Kottbusser Tor, opposite
the U-Bahn station. In the summer there's a huge outdoor area, lunch, and on
Sundays their famous brunch (pay as you like) where you can meet everybody
from Berlin's leftie-queer-alternative scene.
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~~,G~TON
llGns
rnfUAllO
GA
l ~K
A seaside capital of LGBT
culture is ready for its close-up.
BY KELSY CHAUVIN
Like many queer travelers, I had long
been hearing about Brighton, England.
It's famous as a big gay hotspot and home
to a legendary Pride celebration. People
say that Brighton's LGBT community
rivals Oakland's and P-town's, and that
because of its compact size it compares
to the great gay neighborhoods of New
York and San Francisco. Naturally, I was
skeptical, so I kept my expectations low
until I could finally see for myself.
As it turns out, the rumors were true.
Brighton is way gay and incredibly
charming,
with
loads
of
great
restaurants, nightlife, and places to
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discover in and around town.
Perched on the southern shore of
the English Channel, Brighton is often
referred to along with its sister city of
Hove (they essentially feel like the same
town, and are distinguished mainly by
the disjointed street grids). They're a
manageable pair of towns to explore
by foot or bicycle, especially along the
seaside promenade, which is dotted
with colorful artists' workshops, as well
as chip shops and cafes.
The iconic Brighton Pier, whose
storied past began in 1899 as the Palace
Pier, today is a throwback waterfront-
entertainment
complex,
with rides,
games, and eateries-and
is still the
best place to catch a sunset. But the
pier is no match for the eye-catching
and somewhat bizarre Royal Pavilion
a few blocks away. The former royal
residence dates back to 1787, though its
ornate domes and minarets were added
later, and in the architectural styles of
the Orient. The building is marvelous
both inside and out, and what was once
plain-old royal ostentation today serves
as a glimpse of Brighton's quirky roots.
As a favorite British seaside getaway,
Brighton has an abundance of hotels,
big and small. Skip the big-box
variety and consider
Drakes Hotel
(drakesofbrighton.com),
a chic LGBTfriendly indie inn on the waterfront, with
an especially good restaurant serving
locally sourced foods. Another cozy
boutique hotel that's off the main drag
is the Claremont (theclaremont.eu) in
Hove. Housed in a Victorian townhouse
a block from the beach, the Claremont
also has a spacious rear garden made
FEATURES/
for relaxing and, of course, shady
outdoor weddings.
Strolling along Hove's Church Street,
through The Lanes area in Brighton, or
down the pedestrian-only Kensington
Gardens strip of cafes and vintage
stores (don't miss the thrift emporium
Snooper's
Paradise;
snoopersattic.
co.uk), I was delighted to take in the
local eye candy. Chic lesbians, punk and
goth kids, colorful gay boys, and every
style, age, and ethnicity in between
make this city a joyful place to roam.
Ultimately, however, all roads lead
to the Marlborough
Pub & Theatre
(marlboroughtheatre.org.uk),
a lesbiancentric, all-welcoming nightly hangout
with a roomy theatre upstairs. It's
conveniently located in the center of
town; has cheap drinks, lots of seating,
and a pool table; and is an incredibly
easy place to strike up a chat with one
of the very outgoing ladies of Brighton.
So easy, in fact, that on my first visit
there I wound up meeting Abby Butcher,
creative producer of Pink Fringe. It's a
multimedia
organization
"committed
to the
ongoing
development
of
artists making queer work," as its
website proclaims, hosting a diverse,
international swath of brave performers.
Their works fall along a spectrum
comprising
the
political,
feminist,
humorous,
musical,
and
deeply
personal. Its shows go up year-round,
with special programming every spring
in conjunction
with Brighton Fringe
(brig htonfri nge.org).
While the Marlborough is a go-to for
queer ladies, all sorts of gay bars pepper
this city. Poison Ivy is a compact, wildly
decorated,
lesbian-leaning
pub with
karaoke nights. Waterfront clubs like
Legends, Envy, and Bar Revenge are
the places to dance and flirt, especially
late at night and on weekends. Great
Eastern is a bit out of the main LGBT
area, known as Kemptown, and offers a
more traditional pub vibe. (Note: Many
of these bars either don't have websites
TRAVEL
or only use Facebook.)
I wish my trip had coincided with
Traumfrau, (traumfrau.co.uk),
the big
monthly party that calls itself "Brighton's
queer night for the unusual crowd."
Or better still, it would have been a
highlight to catch an LGBT comedy
night
at Komedia
(komedia.co.uk/
brighton), a top local venue that's won
awards for its hilarious programming.
Brighton's culinary scene is truly
impressive. As a fan of Indian cuisine, I
had one of my favorite dinners at Azaro
(azaro.co.uk) in Hove, a family-run
restaurant serving delicious "healthful
Indian" dishes. For the ever-necessary
Sunday roast, Hove's new-style pub
The Better
Half (thebetterhalfpub.
co.uk) can't be beat; just beware of
the addictive array of local ciders.
Vegetarian food is big in Brighton,
Terre (terreaterre.co.uk)
and Terre
is among the most innovative and
delectable.
But the dinner I loved
best was at 64° (64degrees.co.uk),
a
FEAiTURES/
TRAVEL
a compact restaurant in The Lanes
where you can sit at the bar and watch
amazing chefs make wildly delectable
dishes with ease.
I wasn't able to hike through Devils
Dyke, a beautiful natural area on the
South Downs, nor catch Brighton Pride
(brighton-pride.org), which takes place
in August and they say is so fantastic it's
worth planning your whole trip around.
But they're top on my list for my next
visit. Because, as with any memorable,
vibrant, and welcoming city, once there
is never enough.•
Find information and LGBT travel tips
at visitbrighton.com/gay-brighton.
VISIT VIA LONDON
Trains to Brighton and Hove
take just an hour from London's
Victoria Station. Tie in a visit to
the Big Smoke and get a taste
of big-city British life in any
number of ways. Reserve a room
at the historic and architecturally
marvelous
Milestone
Hotel
(milestonehotel.com),
which is
across the street from Kensington
Palace-home to William, Kate,
Harry, and other members of
the royal family. There you can
stroll Kensington Gardens, catch
a show or a tour at the majestic
Royal Albert Hall (royalalberthall.
com), or relax with a cocktail on
the posh, open-air Roof Gardens
before dining at Babylon. Feeling
contemporary?
Head to the
newly expanded Tate Modern
(tate.org.uk) at the south foot of
the Millennium Bridge, where
you can also wander the Thames
Promenade. Head to Soho to see
what London ladies are up to at
the sultry lesbian club SHE Soho
(she-soho.com), or pop in to
some other queer watering holes
around Old Compton Street.
(visitbritain.com)
72
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
Slightly smaller than the state of
Michigan, Laos, on Mainland Southeast
Asia, is populated by a vibrant mosaic
of 49 main ethnic groups and roughly
160 subgroups (belonging to four main
language groups and speaking 82
living languages). At first, it's a dizzying
concept to wrap your head around, but
Laos's cultural melange begins to make
sense when you are immersed in the
center of it all. From the international
airport in Luang Prabang, it's a short 15
minutes by car to the peninsula, the hub
of tourist activity, where open-air shops,
guesthouses, and crepe stands run by
Hmong, Kmhmu, and Lao Lum women
and men line the main road.
PRIDE IN CULTURE
To better understand this ultimate
melting
pot-and
to
support
an
organization owned by women-head
to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology
Centre, or TAEC; it's located in the
Khamyong neighborhood,
on a hill
overlooking the town.
Founded in 2006 by Thongkhoun
Soutthivilay, a Luang Prabang resident,
73
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
and Tara Gujadhur, an American expat,
TAEC is on a mission "to promote pride
and appreciation for the cultures and
knowledge of Laos's diverse peoples,
support
ethnic
communities
to
safeguard their tangible and intangible
cultural heritage, and promote their
sustainable livelihood development."
The TAEC museum houses four
permanent
exhibitions
representing
the country's most well-known ethnic
groups-the Akha, Hmong, Tai Lue, and
Kmhmu. The exhibitions display objects
such as textiles, jewelry, and household
tools that are unique to each culture. You
can explore on your own or sign up for a
guided tour.
Stitching
Our Stories, a special
exhibition focusing on local women, is
one of TAEC's many community initiatives
aimed at celebrating and supporting
local heritage. Through a partnership
with Photo Forward, an international arts
and media program, TAEC worked with a
select group of local women on a twoyear storytelling project. Armed with the
basics in photography and videography
taught by Photo Forward, the women
recorded their lives-an
educational
experience not just for outsiders but
for the women
themselves.
Their
photographs are on display permanently
online at photoforward.org.
TAEC's regional and global renown
is the result of Soutthivilay's extensive
experience in museum conservation and
collections and Gujadhur's expertise in
sustainable tourism and her background
in anthropology. And they are grounded
in a shared belief in the women of their
community.
"What I do like," Gujadhur says in an
email, "is being able to show women
in Laos, a place in which women aren't
traditionally expected to work outside
the home, excel, speak out, or lead, that
it is possible to do all these things, and
that we can create and manage thriving
businesses and organizations, provide
employment, and earn income-without
a man!"
For those who prefer learning through
shopping, check out TAEC's boutique
store, on Sakkarine Road across from the
Villa Santi Hotel. As you browse through
intricately designed jewelry and colorful
beaded wallets, notice the differences in
technique that are the signature of each
ethnic group. In line with the principles
of fair trade, the artisans who handcraft
the items receive 50 percent of the sale
price. (taeclaos.org)
Once you begin wandering around
Luang Prabang, it won't take long to see
local entrepreneurship in action. Fruit,
fresh fish from the Mekong and Nam Khan
rivers, laundry detergent, and Beerlao
are displayed for sale in front of wooden
or whitewashed concrete houses, in the
colorful entryways into people's homes.
Fruit shake stands and noodle shops,
too, are run out of people's homes, and
many of these businesses are run by the
family matriarch. Mrs. Tao is one such
entrepreneur.
combination
of broth, rice noodles,
meat, herbs, and an optional chili sauce,
is probably the most popular street food
in Luang Prabang, and Mrs. Tao's never
disappoints. Like most local vendors,
Mrs. Tao uses aromatic basil and mint,
and jeow sukee, an addicting peanut
sauce that gives Vietnamese pho a
Lao flavor, ingredients that are locally
sourced from the lively morning market
near Wat Mai. If soup in 90-degree
weather isn't your thing, don't worry;
Mrs. Tao also serves up a deliciously
hearty omelet, fried rice, and noodle
dishes-each for under $4.00.
EAT SIMPLY AND WELL
For the last 12 years, she's operated
a pho noodle shop out of her home in
the Phonehueng neighborhood, on a
quaint side street a few doors down
from the nonprofit Big Brother Mouse.
Even though her in-laws own the house
(one day it will belong to her and her
husband), she's clearly in chargeas cook, accountant,
and business
manager. "I wanted to make money and
didn't know what else to do," she says
when asked why she opened the shop.
"But I knew I didn't want to work for
anyone else."
Tucked behind young palm trees and
bright bougainvillea, the shop might
WEAVE AND CHILL
Ubiquitous in Luang Prabang are
textiles, largely displayed as sinhs, or
skirts, which you will quickly understand
are more than just articles of clothing.
The sinh is an iconic symbol of Laos, and
the local weavers at Ock Pop Tok will
not only explain its cultural significance,
they'll show you how it's made.
Combining
their
technical
weaving expertise, photography, and
development training, but above all a
love for the art and craft of Lao textiles,
cofounders
Veomanee
Douangdala
and Joanna Smith created Ock Pop
Tok, which means "east meets west,"
in 2000. Since its inception, Ock Pop
Tok, or OPT, has expanded from a
boutique shop to a business-oriented,
community-driven
social
enterprise
(with roughly 600 local weavers) whose
easily be missed by travelers were it
not for the bilingual menu hanging
outside. Pho, the simple yet satisfying
mission is "to elevate the profile of Lao
textiles and artisans."
The heart and soul of OPT is the
Living Crafts Centre (LCC) across from
Phou Si market overlooking the Mekong
River. For the traveler, it is both a serene
retreat from the busy streets and a onestop hub for art, food, and shopping.
Begin by taking a free guided tour of
the tropical grounds, where you'll see
women weavers at work and meet a
vital component of silk weaving, the
silkworm, housed in wooden crates.
For a hands-on activity, take a class in
weaving and dyeing, during which you'll
prepare your own dyes from the LCC's
plants and try your hand at weaving
and spinning. On display and available
for purchase at the LCC are intricately
designed wall hangings (ask a staff
member to explain the naga, a common
motif), as well as gorgeous scarves and
shawls. Profits from the artisanal wares
sold here and in OPT's boutique shops
in town are distributed according to fair
trade principles. (ockpoptok.com)
Is it intimidating
to run a womenoriented
business in a patriarchal
society? Not really, says Smith in an
email. "Being women just makes it
even more exciting and inspiring."
After
exploring
the LCC, relax
with a refreshing tamarind juice or
indulge in fresh spring rolls made
from locally sourced ingredients
at
the Silk Road Cafe, right onsite. The
tranquility just might lull you to sleep,
in which case you should book one of
the LCC's charming riverside villas.
Four spacious and modern rooms are
warmly decorated to represent distinct
ethnic groups. Breakfast is included
and can be enjoyed on your private
balcony overlooking
the majestic and
very scenic Mekong River.
by the iconic night market below as you
cool off with a Beerlao on the chilled-out
fourth-floor terrace lounge.
From the cafe (with vegan options)
WHERE TO STAY
2016 STATEMENT
OF OWNERSHIP
Publication Title: Curve.
Occupying the town's tallest building,
on the ground level, watch life unfold
Indigo House is a centrally-located four-
in front of you as locals whiz by, taking
Publication No.: 0010-355.
story hotel run by a Luang Prabang native,
their
Filing Date Nov 1, 2016
Ms.
Or relax in your private room, which
Souphaphone
Sioudomphanh.
kids to school
been
elegantly
on
motorbikes.
Owned by her family since 1994, it is
has
also Luang Prabang's first private hotel.
chic blend of traditional and modern.
Set on the main road half a block from
Beautiful textiles soften teak furniture,
the official tourism office, the delightful
paper
hotel boasts some of the best views of
light, and indigo, the warmest
Luang Prabang. You'll be mesmerized
ties it all together. •
lampshades
designed
cast
a
in
a
soothing
color,
Issue Frequency: Bi-monthly
Feb/Mar, Apr/May, Jun/July, Aug/Sep, Oct/ Nov, Dec/Jan
Number of Issues Published Annually: 6
Annual Subscription Price: $35.00
Complete Mailing Address: PO Box 467 New York NY 10034.
Contact Person: SiIke Bader
Telephone: (415) 871-0569
Publisher SiIke Bader PO Box 467 New York NY 10034
Editor: Merryn Johns PO Box 467 New York NY 10034
Owner(s): Avalon Media LLC Po Box 467 New York NY
10034
Silke Bader PO Box 467 New York NY 10034
Publication Title: Curve.
Issue Date for Circulation Data Nov 24
Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No.
Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months:
A) Total No. Copies Net Press Run 47,815.B) Paid
Circulation. (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1)
Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated
on Form 3541: 10,846; (2) Mailed In-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 0; (3) Paid
Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales
_ rough Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors,
Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution outside
USPS:23,258; (4) Paid Distribution by Other
Classes of Mail_ rough the USPS 2003. C) Total
Paid Distribution: 36,107.D) Free or Nominal
Rate Distribution by Mail and Outside the Mail:
(1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies
included on Form 3541: 0; (2) Free or Nominal
Rate In-County Copies included on Form 3541: 0;
(3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other
Classes Mailed_ rough the USPS:61; (4) Free
or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail:
10,846. E) Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution:
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Not Distributed: 801. H) Total: 47,815.I) Percent
Paid 76.8%. Extent and Nature of Circulation/No.
Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing
Date A) Total No. Copies Net Press Run: 45,543. B)
Paid Circulation. (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1)
Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated
on Form 3541: 9756; (2) Mailed In-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 0; (3) Paid
Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales
_ rough Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors,
Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS: 21,546; (4)
Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail_ rough
the USPS 1800. C) Total Paid Distribution: 33,102.
D) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (by Mail
and Outside the Mail): (1) Free or Nominal Rate
Outside-County as Stated on Form 3541: 0; (2)
Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies included on
Form 3541: 0; (3) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution
Mailed at Other Classes_ rough the USPS 41; (4)
Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail:
10,946. E) Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution:
10,987. F) Total Distribution 44,730. G) Copies
Not Distributed: 813 H) Total: 45,543. I) Percent
Paid: 74%. Publication of Statement of
Ownership: Nov/Dec 2016
NOV/DEC
2016
CURVE
75
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Letters to My Mother
A Survivor's Story
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77
LAST LOOK/
CROSSWO
Test your
lesbian knowledge
with our queer crossword.
BY MYLES MELLOR
ACROSS
1.
One of the stars in The Danish
Girl, Alicia __
27. Ellen DeGeneres' voiceover
role in Finding Nemo
6.
5.
Pink is one, representing the
diversity of gays and lesbians
worldwide
30. Eve lived here and it was called
Eden
7.
Bible book describing the love
between
and Naomi
33. British Knight who campaigns for
LBGT rights (first name)
8.
First name of the star who has
a lesbian scene with Rooney
Mara in Side Effects
32. Jillian Michaels & Heidi
Rhoades, for example
9.
Character in Grey's Anatomy
who develops a lesbian
relationship with another
doctor,_
Hahn
34. Heather _ _, starred in Lip
Service
10. Unexpected sports outcome
11. Brooklyn Community Pride
Center city, abbr.
35. The L Word is an example of a
lesbian one (2 words)
37. English-born DJ who was in
a relationship with Lindsay
Lohan, __ Ronson
13. Film about a lesbian
relationship in the photography
and fashion world (2 words)
40. Palindromic girl's name
16. First name of the lover of
Virginia Woolf, described in the
book Orlando
42. Originally called
18. Nicola_, the first openly LBGT
person to win an Olympic gold
medal
41. Lesbian band,_
Girls
17. Shock
18. True Blood star who identifies
as bisexual,_
Paquin
22. UK's'gay capital' in Sussex
Cristina Barcelona
Lesbian stand-up comedian
who is an activist for gay rights,
Clinton
3. Wanting something badly
4.
2016
rock
1.
2.
The dark side
5. People who you adore and
fantasize about
23. Year,for short
26. Former name of Portia
DeGeneres
28.
women
31. Brand spankin' _
36. Vintage
38. Curve for example, short for
39. For instance, abbr.
21. Alternative word
25. Actor who played the role of
the first man to get sex-change
surgery, Eddie __
NOV/DEC
14. - sexual
15. Pussy Riot's genre, _
19. Harebrained
24. Nurse, for short
CURVE
12. - habit
DOWN
20. Melissa Etheridge song "Who
are_ waiting for"
78
She plays Tala in/ Can't Think
Straight (2 words)
Black, TV series popular
with lesbians
29. "A _'s Worth" song by Alicia
Keys affirming freedom for
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TLOOK!STARS
A Fond Femme Farewell
With Venus in rowdy Sagittarius and Mars in rebellious Aquarius,
we say goodbye to a bumpy 2016.
By Charlene Lichtenstein
Artist Georgia O'Keeffe
was born on November 15, 1887.
SCORPIO /'.
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
SAGITTARIUS1/,
{Nov 23-Dec 22) 1/,
Advice for keeping your horsie 1/,
from trotting far afield: Give her 1/,
1/,
room to roam, don't question 1/,
her whereabouts and trust her 1/,
to do the right thing. There is 1/,
nothing more frustrating for a 1/,
1/,
Sapphic Archer than to have her 1/,
every move probed. Probe into 1/,
other things. Rub her thighs and 1/,
tell her how smart she is. Lesbian 1/,
1/,
Archers love to be thought
1/,
of as brilliant and worldly but 1/,
remember that action and not 1/,
talk get these girls galloping. 1/,
1/,
Saddle her up and ridel
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
Charlene
Lichtenstein
is theauthor 1/,
of HerScopes:
A Guideto Astrology1/,
ForLesbians
(Simon
& Schuster)1/,
1/,
nowavailable
asanebook. 1/,
{October 24-November 22)
This girlfriend smokes and
where there is smoke, there's firel
She possessesthe innate ability
for deep probing intimacy and
strong emotion and takes it one
giant step further than sister her
water signs Cancer and Pisces.
Once is never enough for these
sexually robust mommas and
she is one of the few women
who can bring out the best in
anyone during lovemaking. Want
to soar to the highest heights?
Find yourself a passionate Scorp
and hop on her engine.
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Leo (July 24-August 23)
Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 22)
You're itching for a far-flung
romance with a spicy foreign
lady. But you may not have
to travel far, in fact you may
already know her. Search
your list of gal pals and see
who could become your
next lovergrrl. Sometimes
familiarity breeds contempt
but in your case familiarity
breeds temptation.
Prepare yourself for a frenetic,
fun-filled fall and winter.
Holiday party invitations arrive
as you suddenly find yourself
on top of everyone's to-do list.
All of this hazy, crazy activity
will have its pros and cons.
How many events can you
possibly enjoy all at once? Will
you be naughty or nice, Leo?
Oh let's guess.
You are the one to know this
winter, Sagittarius. Not only
do you have ample charisma,
poise and panache, you also
know just what to say to charm
anyone to your way of thinking.
Recruit a bevy of admirers and
plot to achieve your eventual
world domination. Or is it
dominatrix? I get confused.
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
Virgo (August 24-Sept 23)
If you can focus on your
career and do what you
need to do right now,
you will wind up with a
very merry end-of-year
celebration. Yet it will be
hard to concentrate while
you have all these hot and
heady diversions going on.
Prioritize, Taurus. Work now
and work it later.
Virgos may settle themselves
in at home for the duration of
the holiday season with a hot
toddy and a hottie to keep
them warm. Life looks pretty
good from your comfy couch.
But consider also inviting a few
bosom buddies over for an
intimate soiree one night. You
can toss a holiday bash that
will have tongues wagging.
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Libra (September 24-Oct 23)
Escaping the responsibilities
of a particular relationship
is futile, Gemini. And that is
why you should put aside all
other projects to focus on
her and only her. The two
of you could use a holiday
vacation ...together. For those
on the prowl, an expedition
for big gayme hunting could
be a life changer.
Give your creativity free reign
this winter, Libra. Your ideas,
now carefully curated and
deployed, can take you to new
heights of accomplishment. If
you have been sitting on the
fence waiting for the right time
to take action, this is it. You
seem to know just what to say
to get her to do what you want.
Be very creative.
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)
Capricorn (Dec 23-Jan 20)
CURVE
NOV/DEC
2016
Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)
Aqueerians like to live life
in the fast lane and now
as things speed up for
you, capitalize on all of the
subsequent successful results.
Gather like-minded ladies
around you, put your pet
project into action and see
how things progress. By the
end of the year you will be in
a position to rule. And it's not
lonely at the top.
Pisces (Feb 20-March 20)
Things are brewing at work,
Cancer. In the coffee room
things can get steamy and
perky rather quickly and
coming to work takes on new
meaning. So far so good.
That is, until your affair is
exposed and so are you. Will
it all be worth it in the end?
(tinyurl.com/HerScopes) Heck yeah!
80
You may have a secret admirer,
Capricorn. She is torrid, sexy
and totally fabulous ...and she
can also be high maintenance.
Life could become one huge
scavenger hunt in order to find
her. I know that you are ready
for the expensive task. It will
all be worth it, even if only as a
valuable life lesson.
Deck your halls with lusty
babes who are ready to stuff
your stocking. Scorpios are
great at planning the perfect
soiree. So start planning one
that will have the neighbors
gossiping about it for weeks.
Choose your guest list
and check it twice. Go with the
naughty and not the nice.
Finalize your end-of-year plans
now. If you want to make
your mark on the world, this
is the time to do it. Guppies
have great intuition now and
can discern the motives of
others. Use your acumen and
personal flair to disarm any
hidden enemies and gain
complete control. Take no
prisoners unless they're sexy.
GOING
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2017 SLC300 shown in Brilliant Blue metallic paint with optional equipment. ©2016 Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
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