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Description
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ToC Breast Cancer Awareness (p18); Meet Madison Paige (p40); Sports Special (p48);Hello Dolly! Dolly Parton (p38); Cyndi Lauper Changes Her Tune (p60); All in for Ellen DeGeneres (p61); Rio de Janeiro Beckons (p66); Costa Rica in Comfort (p70); Soulful South Africa (p74).
See all items with this value
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issue
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5
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Date Issued
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Sep-Oct 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_No5_September-October-2016_OCR_PDFa.pdf
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extracted text
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®
&FAB
FIT
BETTI
BREA
HEALT
RAPINOE
MEGAN
GRINER
BRITTNEY
FAlKNER
EllZABETH
EXPER
TIPS
Ellen
DeGeneres
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WORlD
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SEP/OCT 2016 VOLUME 26#5
GOING
IN
WILD
RICA
COSTA
AFRICA
SOUTH
JANEIR
DE
RIO
~1BEST
::.::',.:; PLACESTO WORK
2015for
LGBT Equality
SEP/OCT
2016
FEATURES
18
BREAST CANCER
AWARENESS
Advice and guidance from
female medical experts.
~o
MEET MADISON PAIGE
The androgynous model
makes a musical move.
SPORTS SPECIAL
From Megan Rapinoe to
Brittney Griner, meet some
strong women changing sports,
and breaking rules and records.
58
HELLO, DOLLY!
Dolly Parton is back on tour
after a long hiatus, plus she
has two new albums out.
60
CYNDI LAUPER
CHANGES HER TUNE
The pop icon takes a fun
country detour.
66
RIO DE JANEIRO BECKONS
The Olympic city has a very
vibrant and visible LGBTside.
70
COSTA RICA IN COMFORT
The Latin American paradise
has combined luxury with
sustainability.
,~
SOULFUL SOUTH AFRICA
From safaris to something
spiritual, this trip of a lifetime
will change you.
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
1
SEP/OCT
2016
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
IN EVERYISSUE
4
EDITOR'S NOTE
6
CURVETTES
8
FEEDBACK
10
THE GAYDAR
80
STARS
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
TRENDS
REVIEWS
11 OUT IN FRONT
Meet the community leaders
who are doing us proud. By
24 MUSIC
Sarah Dashew talks about her
rich musical influences and
her great new album. By Kelly
Sheryl Kay
11 IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT ...
LGBTnews from across the
country. By Sassafras Lowrey
12 WOMEN WE LOVE
Each issue we pick a lucky lady
with a look and a life to match.
13 LESBOFILE
What's new and noteworthy
with our favorite celesbians.
By Jocelyn Voo
VIEWS
16 POLITICS
Deep thoughts and heartfelt
convictions on a different topic
each issue from our contributing politics editor. By Victoria
A. Brownworth
18 ADVICE
Experts with insider info on all
manner of problems, from love
to money to health.
20 ISSUES
Our in-depth look into a hot
button topic affecting queer
women.
2
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
McCartney
26 FILMS
The gripping story behind
saving the seals from ruthless
hunters has been brought to
the screen. By Kerry Branon
28 BOOKS
Julia Serano's book on feminist
and trans inclusion receives
a timely reissue. By Marcie
Bianco
30 SHORT STORY
Take a dip into our short
fiction, this issue a romance
set against the San Francisco
earthquake. By Jae
32 FOOD
Chef Elizabeth Falkner takes a
break from running restaurants
to write a memoir and promote
a personal cause. By Merryn
Johns
LAST LOOK
78 CROSSWORD
Can you tame our Queer Quiz?
By Myles Mellor
Fair Play: How LGBT Athletes Are Claiming Their Rightful Place in
Sports. When the U.S.team won the Women's World Cup, the news
made headlines around the world, and the team, particularly Abby
Wambach and Megan Rapinoe, became "the darlings of the media
and fans;' writes Zeigler. Which makes it shocking to learn that they
earn a pittance compared to their male counterparts. According
to Zeigler, in 2008, WNBA player and No. 1 draft pick Candace
Parker earned about $44,000-which
was 110 percent less than
Derrick Rose,the NBA'stop pick that year. It's not just about money,
although that's a reflection of worth. It's about airtime, too. When
Brittney Griner came out two weeks before Jason Collins, she
received much less media attention that he did.
Ellen DeGeneres is on our cover for the first time, and while we
might think that being honest and open about our identities paves
the way to acceptance, it's only part of the story. Lesbians and
queer women are still harrassed and must prove themselves again
and again, on a journey that could take years, as it did with Ellen.
We may have out athletes, but it doesn't mean that homophobia
has been stamped out. Unfavorable stereotypes still persist, such
as the myth that lesbians "recruit" younger women, which is why
it's almost impossible to be an out lesbian coach of a sports team.
Just ask women's ice hockey coach Shannon Miller, who lost her job
A Sporting Chance
Y
at the University of Minnesota Duluth because of her sexuality; or
soccer coach Lisa Howe, who was fired by Belmont University after
she told her team that she and her partner were expectant parents.
This is our Sports issue, and we celebrate out athletes, their
dedication to fitness, to health, and to achieving their personal
ou're probably as delighted us we are about the number
best-and
of out lesbian athletes who participated in the Rio 2016
Olympics. 31 out athletes, according to Curve columnist
and staying out. As we learn from Ellen, who feared she would
become the most hated person on TV (and for a time she was)-
Victoria Brownworth, including the first-ever married lesbian couple
(read her article on curvemag.com). As we went to print, the latest
sometimes it doesn't take the first time around. You have to try
athlete to come out was Team USA basketball star Elena Delle Donne,
who had already come out in the August issue of Vogue, but no one
we thank them for their commitment to being out
again and roll with the punches. But if you manage to bounce
back, you just might win.
seemed to notice. When Donne mentioned her engagement to her
longtime girlfriend to reporters in Rio, it was news to the straight,
mostly male, mainstream press corps.
With so many out lesbians in sports, you'd think women athletes
had achieved equity. This couldn't be further from the truth. In
America, men dominate professional sports, both in media coverage
and in revenue. Top female athletes have been coming out for yearsfrom Martina Navratilova in 1981to Brittney Griner in 2012. Perhaps it's
assumed that most women who play sports at the highest level are
gay, but it's also assumed that most men in sports are straight.
The 2015 Women's World Cup "featured at least seventeen players
and coaches who were publicly out;' writes Cyd Zeigler in his book
MERRYNJOHNS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
merryn@curvemag.com
'!I @Merryn1
NARRATED
BY
RYAN
REYNOLDS
RONT /
cu RVETTES
LYNDSEYD'ARCANGELO
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo is a freelance writer and an
award-winning author from Buffalo, N.Y. She's also a
sports junkie and a baggy-clothes wearing tomboy
who isn't afraid to blog openly about her experience
as a stay-at-home mom for curvemag.com, where
she also writes about sports. Catch her other sports
writing on espnW.com, The Cauldron/ Sports
Illustrated, Vice Sports, and excellesphrts.com.
Read
more of her work at lyndseydarcangelo.com
curve
THE BEST-SELLING
SEP/OCT
2016
LESBIAN
» VOLUME
MAGAZINE
26 NUMBER
5
PUBLISHER Silke Bader
FOUNDING PUBLISHER 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
KEPHSENETT
Keph Senett is a Canadian writer whose passion for
travel and soccer have led her to play the beautiful
game on four continents. When not writing about
human rights, LGBT and gender issues, travel, or
soccer, Keph spends her free time trying to figure out
how to qualify for a soccer squad in Asia, Australia,
or Antarctica. This month she takes Curve readers to
lesbian Rio De Janeiro. Keep up with Keph on Twitter
@kephsenett
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, Jenny Block, Kelsy Chauvin, Mallorie
DeRiggi, Dar Dowling, Jill Goldstein, Kristin Flickinger,
Kim Hoffman, Francesca Lewis, Charlene Lichtenstein,
Sassafras Lowrey, Kelly McCartney, Myles Mellor, Laurie
K. Schenden, Stephanie Schroeder, 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
JAE
Jae grew up amidst the vineyards of southern Germany.
She spent her childhood with her nose buried in
a book, earning her the nickname "Professor." The
writing bug bit her early, at the age of 11. Jae used
to work as a psychologist but gave up her day job to
become a full-time writer and a part-time editor. When
she's not writing, she likes to spend her time reading,
indulging her ice cream and office supply addiction,
and watching crime shows. Visit jae-fiction.com
NICOL BIESEK
Nicol Biesek is a Los Angeles-based photographer who
specializes in stylized portraiture. After graduating
from the Academy of Art in San Francisco where she
obtained a BFA in Photography, she began pursuing
a career in the commercial and editorial market. She
works heavily with comedians and musicians creating
imagery for album art that can be seen on iTunes, and
also works as a photo editor for the ad agency Cold
Open in Venice, CA.
CONTACT INFO
Curve Magazine
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PHONE (415) 871-0569
SUBSCRIPTIONINQUIRIES(800) 705-0070 (toll-free in
EDITORIALEMAIL editor@curvemag.com
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Volume 26 Issue 5 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
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Returned checks will be assessed a $25 surcharge. Periodicals
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or listing in Curve may not be taken as an indication of the sexual
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Curve welcomes letters, queries, unsolicited manuscripts and
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usonly)
ADVERTISINGEMAIL todd@curvemagazine.com
EVERYONE
DESERVES
TO BE
GOOD HANDS®
RONT /
FEEDBACK
TEGAN& SARA FOREVER
Your cover story ["The
Evolving Vision of Tegan &
Sara;' V.26#4] was epic and
brilliant! It even had a couple
surprises for a dyke-hard
fan like me. I am so over the
people who bitch and moan
about T&S selling out. I for one
am so thankful that we have
successful musicians who
we can call our own and who
aren't some YouTube one-hit
wonders just trying to cash
in. They've paid their dues.
They're here to stay and they
are talented and real.
-Abby Ford, Long Beach, N.Y.
KUDOS FOR COMING OUT
Thank you for "Coming Out
Across Cultures" [Curve
V.26#4]. I am a 37-year-old
ABC (Australian Born Chinese)
lesbian still having issues
about coming out to my
parents. It's not just the gay
thing. It's also the sex thing.
Chinese don't talk about sex,
and to come out is to bring up
your sex life. So the article by
Kathy Eow gave me courage.
Gay marriage is not yet legal
in Australia, but when it is I will
come out. Because if Chinese
do not understand gay, they
understand marriage. Thank
you for this Asian visibility. We
need more of it. As a group we
are overlooked.
-P.L., Sydney,Australia
you think you don't like jazz,
she will definitely convert you.
-Estelle H., Tampa, Fla.
NEW TRANS READER
I am an inmate with the Federal
Bureau of Prisons [and] I
am also a MTF transgender
who's been on hormones
now for two months. I found
a copy of your magazine in a
donation pile, and I must say
it's a fantastic magazine. I just
wanted to say keep up the
good work and maybe I'll catch
I)
KICKING BACKWITH CURVE
I really loved the Best Beach
Reads [Curve V.26#4]. These
books look entertaining and
intelligent. I will definitely buy
one and take it on vacation.
The whole issue was beautiful,
and I was glad to see Allison
Miller in the magazine. Even if
Jointhe 150,000+ whoLikeus:
facebook.com/curvemag/
20%
l'M NOT HEALTHY, l'M A LESBIAN (CAN YOU SMOKE IN THIS BAR?)
20%
FIGHTING FIT: I EXERCISE, I EAT RIGHT, AND I LOVE LIFE
10%
l'M DOING THE BEST I CAN WITH WHAT GOD GAVE ME
8
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Lesbian athlete? Being gay
does not hamper your ability
to do physical things. But
I know what you mean in
trying to educate the public
that us gay people are
everywhere doing everything
like everyone else.
- LucretiaDiamond
__ ..._..
l'M MOSTLY IN GOOD HEALTH BUT I COULD WORK MORE AT IT
Email:
YOU SAID IT: BESTFACEBOOKCOMMENTS
- MarciaSmith
50%
Send to:
LOVEDALLTHE LOVING
As a longtime subscriber to
the world's best lesbian mag
I loved seeing all the happy
couples in your Love Issue
[V.26#4]. This visibility is
important, especially when you
live in a "non-gay" place.
-K.W.B., Columbia, Mo.
Rapinoeand GrinerAmong
Record38 LGBTAthletes
Goingto Rio:LGBTathletes
have always been there.
They're just now getting to
be out. Let's not forget the
LGBTpeople who came
before this generation. This
road was paved with sacrifice
and pain by LGBTpeople in
previous generations.
HOW
HEALTHY
ARE
YOU?
WRITE
Curve magazine, PO Box 467, New York, NY 10034
US! letters@curvemagazine.com
some issues in the future.
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blessings!
-Rachel (my chosen name),
San Pedro, Calif.
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10GIRL GAYDAR
13CELESBIANGOSSIP
14QUOTABLEQUOTES
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
9
TRENDS/
p
%
THE GAYDAR
THEGAYDAR
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
Kristen Stewart realizes the
importance of coming out in an
interview with ELLE UK, calling
her relationship with Alicia
Cargile, well, a relationship
The Democratic Party, whose 2016
party platform includes a renewed
push for ENDA, is the most pro-LGBT
platform in U.S.history
Miley Cyrus and
Lolawolf's Zoe Kravitz
sing a super sapphic
song, "Teardrop," to
each other on the
band's new album
Delta Air Lines screens a
censored version of Carol,
which deletes the love
scenes and reduces Carol
and Therese to friends
Carl's Jr.
restaurant chain
continues to use
soft-core lesbian
porn to sell its
burgers
Queer girl fave
Wynonna Earp
is renewed
for a second
season on Syfy
for 2017
Former
Houston
mayor Annise
Parker unveils
historic marker
to Barbara
Gittings in
Philadelphia
Out director
Patricia
Rozema's
modern
fairytale Into
the Forest
stars Ellen
Page and
Evan Rachel
Wood as...
sisters
Author and activist
Urvashi Vaid is
crowned "The Sexist
Lesbian Alive" in
Provincetown
Samira Wiley may have left
OITNB, but she is set to star in
Hulu adaptation of Margaret
Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale
10
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Marsha Wetzel, represented by Lambda
Legal, stands up for America's LGBT
seniors suing for elder abuse and neglect
Cara Delevingne
raps on Drop the Mic
with Dave Franco and
James Cordon, "I've
hooked up with hotter
girls than both of you
combined "
w
z
('.)
z
e
w
CD
2
::::,
0
VIEWS/NE
JESSICA HALEM
>>Massachusetts
FromStandup Comicto InclusionOfficer
A16-YEAR-OLD
CALIFORNIA
LESBIAN
CAME
our
Once upon a time, you may have seen Jessica Halem
walking the hallowed halls of the Second City Training
to her parents and brother on a family trip to Disneyland, and
made the news. The teen, who 1s1dent1f1edonly as Gina, held up
a handmade, rainbow-colored sign that read Tm Gay!" while she
was riding Splash Mountain. "I love funny ride photos, so I figured
I could make the sign Just in case I decided to go for 1t,and I did,"
Gina says about her coming out. She also reports that her parents were extremely supportive. The photo received over 8,000
likes on Twitter, and 4,500 retweets.
Center. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College,
she studied at Chicago's iconic school of improvisation,
which inaugurated a 15-year career in comedy that
took her all across the country. Today, Halem walks the
hallowed halls of Harvard Medical School, where, two
years ago, she established and now leads the first-ever
LGBT Office, within the Office for Diversity Inclusion and
Community Partnership. Her mandate is to enhance inclusion for LGBT students, staff, and faculty by identifying
key areas of importance and developing programmatic
• THE
LARGEST
ONLINE
DATING
interventions and resources to support LGBT issues.
site targeting Christians, will soon
allow lesbian and gay singles to
create profiles and look for same-sex
matches. ChristianMingle's policy
change comes after a settlement in
a discrimination lawsuit brought in
California. Previously,the 9-millionmember site asked joining users
to identify as either "man seeking
woman" or "woman seeking man."
After the settlement goes into
effect, users will be able to identify
simply as a "man" or a "woman,"
and determine the gender of the
person they want to be matched
with. The site has two years to
implement search features for
lesbians and gays; it must pay
each of the plaintiffs $9,000 each
and reimburse them $450,000 in
attorney's fees.
"My job today is to talk about difficult, sensitive topics
in an affirming, growth-orientated
way," Halem says.
"Being a comic who cares about your audience is the
same as being a trainer who cares about your audience.
I'm comfortable talking about anything, and that's needed
in a workplace-trying
to take on new issues and topics
that can make people squirm in their seats. I find ways to
speak openly. Maybe the only difference is that I try not to
curse as much at Harvard."
Between Second City and Harvard, Halem earned an
MBA. She also worked with U.S. Representative and social
activist Bella Abzug, and served for five years as the executive director of the Lesbian Community Cancer Project in
Chicago. Over the years, Halem says she's seen incredible
growth within the LGBT community, especially in how
some of the older generations relate to the younger ones'
new definitions of gender and sexuality. But she also
• AMICHIGAN
APPEALS
COURT
thinks there is more work to be done.
"We might want to overhaul some of our longstanding
stereotypes for the 21st century," she suggests with a
smile. "Cats are out, dogs are in. Hummus is out, homemade salsa is in. But we should stick with the Subarus.
They are still the best cars for lesbians-and
everyone."
She adds, "Economic inequality, reproductive justice,
violence, war and peace, these are all lesbian issues.
Poverty is a lesbian issue. We are a special group of people who can see the world from the outside and identify
what needs to change. We have a responsibility to dive
deep into the world's ills and make it better for all who lack
%
has ruled that Michelle Lake,a
lesbian whose 13-year relationship
with Kerri Putnam ended before
same-sex marriage became legal,
does not have parental rights to
the child born to Putnam while
the couple were together. Lake
and Putnam separated in 2014
but were never married. Since the
separation, Putnam has denied Lake
visitation rights; the couple's son is
now 8 years old. "We simply do not
believe it is appropriate for courts
to retroactively impose the legal
ramifications of marriage onto
unmarried couples," the appeals
court wrote.
• SECRETARY
OFDEFENSE
Ashton Carter announced that the
Pentagon would be lifting the ban
on transgender people serving
in the U.S.military: "Effective
immediately, transgender
Americans can serve openly, and
they no longer can be discharged
or otherwise separated from the
military just for being transgender:'
Carter noted that transgender
Americans were already serving,
adding, "These are the kind of
people we want serving in our
military."
• ANEW
DEMOGRAPHIC
STUDY
from the Williams Institute at the
UCLA School of Law has found
that there are approximately 1.4
million adults in the United States
who identify as transgender. This
new number doubles the previous
estimate, and researchers believe
that the population could be
even larger because individuals in
more conservative states might
have been reluctant to answer the
survey honestly even though It was
anonymous.
By SassafrasLowrey
a voice or power in this world:' - By Sheryl Kay
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
11
WOMEN
WELOVE
»
Jacki Gemelos
The Greek-American professional
basketball player from Stockton,
Calif., began her career at USC
where she obtained Bachelors and
Masters degrees. Drafted to the
WNBA in 2012, she's hit the court
for the Chicago Sky, as well as
teams in Greece, Italy, and Spain.
INTERVIEW BY ARIANA TIBI
PHOTO BY NICOL BIESEK
TRENDstGOSSIP
LESBOFILE
COMING OUT, COUPLING, AND A NOTE OF DEFIANCE.
BY JOCELYN VOO
• KRISTEN COMES OUT
It's been over a year since Kristen Stewart was first reported to be in a romantic relationship
with visual effects producer Alicia Cargile. Stewart danced around the subject ("Google
me, I'm not hiding," she told Nylon last September), but now she's more direct. "I think also
right now I'm just really in love with my girlfriend," she told Elle U.K. "We've broken up a
couple of times and gotten back together, and this time I was like, 'Finally, I can feel again.'"
That girlfriend, of course, is Cargile. Stewart says that when she was dating guys everything
"was immediately trivialized." "(W)hen I started dating a girl, I was like, 'Actually, to hide this
provides the implication that I'm not down with it or I'm ashamed of it, so I had to alter how
I approached being in public. It opened my life up and I'm so much happier."
She's never been shy about her sexuality, but for supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne,
this is a first. "Before, I didn't know what love was-real love," she told Vogue U.K. of her
current relationship with singer-songwriter Annie Clark, who operates under the stage
name St. Vincent. "I didn't understand the depth of it. I always used to think it was you
against the world. Now I know the meaning of life is love. Whether that's for yourself or for
the world or your partner." But labels are not for her. "I'm obviously in love, so if people
want to say I'm gay, that's great," she said. "But we're all liquid-we change, we grow." And
we're happy to have her growing in the queer community.
• MUCH MORE OF MARA
Another formerly-known-as-straight
celeb opens up to being queer! Mara Wilson,
who starred in the movie Matilda when she was a child, took to Twitter after the
Orlando nightclub shooting to open up about her own sexual journey, tweeting "the
LGBTQ community has always felt like home, especially a few years later when I, uh,
learned something about myself." That little 'something'? "Let me put it this way: I'm
a 2," she tweeted, referring to her gradation on the Kinsey Scale, indicating that she's
"predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual." In her own words:
"I said I *used* to identify as mostly straight. I've embraced the Bi/Queer label lately."
• HALSEY HITS BACK AT HATERS
Pop songstress Halsey has been been homeless, survived an overdose, and recently endured
a miscarriage. But her openness about her hardships has come back to bite her. ''The funniest
thing is that the biggest battle that I've had to overcome in my career was not being bisexual,
was not being biracial, was not being bipolar," Halsey told Rolling Stone. "It was everybody
thinking that I was exploiting those things:' But she's overcome her critics, crediting an incident
in high school when a topless photo intended for a boyfriend was stolen and circulated.
"Teachers saw it; everyone saw it. And suddenly, I was not the weird girl, I was the slut. I could
have recoiled and deflected my sexuality, but instead I was like, 'I'm going to own it now.' "
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
13
TRENDS/SHE
SAID
"No.
Never. Never.
This is shut down, and
closed for business."
Jane Lynch to Chelsea
Handler on the possibility
of marrying again
"I knew without
a doubt that Janaya, a
black transgender immigrant
born and raised in Toronto, was my
life partner. I also soon realized that part
of our destiny was not just a union through a
spiritual bond but through a legal one as well.
Together, we could challenge marriage as a
white, heteronormative,
religious construct. We
could build a new narrative steeped in the
intersections of black love."
#BlacklivesMatter cofounder
Patrisse Cullors in Esquire
14
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16 THE POLITICSOF BREATHING
20 EXPERTADVICE 0 N BREASTCARE
18
AWARENESS
IS JUST T
BEGINNI
POLITICS
ISSUES
------ ADVICE
»
SEP/OCT
201 6
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15
Taking
JJer
Breath
Away
Breast cancer is not the only chest disease claiming women's lives.
We talk about breast cancer all the time
in America. Pink ribbons flutter through
our lives-along with the scary statistic that
one in eight women will get the disease.
I've battled it myself. But how many of us
know that breast cancer isn't the leading
cause of cancer death for women?
The leading cause of cancer death
in women (and men) is that other chest
disease: lung cancer. According to the
American Lung Association, about 72,000
women die each year from lung cancer.
Only half as many, about 40,000 each
year, die from breast cancer.
So why aren't we hearing more about
lung cancer? There's a ribbon for it, but
it's see-through-invisible, like the disease
itself. Lung cancer patients are held
accountable for their illness because many
of them get it from smoking. Yet we know
that smoking is more addictive than junk
food, and just as no one wants to believe
being overweight will cause cancer, no
one really believes smoking will cause it,
either. What's more, younger women who
never smoked are getting lung cancer.
16
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2016
My mother died of lung cancer 13 years
ago. Even with an oxygen mask over her
delicate face, with the perfect, barely lined
skin that she always kept protected from
the sun, she was gasping for the air that
her lungs could no longer take in.
She was 25 years younger than her own
mother had been when she died. My sister
was with her at the end. I wasn't there
in the hospice wing for her last breath
because I had developed pneumonia a few
days before and was in a different hospital.
Six years after my mother's death I
was diagnosed with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. COPD is an umbrella
term to describe progressive lung diseases:
emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory
(nonreversible) asthma, and some forms of
bronchiectasis. According to the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), COPD causes
coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath,
and fatigue, among other symptoms.
COPD is a major cause of disability and the
third leading cause of death in the U.S.
According to the American Lung
Association (ALA), more than 12 million
ev v1cToR1A A. eRowNwoRTH
people have been diagnosed with COPD,
but an estimated 14 million more may have
the disease without even knowing it.
The ALA is succinct: Deaths resulting
from COPD in women are higher than in
men. More women get COPD than men.
Women's lungs are smaller than men's.
The ALA says this makes women "more
vulnerable than men to lung damage from
cigarette smoke and other pollutants."
In addition, as with many cancers and
autoimmune diseases, estrogen plays a
role in worsening lung disease, although it
is unclear why.
Sexism also plays a role in women's
hastened deaths from COPD, according to
the ALA: "Women are often misdiagnosed.
Because COPD has long been thought of
as a man's disease, many doctors still do
not expect to see it in women and miss the
proper diagnosis."
In June 2013, the ALA released the
report "Taking Her Breath Away: The Rise
of COPD in Women." Just as women are
never told that they are at greater risk of
contracting lung cancer than men are,
few women have even heard of COPD.
But data provided by two national surveys
conducted by the ALA-the
National
Health Interview Survey and the Behavioral
Risk Factor Surveillance Systems-show
an increasing rate of COPD in the U.S.,with
both male and female deaths increasing
since 1979.
The figures are worse for women.
Female deaths from COPD have more than
quadrupled since 1979. Approximately
18,000 women died from COPD in 1979. In
2014, the number had risen to 72,000.
I refer to COPD as lung cancer-lite. It is
and isn't cancer. It's progressive and it will
kill you. It can't be treated aggressively, like
lung cancer can. There is no radiation blast,
nor are there special chemotherapeutic
trials. There is no cure for COPD. There
are only nebulizers and aerosolizers and
the omnipresent sound of the oxygen
generator and the small crease on the side
of your face from sleeping with a cannulathat plastic tubing in your nose that loops
around each ear.
These numbers about lung cancer and
COPD are-or should be-scary. They are
for me. I survived breast cancer. My first
diagnosis was at 26. But as I write this, I
am hooked up to an oxygen generator,
and I must do four to six lung treatments
a day. In addition, I have to give myself a
shot in my abdomen {just as unpleasant as
it sounds) twice a day, injecting myself with
a blood thinner to help prevent another
round of the lung drama that nearly killed
me in May 2015: a pulmonary embolism.
I tire easily. I run out of air suddenly and
frighteningly. I cry briefly almost every day:
from pain, from exhaustion, from having
my life conscripted by an oxygen tank
and a plastic tube in my nose, and from
knowing that I will not recover, I will only
get worse. Life expectancy among women
with COPD is considerably shorter than for
other women.
Smoking is the leading cause of lung
cancer and COPD, but it is not the only
cause. I smoked one cigarette in my entire
life: out the bathroom window of my best
friend's house in the fifth grade, when her
mother was at work. I coughed wildly,
dropped the cigarette, and got us both in
trouble. I never smoked again.
But for years I was surrounded by
secondhand smoke. My parents were
chain-smokers and all their friends
smoked. I worked in bars and restaurants
throughout college and grad school, then
at newspapers (in the years when people
still smoked in offices), where I was the
only reporter in the newsroom who didn't
smoke. At night and on weekends I went
dancing in clubs-surrounded by smoke.
So I was smoking secondhand from the
time I was brought home from the hospital
till I was in my late 30s.
I had uncontrolled asthma as a child,
which periodically sent me to the ER. It
became uncontrolled again in the years
before my mother's death, and after
a collapsed lung and several bouts of
pneumonia, I was diagnosed with COPD.
The ALA and NIH admit they haven't
studied lung disease in women until a few
years ago. Women are also more prone
to pulmonary hypertension, and black
women are the most at risk. Autoimmune
diseases that impact women more than
men-notably
lupus, multiple sclerosis,
and Crohn's-all predispose women to
COPD, though the reasons are at present
unknown.
Asthma is also on the rise in America and
women are more likely to have asthma than
men. Black women are 47 percent more
likely to have asthma than white women.
According to the NIH, almost 65 percent
of those who die from asthma are women,
with black women having the highest
death rate. These alarming statistics mean
that women must be vigilant.
If you smoke, stop. If you have warning
signs-coughing,
wheezing, shortness
of breath, fatigue, swelling in the neck
or throat, frequent colds or respiratory
infections, coughing up-see a doctor
right away. Demand a full workup. We
should be able to breathe easily into our
80s unless there is a problem.
If you have asthma, make sure it's
controlled. Move around a lot if your job
keeps you tied to a computer. We tend to
breathe more shallowly when we sit, and
our circulation slows. The more your blood
is flowing and your lungs are being used to
full capacity, the better it is for your overall
health.
Most of all, don't ignore any warning
signs. We are our bodies' best advocates.
The more we care about and care for those
bodies, the more likely we are to live the
longest lives we can. Breathing easily all
the way.•
SIGN
UP
TODAY
ON
CURVEMAG.COM
Let's
Talk
About
Breasts
Breast health, that is,
and that means
mammograms.
BY CONNIE
18
CURVE
OLIVER
SEP/OCT
2016
In October, many across our nation
will again be "celebrating"
Breast
Cancer Awareness Month. It'll be a time
when the color pink is everywhere we
look-from the grocery store to the NFL
football field. We at Solis Mammography
applaud the many organizations that
commemorate this month, as they've
done a remarkable job bringing about
greater awareness to the horrific disease
that is breast cancer. However, with
that education, ironically, has come the
avoidance of mammography by many
women because they are afraid of the
"1 in 8" statistic so often cited regarding
the likelihood of getting breast cancer.
In fact, only 51 percent of women over
40 with health insurance get their
annual mammogram, according to the
Susan G. Komen Foundation. This is
disappointing on so many levels, but
especially considering nearly all private
insurance
carriers cover screening
mammograms at 100 percent, with no
co-pay, regardless of your deductible.
It's bad enough that 230,000 women
were diagnosed with breast cancer in the
United States in 2015 alone, but it's even
worse when you learn that-according
to
the American Cancer Society-women
in the LGBT community have a higher
rate of breast cancer than heterosexual
women. This may be because women
who haven't had children, haven't breastfed, haven't used oral contraceptives, or
are older when they first give birth, are at
a higher risk for breast cancer.
Whatever
the
reason,
medical
research clearly shows that annual
mammograms for women between the
ages of 40 and 64 are key, and that
the earlier a woman and her physician
discover a breast health issue, the
better her treatment options (potentially
minimizing or eliminating the more
invasive treatments). However, because
VIEWS/
LGBT women have been observed to
get less routine healthcare than other
women, including mammograms, the
risk for them becomes higher.
According to the American Cancer
Society, some reasons for the fewer
number of checkups with LGBT women
include:
• Lower rates of health insurance:
Many policies still do not cover
unmarried
partners.
This makes
it much harder for many women
in the community
to get quality
healthcare. (Note: many screening
facilities like Solis Mammography
have a value screening program
designed to give women without
insurance an opportunity to get their
annual screening mammogram at a
reduced fee.)
Discrimination or a fear of
discrimination: Many women are
afraid to tell their doctors about their
sexual orientation because they're
afraid it will affect their quality of care.
This makes it more difficult to develop
a comfortable
relationship with a
healthcare provider.
• Negative experiences:
Having
negative experiences with doctors or
other healthcare providers can result
in some women either putting off
routine checkups (like mammograms)
or even skipping them altogether.
Missing
these
tests,
and
the
opportunity for early detection, may
make it harder to treat and defeat the
disease.
II
ISS
MEDICAL RESEARCHCLEARLYSHOWS
THAT ANNUAL MAMMOGRAMS FOR
WOMEN BETWEENTHE AGES OF 40 AND 64
ARE KEY,AND THAT THE EARLIERA WOMAN
AND HER PHYSICIANDISCOVERA BREAST
HEALTH ISSUE,THE BETTERHER
II
TREATMENTOPTIONS
difference and, again, can mean not
only saving your life but also improving
your quality of life. With early detection
comes the possibility
of avoiding
chemotherapy,
radiation, surgery, or
other invasive treatments. While there
are no guarantees, one thing is certain:
mammograms are the closest thing we
have to a cure.
For those women younger than
50 who think they are too young for
mammograms,
take note: Of the
230,000 women in the U.S. diagnosed
with breast cancer in 2015, 22 percentthat's 50,000 women-were
under the
age of 50. We don't say this to scare
women, because fear is never a good
motivator. But we do want women to
understand the facts and to assume
responsibility
for their own health
and wellness through their annual
mammogram.
Simply put, we believe that breast
specialization and 3D mammography
offer the best quality results for your
mammogram. And, of course, we would
love to have you as a patient. But no
matter where you go, be sure to get it
done. It's just too important to ignore.
As LGBT-identified women continue
to find their voice, this same message
of
empowerment
needs
to
be
communicated
regarding preventative
health and wellness in every areaespecially breast health. Taking control
of your own wellness through regular
annual mammography-starting
at age
40-is another form of empowerment,
and one that may save your life.•
Ladies, let's face it. No one really
wants to get a mammogram. What
women really want to know is that they
are healthy and "all clear for another
year." For those who discover an issue,
early detection is key.
Think about early detection using this
simple food analogy. The average size
of a breast anomaly, when found by a
woman doing self-breast exams, is the
size of a walnut. The average size of an
anomaly when found in a woman who
gets regular annual mammograms is
the size of a pea. This is a remarkable
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
19
Better
Breast
Care
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while awareness
is important, so is action. We asked Dr. Marisa Weiss to weigh in
on how to prevent and deal with the disease.
SOME STUDIES CLAIM THAT GAY
WOMEN HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF
CONTRACTING
BREAST CANCER
THAN OTHER WOMEN. IS THAT
RESEARCH DOCUMENTED?
Yes, lesbians are at higher risk
of breast cancer because they are
more likely to have a combination
of risk factors, which together
are
associated with an elevated risk.
Lesbians are more likely to drink
alcohol, smoke, and be overweight
or obese. And, they are less likely to
have had the protective effects of a
full-term
pregnancy
and therefore
breastfeeding.
20
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2016
In addition,
access to optimal
care
can
be
suboptimal-since
they tend to have relatively
low
rates of health insurance, and they
may have less comfortable
and
trusting
relationships
with
their
healthcare providers, due to fear of
discrimination
and other negative
experiences
with
health
care
providers.
AS A DOCTOR, HOW DO YOU
TREAT PATIENTS WHO IDENTIFY AS
LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, OR QUEER?
Each patient's care is unique. It is
critical for me to understand
each
person's Full Life View: who is their
immediate
support
network,
what
matters most to them, what their
goals are, what their challenges are,
what is their personal style of making
decisions,
and how I can be most
helpful to them.
During this critical
conversation,
each
person
should
feel
heard,
respected, and not judged for who
she uniquely is, but free and confident
to introduce or mention her partner
and her sexual orientation.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CAUSES OF
BREAST CANCER?
There are many risk factors for
breast cancer. While the top risk
factors
are unchangeable:
being
a woman, aging, having a strong
family
history,
or inheriting
a
genetic
mutation,
many of the
"major" risk factors are modifiable.
These include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Being overweight
Being physically inactive
Drinking 3+ alcoholic
beverages a week
Smoking
Eating too much animal
protein, eating processed
food without enough fruits
and vegetables
Using combined HRT
(estrogen/progestin)
for
menopause
Having excess radiation
exposure as a girl or young
woman
Not breastfeeding
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EVERYDAY
THINGS WE CAN DO TO PREVENT
BREAST CANCER?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
8
Get to a healthy weight and
stick to it
Get regular exercise: 3-4
hours per week, 5-7 is better
Limit alcohol use to 3 or
fewer drinks per week
Don't smoke
Eat mostly a vegetarianbased diet
Avoid combined
postmenopausal
HRT
Avoid unnecessary radiation,
especially as a girl or young
woman
If you're a mother, breastfeed
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR THE
WOMAN
WHOSE
PARTNER OR
SPOUSE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED
WITH BREAST CANCER?
The role of the partner
and
spouse is so important,
especially
your ability to be there, to listen
and to respond
to her concerns
as she experiences
them, without
being
j udg menta I,
dismissive,
or only
looking
at it through
your own lens. Continue
to enjoy
shared activities,
like having meals
together,
hanging out with friends
and family,
watching
a movie,
taking a walk, cooking,
shopping,
and just
chilling
out.
Intimacy
can be achieved
in many ways,
not just sexually:
try snuggling,
sharing
personal
stories
and
jokes,
having
romantic
dinners,
getting a massage, and having new
adventures.
Explore
mi ndf u I ness together:
learn how to be even more present,
aware, and open to each other's
thoughts
and feelings.
WHAT IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST
WAY WOMEN CAN CHECK FOR
AND DETECT BREAST CANCER?
Start
having
annual
digital
ma m mog ra phy at the age of 40.
If you are at higher than average
risk, for example,
if you have a
strong family history, a known BC
gene abnormality,
a history of prior
breast cancer, or if you have had
chest area radiation
as a girl or
young woman for Hodgkins disease,
talk
to your
doctor
regarding
starting screening
earlier than age
40, and using additional
imaging
tools, like ultrasound
and MRI.
Perform
breast
self-exams
on
a regular basis, once your period
is over.
Or if you're
beyond
menopause, at the end or beginning
of each month. Have your doctor
do a careful
breast exam during
your
regular
checkups.
And,
if
you see or feel anything
new that
concerns you-like
a bloody nipple
discharge,
a new persistent
lump
or area
of thickening,
overall
breast enlargement,
new rash or
swelling-then
seek
eva I uation
with a doctor
who has expertise
in breast care.
LESBIANS
ARE AT A
HIGHER RISK
OF BREAST
CANCER
BECAUSE
THEY ARE
MORE LIKELY
TO HAVE A
COMBINATION
OF RISK
FACTORS...
For more from Dr. Weiss go to
breastcancer.org
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
21
GOING
WILDIN
COSTA
RICA
SO~TH
AFRICA
RIO
OtJAN
tiRO
24A MUSICAL JOURNEY
26SAVINGSEALSON SCREEN
28TRANS FEMINISM FORALL
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
23
-ROLLING
WITH
IT
MUSIC»
As a 'half-Jewish white girl,' Sarah Dashew is building bridges with music. BYKELLY
McCARTNEY
S
omewhere
between
sailing
around the world as a child
and living in Austin, Texas, as
an adult, Sarah Dashew found
her musical voice. And, as evidenced by her latest album, Roll Like
a Wheel, that voice draws its inspiration from many sources. "I started
singing in a gospel choir in college,"
Dashew says about her earliest influential experiences. "And, growing
up sailing, you're in the Solomon Islands, and you row ashore, and all of
a sudden 20 different people come
out with all these instruments you've
never seen and start singing in perfect five-part harmony that is noth-
24
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2016
ing you would ever hear, and you're
six years old, absorbing it," she says.
"Then, your dad gets to choose dishwashing music and it's Janis Joplin."
She laughs, adding, "I'm imprinted, obviously, with a lot of different
sounds. They start to combine and
turn into their own thing at different
times in your life, depending on what
you're doing. I think it turns out that
I'm old enough now to understand
that who I am and what I sound like
is who I am and what I sound likeand it's OK."
Allowing
all those disparate
artistic impressions to collide, as she
does on Roll Like a Wheel, may seem
counterintuitive,
but Dashew doesn't
see it that way. "That was what was
fun," she insists. "Maybe I'm a little
na·1ve, but I feel that the different
sounds colliding
are the thread of
continuity
for the record. It's chaos
and control. There's a way in which,
I think, structure gives you a lot of
freedom-which
also sounds kind of
counterintuitive.
But there it is."
Really, so much of Dashew's life
has consisted
of counterintuitive
collisions.
She was born in Los Angeles in a hospital that became the
Church of Scientology headquarters.
When she was 4 the family began a
seven-year adventure sailing around
REVIEWS/
the world, spending
one of those
years building a boat in Cape Town,
South Africa, during apartheid. "My
parents took it as an opportunity
to
teach us about integration,"
Dashew
recalls. "We were having a launch
party at the Cape Town Yacht Club.
They said, 'Whites only.' Dad said,
'Absolutely
not. We're having the
whole boat crew.' But, then, the boat
crew was scared to go. So we chartered a bus and all rode it together,
and had a great time-and
a barbeque."
The inevitable comparisons to Paul
Simon's Graceland that her record
will attract aren't off the mark. Dashew came by those influences honestly-and
directly from the source.
"I heard a lot of music in South Africa
that I loved," she says. "But Graceland
was the only album cover I ever hung
on my wall. I loved Ladysmith Black
Mambazo, and I also loved doo-wop.
And, as a half-Jewish white girl, I also
sang in a black Pentecostal gospel
choir."
Counterintuitive
collisions
strike again.
And now, as luck would have it,
Dashew again lives in Los Angeles,
this time with a new wife and a new
record. "Being gay doesn't precede
me," she offers. "Maybe I'm lucky
because I live in this day and age,
where it doesn't have to be my political identity. It just happens to be
that my partner is a woman. I want
to be allowed to be who I am and not
have it be a big deal and not worry
about who will or won't know-but
I
also don't need it to be the topic of
conversation."
She continues, "Maybe I'm sort of
a Pollyanna, but I've always been an
optimist. I love what I do, so I do it. I
figure out a way to make it work. And
there's such an enormous need in the
world for something
that helps us
feel. Selfishly, I do it because it gives
me a chance to work through what I
need to work through and feel what
I need to feel. Hopefully, it affects
a few other folks at the same time."
(sarahdashew.com)
•
-
SARAH
DASHEW
MUSIC
The long mission to protect baby seals is now documented in a groundbreaking film.
BY KERRY BRANON
P
ristine white ice. Baby seals crying.
The smell of boat diesel. Gunshots.
The crack of clubs. Pools of red
ice. Helicopter blades thumping
overhead. Cameras snapping, rapid-fire. Ice
breaking in frigid waters too cold for human
survival. The stakes are high for both the
hunters and the watchers-get the shot and
get out. One group leaves with fur pelts, the
other with evocative images.
This is Huntwatch. Twelve years ago, I
saw a seal hunt on video for the first time.
The footage was so shocking, so real, that it
seemed like I was on the ice right alongside
the vulnerable baby seals. Heartbroken,
sick to my stomach, I vowed never to watch
that gruesome hunt again.
The commercial hunt for baby harp seals
in Atlantic Canada has been ongoing for
26
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2016
centuries. Traditionally, seal oil was used to
light lamps, and seal fur kept people warm
in harsh climates. Today, there doesn't
seem to be much use for seal products, but
government subsidies prop up the industry
and keep it going.
The good news is that the scale of
the slaughter has seriously diminished. I
remember a three-year span in the early
2000s in which a million seals were killed.
A Canadian Department of Fisheries and
Oceans representative who wanted to
eradicate the entire population famously
said, "The more they kill, the better I will
love it."
Setting emotions aside, this mentality
contradicts every conservation principle.
Fortunately, the markets have dried up
since then, with an EU-wide ban on the
importation of seal products leading the
way. Last year, 35,000 seals were killed,
compared to an average of 350,000 in
previous years.
The hunt takes place in an incredibly
remote area off the Atlantic coast of
Canada. You need helicopters, survival
suits, daily permits, stable ice, and a fresh
supply of courage to get there, and longrange cameras to capture what you see.
My colleagues at the International Fund for
Animal Welfare (IFAW)had been monitoring
and documenting the hunt for 50 years to
show officials that what they saw wasn't
humane; the ultimate goal was to end
it altogether. Their efforts were dubbed
"Huntwatch;' which later became the title
of our film.
Sheryl Fink is the modern-day Seal
REVIEWS/
Campaign director and the female star of
the film. You'll see her as the lone woman
in this testosterone-driven environment,
fearlessly trudging over unstable ice floes
with only a wooden staff in her hand to
test the ice, and a camera around her neck,
while hunters around her wield guns, clubs,
and knives.
When I check in to see how she felt about
putting herself in this kind of danger, she
says, "I didn't notice. I knew my team always
had my back:'
She tells the story of sealers driving an
ATV directly at her as they were hauling
away a trailer full of bloody fur pelts. Was
she scared?
"No-in hindsight, maybe I should have
been, but I just stood there with my arms
crossed and stared at them:'
It's this quiet bravery, persistence, and
heart that were the inspiration for our
documentary.
It wasn't until 2008 that I found the
archival footage from which the film
could grow. Looking through IFAW'svideo
archives in London, I came across a hidden
gem. There was an old movie featuring our
founder, Brian Davies,back in the '70s, flying
helicopters (in his aviator glasses), diving
under frozen ice, and fighting the political
system, all to save baby seals. And this was
just "the tip of the iceberg"; eventually, I
found 40+ years of similar footage to pull
from. Looking deeper, I found tales of
death threats, spy tactics, knife attacks, and
wrecked helicopters. Tirelessly fighting for
the seals, Brian Davies devoted his life to
ending the hunt.
His story is IFAW's founding storythe birth of the modern animal welfare
movement-and it needs to be shared with
the world. In the course of discovering this
story, my own thinking evolved from "I can't
watch this" to "everyone needs to see this:' I
knew that I was going to find a way to make
a feature film.
After six years of research, negotiating,
traveling,
editing,
interviewing,
and
persistence, Huntwatch was born. As
the primary producer and the production
manager, my job was to manage the story,
conduct interviews, sort logistics, and keep
the project on time and on budget. This was
also my first experience of working on a
feature film, and it wasn't always easy.There
were many ups and downs and the project
almost stopped completely many times.
Inspired by the tenacity of Brian Davies and
Sheryl Fink, I never gave up.
During filming, we split into two teams,
one focused on the political firestorm in
Europe, and one capturing the sealing
communities
of Newfoundland. The
main objective was to tell an honest story
presenting both sides of the argument.
Realizing that they were just guys trying
to earn a few dollars, I never felt animosity
toward the seal hunters themselvesrather, I saw it as a political issue. Despite
my personal views, after five decades of
conflict, some bridges have ultimately been
burned between animal welfare activists
and seal hunters.
Gaining the sealers' perspective proved
to be impossible for our team. No amount
of research, emails, or phone calls, no
attempts to form a personal connection,
gave us the access we needed; we were
stonewalled. A memo had been sent by a
sealers' association alerting everyone to
our project and encouraging them not to
cooperate. Of course, no one would talk
to us on camera. We were forced to pull
the hunters' perspective from archival
footage and sought additional balance by
interviewing pro-sealing politicians and a
fur trader.
Another huge challenge was connecting
with Brian Davies. He had left the
organization long before I joined, so we
never had the opportunity to work together.
Naturally, it took some time to build our
relationship to the point where I could
spend time interviewing him in his homeand we could share delicious meals that my
spouse Lisa had prepared for us.
If I hadn't persisted beyond his first and
second "no;' this movie wouldn't exist,
FILM
and he wouldn't have come back into the
organization to meet the more than 100
employees who, inspired by his initial
"Save the Seals" campaign in the late '60s,
continue to rescue and protect animals
around the world today. His return to the
organization created excitement about our
project, and give it the momentum that we
needed to get past the finish line. It was a
wonderful evolution for Brian, for me, for
Huntwatch, and for IFAW.
What's next? It takes decades to
win a campaign and the same grit and
determination to document it. We're
very near to witnessing the end of the
commercial seal hunt, and are now at
the beginning stages of saving elephants
from the ivory trade. It will take the same
creativity, tenacity, and bravery to get the
job done, but I believe it's possible. In a
few more years, I expect that we'll see
large-scale, innovative solutions employed
to stop poachers before they kill, leaving
elephants free to roam the savannah with
their families. You might also find that
story in an IFAW elephant documentary,
available on your favorite digital platform or
TV channel.
Huntwatch is narrated by the Canadian
actor Ryan Reynolds and details the 50year battle between hunters who have
their sights set on the seals and activists
who are watching through their camera
lenses, attempting to save the seals as they
struggle to survive.
Tune in to the DiscoveryChannel at 10
p.m. on Thursday,September 22 to see
the televisionpremiere of this awardwinning film. For more informationvisit
huntwatchthefilm.com.
I
n 2007, when Julia Serano's Whipping
Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism
and the Scapegoating of Femininity
was published, there was no trans visibility in mainstream culture. Nearly a decade later, upon the book's reissue, trans
visibility and issue awareness have reached
a cultural apex, thanks to media and entertainment figures like Caitlyn Jenner, Janet
Mock, and Laverne Cox. No one, especially
bisexual trans activist and author Serano,
could have imagined such progress for the
trans community. It is for this reason that
Seal Press published a second edition of
the acclaimed trans-feminist book.
Named No. 16 on Ms. magazine's list of
"100 Best Non-Fiction Books of All Time;'
Whipping Girl is one part theory, one part
cultural studies, and one part personal
essay that argues for a stronger coalition
between feminists and trans activists. Back
in 2007, long before the current iteration of
feminism, Serano contended that we needed a new definition of feminism, one that
was inclusive of all genders.
There is an undeniable rift between oldschool feminists-Germaine Greer, for example-and the trans community. While it
would be easy to call this rift generational, Serano suggests other differences are
at the heart of it: "I think that there are a
lot of younger trans-exclusionary radical
feminists. I would say [the rift] is more
philosophical than anything else. If you're
entrenched in the idea that sexism is solely encapsulated by the notion that 'men
are the oppressors and women the oppressed' -if you have that worldview-then
you'll be a lot more inclined to be suspicious of trans people, as well as other various groups, the femme movement or the
sex workers' rights, for example:'
In Whipping Girl, Serano also scrutinizes how misogynistic attacks on femininity
similarly affect trans women. "For those of
us who move through the world and who
'pass' as cisgender women;' Serano explains, "I would say that a lot of the sexism I
face since I transitioned is very similar if not
identical to what cisgender women face,
because people treat me as though I'm a
cisgender woman." Misogyny for both cisgender and trans women stems from how
well society reads them as conforming to
culturally accepted gender codes.
AMANIFESTO
FOR
ALL
Bisexual trans activist and author Julia
Serano wants to make feminism inclusive.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
28
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2016
REVIEWS/
But many trans women experience an
added layer of misogyny in the form of fetishization. Those who do not "pass" face a
form of misogyny driven by transphobia,
which Serano calls transmisogyny. "Trans
women are sexualized in certain ways in
our society, where we're seen especially as
sexually promiscuous, or that we transition
for sexual reasons. There's also the fact that
as soon as people know I am trans, there's
the possibility that they will decide to not
take my identity seriously. In the book, I talk
about transmisogyny as being the intersection of transphobia and misogyny, and I
think those are always at play when people
try to undermine me, if they find out I am a
trans woman:'
While grateful for the visibility provided by figures like Jenner, Serano believes
that the media needs to more thoughtfully
consider and represent women, whether
cisgender or transgender, who are not paragons of femininity. "Completely absent is
any discussion about the average person's
gender expectations-the way in which
they are very binary, the way in which we
view men and women as completely different, and the way in which we encourage
people to be gender-conforming and discourage people who are gender-nonconforming. These seemingly minor events,"
she concludes, "are the root cause for the
reason that trans people face so much discrimination in society."
She attributes the broad and rapid
change in trans visibility to technology,
which she also credits with helping isolated
queer kids to connect with one another for
support and community. "When I was a kid,
going through what I was going through, I
went to my local public library and couldn't
find any books. At my college, there were
three psychology books that were awful
and only one trans memoir ... Nowadays,
people who are gender-questioning can
just get on the Internet and immediately
have access to information and to organizations that can help create online communities:' When she was young, she says,
"Trans communities were very much characterized by isolation. Today we are able
to find one another and organize with one
another in ways that just weren't possible
at the time."
While there is some discussion about the
inclusion of the T in LGBT,statistically, it's
the B-bisexuals-who are the largest percentage of the LGBT community, and are
erased and disrespected by the community. Serano feels that "the T has leapfrogged
over the B, insofar as there are a lot of conversations about trans issues, whereas bisexuality is still seen as suspect within the
queer community, and this sentiment isn't
really much different from what it was 10
years ago:'
Serano herself now identifies as bi; a
decade ago, she split from her female partner, with whom she was in a monogamous
relationship, and began to explore her attraction to men. "I know that for a lot of cisgender women who identify as lesbian for
a long time and then start coming to terms
with their attraction to men, it can be really
difficult to come to terms with identifying
as bisexual. For me, I felt it was another way
in which I didn't neatly fit into queer women's communities:'
She believes that the first step in making
bisexuals feel accepted is to acknowledge
that they exist; trite generalities like "bisexuality is just a phase" are myths that perpetuate bigotry. But when pressed on how to
make bisexuality visible without any verbal
declaration, Serano agrees that it is challenging to do so, yet says that to counter
biphobia we must collectively resist placing people in the binary of "straight or gay:'
There is a tendency to make assumptions
about a person's sexual preference based
on the gender of their partner, rather than
on their own chosen sexual orientation.
"I think that dichotomy inherently erases
people who are bisexual," says Serano. "It is
a binary that we don't talk about as much as
we do the gender binary, but it is out there
and it does do work erasing people who
have non-monosexual sexualities:'
At the same time, there is an increasingly
prevalent concern within the queer community about "lesbian erasure." Serano herself perceives that "the word 'lesbian' right
now is in the same space as 'bisexual' in the
larger community:' They exist on the margins of the larger LGBTcommunity.
Having gone from identifying as lesbian to identifying as bisexual, Serano offers
her thoughts on this concern. "I am well
aware of people who suggest that their
lesbian identity, especially butch identity,
BOOKS
is disappearing-that there are all these
young people who might have identified
as lesbian but who now identify as trans,
or who have chosen to transition now but
would've been lesbian in the past. I think
that in different periods in time there are
different options for people," she says. "A
lot of queer women who were of my Gen
X cohort definitely went out of their way to
identify as 'queer' or 'dyke' as a way to create some generational distance between
themselves and the previous generations,
who maybe held some beliefs that the
younger generation didn't ascribe to:' But
for Serano, the notion of "lesbian erasure"
is born out of fear and mourning, a sense of
loss. Instead, she sees this erasure as "just
an evolution in identity labels:'
For Serano, the debates-about which
letters we include in our acronym, about the
community's power hierarchies, its fears
and failures-point to a greater need for
the entire queer community to have "more
conversations about our history." There is
a tendency to erase history, and therefore
to erase identities, in order to make room
for what are perceived as more progressive ideas and identities. Serano disagrees
with this revisionism. An "overwhelming
majority of us don't have the experience of
growing up in our own communities," she
says. "We need to find ways to recognize
problems that happened in history without
necessarily condemning everything that
happened in the past ... It's really easy in
retrospect to look at those movements and
events of the past and say today that they
missed the boat, when in fact a lot of the
things they did were important."
(juliaserano.com) •
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
29
SHAKEN
TO
THE
CORE
Kate is the only child of a very wealthy
family. Giuliana is a young immigrant
from Sicily. The two become friendsthen a devastating earthquake hits San
Francisco and changes everything.
BY JAE
30
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
REV1Ews1SHORTSTORY
K
ate pulled her arm back and furiously beat at the glowing embers
that blew over from the burning
houses next door. A few drops of
hot wine from the soaked towel splashed
onto her hand. "Ouch! Dang." She shook
her fingers for a moment before continuing to swing the towel.
Papery pieces of ash and showers of cinders, some as big as dollar coins, swirled
around her. She flinched every time one of
them landed on her, but there was no time
to do more than shake them off.
Above her, Luigi kicked burning shingles
off the roof, adding to the sparks that she
had to put out.
The acrid smell of melting paint and
charred human flesh stabbed at her nose,
making her gag. She would have breathed
through her mouth, but her throat was raw
from the smoke already. Even swallowing hurt. The hot air made her eyes swell
shut until she was squinting at the sparks
through mere slits.
A hundred times, she wanted to just
drop the towel and rest her aching arm
and shoulder-or, better yet, run down the
street toward where the air was cooler and
she'd be able to breathe.
One of the neighbors and his family had
given up and retreated, surrendering their
home to the fire.
But Giuliana wasn't giving up, so neither
was she. Helping a fellow Sicilian was important to Giuliana. If Kate could help her
with that, she would keep going, even
though her arm felt as if it would fall off any
second.
Every now and then, she glanced up the
street to make sure her camera was still
safe, with no flames anywhere near the carrying case.
After what could have been thirty minutes or many hours, the wind turned and
blew the sparks from the other buildings
away from them.
Two more lashes at a glowing cinder that
had landed on the top step and the danger
on her side of the house seemed eliminated, at least for now.
With her hands on her knees, Kate bent
over and gulped in lungfuls of air, ignoring
the burning in her throat. She groaned as
she straightened. Every muscle in her body
was already beginning to stiffen up. Moving
like an old woman, she walked around to
Giuliana's side of the house.
Giuliana was still lashing out at the blistered wall even though there were no
flames and no glowing embers on that
part of the building either. She apparently
hadn't yet realized that the immediate danger was over.
Kate hurried toward her. "Giuliana! Stop.
It's over. We did it!"
Giuliana's hand with the towel dropped
down. She stared at the house, then turned
and blinked at Kate. Slowly, her heat-swollen lips formed a huge smile, her teeth
gleaming against her soot-stained face.
"We did it:' It sounded dazed, as if she
couldn't believe it. A moment later, she repeated it with more certainty and joy in her
voice. "We did it, Kate!"
"Yes, we sure did." Elation swept through
Kate, burning just as brightly as the fires
had.
Both started to move at the same time,
rushing toward each other and coming
together in a firm embrace. The impact
made Kate stumble back a step. She
wrapped both arms around Giuliana, swept
her off her feet, and-aching muscles be
damned-twirled her around.
Giuliana threw her head back, her hair
trailing in a circle behind her, and let out a
loud laugh.
When they came to a halt, they both
swayed and clutched each other.
"We did it:' Kate's voice was a breathless
whisper.
Despite Giuliana's blackened clothes,
dirty face, and swollen eyes, she was the
most beautiful thing Kate had ever seen.
Before Kate could think about it, she bent
her head and pressed her lips to Giuliana's
in an exuberant yet tender kiss.
Giuliana flinched back.
Kate froze. Oh Lord, what have I done?
"I'm so sorry. I didn't... I don't..." She held
out her hands toward Giuliana but then
quickly withdrew them, not wanting to see
Giuliana flinch back from her again. "This
was just..:'
"Kate ..."
"The fire and everything ... It must have
clouded my thinking or something:'
"Kate!"
"You have to believe me. I really-"
Giuliana's hands, one of them bandaged,
the other reddened by the heat, grabbed
the front of Kate's shirtwaist and shook her
gently. "Stop. Stop and listen."
Kate hung in her grip like a limp puppy.
Her gaze darted around. The neighbors
were fighting to save their house, not paying them any attention. At least no one
had seen her kiss Giuliana. She studied the
blackened ground beneath her feet, but as
the silence continued, she dared to peek
up. "I'm listening."
"I ..." Giuliana shuffled her ash-covered
feet. Her mouth moved as if she was preparing to form words, but none came out.
She rubbed her cheeks with both hands,
smearing her face with even more soot,
and muttered something in Sicilian. Finally, she went very still and just looked at
Kate for a moment.
They stared at each other.
Then Giuliana pulled Kate down and
kissed her. It wasn't the peck to the cheek
that she'd given Lucy when they'd said
good-bye. It was a caress of Giuliana's lips
against Kate's. The gentle pressure on her
swollen, chapped lips stung a little, giving her a good idea of why Giuliana had
flinched back. To Kate, it was the sweetest pain she'd ever felt.
Giuliana's fingers fanned out to cover
Kate's shoulders, keeping them pressed
together a little longer.
A warmth more intense than anything
Kate had felt while fighting the fire spread
through her body. Her legs started to
tremble. She clutched Giuliana's shoulders to stay upright.
A loud scraping across the roof made
them jump apart-and not a second too
soon. With a loud thump, Luigi landed
next to them.
Kate stood, one hand pressed to her
mouth, where she could still feel Giuliana's lips, and stared at her.
Luigi swept them both up into a big
hug. "Oh, thank you, thank you! You
saved my house. Grazii, grazii!" He kissed
both of their cheeks with loud, smacking sounds. His mustache tickled Kate's
cheek, but she felt it as if through several
layers of clothing. All her senses were still
focused on the way Giuliana's lips had felt
against her own.
She kissed me. She kissed me! Oh
sweet Lord, she kissed me! Me! When Luigi let go of Kate, her knees gave in. She
plopped down onto the still-hot cobblestones.•
Shaken to the Core is now available from
YLVAPublishing.
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
31
The culinary pioneer has started a new chapter in her exciting career.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
E
lizabeth Falkner is a lesbian polymath: She's an expert in fine arts
and martial arts; she has run businesses, written books, and appeared on countless cooking TV
shows; and most recently, she's mastered
scuba diving and running. But you probably know her best as a chef-she reached
culinary rockstar status when she owned
two wildly successful, award-winning San
Francisco restaurants at the height of the
American food boom.
Falkner effectively lost both restaurants
as a result of the Great Recession; she also
lost a relationship, and after calling San
Francisco home for 25 years she moved
to New York in 2012 to start afresh. "I just
wanted to be a chef, I didn't want to be a
restaurant owner;' she tells me. So she
opened two restaurants for other restaurateurs, but mostly focused on writing a
memoir. "It's actually been nice for me to
step out from behind the line, and from
managing so many people, and do other
things that I'm really good at:'
32
CURVE
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2016
Her up-front manner has made her good
at something else: being a spokesperson
for the common but often overlooked disease from which she herself suffers: moderate to extreme atopic dermatitis (AD).
While achieving 20 years of success, Falkner has suffered from this skin condition,
which takes the form of painful and itchy
rashes and lesions. The condition runs in
Falkner's family, so she doesn't think her
drive or her strong work ethic are to blame
for the disease-although she will say that
the environment of the kitchen and the
stresses of the job don't help.
"It's something I've had to wrestle with,
particularly in the restaurant world, where
I've had really horrible, painful rashes on my
lower legs and especially on my hands, and
I don't think that it's because of my drive. I
think, thank goodness, I've had the drive to
do things to manage AD, and at the same
time not let it stop me. That's how I can
actually help people who also have atopic
dermatitis:'
Falkner was diagnosed when she was
30, after she developed painful rashes on
her lower legs. "I thought they were shin
guard rashes, because I used to play a lot
of soccer," she says. It's hard to imagine the
sensation of AD unless you suffer from it,
says Falkner, but she describes it as "having a bunch of little volcanoes beneath
your skin. They kind of ooze and scab and
you scratch them and it gets worse when
you scratch:'
At the time of her diagnosis, her doctor
gave her topical ointments, none of which
worked. Busy running her first restaurant,
Falkner tried all different kinds of over-thecounter lotions. Though she has yet to locate the triggers that cause the condition
to flare up or subside, she has noticed
that physical activity such as running and
yoga, combined with acupuncture, calm
her mind and her body, including her skin.
One of the reasons she's joined the Understand AD campaign (understandAD.com)
is to work with doctors to unveil the latest
science pertaining to the disease, bring
awareness to it, and give support to suffer-
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"I'm happy to share my story because I
think there are a lot of people who are suffering with it, who are afraid to go outside,
afraid to go on dates, afraid to do job interviews, because they don't want to be discriminated against. It's definitely affected
my life, it's been very painful, and I've also
had to explain it to different partners in my
life, and to the public. When I have it on my
hands it's the most difficult, because I use
my hands all the time in the kitchen and I
have to figure out how to hide it. Luckily,
I've never had it on my face, or I probably
wouldn't have taken on television;' she
laughs good naturedly.
She's been a regular on numerous competitive reality shows over the past decade, and recalls being judged on camera,
standing there surreptitiously scratching
her itchy leg with her shoe, hoping no one
would notice. "I'm sure sometimes I've
looked like a very twitchy, freaked-out person;' she laughs. "I've not let it stop me, but
I don't want other people to have to suffer,
and I know that people are suffering. I'm
happy to get the conversation going."
Coming out as a sufferer of AD has not
been difficult, says Falkner, nor was coming
out as gay. What has given Falkner more
trouble is her image-she'd like to change
the impression that she's solely a dessert
chef. In actuality, she can cook anything,
from desserts to savory dishes, from pastries to pizza (she was the first American to
win the "Freestyle" category of the World
Pizza Championship in Naples, Italy, in
2012). But she acknowledges that she will
probably go down in culinary history as
the chef who demolished conventional
desserts and made them exciting-and put
paid to the notion that women could only
be pastry chefs and not executive chefs, let
alone branch out and run their own restaurants. It's commonplace now, but when
Falkner did it, it was almost unheard of.
"I've always said, 'What else can I do?' I'm a
game changer:'
Falkner turned 50 in February, and she is
currently pursuing the archetype of the athlete. "Being a chef is tough. You need to be
physically fit. Instead of admiring the generation of rockstar chefs, I wish that people would want to be more like an athlete,
maintaining and taking care of your body
and whatever ails you," she says. "Somewhere I got the message that we could
deal with a lot more and perform better
34
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
if we were more mindful of what we were
eating-and were getting some exercise."
To celebrate her birthday, Falkner gained
her scuba diving certification and is training for the New York City Marathon, which
she will run in November. She encourages
folks to change their mindset about food as
consumption.
"Food is so many different languages,"
says Falkner. "It's diversity. We don't need
to try to dumb everything down. There's so
many ways we can be looking at food in a
completely different light-what it's doing
for us, what it's doing for the planet. I've
been through two decades of people constantly talking about pork and all the things
that we can do with it. And I'm thinking,
'What's wrong with everybody?' I love my
friend Amanda Cohen [of Dirt Candy fame],
who shows us all the cool things we can do
with vegetables:'
CHEF
FALKNER'S
FITNESS
TIP:
ElizabethFalkneris a certified trainer in
Jungshin,a form of martial arts that she
learned from Jungshin Fitnessowner
Annika Kahn,and which she practices
regularly."It's a really cool workout that I
After her involvement with the Understanding AD campaign, Falkner hopes
to pursue her food advocacy work, "educating people about how much food
we're wasting in this country," and polish
her memoir for publication. She's also
returning to her fine arts background,
working on a food installation immersion
theater piece, which she hopes to open
in New York. But maybe one day, if we're
lucky, Falkner will open another restaurant. In her 20s, when she was in school,
she worked in the first Williams-Sonoma
store in San Francisco. "Julia Child and
her sister, and Marian Cunningham, and
all these legendary food people would
come into the store," recalls Falkner. "We
had a professional kitchen in there and
my boss would say, 'Elizabeth, go back
there and cook stuff, you're good at it.' "
(elizabethfalkner.com) •
discovered while living in San Francisco.
You use a wooden sword and do all of
these movements that bring up your heart
rate, releaseyour lymphatic system, and
expel toxins from your system:'
40
MELODIOUS MODEL
42 OF COMING OUT AN D CLOSETS
441N THE SWIM OF THINGS
36
ACTIVEWEAR
GETS EDGY
FASHION
IDENTITY
BEAUTY
»
>>
Trend alert: Athleisure
wear is here.
BY ANITA DOLCE VITA
CHROMAT
(NEWYORKCITY)
This high-end, luxury label was
formed by queer designer Becca
McCharen in 2010. McCharen
has designed garments for Taylor
Swift, Madonna (2012 MDNA
World Tour), and Beyonce (2014
MTV VMA Performance, Mrs.
Carter Show World Tour, and
Super Bowl XLVII halftime show),
and Nicki Minaj (2011 Femme
Fatale World Tour), just to name
a few of Chromat's impressive
list of celebrity clients. In 2014,
McCharen made the Forbes "30
Under 30: Art and Style" list.
(chromat.co)
STYLE/
SEP/OCT
ACTIVEWE
2016
CURVE
37
STYLE/
ACTIVEWE
STUZO
(LOSANGELES)
Owned and operated by QPOC
couple Stoney Michelli and Uzo
Ejikeme, Stuzo Clothing is a line
of affordable, genderless, laidback Cali street style. Stuzo
has been worn by androgynous
model Madison Paige, Kiyomi
Mccloskey of Hunter Valentine
and The Real L Word, and rapper
and choreographer Lady Cultura.
Stuzo only produces a few pieces
per design in order to provide
quality, limited edition products.
(stuzoclothing.com)
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
39
Paige takes her guitar with her wherever she travels, even
to modeling gigs, which helps explain the effortless synergy
between her sound and her personal style. She is a selfdescribed unapologetic, badass tomboy who dresses for
no one but herself. Her confidence has led to commercial
success as a gender-fluid supermodel in a fashion world
where there is little space for female masculinity. It has also
translated into a raw sound that embodies her femininemasculine energies so perfectly reflected in the fishnet
stockings and combat boots she dons.
Beyond business, Paige spends her free time
skateboarding and is a movie buff. Among her favorites
flicks are The Breakfast Club, Boondock Saints, A Clockwork
Orange, and Snatch. Paige also leverages her celebrity
status to create positive social change. She recently
competed at SPiN New York's second annual Model Citizen
Party, a supermodel ping-pong tournament for charity.
Paige battled it out on the tables to help raise money to
support the international humanitarian aid organization
Save the Children. (@MadisonPaige)
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
41
Coming out of the closet,
from the outside in.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
When Dawn Waters came
out, one of the first things
she did was fill her closet
with low-top Chuck Taylors
in a rainbow of colors. The
fashion choice made sense to
her because it made her feel
comfortable. And considering
how
uncomfortable
her
coming out experience was,
the smallest details-down
to
the style of her shoes-made
all the difference.
STYLE/
Waters, a Detroit native, didn't have the
luxury of coming out as a teenager. She
didn't come out in her 20s. She came
out "just shy of" 40, with three kids and a
husband, and a straight life that didn't fit
anymore. What happened afterward was
a whirlwind of epic proportions. Once the
dust settled, Waters, now 45, decided to
boldly share her experience in her memoir,
Switching Teams.
"I never imagined at the age of forty I
would be divorced, raising three children,
living in a rental house, and embracing life
as a lesbian;' Waters writes in the opening
sentence. She goes credits her sense of humor with helping her get through it all, then
takes the reader into the deepest caverns
of her heart.
Switching Teams has nothing to do with
sports, although Waters studied sports administration and coaches youth sports. It
focuses, instead, on the emotional turmoil
and upheaval she faced in the midst of a
life-altering event. Her nonlinear approach
to the narrative was intentional.
"I chose to do that consciously, because
for me to have it be authentic, I was such
a giant ball of emotions;' she explains. "If I
had to put one word on what the whole experience entailed, it would be 'emotional:
And that's what it reflects."
Waters adds that her goal in writing the
book was to put something out there that
would be relatable, because she had been
searching for just such a resource herself
while she was going through the process of
ending her old life and starting a new one.
Waters turned to books for support, but she
couldn't find anything that captured what
she was going through.
"My goal was for someone to read to the
story and say, 'OK, I'm not alone: You can
basically substitute any huge life change in
there and the stress and emotions would
probably be very similar. I didn't want it to
read like a self-help manual, either. I wanted
to give enough of the emotional flavor without detailing the whole sordid mess:'
PROFI
Readers will get plenty of raw emotional
flavor for sure-so much so that after finishing the book it's hard not to want to give
Waters a call and offer her some compassionate, comforting words, or send her a
virtual hug through Facebook.
"They are all supportive," Waters says of
her family. "Everything is cool. My ex and I
have gotten to a pretty good place. It's taken a little while. But we really worked hard
together on handling the situation so that it
was not affecting the kids negatively:'
Looking back on her journey, Waters
admits that starting over at 40 was tough,
traumatic, and one of the most challenging
things she has done in her entire life. But
she has no regrets.
"It took me a long time to get to the point
where I wasn't mad at myself because I
didn't realize I was gay until later in life. I can
look back now and see it. But I can't change
how it unfolded. I am who I am today because of it."
In her heartfelt YouTube video "Enough,"
Waters describes growing up as "a tomboy
with no interest in typical girl things" who
"edited" herself into femininity according
to the wishes of society. After coming out,
she says, came "figuring out what I thought
being gay looked like:'
She experimented with lesbian signifiers: baseball caps worn backward, short
hair, shaved hair, tees, tanks, and plaid,
even tattoos. "The slow changes happening on the outside were a prologue
to what was happening inside of me." But
something was still wrong. She was again
obeying external expectations of who she
should be via what she should look like.
"The fear I had about looking like a guy
whispered to me each time I got dressed,"
she says in the video. It was only when
Waters finally let go of her fear about her
pleasure in looking more masculine that everything changed. "I was me, unedited and
free ...l am enough:'
Not long after Switching Teams was
published, Waters received the first of
many emails from a woman thanking her
for writing the book. That was it. That was
the moment she knew that she had finally
succeeded. (switchingteams.com) •
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
43
Dive into active swimwear
by Beth Richards.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
STYLE/
Beach season may be over but heated pool
and jacuzzi season is just beginning! Many
queer women don't often feel comfortable in
skimpy bikinis and prefer swimsuits that are
practical and durable. Canadian designer Beth
Richards views swimsuits as "an opportunity to
change the way women feel about swimwear:'
She doesn't want women to feel self-conscious;
she'd rather build their confidence "one-piece"
at a time. Maybe you didn't reach your fitness
goals this summer, but you'd still like to do some
laps and lose some pounds without judgment.
So, jump in the pool after hitting the gym.
This quality contemporary swimwear is made
from Italian fabric engineered for athletes,
boasting superior stretch and durability as well
as 50+ UVB protection. Plus, every garment
is made in Canada, a country that believes in
ethical and First World wages for employees.
(bethrichards.com)
SWIMWE
LEtBEAUTY
Simple, natural and effective beauty products for the new season.
WHERESCIENCEMEETSBEAUTY
ClarityRX offers a range of premium organic, plant-based and
paraben-free, results-driven products that cleanse, correct, and
protect any skin type. The Get Fit Multi-peptide Healthy Skin Serum
is an anti-aging treatment proven to reduce wrinkles in a month.
Accompanied by the Sleep It Off Mask, a warming nighttime mask
and moisturizer powered by a blue green algae extract, you'll wake
up feeling fresh and looking like you had the perfect summer. (From
$100, cla rityclinica Iskincare.com)
:
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HERBAL
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Cl.EANSER TONER
<Jt~
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THEARTOF NATURE
After a summer of sunscreens and sunburn your skin could use
a boost from Art Naturals. The Arabica Coffee Scrub deep skin
exfoliator is made with premium organic Dead Sea salt, Kona coffee,
cacao and coconut shavings-antibacterial power to fight acne,
rosacea, eczema and age spots; follow with the all-natural, organic
Rose Water Witch Hazel Facial Toner to soothe and heal; finish with
Enhanced Vitamin C Serum, organically infused with botanicals that
boost collagen production. ($13-$17,artnaturals.com)
I
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dy software-
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a...'::::::..=:..--:.:.-
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PACKTHE ESSENTIALS
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Foam Cleanser is gentle and soap and oil free; The Herbal Toner is
a refreshing blend of botanicals; G.S.Ginkgosome is a concentrated
time release serum; the Cell Renewal Day Cream is a luxurious yet
lightweight moisturizer; and the Bamboo Cream Peel gives you a
quick and easy microdermabrasion that leaves skin soft and silky. All
in a TSA-approved travel packl ($25, doctorschwabCA.com)
Feeling down, anxious or going through menopause? Don't go on
antidepressants just yet, not before you've tried Body Software, a
line of mood-improving vitamins by Dr. Prudence Hall, a gynecologist
for 30 years. These natural proprietary therapeutic formulas were
designed specifically for women and can bring your hormones and
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If you're on vacation and you don't want to come back looking like
you need one, pack the Essentialsby Doctor D. Schwab. The Herbal
46
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
-- 50
56
CHAMPION PROFILES
58
ELLEN'SENDLESSAPPEAL
A SONGBIRD REUNION
48
MEGAN
RAPINOE'S
NEWEST
CAUSE
COMMUNITY
CULTURE
SHEROES
»
>>
V
' ~-
,
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
47
GLOBAL
AMBASSADO
The out soccer star
on the Olympics, her
clothing brand, and
her latest role.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
Megan Rapinoe graced the
cover of Curve back in 2013,
when she debuted as a
member of the U.S. Olympic
soccer team that won the
gold medal in London. A
lot has happened since
that first gold. In addition to
joining the women's soccer
team in Rio for the 2016
Olympics, despite an injury,
she's a clothing designer,
an LGBT advocate, a writer,
and a global ambassador for
streetfootballworld. Curve
caught up with Rapinoe over
the summer about what's
going on in her life, how
coming out was the best
thing she ever did, and why
her future wedding plans are
on hold.
48
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
WE SPOKE SOON AFTER YOU FIRST
CAME OUT. ARE THINGS DIFFERENT FOR
YOU NOW?
One of the biggest things I've realized
since coming out is that the topic of gay
and lesbian issues was always there for me,
maybe not always at the forefront, but it's
always in my story. And that's something
that is really important, I think. For it to be
taken into account, whether that means
people looking at the Women's World Cup
team or the Olympic team and breaking
down the different aspects, or just looking
at me doing XYZ. But it's always part of the
conversation for me. I am just trying to use
my own voice and the stuff that I am doing
to get the conversation going and keep it
going.
YOU HAVE A CLOTHING
COMPANY,
RIGHT? TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THAT.
My sister and I do! Under the Rapinoe
brand. We just rolled out our first line of
apparel. We've got T-shirts, sweatshirts,
beanies, cinch bags, and a little zip-up jacket. It's so cool. We love it. It looks great, it's
comfortable and stylish, and it's something
we've both worked really hard on for the
FEATURES/
last eight months. It's kind of a cool creative
outlet for both of us. Hopefully, people will
like it.
makes it difficult to plan. We have to figure
all that out. But we're taking time to do so.
WHO'S YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?
Everybody [laughs]. My grandpa can
ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO START A
FAMILY IN THE NEAR FUTURE? IS THAT
SOMETHING YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT?
wear it, my 14-year-old nephew can wear
it, and my mom can wear it. We have the
Pinoe Club line, which is kind of basic. And
then we have another line that's more fashion-forward. Everything is available online
at ShopRapinoe.com.
I don't know. I don't think I'm in any place
to be having a child at the moment. I'm not
mature enough yet. We are really not sure.
I love kids and being around them. But kids
are a lot of work. I'd make a cool mom,
though.
WHAT'S
WEDDING
AFTER THE ORLANDO SHOOTING, DO
PLANS? HOW ARE THEY PROGRESSING?
Well, we put them on pause because we
YOU THINK THE VISIBILITY OF LGBT
UP
WITH
YOUR
started planning and everything and-that
shit is stressful. Just with everything that
has happened this year, my injury and the
Olympics and other stuff. We decided to
take a break for a little bit, but we're enjoying being engaged, and we're taking full
advantage of that.
ARE YOU PLANNING A BIG WEDDING OR
A SMALL CEREMONY?
Well, that's part of the problem. We really didn't know what we wanted. And that
ATHLETES IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT?
Yeah, I do. Professional male leagues
like the NFL and NBA aren't doing enough
to help prepare the environment for gay
athletes. They are still very homophobic,
in my opinion. Really, it all goes beyond
athletes. It's a larger issue, on the whole.
I think sometimes because people are
working in a certain job, or because of
their family, they don't feel the need to
come out. But it's incredibly important to
be open and to talk about LGBT issues.
A lot more athletes have come out since
SPO
I've come out, but it feels like it's starting
to dwindle down, and I didn't think that
would happen.
WHAT DOES BEING AN OUT LGBT
ATHLETE MEAN TO YOU?
A lot. I have people coming up to me
all the time saying, "Thank you-you're
the reason I came out," or "You're the
reason my family is OK with me being
gay." You can't ever underestimate the
power of coming out. Yet at the same
time I feel strongly about people coming out in their own time, when they
feel ready.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT
WITH STREETFOOTBALLWORLD.
My involvement is basically to help
bring eyeballs to this organization that
does such great work. There are so many
grassroots movements going on and
streetfootballworld
helps bring them
all together. It serves as a tool and a resource, and helps empower them.
To join the network of football for a
cause go to streetfootballworld.org.
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
49
A story of struggle,
and what makes a
champion-from
winning on the
basketball court to
confronting life with
bipolar disorder.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
50
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Chamique Holdsclaw spent most of
her life on the winning side of things.
During her time at Christ the King High
School in Queens, N.Y., she helped her
team win four straight New York State
Championships. And under legendary
coach Pat Summit at the University of
Tennessee, she led her team to an unprecedented three straight NCAA Championships in a row, from 1996 to 1998.
But when Holdsclaw got to the
WNBA, something began to shift both
on and off the court. She was no longer winning games, no longer surfing
the highs of success, and no longer
able to escape the lows that crept in
afterward. She didn't know it at the
time, but she was battling an adver-
sary she couldn't outrun or outshoot.
She was living with a mental illness:
bipolar disorder.
"The only time that I felt really out
of place on the basketball court was
after I had been first diagnosed and
stepped away from the game for a bit,"
she explains. "One of my coaches convinced me to come back while I was
on medication. When I stepped on the
basketball court, it felt so unfamiliar.
Everything around me seemed like it
was happening in slow motion, and I
just felt like I didn't belong. I didn't like
that. So after a while I stopped taking
my medication."
In 2012, Holdsclaw reached a breaking point when she was arrested for
,SPO
firing a handgun at her ex's car. She
remembers talking to her ex after it
happened and thinking it felt like an
out-of-body
experience.
The media
jumped all over the story and portrayed
Holdsclaw as just a head case-a player who couldn't cope when her career
took a dive. That was tough to watch,
tougher to live through, she says, but
it needed to happen.
"It was something in my life where I
wish I could have a redo, but it's also
something that has impacted me for
the better. I don't know if I would here
today if it weren't for that incident, because it pushed me to get help."
Though Holdsclaw was diagnosed
again as bipolar, this time she was
prescribed a different medication. "It's
like when you're dating around, trying
to find the right partner," she says.
"It's the same thing. You have to try
a few different things before you find
the right medication. You have to see
what works for you and what doesn't.
I went through that whole process to
find the right meds."
With her life and mental health back
on the right track, Holdsclaw decided
to use her prominence as a professional athlete as a platform from which to
speak out about mental illness. She
also began running basketball camps
for kids, making sure they'd have
breakout sessions where they'd learn
how to express their emotions-a
skill
that Holdsclaw herself lacked when
she was growing up.
"Kids love sports," she says. "And
kids love to listen to sports figures. A
lot of these kids struggle emotionally,
and they don't know how to express
themselves. I don't want them going
through what I went through."
Holdsclaw also told herself that if
she had the opportunity,
she would
use her voice to help others. Fittingly, LOGO reached out and offered to
make a documentary
about her. At
first, Holdsclaw declined.
"I didn't want my personal life out
there on TV," she admits. "But I realized that so many people go through
similar situations and don't have the
platform that I do. I knew it had the
potential to help a lot of people."
When mental illness is the topic of
discussion, there are often negative
connotations-and
a certain stigma to
overcome. Many people look at it as a
sign of weakness and can picture only
the most extreme behaviors, such
as people out on the streets talking
and shouting at no one. It's a harmful
misconception,
one that Holdsclaw
knows all too well.
"It's like you say 'mental illness' and
people automatically think 'crazy,"' she
explains. "But mental illness is something you can live with, and function
and have a successful life. Once I started talking openly about it, people started to tell me their own stories, about
themselves, their friends and family
members, and they started asking
questions. That's why it's so important
to maintain an open dialogue."
Holdsclaw ended up doing the documentary after all. MIND/GAME: The
Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw
aired on LOGO in April. It gave viewers a raw and intimate look at the rise
and fall of an incredible athlete who
is also a woman living with a disorder
that affects people all over the world.
A woman who reached the mountaintop, fell to the ground, and lived to
tell about it. Now, the 38-year-old is
retired from basketball and works fulltime as a mental health advocate.
"I'm just glad I've come to this
place of acceptance in my life. I wake
up every morning and say, 'OK-I'm
a lesbian. I'm a black woman. I have
mental health issues. This is who I
am, so let me step into the world and
live my truth."'
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
51
How a lifelong fan of
two wheels pursued
her dream of racing
motorcycles.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
52
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
You're never too old to chase your
dreams, as Lisa Taylor will tell you. At 44
years old, the former Army reservist and
retired police detective is finally racing
motorcycles competitively-a sport she's
always loved but never fully pursued until
recently. Even though she's been riding
motorcycles for four decades, her racing
career is just taking off.
Taylor, an Arizona resident, started riding
motorcycles when she was a 4-year-old.
Back then, she was into dirt bikes. But in
1999, she bought her first sport bike and it
changed her love of motorcycles forever.
"The Yamaha R1 was the fastest, most
powerful, and best-handling production
motorcycle of that era;' Taylor says. "I started doing track days, initially at Phoenix
International Raceway (PIR), which were
open to any riders and gave us the opportunity to test and improve our skills on a
closed-circuit racetrack:'
Gaining confidence after a few years
of practice, Taylor signed up for the club
racing season in 2003 at PIR. As the only
woman, she competed in three races in the
novice class, and recorded one first-place
and two second-place finishes. The club
FEATURES/
racing season ended abruptly when the
racetrack was shut down, and Taylor figured her racing career was over.
Then, in early 2016, she signed with Kerry Alter Land Speed Racing, which gave
her a second shot at her dream. It was an
opportunity Taylor wasn't about to waste.
"Land speed racing is flat-out speed on a
straight course," she explains. "I did my first
race at Gila Bend Race Wars in February
2016, where I reached a top speed of 188.9
MPH in a half mile. I won a trophy for the
fastest female at the event, which included
cars and motorcycles:'
Taylor's second race took place at the
Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif.,
in April 2016. She became a member of the
200 MPH Club in the Mojave Mile, reaching
a speed of 215 MPH in a one-mile distance.
On the very last run of the day, she ran her
fastest speed ever-226 MPH. As a result,
Taylor became a member of the 225 MPH
Club in the Mojave Magnum.
According to Taylor, very few motorcyclists have achieved speeds of over 200
MPH. And as a woman in a male-dominated
field, she's that much prouder of achieving
such a feat.
SPO
"Since motorcycle racing is a male-dominant sport, there typically are not any
provisions for males versus females. Quite
frankly, I prefer to be identified as a top
motorcycle racer-not limited to a women's-only category. I am a proven example
that women can excel in this sport, and any
sport, regardless of gender:'
As an out lesbian, Taylor credits her wife,
Elaine, for supporting her belief that she
could make a career out of racing motorcycles. The couple has been married two
years, but they have been friends for over
a decade.
"We met while hiking and training for a
backpacking trip to Havasupai Falls in the
Grand Canyon in 2004;' Taylor says. "Elaine
is extremely supportive of my racing and
encourages me to follow my dreams. She
makes sure I'm eating and staying hydrated. Best of all, she gives me love and
encouragement to go out there and do it
again:'
Right now, Taylor is signed to a one-year
contract with Kerry Alter Land Speed Racing. Her sights are set on breaking more records in upcoming competitions, and then
seeing where her new career will go from
there.
"Motorcycle racing is an extreme sport,"
she adds. "To be at the top of the game
requires a great deal of riding experience,
determination, a no-fear factor, and faith in
the equipment. I love the challenge of it. I
also love that I can inspire other women,
and all riders, to push themselves to make
their riding experience safer and more enjoyable."
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
53
A new photo series
shines a spotlight on
the determination of top
performing female athletes
and sportswomen.
PHOTOS BY ANDREA CORRADINI
The Portland-based queer couturier
Wildfang celebrates the historic nomination of Hillary Clinton for president with
their new photo series, A Woman's Place
Is In The House. The series features eight
top performing female athletes who have
risen in their respective fields through a
combination of discipline, perseverance,
strength, hard work, and talent. The photo
series of gritty, documentary-style images
includes three luminaries from the sporting
and fitness arenas: WNBA All-Stars Brit-
tney Griner and Sue Bird, and weightlifting
champ Mira Kwon Gracia. One of the best
players in the game, Griner was named
the WNBA's Defensive Player of the Year
in 2015. Bird is a WNBA legend and Olympic gold medalist. And Kwon, who started
Industrial Strength Gym, holds nine state
records in weightlifting and was ranked
second in the Masters Nationals. To learn
more about these inspiring women and
others, and to browse the latest styles, go
to wildfang.com.
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
55
Meet the only out lesbian to reach the summit
of Mount Everest. BvMARCIE
BIANco
Jen Loeb readily admits her Bucket List
is "out of control" because that list consists
of climbing the "seven summits" of the
highest mountains in the world. Loeb traveled to Nepal on March 30, and trekked for
two weeks to base camp. Then with two
guides and one male climber, she reached
the summit of Mount Everest on May 19 after a four-day climb. The expedition took
nine weeks overall. Loeb is the first woman
from Iowa, and the only out lesbian that
we know of, to achieve that feat.
At age 40, and with a day job at General
Mills, Loeb might seem an unlikely mountaineer, but she's transformed herself into
one through mental focus and steady
training-over a year of running and climbing on the stairmaster while wearing a
backpack with a sandbag in it, to meet the
fitness standards required of such a task.
"The obstacles of a peak like Everest include extreme altitude and extreme cold;'
says Loeb. "And it's really difficult to stay
healthy in that environment for that long.
It's hard to sleep, hard to eat, and really
hard to breathe. You're dying as you're
asking your body to perform this grueling work. I just tried to stay as healthy as
I could ...but your body is fighting a losing battle really. I lost a lot of weight over
the course of the expedition. The biggest
thing is to keep your head in the game.
56
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Stay focused on the task at hand and what
you need to do to accomplish the climb."
She converted her fear into respect for the
mountain, and focused on accomplishing
her goal.
Loeb became hooked on climbing in
2010. It gave her a bigger sense of purpose, took her out of her comfort zone,
placed her in the outdoors with like-minded people, and gave her a huge adrenaline
rush. It also kept her very busy.
"There's a ton of work that goes into
every expedition long before I ever leave
the country: booking flights, insurance,
getting visas, getting vaccinations if needed, getting gear, training, filling out paperwork. It's pretty life consuming, really.
And I'm gone so long that I need to make
sure everything gets taken care of at home
while I'm gone."
Then there's the physical reality of the
expedition itself. "It's a matter of climbing
safe, climbing smart, and staying healthy.
Climbing is really grueling work but a lot
of fun, too. I've traveled to some really
remote and unique places in the world. It
allows me to experience new cultures with
cool people:'
While extremely dangerous-several
climbers lost their lives while Loeb herself
was on Mount Everest, and she endured
temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees
at night-Loeb never thought she wouldn't
make it. When she reached the summit
she felt an immense sense of relief-this
was the result of three years of preparation. She was at the summit for about 30
minutes, and then she turned her focus to
the descent.
She's now climbed all of her seven summits except for Mount Vinson in Antarctica. "It's the only peak I have left to finish
out of the seven," she says. But first, some
rock climbing in Kentucky! •
11
Top LGBT Pick of Sundance''
- The Advocate
A cinematic essay from Bay Area filmmaker
Jenni Olson,The RoyalRoad offers up a
primer on early California history alongside
intimate reflections on nostalgia, the
pursuit of unavailable women, butch
identity and Alfred Hitchcock'sVertigo all against a backdrop of 16mm urban
California landscapes, and featuring a
voiceover cameo by Tony Kushner.
11
A beautiful, haunting
historylesson."-OutMagazine
"It will give you goosebumps"
-AfterEllen.com
(
,, WINNERJ\f
JURY
AWARD
BEST
LGBTQ
FILM
ANN
ARBOR
FILM
FESTIVAL
fEDITH
49~I?~ATRUNK
LAKE wtddNsoN
When writer-director Jane Anderson(HBO's Normal, If TheseWalls
Could Talk2) learns her great-aunt Edith was put in an asylum for being
a lesbian, she set out to learn about the woman whose beautiful
paintings (rescued from a dusty trunk) had inspired her
own career, and to have Edith's work recognized in the
art world.
''Genuinely moving ...
tells an eye-opening story."
- The Hollywood Reporter
"'"'
~~=·''Should resonatewith audiences worldwide."
All it took was the first act of courage.
- vARtETv
An inspirational drama about four ordinary
women who, through their mutual
friendship, find the strength to break out of
the traditions of servitude they were born
into. Hindi with English subtitles.
*Please note: This title is not specifically
lesbian, but an amazing story of women
finding empowerment through their bonds
with each other. We know you will enjoy it.
"Oneof the mosthonest,uncompromising
portrayalsof femalefriendship
I've ever seenon screen." - BROADLY
'' WINNER~'-'
DIENCE
AWARD
BEST
FILM
INDIAN
FILM
FESTIVAL
OFLOS
ANGELES
Wolfe·
WolfeVideo.com/WolfeOnDernand.com
Yourtrusted communitysourcefor LGBTmovies
(
music and entertainment
Jountry
legend Dolly Parton is currently
Parton, who grew up in a religious yet
of what the Bible says-to love one another,
open and tolerant household, continued,
to love your neighbor and to not judge.
touring 60 North American cities
"We're all God's children and we all have
I think there's room for everybody to be
on her first major tour in more than 25
a right to our own happiness. So I've just
accepting to more people, not just to gays
years. To coincide with the tour, Parton
always been loved for being accepting,
and lesbians.
wrote and produced the album Pure and
I guess. I've always wanted people to
"There's just so much prejudice in this
Simple, a collection of love songs, which
accept me for who and what I am. I've been
world for people being different. I think
she says commemorate her 50th wedding
persecuted for the way I look and all that,
people should get over themselves and start
anniversary, but also hark back to her early
but I just care about the soul and the heart
thinking about what would make this world
years-and to a much simpler time. The
of people:'
a better, happier place, and a good place to
album is "a good, positive force;' depicting
I asked her why she thought country
happy in their own selves:'
music-from
love, all-time love, cheatin' love, sexy love,
Chely Wright-appeals
lesbians so
Her own cheerful philosophy is to "go with
romantic love, I just tried to cover it all,"
much. "I don't know...;' she mused. "We are
the flow and love everybody, and maybe
Parton said in a recent interview she held
all women and my songs hold a positive
God'll love me more for loving more:' When
with exclusively LGBTmedia.
view of women;' she said. "The fact that
it comes to whom she'd love to sing a duet
we are hanging together, doing our thing,
with, Parton admires the younger generation
When asked why she thinks she has so
Patsy Cline to k.d. lang to
start would be to allow people to be free and
"love of many colors: true love, lasting
to
many LGBTfans, Parton said, "I would like to
experiencing emotions that we all feel-
of female singers, nominating Adele or Miley
think that they know I love them; they know
whether we're straight or gay-the lyrics of
Cyrus. Until then, Parton, who turned 70 in
I accept everybody for who they are. I have
country music tell the story of the common
January, continues to make music with
a lot of friends who I work with who are gay
aspects in women's lives:'
a message of love and acceptance. "I've
and lesbian, I have a lot of gays and lesbians
Parton feels, however, that some folks
in my family, I have people in all of my
in the country music industry and fandom
don't know what we're all here for. I'm just
businesses. I just love people. I don't really
could be more accepting. "What really gets
finding out what I can do, and part of that is
think about if you're straight or gay, I just
me is that so many of the country people,
just trying to love people, enjoy people, and
love you because I love you. I think people
they're supposed to be good Christian
accept everybody for who and what they
respond to that:'
people. To me, if they would exercise more
are:' (dollyparton.com)
58
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always just had a good time in this world. I
•
1
f listening to Pure & Simple. makes
you crave more country music-not
a cappella version of Harris's "Calling My
second of all, it's kind of hard to walk," she
Children Home."
says with a laugh. "So I don't think there's
any chance of me touring."
to worry. September 9th marks the
"Everything went on [this package],"
release of a new box set from Emmylou
explains Harris. "That's sort of the point
Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt.
of putting this collection [out]-well,
one
right now;' agrees Harris. "But the fact that
we're friends and we were able to make this
"Yeah, I think we can put that to bed
The Complete Trio Collection, appropriately
of the points. There were these beautiful
enough, contains three discs. The first two
gems that for one reason or another hadn't
music together-that's
are remastered versions of the Trio albums
found their place on the original releases.
after we're gone. We're just gonna keep on
that came out in 1987 and 1999. But the
We just felt like, 'This is it. This is everything
with our lives and be grateful that we had
real treat for collectors is the third disc-a
that we did.' And I don't think there was a
the chance to get this much music down
20-track smorgasbord of bonus material.
dud in the bunch."
for ourselves and for whoever wants to
gonna be here long
hear it.''
You'll find alternate takes on songs that
When asked if they will be supporting
were included on the original Trio albums
The Complete Trio Collection with a tour,
("Wildflowers," "I've Had Enough," "Do I
Ronstadt-who
with
us feel about the great women of country
Ever Cross Your Mind"), as well as some
Parkinson's Disease in 2013-is quick to say
music, Parton adds, "We're bound together
previously unreleased selections, like an
no. "I can't sing a note, to start with. And
at the song.''•
was
diagnosed
And perhaps summing up how many of
SEP/OCT
2016
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(
)yndi
Lauper has worn more than a
few hats during her 30-year career:
the success of her Broadway musical Kinky
Boots (created with Harvey Fierstein), and
look up the history of your roots in music,
pop music megastar and '80s style
her induction into the Songwriters' Hall of
you don't find a lot of women. But Wanda
Jackson was right there, at the beginning of
when I was in Blue Angel. Because as you
icon; actor and comedian; theater composer;
Fame. Her new album, Detour, was recorded
and major ally to the LGBTQcommunity, to
in Nashville. It finds Lauper interpreting
it. When Elvis was singing like that, [so was]
name just a few. Even though her 1984 solo
country standards and features cameos
Wanda...She's a great rocker and a great
debut, She's So Unusual, seemed to make
from Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss,Vince Gill,
symbol for us all:'
her an overnight success, the fact is that
and Emmylou Harris.
"I cut my teeth listening to Wanda and
Patsy Cline;' she continues. "Even Dolly
Lauper had been toiling in semi-obscurity
Some may question the authenticity of a
for nearly a decade (notably, as frontwoman
girl from Queens going country, but Lauper
Parton, when she first came out, OK? She
for the NYC New Wave combo Blue Angel).
does herself proud on this disc, alternating
was happenin' and [she still] is happenin:
Before its release, no one could have
between upbeat songs and ballads, and
And the same [with] Loretta Lynn. To me,
predicted the popularity of She'sSo Unusual.
even speaking in her unmistakable New
even though they were country, they had
The whole package-Lauper's lovably zany
Yawk accent on a couple of tracks. Moreover,
that rock and roll edge. When Loretta Lynn
image, the creative videos, and no less
as she puts it, "Even though [these] are
came out with 'The Pill; it struck me that she
than five hit singles-took
her from the
country, they're pop songs! When I was little,
really understood a woman's plight...I still
trenches to the mainstream, overnight! The
they played all this on the radio. Patsy Cline
love her:'
album's two biggest hits, of course, were the
and Loretta Lynn, they were radio stars, you
It's well known that Lauper loves the gay
upbeat "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and the
know?" She has a point. On Detour, Lauper
community, too. Her sister Ellen is a lesbian,
timelessly beautiful ballad "Time After Time:'
covers songs made famous by both Cline ("I
and in addition to the True Colors tour,
Eventhe deep cuts (remember Lauper'stake
Fallto Pieces;' "Walking After Midnight") and
Lauper created the Give a Damn campaign,
on "When You Were Mine" by Prince?) were
Lynn (an adorable duet with Gill on "You're
which aims to educate the heterosexual
winners.
the ReasonOur Kids Are Ugly").
community about LGBTequality.
a
"My sister is part of the community;' she
rendition of "Funnel of Love;' a song originally
tells me, "and I grew up watching my sister
entertainment industry's Big Four: a Grammy
made popular by a woman Lauper feels
struggle-in
(two, actually), an Emmy, and a Tony Award.
doesn't get enough credit-Wanda Jackson.
dark again now! But I think you gotta be who
And the last few years have been especially
"[She] was one of the first female rockers;'
you gotta be, you know? And celebrate your
good to Lauper, with her True Colors treks,
says Lauper. "I was really excited to hear her
life triumphantly:' (cyndilauper.com) •
While she never again scaled those
heights as a pop star, she has won three of the
60
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The album opens, however, with
dark times. It's starting to get
*
*
M[DIA
ICON
[ll[NDtGtNtRtS
ON
HtR
NtW
~llM,
TH[
U.S.
PR[SIDtNTIAl
tltCTION,
AND
WHAT
TH[
WORlD
NttOS
MOR[
0~.
BY MELANIE BARKER
SEP/OCT
2016
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H
eneres came out in a cover
th Time magazine in 1997 and
ater she came out again, this
time on her self-titled sitcom, Ellen. But
that pivotal moment for DeGeneres-and
for millions of gays and lesbians around the
world-almost didn't happen. DeGeneres
told Us Weekly late last year, "I didn't think
I was going to come out, period. I didn't
think I'd be coming out on a show, ever:'
But after a meditation retreat during
which she confronted her worst fear-that
her fans wouldn't love her if they knew she
was gay-she decided that she could do
it. Her coming out on that Time cover on
April 14, 1997 with the simple words "Yep,
I'm Gay" changed the course of LGBT history forever, setting a precedent for stars to
come out rather than be outed, and giving
ordinary people afraid to speak their truth
the courage to follow in DeGeneres's footsteps. While her career did initially take a hit
and she lost popularity and her show, DeGeneres eventually came back bigger and
better than before, even eclipsing Oprah
Winfrey in the ratings game.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which first
aired in 2003, has been such a success that
it has broken ratings records and scooped
up scores of Daytime Emmy Awards. The
show's YouTube channel boasts nearly 17
million subscribers. And DeGeneres is also
a hit on social media. A selfie she tweeted
with her A-List pals while hosting the 2014
Oscars broke Twitter's retweet record (it
was retweeted 3.4 million times), and today
DeGeneres has over 61 million followers on
Twitter. That's a lot of people who love her,
no matter her sexuality.
In 2008, DeGeneres married American-Australian actor Portia de Rossi; they
are still inseparable and seem to be happy,
in spite of the unending tabloid rumors that
they've broken up or are divorcing. In an
interview with reporters at the premiere of
Finding Dory in London, when asked what
discovery she had made personally, DeGeneres responded that her discovery was
that De Rossi was her "true love;' effectively squashing reports that their relationship
was in trouble. While in London to promote
the film, DeGeneres and de Rossi attended
the Wimbledon Ladies Final, which had
been one of their long-shared dreams.
Finding Dory has brought DeGeneres
more career success over the summer. It is
the long-awaited sequel to Pixar'sanimated
box office smash Finding Nemo, in which
62
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2016
*
*
°'
UJ
II-
Ellen DeGeneres
O
ia'9 @TheEllenShow
If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars
-
Follow
10:06 PM - 2 Mar 2014
2,531,155 RETWEETS 1,182,465 FAVORITES
DeGeneres voiced Dory, a sweet-natured
blue tang fish suffering from short-term
memory loss. For many, DeGeneres's character was the highlight of the 2003 film.
Here, DeGeneres takes time out to discuss the new film-and a few other things.
SO DORY, WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG?
That's what I was asking, over and over.
For 13 years, I've watched every other Pixar movie get a sequel-Toy Story, Shrek,
Cars-and everyone has wanted a Finding
Nemosequel.
DID YOU EVER IMAGINE YOU WOULD
GET YOUR OWN MOVIE?
That I was not expecting. I never campaigned for that-publicly-but
behind the
scenes [laughs] .... No, I was so interested
to know more about Marlin and Nemo and
Dory, but I never thought a movie focusing
on Dory was ever in the pipeline. But I'm
very happy it turned out that way. And I love
that this story focuses on where she comes
from and her background. It was a very organic transition because last time it was all
about finding Nemo. This time we wanted
to learn where she came from, why she was
the person she was-always helping other
people, asking what can I do, but this time
it's a personal journey for her-where is my
home, why am I here? And everyone wants
that sense of belonging. They want to know
about their roots, they want to discover
their place in the world. And she learns a
lot about herself, and it's funny and sweet
and touching.
THE FILM IS PERFECTLYTIMED-EVERYONE NEEDS A DOSE OF DORY. WE NEED
TO LOOK AT THE WORLD THE WAY SHE
SEES IT, WITH WIDE-EYED OPTIMISM.
DOES THAT MAKE WORKING ON THE
FILM ALL THE MORE SPECIAL?
Absolutely, especially with what's going
on right now. A film that puts that positive
message out there, distracts people from
what's happening, and is exactly what we
all need. Dory is perfect. She's optimistic,
she's non-judgmental, she's sweet, she's
compassionate, and she's got friends that
look different from her. I mean, that's sort of
a beautiful thing.
FROM THE AFTER-END-CREDITS SCENE
IT LOOKS LIKE THERE COULD BE A
THIRD MOVIE. WHAT COULD HAPPEN
TO DORY DOWN THE LINE-LOVE?
ROMANCE? SHE DESERVESIT!
Yeah, that would be really interesting,
to see if she could handle romance, for
numerous reasons. I'm sure there's a lot
of practical issues that might prove problematic-forgetting
about her significant
other, for one. And I don't think there are
too many romance things in Pixar movies.
I don't think Pixar has ever done that, so I
don't know if it would suit.
SO THERE'S NO ROOM FOR LOVE IN A
PIXAR MOVIE?
Love, yeah-but romance, I don't know.
WHAT ABOUT WOODY AND HIS GIRLFRIEND IN TOY STORY?
There was a flirtation, but I don't know if
FEATUREstCOVER
they actually got together. Without giving it
away, I think, yeah, you're right, there could
be more about who's involved at the end of
the credits. Or Hank, I think we could follow
on his story. Or maybe Hank and Dory might
get together.
THAT WOULD BE REALLYSWEET. THERE
WAS SOME FLIRTATION BETWEEN
THEM.
As flirtatious as Dory can be.
DOYOUTHINKWEWILLEVERSEEAGAY
CHARACTER IN A PIXAR MOVIE?
There might have already been some
gay characters in there. I'm just saying
there might, but I don't think it's the wornan with the short hair. She just happens to
have short hair. She just happens to have
short hair and someone jumped to the conclusion that she was gay. And I know lesbians, and she wasn't one [laughs]. I think I
know what I'm talking about here.
ST
I didn't actually see that at all the first
time, and then when all the news came out
about the lesbian couple, I watched it and
all I saw was a woman with very short, very
bad hair. And I was offended. Is that how
the world sees lesbians? Maybe they were
just two women standing together, maybe
they were friends, maybe their husbands
were off doing husband stuff. I also saw
men standing together. They could have
been gay men. I hope there are lots of couSEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
63
pies of all sexualities in these films, representative of everyone.
SPEAKING OF REPRESENTING EVERYONE, DONALD TRUMP: IT'S GETTING
QUITE WORRYING HOW POPULAR HE
IS IN THE U.S.
It's pretty shocking, yes.
WHAT IF THE WORST HAPPENED?
It would be quite possibly the worst
thing to happen to our country in a long
time. Really, it would be a full-out disaster
to place a bully in power. And that's what
he is, a bully. It's a harsh word, but it's
true. He says he's just speaking his mind,
defending himself from attack and accusation, but I don't buy that. And I highly
doubt he will be the next president of the
United States.
WELL, GEORGE W. BUSH WAS ELECTED.
This is a different level of irresponsible
stupidity-I don't think people would be
so stupid to do that again. I'm fairly certain
that the next president in the White House
will be Hillary Clinton.
BUT WHAT IF SHE ISN'T? HE HAS A BIG
FOLLOWING.
She has to win, there's no two ways
about it. She has to absolutely win or we're
in serious trouble.
WHAT KIND OF PRESIDENT WOULD
SHE MAKE? YOU KNOW HER.
Well, not that well. But she is perfectly
suited to the job. She's experienced, she
has the knowledge and the intelligence,
and she's got Bill, who's amazingly talented
ACCORDING TO ELLEN ...
"So as you know, I have a clothing line
and I have a shoe line .... All that time I
spent in the closet really paid off."
"Mother Nature, boy you may be 4.5
billion years old, but thanks to global
warming you're getting hotter every
year:'
"I advocate for less hate and more
love, less tearing apart and more
coming together:'
64
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2016
and smart.
You know, if anything, whatever is happening in the world, good or bad, it should
make everybody look at and analyze how
we're treating one another. And whether
someone is voicing something completely
opposite to what you believe in and understand. You know, everything could make
us look at what's happening in our own
hearts.
WOULD YOU EVER THINK OF RUNNING
FOR OFFICE YOURSELF? YOU ARE AN
ICON, A ROLE MODEL, AND PEOPLE
LISTEN TO YOU.
I couldn't think of anything worse. That
will never ever, ever happen.
*
In the meantime, although we may not
see DeGeneres gracing the Oval Office
with her presence, we can look forward
to her gracing our screens for some time
to come: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
will run through 2020, sharing its host's
unique brand of humor, optimism, and
love. Speaking out on today's social inequities, including supporting transgender
rights, DeGeneres created a hashtag that
sums it all up: #BeKindToOneAnother.
Yes, we could all use more of that.
Finding Dory was released in June and
grossed almost $800 million worldwide
at the box office. It is scheduled for U.S.
DVD release in November 2016. For The
Ellen DeGeneres Show air dates visit
ellentv.com.
66BRAZILIANBABES
74
SAFARISTYLE
77
LESBIANADVENTURE
curve
SEP/OCT
2016
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65
FEATURES/
"Like we say in Brazil, it's for all
tribes." I'm speaking with lesbian tour
guide Polyanna Miranda about Galeria
Cafe. "Just like Rio," she adds. "Rio is
for everyone." I get where she's coming
from.
Everything
connected
with
place feels multipurpose and a little
improvisational. Take, for example, "foot
volley," a hybrid sport that fuses beach
volleyball and futebol and endows
its players-both
male and femalewith some of the best bodies in the
world. And then there's cacha9a. This
sugarcane liquor is the main ingredient
in the caipirinha,
Brazil's national
cocktail, but, according to local lore,
fishermen have also used it to clean
the decks of their boats. Likewise,
Galeria Cafe (galeriacafe.com.br) leads
a double life. It's a coffee shop and art
gallery by day, but at night it turns into
a club known to be GLS, or gay, lesbica,
e simpatisante-slang
that essentially
means "all tribes." Flexibility, it seems, is
a cultural motif in Rio, one that makes
the city simultaneously welcoming and
difficult to define.
There are more than 6 million people
in Rio de Janeiro, a metropolis of
less than 500 square miles. Every 20
minutes, linked cable cars leapfrog up
Pao de A9ucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) at
the mouth of Guanabara Bay, revealing
unobstructed
views of Christ the
Redeemer on Corcovado
Mountain,
the far-off forests of Parque Nacional
da Tijuca, and two of the most famous
beaches in the world: Copacabana and
lpanema. It's at this last location, at the
foot of Rua Farme de Amoedo between
lifeguard towers (Postos) 8 and 9, that
you will find the center of Rio's GLS
scene.
I'm staying at the lpanema Plaza Hotel
(ipanemaplaza.com.br/en),
literally half
a block from the rainbow flags at Posto
9, and like many visitors I make the
beach one of my first stops. The Postos
offer more than a lifeguard lookoutthey serve as handy markers to find
your tribe. If you're into surfing (or
ogling surfers), head east to Arpoador
at Posto 8, or round the outcropping
to visit world-famous
Copacabana.
To sunbathe with the locals, try Praia
Leblon just west of Posto 11;this stretch
is popular with the cariocas (those born
in Rio). Weekends are prime beach time,
so stake out a spot early and schedule
in at least one sundown near Posto 9,
where it's a tradition to applaud the
sunset.
It's the carioca way to fuel up on light
snacks and drinks at a beachside tent.
For a specifically GLS- and trans-friendly
vibe, visit the Rainbow Kiosk in front of
the Copacabana Palace hotel. If you're
looking for regional eats, you must try
feijoada. Unofficially Brazil's national
dish, this bean and smoked meat stew
is available at many restaurants around
the city. Serious carnivores should visit a
churrasqueira for all-you-can-eat meat,
while vegetarians will have more luck
at any of the city's por kilo buffets. The
gay-owned Gringo Cafe (gringocafe.
com), located right in lpanema, has a
menu full of American comfort food
and cocktails; or you could head over
to Eclipse in Copacabana for late-night
pizza.
Party planning is a serious business
in Rio, and for me, the first order of
business is a nap. Cariocas arrive at the
clubs after midnight, often staying until
the sun rises. "Up Turn is a container
in a supermarket parking lot in Barra,"
tour guide Miranda says, adding that
it hosts her favorite girl party, because
from there "we can see the day rise."
The Week (theweek.com.br), in Centro,
also attracts all-night revelers to hear
big-name DJs in its multilevel dance
space. Make sure you bring your IDthe security here is tight. Come for
sushi and stay for the dancing at 00
(pronounced "zero zero") in Gavea's
planetarium
(00riodejaneiro.com.br).
On Thursdays and Sundays, the crowd
is predominantly gay. In Copacabana,
Fosfobox (fosfobox.com.br) has parties
for girls, or try TV Bar (bartvbar.com.
br), especially on Saturdays. This venue
is the former site of Rio TV and still
maintains its decor. Finally, make sure
you get to Lapa, an up-and-coming
district that's attracting attention for its
young hip crowd and Bohemian vibe.
Buraco da Lacraia (buracodalacraia.
com.br) is a good bet for a fun, friendly
night with its cheap beer, drag shows,
snooker, and videoke. Lapa is also
TRA EL
where you'll find plenty of raucous
samba clubs.
The unleashed revelry of Carnival
has helped put Rio on the map of
party cities, but there are persistent
concerns about crime and, for many
LGBT travelers, violence. In Brazil, antidiscrimination
laws are irregular and
unevenly enforced-a work in legislative
progress-and
as in other countries,
human
rights
advancements
have
been met with resistance, primarily
from religious sectors. "You don't have
to be concerned about LGBT safety
specifically, but Rio is a big city and as
dangerous as any other big city," says
Miranda. In addition to the experience
she's gained from years of work with
the tour organization Rios de Historia,
Miranda is also an out lesbian. She met
her partner in Rio three years ago, right
around the time same-sex marriage was
legalized (though she points out that
Brazil has recognized civil unions since
2004). "My bride-to-be and I have always
been pretty affectionate everywhere
and never had problems," she says. The
couple are getting married this summer,
on their third anniversary.
In Rio proper, there's
a state
organization-Rio
Sem Homofobia (Rio
Without Homophobia, riosemhomofobia.
rj.gov.br)-and
a municipal body, the
Office for Sexual Diversity (cedsrio.
com.br), both dedicated to increasing
visibility and rights for LGBT people in
the city. Additionally, since 1993, Grupo
Arco-Iris (Rainbow Group, arco-iris.
org.br) has successfully advocated for
legislative change, helping to extend
rights to same-sex partners and set
penalties for discriminatory practices.
And their annual Gay Pride event is a
multiday celebration capped by a parade
on Copacabana Beach that is expected
to attract a million people in November
2016.
Whether you're coming for a worldclass celebration like Pride (in 2016,
November 13 through 16) or Carnival
(February 24 through 27, 2017), or for
some independent
travel,
Miranda
makes one recommendation:
"Always
tour with a licensed guide," she urges.
"We have the safe, legal, and correct
access to the sights."
SEP/OCT
2016
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67
CATCH
AWAVE
ATGAY
SURF
CAMP
INSOUTHERN
BRAZIL
Like other lifestyle sports, surfing is part
of a culture built on some pretty exacting
gender norms. All you have to do is flip
through the pages of a surfing magazine
to see that men are overrepresented,
and even more discouragingly, the focus
on female surfers is on swimsuits rather
than shredding. Still, you can't hold
back an ocean, and a surge in female
interest is driving a new generation of
surfing fans and athletes. Around the
world, surf camps aimed at women
and girls are cropping up, but only one
in South America-Gay
Surf Brazil by
Brazil Ecojourneys-specifically
invites
lesbians (and their gay, trans, and allied
friends) to learn to ride the waves.
Although
lesbian-owned
and
-operated,
with
tours
specifically
designed to be inclusive and diverse,
Brazil Ecojourneys wasn't originally
imagined as a gay travel company.
"We were never keen on offering the
traditional 'gay' packages," co-owner
Marta Dalla Chiesa says, adding that
she and partner Lesley Cushing were
more interested in showcasing what
the region has to offer than importing
existing party scenes. In 2013, however,
the LGBT surfing community site (and
force behind the 2014 documentary Out
in the Line-Up) gaysurfers.net contacted
them to propose a partnership. Right
away, the pair realized this was a
unique opportunity.
"Surf is a very
non-stereotypical sport for gays," Dalla
Chiesa says. "Even I was surprised that
a social website with thousands of gay
surfers existed. We knew we wanted to
get involved."
An LGBT surf camp was an idea whose
time had come, and Brazil Ecojourneysalready operating out of a gay-friendly
surfer's paradise-was the right company
to offer it. Since the 1980s, when an
influx of artists and surfers transformed
Florian6polis (known as Floripa) into a
diverse and inclusive community, the
formerly provincial capital has garnered
a reputation for welcoming "all tribes."
Dalla Chiesa elaborates: "For decades,
Florian6polis has had a strong LGBT
carnival, and its Pride has become a
favorite among Brazilians." But this is more
than a South American Provincetown;
Floripa is a close-knit community. "Brazil
lacks anti-discrimination laws, but Floripa
has one. Also, a pioneer health unit
catering to trans people opened last year,
and there's an openly gay man serving on
the town council." And then there are the
waves. The vast majority of Florian6polis
is on a large island (read: tons of coastline)
with dozens of sweet surfing beaches.
One of these, in nearby lmbituba, is Praia
do Rosa, and it's where students at Gay
Surf Brazil learn their moves.
The group's instructor, Capitao David,
runs the oldest surf school in Rosa and
he's taught more than 10,000 people
everything from the basics ("You must
stand upright, like a king!") to the
advanced art of reading the swells.
With instruction and practice over five
consecutive days, punctuated by two
much-needed yoga sessions, guests get
to live the surfing life.
Those unsure about their abilities
needn't worry, either. "Surfing's not for
everyone," co-owner Lesley Cushing
shrugs. While her partner spends the
days carving up the waves, Cushing takes
a more laid-back approach to the camp.
"There's colonial history, good seafood,
and lots of other activities besides
surfing, like biking, walking trails, and
really great beaches to relax on."
The camp runs for a full week and
includes five days of instruction and
surfing. There are opportunities for local
day trips, and arrangements can be
made for specific extensions. Learn more
at facebook.com/GaySurfWeekBrazil.
Brazilian Embassy or consulate nearest
to your place of residence . The Zika Virus
Alert for Brazil is at Level 2, which means
practice enhanced
precautions
and
especially avoid mosquito bites. The virus
can be transmitted through unprotected
sexual intercourse, but female-female
transmission is as yet unknown. For
updated information visit the Centers For
Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov).
Crimes such as theft are common so don't
travel with valuables, or secure them.
BRAZIL: IF YOU GO
Brazil requires U.S. citizens to carry a valid
U.S. passport and visa when traveling
to Brazil for any purpose. Check with
the U.S. State Department website for
updates (travel.state.gov) and obtain
your Brazilian visa in advance from the
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"It's paradise," a lesbian friend recently
said of Costa Rica, which is high praiseand mostly accurate if you pick the right
time of year and the right places to go.
Costa Rica certainly has an abundance of
natural wonders that make it a paradise
for nature lovers: two coastlines and
countless beaches, stunning mountains,
jungles, waterfalls, volcanoes, and a
good portion of the world's biodiversity
all in a small country of fewer than five
million people. Flanked by Nicaragua to
the north and Panama to the south, it's
arguably the most stable and friendly
country in Central America, espousing
the philosophy of pura vida-pure life,
which is compatible with the intention
to have the trip of a lifetime, or in the
case of many expats, a good life. There
are choices to be made when visiting
Costa Rica: which coast-Pacific
or
Caribbean; north or south; green season
or dry season. For this trip, my wife and
I chose the Southern Pacific Zone just
prior to rainy season. We flew into San
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Jose International Airport, rented a car,
and drove an easy twenty minutes to our
first location.
FINCA ROSA BLANCA COFFEE
PLANTATION & INN
Just 20 minutes outside of Costa Rica's
capital, San Jose, is a surprising oasis
lovingly honed by American expats Glenn
and Teri Jampol. Finca Rosa Blanca is set
in the highlands of the beautiful Central
Valley, 4,000 feet above sea level, and a
few minutes drive to quaint local villages.
This intriguing lodge and compound is set
amidst eight acres of flourishing tropical
gardens and winding walkways, and
adjacent to and part of a thriving, 30-acre
organic shade-grown coffee plantation.
(You'll get to sample plenty of that coffee
during your stay-at breakfast and in the
complimentary afternoon teas with freshly
baked cookies. Make sure you take a coffee
tour and tasting during your stay, and pack
a few bags of delicious, finely roasted
Finca coffee to take home with you!)
FEATURES/
'\\\\\'
•
,~ ...
··•-·.·-·.~
--:a.•.
r ....
The stunning main lodge is an
idiosyncratic architectural wonder: a great
room with 40-foot ceilings, a waterfall
reflection pool, skylights, and beautiful
international and local artwork. Designed
and decorated with artistic flair by the
Jampols (Glenn is a painter and his wife Teri
also spent time in Manhattan's art world),
many of the rooms are hand-tiled, handpainted, and boast unique architectural
features and decorative flourishes. Choose
where to stay out of three master suites, 11
junior suites, and two private villas. Many
of these have private verandas affording
sweeping valley, volcano, or city views,
kitchenettes, and special soaking tubs.
This inn has the amenities of a resort: an
organically-shaped, crystalline, chemicalfree swimming pool and waterfall, and
a hot tub set amidst the terraced garden
offering intimacy and lovely views.
Glenn is a leader in sustainable tourism,
so the property follows green principles
such as composting, growing organic
food, and existing in harmony with the
environment. The overall aim is to provide
visitors with an authentic, environmentally
first hotel with a perfect rating of 5-star
luxury and five-leaf sustainability-is
worth it! Arenas Del Mar Beachfront &
Rainforest Resort provides guests with
spacious, air-conditioned rooms, decks
with built-in jacuzzis and ocean views, a
choice of two gourmet restaurants, and a
range of guided wilderness activities. This
TRA\AEL
sustainable yet luxurious experience, to
employ locals, and to give back to the
community. We recommend exploring the
local villages and markets, or taking the
nearby volcano tour. Enjoy your seclusion
while staying connected via the free WiFi and a shuttle into town. Make sure that
you eat at the resort's restaurant, El Tigre
Vestido, which provides sophisticated
and healthy meals for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner. If you want to indulge your
inner
gourmand,
book
U.S.-trained
Chef Alvarado's seasonal chef's table.
Mushroom "cappuccino,"
pan-roasted
corvina, pork belly with faro-this is not rice
and beans, but the best of Nuevo Costa
Rican cuisine! (fincarosablanca.com)
ARENAS DEL MAR
It was an easy three-hour drive from
Finca Rosa Blanca to our next port of
call: the gay area of Costa Rica, Manuel
Antonio. In this gorgeous hippie-meetshipster seaside enclave there are
many properties to choose from, but
splurging on Manuel Antonio's only luxury
beachfront property-and
Costa Rica's
rare combination of sophistication and
sustainability is perfect for nature- and
animal-lovers. The hotel is a Shangri-La of
suites connected by walkways and ramps,
which you can stroll if you wish, or you
can call for a golf cart to transport you.
Lazing on property is encouraged and we
recommend a romantic couples massage
SEP/OCT
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at the lovely spa, which is set on the bluff of
the cliff, a picture window offering ocean
views. It's so tranquil to relax to the sound
of the waves gently below you.
Our Ocean Breeze Suite overlooked a
beautifully secluded little beach where we
ordered BBQ for lunch and watched the
waves roll in. There is also access to the
stunning long beach that is fringed with
jungle and connects with Manuel Antonio
National Park.
Arenas Del Mar can book you a guide
to take you through the ecoparadise
of Manuel Antonio National Park. Our
friendly female guide was trained in
biology, a lover of wildlife, and a genuine
conservationist-like most Costa Ricans.
She took us along walking trails and, with
her telescope, spotted the diverse wildlife
for which Costa Rica is famous: howler,
white-faced, and squirrel monkeys, sloths,
colorful frogs, crabs, butterflies, parrots,
and songbirds. She'll take photos for you
of the elusive wildlife, and watch your
belongings while you take a cooling dip in
the park's pristine beach. When you return
to Arenas Del Mar you will share some
chilled fruit and refreshments, but save
room for the restaurant's sublime menus
featuring fresh local ingredients presented
with flair. (arenasdelmar.com)
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KURA DESIGN VILLAS
Just over an hour's drive south from
Arenas Del Mar, following the coast where
the rainforest-covered mountains meet
the beach, is a property of such vision
and elegance it took our breath away. Kura
Design Villas is a minimalist masterpiece
with only six luxury hillside villas. Its
exclusive ambience is the product of its
lovely architecture as well as its location
at the top of a mountain via a steep and
unpaved winding road. The drive up the
mountain requires a 4WD vehicle, or if
you're a timid driver you can call and they'll
come and collect you from the village
below. This peerless property, including its
sexy vibe, is the product of a young, hip,
and charismatic couple: Alejandra Umana
(a biologist) and Martin Wells (an architect).
Originally from San Jose, they wanted a
property that brought out the best of their
country's beauty, and Kura does exactly
that, with views to the misty mountains
and to the Pacific coast, particularly of the
famous "whale tail" peninsula of Uvita.
Kura's villas are simply stunning, with
two villas located underneath the infinity
pool offering high ceilings and expansive
terraces; and two junior suite villas that
boast a unique canopy-level view. We
stayed in one of these and were able to
lounge in our double hammock and watch
the birds, and a luminous "poison dart"
frog that paid us a visit after a rain shower.
What luxury, what romance: Open plan
design, open showers with double rainfallstyle showerheads, divans, clever storage
space, a king-sized bed facing the view,
and sliding-glass doors leading onto the
spacious terrace. Mod-cons include plush
towels and bathrobes; a private minibar,
wine cellar and espresso maker; a personal
safety deposit box; and an iPod docking
station.
Now, about that infinity pool! Cooling
off in the 62-foot saltwater miracle
overlooking the Pacific Ocean as I watched
a flock of toucans perch in a nearby tree as
the sun set behind them is high up on my
list of unforgettable travel moments. Top
that off with a chilled glass of white wine
at the outdoor lounge and bar area before
your gourmet dinner. Paradise indeed!
For date night dinner request the
romantic table, which is on the edge of
the veranda overlooking the town lights
of Uvita far below. For something really
special (think proposal), book dessert and
a bubbly tub for two in the private spa.
Kura's hospitality is outstanding. Staff
bend over backwards for you, greeting
you with welcome drinks, water, and
chilled hand towels when you return from
an excursion. You'll want to actually visit
that "whale tail" peninsular that you can
see in the distance at low tide. It's a natural
sandbar formation, one of only a few in the
world and part of Marino Ballena National
Park. Incredibly, there are swimming
beaches on each side of the "tail" and
nestled in the left-hand curve is protected
snorkelling, which you can kayak to. Kura
staff will recommend a friendly local guide
to take you on a tour paddling through
the mangroves and out onto the sandbar,
observing the intricate ecosystem the
whole way (kuracostarica.com).
HOTEL GRANO DE ORO
It was hard leaving Kura, but we had to
head back to San Jose for one night before
our flight. The three-hour drive back up
the coast and through the mountains was
lovely and I felt sad to leave-even sadder
when I checked into the well-appointed
Hotel Grano de Oro, a grand plantationstyle Spanish Colonial treasure in the
heart of the city. The general manager,
Marco Montoya, went out of his way to
accommodate us, and offered us a choice
of room based on our noise preferences.
It turned out that the very night we were
staying a local festival and street parade
celebrating an obscure saint, and involving
fireworks (at 3 A.Ml) might possibly disturb
us. We chose an oppulent suite with a kingsize bed, sitting area, and sunken jacuzzi,
overlooking the city, and the guest deck
which has two more hot tubs and lounge
chairs. We barely heard the fireworks-but
we woke to the vaguely sulphur emissions
of the active volcano! A reminder that
paradise has many facets, and the real,
unapologetic charm of Costa Rica is
special. Hotel Grano De Oro is worth a
longer stay than we could afford. You must
dine in its elegant, old world restaurant,
which has a wonderful European-style
menu and excellent wine list. And hang
the calories! Have the caramelized
banana pancakes with cafe con leche for
breakfast. (hotelgranodeoro.com)
THE CAYUGA COLLECTION
The thread that held our magical journey
together was the Cayuga Collection-not
your garden-variety hotel chain but rather
carefully curated and managed ecolodges,
resorts, and sustainable hotels throughout
Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Some guiding
principles form the backbone of the
Cayuga experience: landmark properties
in unique settings; a commitment to
sustainability and luxury; respect for local
culture and customs; friendly, impeccably
trained staff who go above and beyond the
standard benchmarks of the hospitality
industry. But it's the commitment to
environmentalism that appealed to us
the most, and that commitment involved
more than changing the bed and bath
linen every other day. Cayuga grows,
shares, recycles, upcycles, and partners
with communities to employ locals and to
build and sustain them through charities
and conservation for future generations.
(cayugaonline.com)
GETTING THERE
Book your airline and rental car using the
superior algorithm of Skyscanner.com, the
biggest online travel marketplace in the
world, offering millions of travel options at
the best prices. When we booked our trip
we found that Skyscanner provided more
options at more competitive rates than
similar sites.
IFYOUGO
You don't need a visa to travel to Costa
Rica, just a valid passport. If you dislike rain
don't travel in green season, although an
afternoon rainstorm at most times of year
is quite lovely. Petty crime such as theft
can be common if you do not protect your
belongings. If renting a car, choose a gutsy
4WD over something glam. And choose
the full insurance package with a GPS.
Costa Rica's roads have improved vastly
in the past few years, but if you do get a
flat tire or stuck in some mud it's nice to
know you're covered. A pinch of Spanish
is useful, although not essential. Many
locals speak more than a little English. Zika
is not a problem here yet, but do avoid
mosquitoes. If you're pregnant or plan on
becoming so, take a raincheck for now.
Pack your bathing suit, sunglasses, hat,
umbrella, non-aerosol sunscreen, insect
repellent, quick-drying clothes, walking
shoes, water shoes for snorkeling, and a
camera, GoPro or smart phone to capture
those amazing moments in paradise!
FEATURES/
Minutes into my first-ever safari I saw a
crash of white rhinos before me. Dusk was
falling, and they had congregated near a
pond in South Africa's Madikwe Game
Reserve (madikwegamereserve.co.za). My
eyes could barely comprehend the sight of
these majestic wild animals roaming freeno bars or moats separating us, in our
open-air jeep, from them. Then our guide
motored forward to a cluster of bushes
where everything got way more real.
There, in the shade of the setting sun,
were two teenage lions feasting on a
zebra. The guide said they were siblings,
and just past them their parents lay sated
on the dusty hillside. The youngsters
avidly pursued their dinner, a startling
display of the natural order that exists
apart from humanity. Far more shocking
was the audible biting, and the tearing of
bones and flesh: the sounds of hungry
lions at work. It completed a full-sensory,
full-throttle welcome that introduced me
to a magnificent new realm of travel. Like
Shakira sang in her 2010 smash "Waka
Waka," this is Africa.
Between books, films, and firsthand
accounts, I'd long heard stories that Africa
is soul shaking. My soul is always open to
a good shake-I think that's precisely why
most of us love to travel. Jody Cole, the
founder of and guide for Wild Rainbow
African Safaris (wildrainbowsafaris.com),
told me that on her first visit in 1998,
"Africa took me under its spell, and I'm still
in its grasp." That degree of enlightenment
is borderline scary, but in a good way. To
be gripped is to feel overwhelmed, but
also alive and inspired.
So I approached my journey to the
mother continent with optimism, but with
a lid on expectations, so my experience
could take its own course. With a suitcase
specially packed (zoom lenses, a safari
hat), I endured the 16-hour flight from JFK
and eventually awoke in Johannesburg.
Jo'burg is sprawling, with a bustling
inner city and lively "suburbs," some of
which are still within the city limits, and
others more far-flung around the province
of Gauteng. Melrose is the city's upmarket
area, home to the Melrose Arch mixed-use
development. It's surprising at first to have
a security checkpoint for a neighborhood
of hotels, shops, restaurants, and condos.
But it establishes the line that divides
tourists and more moneyed South Africans
from everyone else; it is a line defined
more by class than by race. Those who
stay in and visit Melrose Arch are able to
roam freely at all hours, more confident of
their safety.
This is a tricky facet of what Westerners
discover about urban South Africa: There
are a lot of walls. They wrap around homes,
subdivisions,
businesses-they're
not
everywhere, but they're common, and
each is meant as an assurance of safety for
those within. But they also uphold literal
and symbolic divisions that Americans
born into a don't-fence-me-in culture may
find bewildering at first, until they become
just another part of the African experience.
Melrose Arch, while new and polished,
is north of the city center and home to
many hotels, like the sleek Protea Hotel
Fire & Ice (protea.marriott.com). It's part of
the Marriott's Africa chain, and has a posh
lobby lounge, a lovely outdoor terrace,
and familiar amenities like a fitness center
and fast Wi-Fi. Just outside its doors is a
bounty of retail that might appeal even
to non-shoppers, thanks to the great
exchange rate between the dollar and
South African rand. Head to Moyo (moyo.
TRA EL
co.za) for traditional African cuisine like
curries, tagines, and grilled meats flavored
with peri peri, a very hot, indigenous chili
pepper rightly used in moderation.
While Jo'burg's LGBTscene is scattered
about the city-much of it is in the more
residential suburb of Pretoria about an
hour's drive north-the
busy nightclub
Babylon (facebook.com/BabylonTheBar)
is on Oxford Road, just a few blocks from
Melrose Arch. In the same complex is
Beefcakes
(beefcakes.co.za/illovo),
a
burger restaurant with nightly shows, drag
queens, and buff waiters. Though both
places are guy-centric, they are fun spots
for finding other queer ladies in the 'hood.
Much of South Africa's governmental
history is tied to Johannesburg, so it
makes sense that the somber, edifying
Apartheid Museum (apartheidmuseum.
org) would be located here. To the west
in Soweto, a related historical site is the
compact Mandela House (mandelahouse.
co.za), where Nelson Mandela returned in
1990 after 27 harrowing years as a political
prisoner. Nearby is the Hector Pieterson
Memorial and Museum (joburg.org.za),
named for the 13-year-old boy shot by
police during a 1976 student protest.
A major historical highlight in Gauteng
is not specific to South Africa, but applies
to all humanity. The Cradle of Humankind,
a UNESCO World Heritage site, is about
an hour from Jo'burg and home to about
40 percent of the world's human-ancestor
fossils. Visit the Maropeng Visitor Centre
(maropeng.co.za) and tour the deeply
humbling Sterkfontein Caves, where
hominid skeletons dating as far back as
three million years were discovered.
In Johannesburg on Sundays, one of the
best places to pass the day is uber-cool
Maboneng precinct, where an art market
fills Fox and the adjacent streets, a food
hall lets you taste-test treats, and galleries
showcase works by emerging artists. Grab
an outside table at Pata Pata (facebook.
com/PataPataJazz) for delicious dishes,
often accompanied by live jazz, and watch
the gorgeous, stylish women float by.
You can also lodge in Maboneng, at
the design-casual 12 Decades Art Hotel
(12decadeshotel.co.za) or at Curiocity
Backpackers. This city is famous for
its politically infused graffiti, and one
of the best ways to absorb it is with
SEP/OCT
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Past Experiences, which hosts unique
graffiti tours around Newtown Junction,
a revitalized historic and retail area
(pastexperiences.co.za).
Johannesburg is a major departure
point for safaris, best organized through
tour companies or lodges that make game
drives and air travel part of their packages.
Kruger National Park (krugerpark.co.za)
is the largest of South Africa's game
reserves, but there are plenty of smaller
ones, like Madikwe.
Jaci's Lodges (jacislodges.co.za) is an
excellent family-owned accommodation,
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with lovely rooms and ace guides who are
native to the region, and who readily track
the full gamut of safari animals: elephants,
giraffes, buffalo, leopards, monkeys,
eagles, and an occasional hippopotamus.
Cape Town is South Africa's other
prime destination. The Victoria & Alfred
Waterfront (waterfront.co.za) anchors the
tourism scene and serves as the departure
point to Robben Island (robben-island.org.
za), where Mandela was jailed for 18 years.
Don't miss a chance to stroll Long Street,
Cape Town's main drag; see the colorful
houses of Bo-Kaap, tour Table Mountain,
and browse cool Neighbourgoods Market
(neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za; also with
a Jo'burg outpost). Just leave time for
cocktails at Beaulah Bar (facebook.com/
Beaulahbar), a lesbian club in the LGBT
pocket of De Waterkant.
Some call South Africa a "bucket list"
destination, as if a trip there is meant to
happen once in a lifetime. But a devoted
traveler may want to consider getting
to this enchanting land sooner rather
than later-because
one journey may
just turn out to be the first of many.
(southafrica.net)
MARKtT
Buying?
Selling?
Relocating?
INSTANT ACCESS TO
THE NATION'S TOP
LGBTQ REALTORS.
I caught the travel bug at an early age.
When I was in sixth grade I fund raised for
two years to go to Hawaii with my soccer
team for a tournament. Being a SoCal
girl I didn't think the beaches of Hawaii
would be all that different. As I skimmed
across the waves, I took in colorful coral
and tropical fish. The sand was entirely
different, the climate tropical, and the
flora and fauna blew my mind.
When I returned from my trip I asked
my parents why they didn't want to go
to a place like that. They said, "When
you live in paradise there is no need
to leave." I thought, 'How do you know
what paradise is if you haven't compared
all that there is out there?' Thus began
my quest for the perfect place. I had to
wait until I was a little older and made
friends with Visa and MasterCard before
my next travel fix.
Working as a paramedic
for a
decade allowed me to see the world.
Ten 24-hour shifts a month leaves a
lot of space to travel, and travel I did.
After I sustained a career-ending back
injury while responding to a 911 call
I had to figure out what was next for
me. This was the first time I could be
location independent, so I moved to
Costa Rica and opened a business
services company. After experiencing
firsthand the steep learning curve of
being an expat in Costa Rica I created
a guidebook series, Becoming An Expat.
I enjoyed writing the guidebooks,
but I missed the interaction
with
people I'd had as a paramedic. I enjoy
playing host and hunting down unique
experiences, so after visiting many
countries and living in five, I was ready
to launch Lesbian Excursions.
In my opinion, you can find yourself
in your suitcase. Travel can provide
the shakeup required to grow as an
individual. Plus, uniting lesbians from
around the world to travel together
is a powerful thing. For the travelers
who are new to understanding their
sexuality,
being
with
like-minded
women who are comfortable in their
own skin can be life changing for them.
I hope to cultivate an environment for
epic adventures, life-long friendships,
business partnerships
and-if
we're
lucky-love! (lesbianexcursions.com)
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Got iPhone?
Find Gurl Scout in iTunes.
www.damron.com
SEP/OCT
2016
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LAST LOOK/
CROSSWO
THE
L-OUIZ
Test your
lesbian knowledge
with our queer crossword.
BY MYLES MELLOR
ACROSS
1.
Lesbian tennis star who won
Wimbledon, first name
33.
Lesbian fitness expert who
stars in Work Out, Jackie __
5.
Lesbian who is a US soccer
heroine
36.
In good physical shape
9.
Steal
38.
Partner of 13 across, first
name
10. Lesbian who won a gold medal
for Norway playing handball at
the 2008 Olympics
12. High jump obstacle
13. Lesbian who is an all-time
tennis great
16. Gym equipment
17. Baseball team groupings
19. Networking need
20. Sign of summer
22. 4th in the family
23. Bound, Carol, Blue Is the
Warmest Color, etc.
28. Internet address
29. Email subject line intro
2016
Middle of the year month
32.
3.
Recede
34.
Basketball org.
4.
MIT degree
35.
Lesbian who is a US soccer star
6.
Lesbian who is a top Canadian
speed skater, _ Bucsis
7.
Little_ Peep
8.
Lesbian ice hockey star,_
Cahow
11. Lesbian LPGA star,_
Jones
45. First name of the first
transgender man playing
NCAA women's basketball,_
Allums
13. Cathode abbr.
46. Lesbian who is a star player
for the Phoenix Mercury
basketball team
15. Lesbian mixed martial arts
fighter,_ Carmouche
48. Basketball team number
18. Lesbian tennis great from the
Czech Republic
51. Lesbian who was a top
women's tennis star, Hana_
52. Ogle
1.
32. One, en Frarn;ais
SEP/OCT
43. Gobad
DOWN
30. Miami's state
CURVE
41. Number cruncher, for short
49. "Let's get crackin'!"
25. Went head over heels, often
romantically
78
39. Lesbian who is an Olympic
softball star for the US, Lauren
2.
Lesbian field hockey star from
Australia, Alyson_
14. Norwegian handball player who
is a lesbian,_
Hammerseng
16. Magic charm
21. " ... happily_
after"
23. Lesbian who was an LPGAstar,
_ Spencer-Devlin
24. Las Vegas nickname, with City
26. _-A-Day
27. Morning rose moisture
31. Roman 51
Where the Jazz play a lot
37. Suggestive
40. Courage
42.
Little kiss
43.
Basketball hoop
44.
Perfect score for a gymnast
46.
Government e-mail address
ending
47.
DNA's relative
50.
St Louis arch locale
HAPPEN
--:~
SO KIDS!~.
CAN BE
HUNGR .
FOR
MORE
TLOOK!STARS
Autumn Charms
Virgo and Libra bring us some seasonal seduction.
By Charlene Lichtenstein
Screen legend Greta Garbo was
born on September 18, 1905.
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Leo (July 24-Aug 23)
A long distance relationship
may have its ups and downs
for you, Aries, but the glorious
ups far outweigh the lonely
downs. Draw her closer with
either a long visit or maybe
some future plans. For those
with an urge to travel, find an
adventurous bosom buddy to
share your sleeping bag and
explore every nook and cove
with your traveling hands.
Is there anything Lionesses
like to do better than to relax
and have fun? Give yourself a
break from anything that bogs
you down or holds you back.
Explore your neighborhood.
You'll not only feel enlivened
and inspired, you'll also spread
your electricity to a few new
sockets. Light up the ladies as
well as the night.
Virgo (Aug 24-Sept 23)
VIRGO 1/
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
LIBRA 1/,
(Sept 24-0ct 23) 1/,
1/,
Libra is represented by Scales (of 1/,
Justice). She strives for balance 1/,
and equality for all. The most 1/,
diplomatic sister in town, she's 1/,
1/,
always finding a kind word or the
1/,
upside of even the most appalling 1/,
situation. She possesses infinite 1/,
patience and the ability to put 1/,
1/,
up with unbearable behavior
1/,
from others. But she is no idiot, 1/,
girlfriends. She is quite aware that 1/,
a particular someone is a jerk, but 1/,
feels that it would serve no good 1/,
1/,
purpose to point it out to them. 1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
Charlene
Lichtenstein
istheauthor 1/,
A Guide
toAstrology1/,
of HerScopes:
(Simon
& Schuster)1/,
ForLesbians
1/,
nowavailable
asanebook 1/,
(Aug 24-Sept 23)
The lesbian Virgin possesses
great emotional depth and a
sizzling sensuality that can satisfy
any voracious appetite. (Three
cheers for those lusty earth
signs!) And she is loyal; once
she commits, she's in it for the
long term. Don't be surprised
if, after the second date, she
pulls up to your front door with
a U-Haul containing her worldly
possessions (all labeled in neatly
sealed boxes, no doubt).
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
Put some elbow grease into
any boring task that has been
gathering dust on your desk,
Taurus. You will be able to
accomplish a lot in a short
amount of time because of
your ramped up powers of
concentration and laser-like
focus. The more you can finish
now, the more time you will
have to play later. Or find a
helpmate.
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Do some of your relationships
need some refreshment or
dash of artistry, Gemini? Focus
more attention and creative
energy on attending to the
needs of the most important
lady in your life. You'll surprised
how a little extra tender loving
care can have refreshing
results, especially if you get
fresh yourself.
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Libra (Sept 24-Oct 23)
You have more than your fair
share of glam and charisma
now, Libra. Spread your
personal oil around and slide
into new groups of influential
ladies. You have great ideas
that have been germinating
for a while. Help them grow by
convincing the power brokers
to help you. Present your ideas
and plans, rest your case and
see if the jury is out.
Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 22)
Sagittarians are ready to take
on the world with one arm tied
behind their back. Great! But
you can't conquer the world on
your own. Enlist a willing group
of gal pals to assist in the fight
while you lead the charge. But
with your short attention span,
where will you eventually lead
your Pride Parade? How about
to the nearest dyke bar?
Capricorn (Dec 23-Jan 20)
Office politics and jealous
co-workers may try to take
advantage of your good nature
but don't let the bastards
get you down. Get ready to
go fishing for the corporate
sharks, Capricorn. You have
many talents and abilities
that will get you far. Find
new ways of getting your
accomplishments noticed.
Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)
Don't be surprised if your
love life turns upside down,
Aqueerius. It will be full of
happy surprises. A platonic
gal pal can easily turn into a
zesty lovergrrl. An exotic and
mysterious stranger can get
very familiar. The secret to
your romantic success is to
keep yourself open to myriad
possibilities.
Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
There is a lot to do around the
house from small projects to
a complete home entertaining
extravaganza. Enlist the help of
talented advisors to maximize
your space. Cancers strive
to make their surroundings
as comfortable and cozy as
possible. Make your nest a
(tinyurl.com/HerScopes). destination for a flock of birds.
80
Family members may ask you
for money or some other type
of helping hand and it might
be hard for you to say no. Try
to be open, magnanimous and
generous, not only to family
but to others who may be
in need. Karma has a way of
paying back, Virgo. Give them
all the benefit of the doubt this
one last time.
have her where you want her.
You have a guardian angel,
Scorpio, and she is focused on
your wellbeing and happiness.
Who is this glorious mystery
woman? All is possible to a
willing heart and an open
eye. Be especially generous
and kind now to everyone
around you. Share you deepest
thoughts and hopes with a
certain someone. Then you will
Pisces (Feb 20-March 20)
Gimmie some sugar, sugar.
Pisceans shimmer with love
possibilities and might just
become the possibility of many
hearts this autumn. You ooze
passion and charisma. And you
have them where you want
them. Make yourself available,
do some outreach, and see
who you attract this fall.
UNFORGETTABLY
FLAWLESS
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•7/L
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•
~very piece of your look-from
your
uni9ue style to your edgy haircut-comes
together
to create
smoking
cigarettes,
and missing teeth,
Live t:obacco-free.
your unforgettable
Aawless. But
which can leave you with ashtray breath
can hide your fierce style. Stay unforgettably
Aawless.
~.\
2017 S550 Cabriolet shown in Lunar Blue metallic paint with optional equipment. ©2016 Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
For more information, call 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES, or visit MBUSA.com.
See all items with this value
-
®
&FAB
FIT
BETTI
BREA
HEALT
RAPINOE
MEGAN
GRINER
BRITTNEY
FAlKNER
EllZABETH
EXPER
TIPS
Ellen
DeGeneres
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SEP/OCT 2016 VOLUME 26#5
GOING
IN
WILD
RICA
COSTA
AFRICA
SOUTH
JANEIR
DE
RIO
~1BEST
::.::',.:; PLACESTO WORK
2015for
LGBT Equality
SEP/OCT
2016
FEATURES
18
BREAST CANCER
AWARENESS
Advice and guidance from
female medical experts.
~o
MEET MADISON PAIGE
The androgynous model
makes a musical move.
SPORTS SPECIAL
From Megan Rapinoe to
Brittney Griner, meet some
strong women changing sports,
and breaking rules and records.
58
HELLO, DOLLY!
Dolly Parton is back on tour
after a long hiatus, plus she
has two new albums out.
60
CYNDI LAUPER
CHANGES HER TUNE
The pop icon takes a fun
country detour.
66
RIO DE JANEIRO BECKONS
The Olympic city has a very
vibrant and visible LGBTside.
70
COSTA RICA IN COMFORT
The Latin American paradise
has combined luxury with
sustainability.
,~
SOULFUL SOUTH AFRICA
From safaris to something
spiritual, this trip of a lifetime
will change you.
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
1
SEP/OCT
2016
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
IN EVERYISSUE
4
EDITOR'S NOTE
6
CURVETTES
8
FEEDBACK
10
THE GAYDAR
80
STARS
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
TRENDS
REVIEWS
11 OUT IN FRONT
Meet the community leaders
who are doing us proud. By
24 MUSIC
Sarah Dashew talks about her
rich musical influences and
her great new album. By Kelly
Sheryl Kay
11 IN CASE YOU MISSED
IT ...
LGBTnews from across the
country. By Sassafras Lowrey
12 WOMEN WE LOVE
Each issue we pick a lucky lady
with a look and a life to match.
13 LESBOFILE
What's new and noteworthy
with our favorite celesbians.
By Jocelyn Voo
VIEWS
16 POLITICS
Deep thoughts and heartfelt
convictions on a different topic
each issue from our contributing politics editor. By Victoria
A. Brownworth
18 ADVICE
Experts with insider info on all
manner of problems, from love
to money to health.
20 ISSUES
Our in-depth look into a hot
button topic affecting queer
women.
2
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
McCartney
26 FILMS
The gripping story behind
saving the seals from ruthless
hunters has been brought to
the screen. By Kerry Branon
28 BOOKS
Julia Serano's book on feminist
and trans inclusion receives
a timely reissue. By Marcie
Bianco
30 SHORT STORY
Take a dip into our short
fiction, this issue a romance
set against the San Francisco
earthquake. By Jae
32 FOOD
Chef Elizabeth Falkner takes a
break from running restaurants
to write a memoir and promote
a personal cause. By Merryn
Johns
LAST LOOK
78 CROSSWORD
Can you tame our Queer Quiz?
By Myles Mellor
Fair Play: How LGBT Athletes Are Claiming Their Rightful Place in
Sports. When the U.S.team won the Women's World Cup, the news
made headlines around the world, and the team, particularly Abby
Wambach and Megan Rapinoe, became "the darlings of the media
and fans;' writes Zeigler. Which makes it shocking to learn that they
earn a pittance compared to their male counterparts. According
to Zeigler, in 2008, WNBA player and No. 1 draft pick Candace
Parker earned about $44,000-which
was 110 percent less than
Derrick Rose,the NBA'stop pick that year. It's not just about money,
although that's a reflection of worth. It's about airtime, too. When
Brittney Griner came out two weeks before Jason Collins, she
received much less media attention that he did.
Ellen DeGeneres is on our cover for the first time, and while we
might think that being honest and open about our identities paves
the way to acceptance, it's only part of the story. Lesbians and
queer women are still harrassed and must prove themselves again
and again, on a journey that could take years, as it did with Ellen.
We may have out athletes, but it doesn't mean that homophobia
has been stamped out. Unfavorable stereotypes still persist, such
as the myth that lesbians "recruit" younger women, which is why
it's almost impossible to be an out lesbian coach of a sports team.
Just ask women's ice hockey coach Shannon Miller, who lost her job
A Sporting Chance
Y
at the University of Minnesota Duluth because of her sexuality; or
soccer coach Lisa Howe, who was fired by Belmont University after
she told her team that she and her partner were expectant parents.
This is our Sports issue, and we celebrate out athletes, their
dedication to fitness, to health, and to achieving their personal
ou're probably as delighted us we are about the number
best-and
of out lesbian athletes who participated in the Rio 2016
Olympics. 31 out athletes, according to Curve columnist
and staying out. As we learn from Ellen, who feared she would
become the most hated person on TV (and for a time she was)-
Victoria Brownworth, including the first-ever married lesbian couple
(read her article on curvemag.com). As we went to print, the latest
sometimes it doesn't take the first time around. You have to try
athlete to come out was Team USA basketball star Elena Delle Donne,
who had already come out in the August issue of Vogue, but no one
we thank them for their commitment to being out
again and roll with the punches. But if you manage to bounce
back, you just might win.
seemed to notice. When Donne mentioned her engagement to her
longtime girlfriend to reporters in Rio, it was news to the straight,
mostly male, mainstream press corps.
With so many out lesbians in sports, you'd think women athletes
had achieved equity. This couldn't be further from the truth. In
America, men dominate professional sports, both in media coverage
and in revenue. Top female athletes have been coming out for yearsfrom Martina Navratilova in 1981to Brittney Griner in 2012. Perhaps it's
assumed that most women who play sports at the highest level are
gay, but it's also assumed that most men in sports are straight.
The 2015 Women's World Cup "featured at least seventeen players
and coaches who were publicly out;' writes Cyd Zeigler in his book
MERRYNJOHNS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
merryn@curvemag.com
'!I @Merryn1
NARRATED
BY
RYAN
REYNOLDS
RONT /
cu RVETTES
LYNDSEYD'ARCANGELO
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo is a freelance writer and an
award-winning author from Buffalo, N.Y. She's also a
sports junkie and a baggy-clothes wearing tomboy
who isn't afraid to blog openly about her experience
as a stay-at-home mom for curvemag.com, where
she also writes about sports. Catch her other sports
writing on espnW.com, The Cauldron/ Sports
Illustrated, Vice Sports, and excellesphrts.com.
Read
more of her work at lyndseydarcangelo.com
curve
THE BEST-SELLING
SEP/OCT
2016
LESBIAN
» VOLUME
MAGAZINE
26 NUMBER
5
PUBLISHER Silke Bader
FOUNDING PUBLISHER 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
KEPHSENETT
Keph Senett is a Canadian writer whose passion for
travel and soccer have led her to play the beautiful
game on four continents. When not writing about
human rights, LGBT and gender issues, travel, or
soccer, Keph spends her free time trying to figure out
how to qualify for a soccer squad in Asia, Australia,
or Antarctica. This month she takes Curve readers to
lesbian Rio De Janeiro. Keep up with Keph on Twitter
@kephsenett
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, Jenny Block, Kelsy Chauvin, Mallorie
DeRiggi, Dar Dowling, Jill Goldstein, Kristin Flickinger,
Kim Hoffman, Francesca Lewis, Charlene Lichtenstein,
Sassafras Lowrey, Kelly McCartney, Myles Mellor, Laurie
K. Schenden, Stephanie Schroeder, 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
JAE
Jae grew up amidst the vineyards of southern Germany.
She spent her childhood with her nose buried in
a book, earning her the nickname "Professor." The
writing bug bit her early, at the age of 11. Jae used
to work as a psychologist but gave up her day job to
become a full-time writer and a part-time editor. When
she's not writing, she likes to spend her time reading,
indulging her ice cream and office supply addiction,
and watching crime shows. Visit jae-fiction.com
NICOL BIESEK
Nicol Biesek is a Los Angeles-based photographer who
specializes in stylized portraiture. After graduating
from the Academy of Art in San Francisco where she
obtained a BFA in Photography, she began pursuing
a career in the commercial and editorial market. She
works heavily with comedians and musicians creating
imagery for album art that can be seen on iTunes, and
also works as a photo editor for the ad agency Cold
Open in Venice, CA.
CONTACT INFO
Curve Magazine
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PHONE (415) 871-0569
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Volume 26 Issue 5 Curve (ISSN 1087-867X) is published 6 times
per year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August,
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PO Box 467, New York NY 10034. Subscription price: $35/year, $45
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Curve welcomes letters, queries, unsolicited manuscripts and
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EVERYONE
DESERVES
TO BE
GOOD HANDS®
RONT /
FEEDBACK
TEGAN& SARA FOREVER
Your cover story ["The
Evolving Vision of Tegan &
Sara;' V.26#4] was epic and
brilliant! It even had a couple
surprises for a dyke-hard
fan like me. I am so over the
people who bitch and moan
about T&S selling out. I for one
am so thankful that we have
successful musicians who
we can call our own and who
aren't some YouTube one-hit
wonders just trying to cash
in. They've paid their dues.
They're here to stay and they
are talented and real.
-Abby Ford, Long Beach, N.Y.
KUDOS FOR COMING OUT
Thank you for "Coming Out
Across Cultures" [Curve
V.26#4]. I am a 37-year-old
ABC (Australian Born Chinese)
lesbian still having issues
about coming out to my
parents. It's not just the gay
thing. It's also the sex thing.
Chinese don't talk about sex,
and to come out is to bring up
your sex life. So the article by
Kathy Eow gave me courage.
Gay marriage is not yet legal
in Australia, but when it is I will
come out. Because if Chinese
do not understand gay, they
understand marriage. Thank
you for this Asian visibility. We
need more of it. As a group we
are overlooked.
-P.L., Sydney,Australia
you think you don't like jazz,
she will definitely convert you.
-Estelle H., Tampa, Fla.
NEW TRANS READER
I am an inmate with the Federal
Bureau of Prisons [and] I
am also a MTF transgender
who's been on hormones
now for two months. I found
a copy of your magazine in a
donation pile, and I must say
it's a fantastic magazine. I just
wanted to say keep up the
good work and maybe I'll catch
I)
KICKING BACKWITH CURVE
I really loved the Best Beach
Reads [Curve V.26#4]. These
books look entertaining and
intelligent. I will definitely buy
one and take it on vacation.
The whole issue was beautiful,
and I was glad to see Allison
Miller in the magazine. Even if
Jointhe 150,000+ whoLikeus:
facebook.com/curvemag/
20%
l'M NOT HEALTHY, l'M A LESBIAN (CAN YOU SMOKE IN THIS BAR?)
20%
FIGHTING FIT: I EXERCISE, I EAT RIGHT, AND I LOVE LIFE
10%
l'M DOING THE BEST I CAN WITH WHAT GOD GAVE ME
8
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Lesbian athlete? Being gay
does not hamper your ability
to do physical things. But
I know what you mean in
trying to educate the public
that us gay people are
everywhere doing everything
like everyone else.
- LucretiaDiamond
__ ..._..
l'M MOSTLY IN GOOD HEALTH BUT I COULD WORK MORE AT IT
Email:
YOU SAID IT: BESTFACEBOOKCOMMENTS
- MarciaSmith
50%
Send to:
LOVEDALLTHE LOVING
As a longtime subscriber to
the world's best lesbian mag
I loved seeing all the happy
couples in your Love Issue
[V.26#4]. This visibility is
important, especially when you
live in a "non-gay" place.
-K.W.B., Columbia, Mo.
Rapinoeand GrinerAmong
Record38 LGBTAthletes
Goingto Rio:LGBTathletes
have always been there.
They're just now getting to
be out. Let's not forget the
LGBTpeople who came
before this generation. This
road was paved with sacrifice
and pain by LGBTpeople in
previous generations.
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HEALTHY
ARE
YOU?
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San Pedro, Calif.
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10GIRL GAYDAR
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14QUOTABLEQUOTES
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
9
TRENDS/
p
%
THE GAYDAR
THEGAYDAR
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
Kristen Stewart realizes the
importance of coming out in an
interview with ELLE UK, calling
her relationship with Alicia
Cargile, well, a relationship
The Democratic Party, whose 2016
party platform includes a renewed
push for ENDA, is the most pro-LGBT
platform in U.S.history
Miley Cyrus and
Lolawolf's Zoe Kravitz
sing a super sapphic
song, "Teardrop," to
each other on the
band's new album
Delta Air Lines screens a
censored version of Carol,
which deletes the love
scenes and reduces Carol
and Therese to friends
Carl's Jr.
restaurant chain
continues to use
soft-core lesbian
porn to sell its
burgers
Queer girl fave
Wynonna Earp
is renewed
for a second
season on Syfy
for 2017
Former
Houston
mayor Annise
Parker unveils
historic marker
to Barbara
Gittings in
Philadelphia
Out director
Patricia
Rozema's
modern
fairytale Into
the Forest
stars Ellen
Page and
Evan Rachel
Wood as...
sisters
Author and activist
Urvashi Vaid is
crowned "The Sexist
Lesbian Alive" in
Provincetown
Samira Wiley may have left
OITNB, but she is set to star in
Hulu adaptation of Margaret
Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale
10
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Marsha Wetzel, represented by Lambda
Legal, stands up for America's LGBT
seniors suing for elder abuse and neglect
Cara Delevingne
raps on Drop the Mic
with Dave Franco and
James Cordon, "I've
hooked up with hotter
girls than both of you
combined "
w
z
('.)
z
e
w
CD
2
::::,
0
VIEWS/NE
JESSICA HALEM
>>Massachusetts
FromStandup Comicto InclusionOfficer
A16-YEAR-OLD
CALIFORNIA
LESBIAN
CAME
our
Once upon a time, you may have seen Jessica Halem
walking the hallowed halls of the Second City Training
to her parents and brother on a family trip to Disneyland, and
made the news. The teen, who 1s1dent1f1edonly as Gina, held up
a handmade, rainbow-colored sign that read Tm Gay!" while she
was riding Splash Mountain. "I love funny ride photos, so I figured
I could make the sign Just in case I decided to go for 1t,and I did,"
Gina says about her coming out. She also reports that her parents were extremely supportive. The photo received over 8,000
likes on Twitter, and 4,500 retweets.
Center. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College,
she studied at Chicago's iconic school of improvisation,
which inaugurated a 15-year career in comedy that
took her all across the country. Today, Halem walks the
hallowed halls of Harvard Medical School, where, two
years ago, she established and now leads the first-ever
LGBT Office, within the Office for Diversity Inclusion and
Community Partnership. Her mandate is to enhance inclusion for LGBT students, staff, and faculty by identifying
key areas of importance and developing programmatic
• THE
LARGEST
ONLINE
DATING
interventions and resources to support LGBT issues.
site targeting Christians, will soon
allow lesbian and gay singles to
create profiles and look for same-sex
matches. ChristianMingle's policy
change comes after a settlement in
a discrimination lawsuit brought in
California. Previously,the 9-millionmember site asked joining users
to identify as either "man seeking
woman" or "woman seeking man."
After the settlement goes into
effect, users will be able to identify
simply as a "man" or a "woman,"
and determine the gender of the
person they want to be matched
with. The site has two years to
implement search features for
lesbians and gays; it must pay
each of the plaintiffs $9,000 each
and reimburse them $450,000 in
attorney's fees.
"My job today is to talk about difficult, sensitive topics
in an affirming, growth-orientated
way," Halem says.
"Being a comic who cares about your audience is the
same as being a trainer who cares about your audience.
I'm comfortable talking about anything, and that's needed
in a workplace-trying
to take on new issues and topics
that can make people squirm in their seats. I find ways to
speak openly. Maybe the only difference is that I try not to
curse as much at Harvard."
Between Second City and Harvard, Halem earned an
MBA. She also worked with U.S. Representative and social
activist Bella Abzug, and served for five years as the executive director of the Lesbian Community Cancer Project in
Chicago. Over the years, Halem says she's seen incredible
growth within the LGBT community, especially in how
some of the older generations relate to the younger ones'
new definitions of gender and sexuality. But she also
• AMICHIGAN
APPEALS
COURT
thinks there is more work to be done.
"We might want to overhaul some of our longstanding
stereotypes for the 21st century," she suggests with a
smile. "Cats are out, dogs are in. Hummus is out, homemade salsa is in. But we should stick with the Subarus.
They are still the best cars for lesbians-and
everyone."
She adds, "Economic inequality, reproductive justice,
violence, war and peace, these are all lesbian issues.
Poverty is a lesbian issue. We are a special group of people who can see the world from the outside and identify
what needs to change. We have a responsibility to dive
deep into the world's ills and make it better for all who lack
%
has ruled that Michelle Lake,a
lesbian whose 13-year relationship
with Kerri Putnam ended before
same-sex marriage became legal,
does not have parental rights to
the child born to Putnam while
the couple were together. Lake
and Putnam separated in 2014
but were never married. Since the
separation, Putnam has denied Lake
visitation rights; the couple's son is
now 8 years old. "We simply do not
believe it is appropriate for courts
to retroactively impose the legal
ramifications of marriage onto
unmarried couples," the appeals
court wrote.
• SECRETARY
OFDEFENSE
Ashton Carter announced that the
Pentagon would be lifting the ban
on transgender people serving
in the U.S.military: "Effective
immediately, transgender
Americans can serve openly, and
they no longer can be discharged
or otherwise separated from the
military just for being transgender:'
Carter noted that transgender
Americans were already serving,
adding, "These are the kind of
people we want serving in our
military."
• ANEW
DEMOGRAPHIC
STUDY
from the Williams Institute at the
UCLA School of Law has found
that there are approximately 1.4
million adults in the United States
who identify as transgender. This
new number doubles the previous
estimate, and researchers believe
that the population could be
even larger because individuals in
more conservative states might
have been reluctant to answer the
survey honestly even though It was
anonymous.
By SassafrasLowrey
a voice or power in this world:' - By Sheryl Kay
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
11
WOMEN
WELOVE
»
Jacki Gemelos
The Greek-American professional
basketball player from Stockton,
Calif., began her career at USC
where she obtained Bachelors and
Masters degrees. Drafted to the
WNBA in 2012, she's hit the court
for the Chicago Sky, as well as
teams in Greece, Italy, and Spain.
INTERVIEW BY ARIANA TIBI
PHOTO BY NICOL BIESEK
TRENDstGOSSIP
LESBOFILE
COMING OUT, COUPLING, AND A NOTE OF DEFIANCE.
BY JOCELYN VOO
• KRISTEN COMES OUT
It's been over a year since Kristen Stewart was first reported to be in a romantic relationship
with visual effects producer Alicia Cargile. Stewart danced around the subject ("Google
me, I'm not hiding," she told Nylon last September), but now she's more direct. "I think also
right now I'm just really in love with my girlfriend," she told Elle U.K. "We've broken up a
couple of times and gotten back together, and this time I was like, 'Finally, I can feel again.'"
That girlfriend, of course, is Cargile. Stewart says that when she was dating guys everything
"was immediately trivialized." "(W)hen I started dating a girl, I was like, 'Actually, to hide this
provides the implication that I'm not down with it or I'm ashamed of it, so I had to alter how
I approached being in public. It opened my life up and I'm so much happier."
She's never been shy about her sexuality, but for supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne,
this is a first. "Before, I didn't know what love was-real love," she told Vogue U.K. of her
current relationship with singer-songwriter Annie Clark, who operates under the stage
name St. Vincent. "I didn't understand the depth of it. I always used to think it was you
against the world. Now I know the meaning of life is love. Whether that's for yourself or for
the world or your partner." But labels are not for her. "I'm obviously in love, so if people
want to say I'm gay, that's great," she said. "But we're all liquid-we change, we grow." And
we're happy to have her growing in the queer community.
• MUCH MORE OF MARA
Another formerly-known-as-straight
celeb opens up to being queer! Mara Wilson,
who starred in the movie Matilda when she was a child, took to Twitter after the
Orlando nightclub shooting to open up about her own sexual journey, tweeting "the
LGBTQ community has always felt like home, especially a few years later when I, uh,
learned something about myself." That little 'something'? "Let me put it this way: I'm
a 2," she tweeted, referring to her gradation on the Kinsey Scale, indicating that she's
"predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual." In her own words:
"I said I *used* to identify as mostly straight. I've embraced the Bi/Queer label lately."
• HALSEY HITS BACK AT HATERS
Pop songstress Halsey has been been homeless, survived an overdose, and recently endured
a miscarriage. But her openness about her hardships has come back to bite her. ''The funniest
thing is that the biggest battle that I've had to overcome in my career was not being bisexual,
was not being biracial, was not being bipolar," Halsey told Rolling Stone. "It was everybody
thinking that I was exploiting those things:' But she's overcome her critics, crediting an incident
in high school when a topless photo intended for a boyfriend was stolen and circulated.
"Teachers saw it; everyone saw it. And suddenly, I was not the weird girl, I was the slut. I could
have recoiled and deflected my sexuality, but instead I was like, 'I'm going to own it now.' "
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
13
TRENDS/SHE
SAID
"No.
Never. Never.
This is shut down, and
closed for business."
Jane Lynch to Chelsea
Handler on the possibility
of marrying again
"I knew without
a doubt that Janaya, a
black transgender immigrant
born and raised in Toronto, was my
life partner. I also soon realized that part
of our destiny was not just a union through a
spiritual bond but through a legal one as well.
Together, we could challenge marriage as a
white, heteronormative,
religious construct. We
could build a new narrative steeped in the
intersections of black love."
#BlacklivesMatter cofounder
Patrisse Cullors in Esquire
14
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SEP/OCT
2016
16 THE POLITICSOF BREATHING
20 EXPERTADVICE 0 N BREASTCARE
18
AWARENESS
IS JUST T
BEGINNI
POLITICS
ISSUES
------ ADVICE
»
SEP/OCT
201 6
CURVE
15
Taking
JJer
Breath
Away
Breast cancer is not the only chest disease claiming women's lives.
We talk about breast cancer all the time
in America. Pink ribbons flutter through
our lives-along with the scary statistic that
one in eight women will get the disease.
I've battled it myself. But how many of us
know that breast cancer isn't the leading
cause of cancer death for women?
The leading cause of cancer death
in women (and men) is that other chest
disease: lung cancer. According to the
American Lung Association, about 72,000
women die each year from lung cancer.
Only half as many, about 40,000 each
year, die from breast cancer.
So why aren't we hearing more about
lung cancer? There's a ribbon for it, but
it's see-through-invisible, like the disease
itself. Lung cancer patients are held
accountable for their illness because many
of them get it from smoking. Yet we know
that smoking is more addictive than junk
food, and just as no one wants to believe
being overweight will cause cancer, no
one really believes smoking will cause it,
either. What's more, younger women who
never smoked are getting lung cancer.
16
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
My mother died of lung cancer 13 years
ago. Even with an oxygen mask over her
delicate face, with the perfect, barely lined
skin that she always kept protected from
the sun, she was gasping for the air that
her lungs could no longer take in.
She was 25 years younger than her own
mother had been when she died. My sister
was with her at the end. I wasn't there
in the hospice wing for her last breath
because I had developed pneumonia a few
days before and was in a different hospital.
Six years after my mother's death I
was diagnosed with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. COPD is an umbrella
term to describe progressive lung diseases:
emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory
(nonreversible) asthma, and some forms of
bronchiectasis. According to the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), COPD causes
coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath,
and fatigue, among other symptoms.
COPD is a major cause of disability and the
third leading cause of death in the U.S.
According to the American Lung
Association (ALA), more than 12 million
ev v1cToR1A A. eRowNwoRTH
people have been diagnosed with COPD,
but an estimated 14 million more may have
the disease without even knowing it.
The ALA is succinct: Deaths resulting
from COPD in women are higher than in
men. More women get COPD than men.
Women's lungs are smaller than men's.
The ALA says this makes women "more
vulnerable than men to lung damage from
cigarette smoke and other pollutants."
In addition, as with many cancers and
autoimmune diseases, estrogen plays a
role in worsening lung disease, although it
is unclear why.
Sexism also plays a role in women's
hastened deaths from COPD, according to
the ALA: "Women are often misdiagnosed.
Because COPD has long been thought of
as a man's disease, many doctors still do
not expect to see it in women and miss the
proper diagnosis."
In June 2013, the ALA released the
report "Taking Her Breath Away: The Rise
of COPD in Women." Just as women are
never told that they are at greater risk of
contracting lung cancer than men are,
few women have even heard of COPD.
But data provided by two national surveys
conducted by the ALA-the
National
Health Interview Survey and the Behavioral
Risk Factor Surveillance Systems-show
an increasing rate of COPD in the U.S.,with
both male and female deaths increasing
since 1979.
The figures are worse for women.
Female deaths from COPD have more than
quadrupled since 1979. Approximately
18,000 women died from COPD in 1979. In
2014, the number had risen to 72,000.
I refer to COPD as lung cancer-lite. It is
and isn't cancer. It's progressive and it will
kill you. It can't be treated aggressively, like
lung cancer can. There is no radiation blast,
nor are there special chemotherapeutic
trials. There is no cure for COPD. There
are only nebulizers and aerosolizers and
the omnipresent sound of the oxygen
generator and the small crease on the side
of your face from sleeping with a cannulathat plastic tubing in your nose that loops
around each ear.
These numbers about lung cancer and
COPD are-or should be-scary. They are
for me. I survived breast cancer. My first
diagnosis was at 26. But as I write this, I
am hooked up to an oxygen generator,
and I must do four to six lung treatments
a day. In addition, I have to give myself a
shot in my abdomen {just as unpleasant as
it sounds) twice a day, injecting myself with
a blood thinner to help prevent another
round of the lung drama that nearly killed
me in May 2015: a pulmonary embolism.
I tire easily. I run out of air suddenly and
frighteningly. I cry briefly almost every day:
from pain, from exhaustion, from having
my life conscripted by an oxygen tank
and a plastic tube in my nose, and from
knowing that I will not recover, I will only
get worse. Life expectancy among women
with COPD is considerably shorter than for
other women.
Smoking is the leading cause of lung
cancer and COPD, but it is not the only
cause. I smoked one cigarette in my entire
life: out the bathroom window of my best
friend's house in the fifth grade, when her
mother was at work. I coughed wildly,
dropped the cigarette, and got us both in
trouble. I never smoked again.
But for years I was surrounded by
secondhand smoke. My parents were
chain-smokers and all their friends
smoked. I worked in bars and restaurants
throughout college and grad school, then
at newspapers (in the years when people
still smoked in offices), where I was the
only reporter in the newsroom who didn't
smoke. At night and on weekends I went
dancing in clubs-surrounded by smoke.
So I was smoking secondhand from the
time I was brought home from the hospital
till I was in my late 30s.
I had uncontrolled asthma as a child,
which periodically sent me to the ER. It
became uncontrolled again in the years
before my mother's death, and after
a collapsed lung and several bouts of
pneumonia, I was diagnosed with COPD.
The ALA and NIH admit they haven't
studied lung disease in women until a few
years ago. Women are also more prone
to pulmonary hypertension, and black
women are the most at risk. Autoimmune
diseases that impact women more than
men-notably
lupus, multiple sclerosis,
and Crohn's-all predispose women to
COPD, though the reasons are at present
unknown.
Asthma is also on the rise in America and
women are more likely to have asthma than
men. Black women are 47 percent more
likely to have asthma than white women.
According to the NIH, almost 65 percent
of those who die from asthma are women,
with black women having the highest
death rate. These alarming statistics mean
that women must be vigilant.
If you smoke, stop. If you have warning
signs-coughing,
wheezing, shortness
of breath, fatigue, swelling in the neck
or throat, frequent colds or respiratory
infections, coughing up-see a doctor
right away. Demand a full workup. We
should be able to breathe easily into our
80s unless there is a problem.
If you have asthma, make sure it's
controlled. Move around a lot if your job
keeps you tied to a computer. We tend to
breathe more shallowly when we sit, and
our circulation slows. The more your blood
is flowing and your lungs are being used to
full capacity, the better it is for your overall
health.
Most of all, don't ignore any warning
signs. We are our bodies' best advocates.
The more we care about and care for those
bodies, the more likely we are to live the
longest lives we can. Breathing easily all
the way.•
SIGN
UP
TODAY
ON
CURVEMAG.COM
Let's
Talk
About
Breasts
Breast health, that is,
and that means
mammograms.
BY CONNIE
18
CURVE
OLIVER
SEP/OCT
2016
In October, many across our nation
will again be "celebrating"
Breast
Cancer Awareness Month. It'll be a time
when the color pink is everywhere we
look-from the grocery store to the NFL
football field. We at Solis Mammography
applaud the many organizations that
commemorate this month, as they've
done a remarkable job bringing about
greater awareness to the horrific disease
that is breast cancer. However, with
that education, ironically, has come the
avoidance of mammography by many
women because they are afraid of the
"1 in 8" statistic so often cited regarding
the likelihood of getting breast cancer.
In fact, only 51 percent of women over
40 with health insurance get their
annual mammogram, according to the
Susan G. Komen Foundation. This is
disappointing on so many levels, but
especially considering nearly all private
insurance
carriers cover screening
mammograms at 100 percent, with no
co-pay, regardless of your deductible.
It's bad enough that 230,000 women
were diagnosed with breast cancer in the
United States in 2015 alone, but it's even
worse when you learn that-according
to
the American Cancer Society-women
in the LGBT community have a higher
rate of breast cancer than heterosexual
women. This may be because women
who haven't had children, haven't breastfed, haven't used oral contraceptives, or
are older when they first give birth, are at
a higher risk for breast cancer.
Whatever
the
reason,
medical
research clearly shows that annual
mammograms for women between the
ages of 40 and 64 are key, and that
the earlier a woman and her physician
discover a breast health issue, the
better her treatment options (potentially
minimizing or eliminating the more
invasive treatments). However, because
VIEWS/
LGBT women have been observed to
get less routine healthcare than other
women, including mammograms, the
risk for them becomes higher.
According to the American Cancer
Society, some reasons for the fewer
number of checkups with LGBT women
include:
• Lower rates of health insurance:
Many policies still do not cover
unmarried
partners.
This makes
it much harder for many women
in the community
to get quality
healthcare. (Note: many screening
facilities like Solis Mammography
have a value screening program
designed to give women without
insurance an opportunity to get their
annual screening mammogram at a
reduced fee.)
Discrimination or a fear of
discrimination: Many women are
afraid to tell their doctors about their
sexual orientation because they're
afraid it will affect their quality of care.
This makes it more difficult to develop
a comfortable
relationship with a
healthcare provider.
• Negative experiences:
Having
negative experiences with doctors or
other healthcare providers can result
in some women either putting off
routine checkups (like mammograms)
or even skipping them altogether.
Missing
these
tests,
and
the
opportunity for early detection, may
make it harder to treat and defeat the
disease.
II
ISS
MEDICAL RESEARCHCLEARLYSHOWS
THAT ANNUAL MAMMOGRAMS FOR
WOMEN BETWEENTHE AGES OF 40 AND 64
ARE KEY,AND THAT THE EARLIERA WOMAN
AND HER PHYSICIANDISCOVERA BREAST
HEALTH ISSUE,THE BETTERHER
II
TREATMENTOPTIONS
difference and, again, can mean not
only saving your life but also improving
your quality of life. With early detection
comes the possibility
of avoiding
chemotherapy,
radiation, surgery, or
other invasive treatments. While there
are no guarantees, one thing is certain:
mammograms are the closest thing we
have to a cure.
For those women younger than
50 who think they are too young for
mammograms,
take note: Of the
230,000 women in the U.S. diagnosed
with breast cancer in 2015, 22 percentthat's 50,000 women-were
under the
age of 50. We don't say this to scare
women, because fear is never a good
motivator. But we do want women to
understand the facts and to assume
responsibility
for their own health
and wellness through their annual
mammogram.
Simply put, we believe that breast
specialization and 3D mammography
offer the best quality results for your
mammogram. And, of course, we would
love to have you as a patient. But no
matter where you go, be sure to get it
done. It's just too important to ignore.
As LGBT-identified women continue
to find their voice, this same message
of
empowerment
needs
to
be
communicated
regarding preventative
health and wellness in every areaespecially breast health. Taking control
of your own wellness through regular
annual mammography-starting
at age
40-is another form of empowerment,
and one that may save your life.•
Ladies, let's face it. No one really
wants to get a mammogram. What
women really want to know is that they
are healthy and "all clear for another
year." For those who discover an issue,
early detection is key.
Think about early detection using this
simple food analogy. The average size
of a breast anomaly, when found by a
woman doing self-breast exams, is the
size of a walnut. The average size of an
anomaly when found in a woman who
gets regular annual mammograms is
the size of a pea. This is a remarkable
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
19
Better
Breast
Care
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while awareness
is important, so is action. We asked Dr. Marisa Weiss to weigh in
on how to prevent and deal with the disease.
SOME STUDIES CLAIM THAT GAY
WOMEN HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF
CONTRACTING
BREAST CANCER
THAN OTHER WOMEN. IS THAT
RESEARCH DOCUMENTED?
Yes, lesbians are at higher risk
of breast cancer because they are
more likely to have a combination
of risk factors, which together
are
associated with an elevated risk.
Lesbians are more likely to drink
alcohol, smoke, and be overweight
or obese. And, they are less likely to
have had the protective effects of a
full-term
pregnancy
and therefore
breastfeeding.
20
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
In addition,
access to optimal
care
can
be
suboptimal-since
they tend to have relatively
low
rates of health insurance, and they
may have less comfortable
and
trusting
relationships
with
their
healthcare providers, due to fear of
discrimination
and other negative
experiences
with
health
care
providers.
AS A DOCTOR, HOW DO YOU
TREAT PATIENTS WHO IDENTIFY AS
LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, OR QUEER?
Each patient's care is unique. It is
critical for me to understand
each
person's Full Life View: who is their
immediate
support
network,
what
matters most to them, what their
goals are, what their challenges are,
what is their personal style of making
decisions,
and how I can be most
helpful to them.
During this critical
conversation,
each
person
should
feel
heard,
respected, and not judged for who
she uniquely is, but free and confident
to introduce or mention her partner
and her sexual orientation.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CAUSES OF
BREAST CANCER?
There are many risk factors for
breast cancer. While the top risk
factors
are unchangeable:
being
a woman, aging, having a strong
family
history,
or inheriting
a
genetic
mutation,
many of the
"major" risk factors are modifiable.
These include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Being overweight
Being physically inactive
Drinking 3+ alcoholic
beverages a week
Smoking
Eating too much animal
protein, eating processed
food without enough fruits
and vegetables
Using combined HRT
(estrogen/progestin)
for
menopause
Having excess radiation
exposure as a girl or young
woman
Not breastfeeding
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EVERYDAY
THINGS WE CAN DO TO PREVENT
BREAST CANCER?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
8
Get to a healthy weight and
stick to it
Get regular exercise: 3-4
hours per week, 5-7 is better
Limit alcohol use to 3 or
fewer drinks per week
Don't smoke
Eat mostly a vegetarianbased diet
Avoid combined
postmenopausal
HRT
Avoid unnecessary radiation,
especially as a girl or young
woman
If you're a mother, breastfeed
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR THE
WOMAN
WHOSE
PARTNER OR
SPOUSE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED
WITH BREAST CANCER?
The role of the partner
and
spouse is so important,
especially
your ability to be there, to listen
and to respond
to her concerns
as she experiences
them, without
being
j udg menta I,
dismissive,
or only
looking
at it through
your own lens. Continue
to enjoy
shared activities,
like having meals
together,
hanging out with friends
and family,
watching
a movie,
taking a walk, cooking,
shopping,
and just
chilling
out.
Intimacy
can be achieved
in many ways,
not just sexually:
try snuggling,
sharing
personal
stories
and
jokes,
having
romantic
dinners,
getting a massage, and having new
adventures.
Explore
mi ndf u I ness together:
learn how to be even more present,
aware, and open to each other's
thoughts
and feelings.
WHAT IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST
WAY WOMEN CAN CHECK FOR
AND DETECT BREAST CANCER?
Start
having
annual
digital
ma m mog ra phy at the age of 40.
If you are at higher than average
risk, for example,
if you have a
strong family history, a known BC
gene abnormality,
a history of prior
breast cancer, or if you have had
chest area radiation
as a girl or
young woman for Hodgkins disease,
talk
to your
doctor
regarding
starting screening
earlier than age
40, and using additional
imaging
tools, like ultrasound
and MRI.
Perform
breast
self-exams
on
a regular basis, once your period
is over.
Or if you're
beyond
menopause, at the end or beginning
of each month. Have your doctor
do a careful
breast exam during
your
regular
checkups.
And,
if
you see or feel anything
new that
concerns you-like
a bloody nipple
discharge,
a new persistent
lump
or area
of thickening,
overall
breast enlargement,
new rash or
swelling-then
seek
eva I uation
with a doctor
who has expertise
in breast care.
LESBIANS
ARE AT A
HIGHER RISK
OF BREAST
CANCER
BECAUSE
THEY ARE
MORE LIKELY
TO HAVE A
COMBINATION
OF RISK
FACTORS...
For more from Dr. Weiss go to
breastcancer.org
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
21
GOING
WILDIN
COSTA
RICA
SO~TH
AFRICA
RIO
OtJAN
tiRO
24A MUSICAL JOURNEY
26SAVINGSEALSON SCREEN
28TRANS FEMINISM FORALL
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
23
-ROLLING
WITH
IT
MUSIC»
As a 'half-Jewish white girl,' Sarah Dashew is building bridges with music. BYKELLY
McCARTNEY
S
omewhere
between
sailing
around the world as a child
and living in Austin, Texas, as
an adult, Sarah Dashew found
her musical voice. And, as evidenced by her latest album, Roll Like
a Wheel, that voice draws its inspiration from many sources. "I started
singing in a gospel choir in college,"
Dashew says about her earliest influential experiences. "And, growing
up sailing, you're in the Solomon Islands, and you row ashore, and all of
a sudden 20 different people come
out with all these instruments you've
never seen and start singing in perfect five-part harmony that is noth-
24
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SEP/OCT
2016
ing you would ever hear, and you're
six years old, absorbing it," she says.
"Then, your dad gets to choose dishwashing music and it's Janis Joplin."
She laughs, adding, "I'm imprinted, obviously, with a lot of different
sounds. They start to combine and
turn into their own thing at different
times in your life, depending on what
you're doing. I think it turns out that
I'm old enough now to understand
that who I am and what I sound like
is who I am and what I sound likeand it's OK."
Allowing
all those disparate
artistic impressions to collide, as she
does on Roll Like a Wheel, may seem
counterintuitive,
but Dashew doesn't
see it that way. "That was what was
fun," she insists. "Maybe I'm a little
na·1ve, but I feel that the different
sounds colliding
are the thread of
continuity
for the record. It's chaos
and control. There's a way in which,
I think, structure gives you a lot of
freedom-which
also sounds kind of
counterintuitive.
But there it is."
Really, so much of Dashew's life
has consisted
of counterintuitive
collisions.
She was born in Los Angeles in a hospital that became the
Church of Scientology headquarters.
When she was 4 the family began a
seven-year adventure sailing around
REVIEWS/
the world, spending
one of those
years building a boat in Cape Town,
South Africa, during apartheid. "My
parents took it as an opportunity
to
teach us about integration,"
Dashew
recalls. "We were having a launch
party at the Cape Town Yacht Club.
They said, 'Whites only.' Dad said,
'Absolutely
not. We're having the
whole boat crew.' But, then, the boat
crew was scared to go. So we chartered a bus and all rode it together,
and had a great time-and
a barbeque."
The inevitable comparisons to Paul
Simon's Graceland that her record
will attract aren't off the mark. Dashew came by those influences honestly-and
directly from the source.
"I heard a lot of music in South Africa
that I loved," she says. "But Graceland
was the only album cover I ever hung
on my wall. I loved Ladysmith Black
Mambazo, and I also loved doo-wop.
And, as a half-Jewish white girl, I also
sang in a black Pentecostal gospel
choir."
Counterintuitive
collisions
strike again.
And now, as luck would have it,
Dashew again lives in Los Angeles,
this time with a new wife and a new
record. "Being gay doesn't precede
me," she offers. "Maybe I'm lucky
because I live in this day and age,
where it doesn't have to be my political identity. It just happens to be
that my partner is a woman. I want
to be allowed to be who I am and not
have it be a big deal and not worry
about who will or won't know-but
I
also don't need it to be the topic of
conversation."
She continues, "Maybe I'm sort of
a Pollyanna, but I've always been an
optimist. I love what I do, so I do it. I
figure out a way to make it work. And
there's such an enormous need in the
world for something
that helps us
feel. Selfishly, I do it because it gives
me a chance to work through what I
need to work through and feel what
I need to feel. Hopefully, it affects
a few other folks at the same time."
(sarahdashew.com)
•
-
SARAH
DASHEW
MUSIC
The long mission to protect baby seals is now documented in a groundbreaking film.
BY KERRY BRANON
P
ristine white ice. Baby seals crying.
The smell of boat diesel. Gunshots.
The crack of clubs. Pools of red
ice. Helicopter blades thumping
overhead. Cameras snapping, rapid-fire. Ice
breaking in frigid waters too cold for human
survival. The stakes are high for both the
hunters and the watchers-get the shot and
get out. One group leaves with fur pelts, the
other with evocative images.
This is Huntwatch. Twelve years ago, I
saw a seal hunt on video for the first time.
The footage was so shocking, so real, that it
seemed like I was on the ice right alongside
the vulnerable baby seals. Heartbroken,
sick to my stomach, I vowed never to watch
that gruesome hunt again.
The commercial hunt for baby harp seals
in Atlantic Canada has been ongoing for
26
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2016
centuries. Traditionally, seal oil was used to
light lamps, and seal fur kept people warm
in harsh climates. Today, there doesn't
seem to be much use for seal products, but
government subsidies prop up the industry
and keep it going.
The good news is that the scale of
the slaughter has seriously diminished. I
remember a three-year span in the early
2000s in which a million seals were killed.
A Canadian Department of Fisheries and
Oceans representative who wanted to
eradicate the entire population famously
said, "The more they kill, the better I will
love it."
Setting emotions aside, this mentality
contradicts every conservation principle.
Fortunately, the markets have dried up
since then, with an EU-wide ban on the
importation of seal products leading the
way. Last year, 35,000 seals were killed,
compared to an average of 350,000 in
previous years.
The hunt takes place in an incredibly
remote area off the Atlantic coast of
Canada. You need helicopters, survival
suits, daily permits, stable ice, and a fresh
supply of courage to get there, and longrange cameras to capture what you see.
My colleagues at the International Fund for
Animal Welfare (IFAW)had been monitoring
and documenting the hunt for 50 years to
show officials that what they saw wasn't
humane; the ultimate goal was to end
it altogether. Their efforts were dubbed
"Huntwatch;' which later became the title
of our film.
Sheryl Fink is the modern-day Seal
REVIEWS/
Campaign director and the female star of
the film. You'll see her as the lone woman
in this testosterone-driven environment,
fearlessly trudging over unstable ice floes
with only a wooden staff in her hand to
test the ice, and a camera around her neck,
while hunters around her wield guns, clubs,
and knives.
When I check in to see how she felt about
putting herself in this kind of danger, she
says, "I didn't notice. I knew my team always
had my back:'
She tells the story of sealers driving an
ATV directly at her as they were hauling
away a trailer full of bloody fur pelts. Was
she scared?
"No-in hindsight, maybe I should have
been, but I just stood there with my arms
crossed and stared at them:'
It's this quiet bravery, persistence, and
heart that were the inspiration for our
documentary.
It wasn't until 2008 that I found the
archival footage from which the film
could grow. Looking through IFAW'svideo
archives in London, I came across a hidden
gem. There was an old movie featuring our
founder, Brian Davies,back in the '70s, flying
helicopters (in his aviator glasses), diving
under frozen ice, and fighting the political
system, all to save baby seals. And this was
just "the tip of the iceberg"; eventually, I
found 40+ years of similar footage to pull
from. Looking deeper, I found tales of
death threats, spy tactics, knife attacks, and
wrecked helicopters. Tirelessly fighting for
the seals, Brian Davies devoted his life to
ending the hunt.
His story is IFAW's founding storythe birth of the modern animal welfare
movement-and it needs to be shared with
the world. In the course of discovering this
story, my own thinking evolved from "I can't
watch this" to "everyone needs to see this:' I
knew that I was going to find a way to make
a feature film.
After six years of research, negotiating,
traveling,
editing,
interviewing,
and
persistence, Huntwatch was born. As
the primary producer and the production
manager, my job was to manage the story,
conduct interviews, sort logistics, and keep
the project on time and on budget. This was
also my first experience of working on a
feature film, and it wasn't always easy.There
were many ups and downs and the project
almost stopped completely many times.
Inspired by the tenacity of Brian Davies and
Sheryl Fink, I never gave up.
During filming, we split into two teams,
one focused on the political firestorm in
Europe, and one capturing the sealing
communities
of Newfoundland. The
main objective was to tell an honest story
presenting both sides of the argument.
Realizing that they were just guys trying
to earn a few dollars, I never felt animosity
toward the seal hunters themselvesrather, I saw it as a political issue. Despite
my personal views, after five decades of
conflict, some bridges have ultimately been
burned between animal welfare activists
and seal hunters.
Gaining the sealers' perspective proved
to be impossible for our team. No amount
of research, emails, or phone calls, no
attempts to form a personal connection,
gave us the access we needed; we were
stonewalled. A memo had been sent by a
sealers' association alerting everyone to
our project and encouraging them not to
cooperate. Of course, no one would talk
to us on camera. We were forced to pull
the hunters' perspective from archival
footage and sought additional balance by
interviewing pro-sealing politicians and a
fur trader.
Another huge challenge was connecting
with Brian Davies. He had left the
organization long before I joined, so we
never had the opportunity to work together.
Naturally, it took some time to build our
relationship to the point where I could
spend time interviewing him in his homeand we could share delicious meals that my
spouse Lisa had prepared for us.
If I hadn't persisted beyond his first and
second "no;' this movie wouldn't exist,
FILM
and he wouldn't have come back into the
organization to meet the more than 100
employees who, inspired by his initial
"Save the Seals" campaign in the late '60s,
continue to rescue and protect animals
around the world today. His return to the
organization created excitement about our
project, and give it the momentum that we
needed to get past the finish line. It was a
wonderful evolution for Brian, for me, for
Huntwatch, and for IFAW.
What's next? It takes decades to
win a campaign and the same grit and
determination to document it. We're
very near to witnessing the end of the
commercial seal hunt, and are now at
the beginning stages of saving elephants
from the ivory trade. It will take the same
creativity, tenacity, and bravery to get the
job done, but I believe it's possible. In a
few more years, I expect that we'll see
large-scale, innovative solutions employed
to stop poachers before they kill, leaving
elephants free to roam the savannah with
their families. You might also find that
story in an IFAW elephant documentary,
available on your favorite digital platform or
TV channel.
Huntwatch is narrated by the Canadian
actor Ryan Reynolds and details the 50year battle between hunters who have
their sights set on the seals and activists
who are watching through their camera
lenses, attempting to save the seals as they
struggle to survive.
Tune in to the DiscoveryChannel at 10
p.m. on Thursday,September 22 to see
the televisionpremiere of this awardwinning film. For more informationvisit
huntwatchthefilm.com.
I
n 2007, when Julia Serano's Whipping
Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism
and the Scapegoating of Femininity
was published, there was no trans visibility in mainstream culture. Nearly a decade later, upon the book's reissue, trans
visibility and issue awareness have reached
a cultural apex, thanks to media and entertainment figures like Caitlyn Jenner, Janet
Mock, and Laverne Cox. No one, especially
bisexual trans activist and author Serano,
could have imagined such progress for the
trans community. It is for this reason that
Seal Press published a second edition of
the acclaimed trans-feminist book.
Named No. 16 on Ms. magazine's list of
"100 Best Non-Fiction Books of All Time;'
Whipping Girl is one part theory, one part
cultural studies, and one part personal
essay that argues for a stronger coalition
between feminists and trans activists. Back
in 2007, long before the current iteration of
feminism, Serano contended that we needed a new definition of feminism, one that
was inclusive of all genders.
There is an undeniable rift between oldschool feminists-Germaine Greer, for example-and the trans community. While it
would be easy to call this rift generational, Serano suggests other differences are
at the heart of it: "I think that there are a
lot of younger trans-exclusionary radical
feminists. I would say [the rift] is more
philosophical than anything else. If you're
entrenched in the idea that sexism is solely encapsulated by the notion that 'men
are the oppressors and women the oppressed' -if you have that worldview-then
you'll be a lot more inclined to be suspicious of trans people, as well as other various groups, the femme movement or the
sex workers' rights, for example:'
In Whipping Girl, Serano also scrutinizes how misogynistic attacks on femininity
similarly affect trans women. "For those of
us who move through the world and who
'pass' as cisgender women;' Serano explains, "I would say that a lot of the sexism I
face since I transitioned is very similar if not
identical to what cisgender women face,
because people treat me as though I'm a
cisgender woman." Misogyny for both cisgender and trans women stems from how
well society reads them as conforming to
culturally accepted gender codes.
AMANIFESTO
FOR
ALL
Bisexual trans activist and author Julia
Serano wants to make feminism inclusive.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
28
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2016
REVIEWS/
But many trans women experience an
added layer of misogyny in the form of fetishization. Those who do not "pass" face a
form of misogyny driven by transphobia,
which Serano calls transmisogyny. "Trans
women are sexualized in certain ways in
our society, where we're seen especially as
sexually promiscuous, or that we transition
for sexual reasons. There's also the fact that
as soon as people know I am trans, there's
the possibility that they will decide to not
take my identity seriously. In the book, I talk
about transmisogyny as being the intersection of transphobia and misogyny, and I
think those are always at play when people
try to undermine me, if they find out I am a
trans woman:'
While grateful for the visibility provided by figures like Jenner, Serano believes
that the media needs to more thoughtfully
consider and represent women, whether
cisgender or transgender, who are not paragons of femininity. "Completely absent is
any discussion about the average person's
gender expectations-the way in which
they are very binary, the way in which we
view men and women as completely different, and the way in which we encourage
people to be gender-conforming and discourage people who are gender-nonconforming. These seemingly minor events,"
she concludes, "are the root cause for the
reason that trans people face so much discrimination in society."
She attributes the broad and rapid
change in trans visibility to technology,
which she also credits with helping isolated
queer kids to connect with one another for
support and community. "When I was a kid,
going through what I was going through, I
went to my local public library and couldn't
find any books. At my college, there were
three psychology books that were awful
and only one trans memoir ... Nowadays,
people who are gender-questioning can
just get on the Internet and immediately
have access to information and to organizations that can help create online communities:' When she was young, she says,
"Trans communities were very much characterized by isolation. Today we are able
to find one another and organize with one
another in ways that just weren't possible
at the time."
While there is some discussion about the
inclusion of the T in LGBT,statistically, it's
the B-bisexuals-who are the largest percentage of the LGBT community, and are
erased and disrespected by the community. Serano feels that "the T has leapfrogged
over the B, insofar as there are a lot of conversations about trans issues, whereas bisexuality is still seen as suspect within the
queer community, and this sentiment isn't
really much different from what it was 10
years ago:'
Serano herself now identifies as bi; a
decade ago, she split from her female partner, with whom she was in a monogamous
relationship, and began to explore her attraction to men. "I know that for a lot of cisgender women who identify as lesbian for
a long time and then start coming to terms
with their attraction to men, it can be really
difficult to come to terms with identifying
as bisexual. For me, I felt it was another way
in which I didn't neatly fit into queer women's communities:'
She believes that the first step in making
bisexuals feel accepted is to acknowledge
that they exist; trite generalities like "bisexuality is just a phase" are myths that perpetuate bigotry. But when pressed on how to
make bisexuality visible without any verbal
declaration, Serano agrees that it is challenging to do so, yet says that to counter
biphobia we must collectively resist placing people in the binary of "straight or gay:'
There is a tendency to make assumptions
about a person's sexual preference based
on the gender of their partner, rather than
on their own chosen sexual orientation.
"I think that dichotomy inherently erases
people who are bisexual," says Serano. "It is
a binary that we don't talk about as much as
we do the gender binary, but it is out there
and it does do work erasing people who
have non-monosexual sexualities:'
At the same time, there is an increasingly
prevalent concern within the queer community about "lesbian erasure." Serano herself perceives that "the word 'lesbian' right
now is in the same space as 'bisexual' in the
larger community:' They exist on the margins of the larger LGBTcommunity.
Having gone from identifying as lesbian to identifying as bisexual, Serano offers
her thoughts on this concern. "I am well
aware of people who suggest that their
lesbian identity, especially butch identity,
BOOKS
is disappearing-that there are all these
young people who might have identified
as lesbian but who now identify as trans,
or who have chosen to transition now but
would've been lesbian in the past. I think
that in different periods in time there are
different options for people," she says. "A
lot of queer women who were of my Gen
X cohort definitely went out of their way to
identify as 'queer' or 'dyke' as a way to create some generational distance between
themselves and the previous generations,
who maybe held some beliefs that the
younger generation didn't ascribe to:' But
for Serano, the notion of "lesbian erasure"
is born out of fear and mourning, a sense of
loss. Instead, she sees this erasure as "just
an evolution in identity labels:'
For Serano, the debates-about which
letters we include in our acronym, about the
community's power hierarchies, its fears
and failures-point to a greater need for
the entire queer community to have "more
conversations about our history." There is
a tendency to erase history, and therefore
to erase identities, in order to make room
for what are perceived as more progressive ideas and identities. Serano disagrees
with this revisionism. An "overwhelming
majority of us don't have the experience of
growing up in our own communities," she
says. "We need to find ways to recognize
problems that happened in history without
necessarily condemning everything that
happened in the past ... It's really easy in
retrospect to look at those movements and
events of the past and say today that they
missed the boat, when in fact a lot of the
things they did were important."
(juliaserano.com) •
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
29
SHAKEN
TO
THE
CORE
Kate is the only child of a very wealthy
family. Giuliana is a young immigrant
from Sicily. The two become friendsthen a devastating earthquake hits San
Francisco and changes everything.
BY JAE
30
CURVE
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2016
REV1Ews1SHORTSTORY
K
ate pulled her arm back and furiously beat at the glowing embers
that blew over from the burning
houses next door. A few drops of
hot wine from the soaked towel splashed
onto her hand. "Ouch! Dang." She shook
her fingers for a moment before continuing to swing the towel.
Papery pieces of ash and showers of cinders, some as big as dollar coins, swirled
around her. She flinched every time one of
them landed on her, but there was no time
to do more than shake them off.
Above her, Luigi kicked burning shingles
off the roof, adding to the sparks that she
had to put out.
The acrid smell of melting paint and
charred human flesh stabbed at her nose,
making her gag. She would have breathed
through her mouth, but her throat was raw
from the smoke already. Even swallowing hurt. The hot air made her eyes swell
shut until she was squinting at the sparks
through mere slits.
A hundred times, she wanted to just
drop the towel and rest her aching arm
and shoulder-or, better yet, run down the
street toward where the air was cooler and
she'd be able to breathe.
One of the neighbors and his family had
given up and retreated, surrendering their
home to the fire.
But Giuliana wasn't giving up, so neither
was she. Helping a fellow Sicilian was important to Giuliana. If Kate could help her
with that, she would keep going, even
though her arm felt as if it would fall off any
second.
Every now and then, she glanced up the
street to make sure her camera was still
safe, with no flames anywhere near the carrying case.
After what could have been thirty minutes or many hours, the wind turned and
blew the sparks from the other buildings
away from them.
Two more lashes at a glowing cinder that
had landed on the top step and the danger
on her side of the house seemed eliminated, at least for now.
With her hands on her knees, Kate bent
over and gulped in lungfuls of air, ignoring
the burning in her throat. She groaned as
she straightened. Every muscle in her body
was already beginning to stiffen up. Moving
like an old woman, she walked around to
Giuliana's side of the house.
Giuliana was still lashing out at the blistered wall even though there were no
flames and no glowing embers on that
part of the building either. She apparently
hadn't yet realized that the immediate danger was over.
Kate hurried toward her. "Giuliana! Stop.
It's over. We did it!"
Giuliana's hand with the towel dropped
down. She stared at the house, then turned
and blinked at Kate. Slowly, her heat-swollen lips formed a huge smile, her teeth
gleaming against her soot-stained face.
"We did it:' It sounded dazed, as if she
couldn't believe it. A moment later, she repeated it with more certainty and joy in her
voice. "We did it, Kate!"
"Yes, we sure did." Elation swept through
Kate, burning just as brightly as the fires
had.
Both started to move at the same time,
rushing toward each other and coming
together in a firm embrace. The impact
made Kate stumble back a step. She
wrapped both arms around Giuliana, swept
her off her feet, and-aching muscles be
damned-twirled her around.
Giuliana threw her head back, her hair
trailing in a circle behind her, and let out a
loud laugh.
When they came to a halt, they both
swayed and clutched each other.
"We did it:' Kate's voice was a breathless
whisper.
Despite Giuliana's blackened clothes,
dirty face, and swollen eyes, she was the
most beautiful thing Kate had ever seen.
Before Kate could think about it, she bent
her head and pressed her lips to Giuliana's
in an exuberant yet tender kiss.
Giuliana flinched back.
Kate froze. Oh Lord, what have I done?
"I'm so sorry. I didn't... I don't..." She held
out her hands toward Giuliana but then
quickly withdrew them, not wanting to see
Giuliana flinch back from her again. "This
was just..:'
"Kate ..."
"The fire and everything ... It must have
clouded my thinking or something:'
"Kate!"
"You have to believe me. I really-"
Giuliana's hands, one of them bandaged,
the other reddened by the heat, grabbed
the front of Kate's shirtwaist and shook her
gently. "Stop. Stop and listen."
Kate hung in her grip like a limp puppy.
Her gaze darted around. The neighbors
were fighting to save their house, not paying them any attention. At least no one
had seen her kiss Giuliana. She studied the
blackened ground beneath her feet, but as
the silence continued, she dared to peek
up. "I'm listening."
"I ..." Giuliana shuffled her ash-covered
feet. Her mouth moved as if she was preparing to form words, but none came out.
She rubbed her cheeks with both hands,
smearing her face with even more soot,
and muttered something in Sicilian. Finally, she went very still and just looked at
Kate for a moment.
They stared at each other.
Then Giuliana pulled Kate down and
kissed her. It wasn't the peck to the cheek
that she'd given Lucy when they'd said
good-bye. It was a caress of Giuliana's lips
against Kate's. The gentle pressure on her
swollen, chapped lips stung a little, giving her a good idea of why Giuliana had
flinched back. To Kate, it was the sweetest pain she'd ever felt.
Giuliana's fingers fanned out to cover
Kate's shoulders, keeping them pressed
together a little longer.
A warmth more intense than anything
Kate had felt while fighting the fire spread
through her body. Her legs started to
tremble. She clutched Giuliana's shoulders to stay upright.
A loud scraping across the roof made
them jump apart-and not a second too
soon. With a loud thump, Luigi landed
next to them.
Kate stood, one hand pressed to her
mouth, where she could still feel Giuliana's lips, and stared at her.
Luigi swept them both up into a big
hug. "Oh, thank you, thank you! You
saved my house. Grazii, grazii!" He kissed
both of their cheeks with loud, smacking sounds. His mustache tickled Kate's
cheek, but she felt it as if through several
layers of clothing. All her senses were still
focused on the way Giuliana's lips had felt
against her own.
She kissed me. She kissed me! Oh
sweet Lord, she kissed me! Me! When Luigi let go of Kate, her knees gave in. She
plopped down onto the still-hot cobblestones.•
Shaken to the Core is now available from
YLVAPublishing.
SEP/OCT
2016
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31
The culinary pioneer has started a new chapter in her exciting career.
BY MERRYN JOHNS
E
lizabeth Falkner is a lesbian polymath: She's an expert in fine arts
and martial arts; she has run businesses, written books, and appeared on countless cooking TV
shows; and most recently, she's mastered
scuba diving and running. But you probably know her best as a chef-she reached
culinary rockstar status when she owned
two wildly successful, award-winning San
Francisco restaurants at the height of the
American food boom.
Falkner effectively lost both restaurants
as a result of the Great Recession; she also
lost a relationship, and after calling San
Francisco home for 25 years she moved
to New York in 2012 to start afresh. "I just
wanted to be a chef, I didn't want to be a
restaurant owner;' she tells me. So she
opened two restaurants for other restaurateurs, but mostly focused on writing a
memoir. "It's actually been nice for me to
step out from behind the line, and from
managing so many people, and do other
things that I'm really good at:'
32
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2016
Her up-front manner has made her good
at something else: being a spokesperson
for the common but often overlooked disease from which she herself suffers: moderate to extreme atopic dermatitis (AD).
While achieving 20 years of success, Falkner has suffered from this skin condition,
which takes the form of painful and itchy
rashes and lesions. The condition runs in
Falkner's family, so she doesn't think her
drive or her strong work ethic are to blame
for the disease-although she will say that
the environment of the kitchen and the
stresses of the job don't help.
"It's something I've had to wrestle with,
particularly in the restaurant world, where
I've had really horrible, painful rashes on my
lower legs and especially on my hands, and
I don't think that it's because of my drive. I
think, thank goodness, I've had the drive to
do things to manage AD, and at the same
time not let it stop me. That's how I can
actually help people who also have atopic
dermatitis:'
Falkner was diagnosed when she was
30, after she developed painful rashes on
her lower legs. "I thought they were shin
guard rashes, because I used to play a lot
of soccer," she says. It's hard to imagine the
sensation of AD unless you suffer from it,
says Falkner, but she describes it as "having a bunch of little volcanoes beneath
your skin. They kind of ooze and scab and
you scratch them and it gets worse when
you scratch:'
At the time of her diagnosis, her doctor
gave her topical ointments, none of which
worked. Busy running her first restaurant,
Falkner tried all different kinds of over-thecounter lotions. Though she has yet to locate the triggers that cause the condition
to flare up or subside, she has noticed
that physical activity such as running and
yoga, combined with acupuncture, calm
her mind and her body, including her skin.
One of the reasons she's joined the Understand AD campaign (understandAD.com)
is to work with doctors to unveil the latest
science pertaining to the disease, bring
awareness to it, and give support to suffer-
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"I'm happy to share my story because I
think there are a lot of people who are suffering with it, who are afraid to go outside,
afraid to go on dates, afraid to do job interviews, because they don't want to be discriminated against. It's definitely affected
my life, it's been very painful, and I've also
had to explain it to different partners in my
life, and to the public. When I have it on my
hands it's the most difficult, because I use
my hands all the time in the kitchen and I
have to figure out how to hide it. Luckily,
I've never had it on my face, or I probably
wouldn't have taken on television;' she
laughs good naturedly.
She's been a regular on numerous competitive reality shows over the past decade, and recalls being judged on camera,
standing there surreptitiously scratching
her itchy leg with her shoe, hoping no one
would notice. "I'm sure sometimes I've
looked like a very twitchy, freaked-out person;' she laughs. "I've not let it stop me, but
I don't want other people to have to suffer,
and I know that people are suffering. I'm
happy to get the conversation going."
Coming out as a sufferer of AD has not
been difficult, says Falkner, nor was coming
out as gay. What has given Falkner more
trouble is her image-she'd like to change
the impression that she's solely a dessert
chef. In actuality, she can cook anything,
from desserts to savory dishes, from pastries to pizza (she was the first American to
win the "Freestyle" category of the World
Pizza Championship in Naples, Italy, in
2012). But she acknowledges that she will
probably go down in culinary history as
the chef who demolished conventional
desserts and made them exciting-and put
paid to the notion that women could only
be pastry chefs and not executive chefs, let
alone branch out and run their own restaurants. It's commonplace now, but when
Falkner did it, it was almost unheard of.
"I've always said, 'What else can I do?' I'm a
game changer:'
Falkner turned 50 in February, and she is
currently pursuing the archetype of the athlete. "Being a chef is tough. You need to be
physically fit. Instead of admiring the generation of rockstar chefs, I wish that people would want to be more like an athlete,
maintaining and taking care of your body
and whatever ails you," she says. "Somewhere I got the message that we could
deal with a lot more and perform better
34
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
if we were more mindful of what we were
eating-and were getting some exercise."
To celebrate her birthday, Falkner gained
her scuba diving certification and is training for the New York City Marathon, which
she will run in November. She encourages
folks to change their mindset about food as
consumption.
"Food is so many different languages,"
says Falkner. "It's diversity. We don't need
to try to dumb everything down. There's so
many ways we can be looking at food in a
completely different light-what it's doing
for us, what it's doing for the planet. I've
been through two decades of people constantly talking about pork and all the things
that we can do with it. And I'm thinking,
'What's wrong with everybody?' I love my
friend Amanda Cohen [of Dirt Candy fame],
who shows us all the cool things we can do
with vegetables:'
CHEF
FALKNER'S
FITNESS
TIP:
ElizabethFalkneris a certified trainer in
Jungshin,a form of martial arts that she
learned from Jungshin Fitnessowner
Annika Kahn,and which she practices
regularly."It's a really cool workout that I
After her involvement with the Understanding AD campaign, Falkner hopes
to pursue her food advocacy work, "educating people about how much food
we're wasting in this country," and polish
her memoir for publication. She's also
returning to her fine arts background,
working on a food installation immersion
theater piece, which she hopes to open
in New York. But maybe one day, if we're
lucky, Falkner will open another restaurant. In her 20s, when she was in school,
she worked in the first Williams-Sonoma
store in San Francisco. "Julia Child and
her sister, and Marian Cunningham, and
all these legendary food people would
come into the store," recalls Falkner. "We
had a professional kitchen in there and
my boss would say, 'Elizabeth, go back
there and cook stuff, you're good at it.' "
(elizabethfalkner.com) •
discovered while living in San Francisco.
You use a wooden sword and do all of
these movements that bring up your heart
rate, releaseyour lymphatic system, and
expel toxins from your system:'
40
MELODIOUS MODEL
42 OF COMING OUT AN D CLOSETS
441N THE SWIM OF THINGS
36
ACTIVEWEAR
GETS EDGY
FASHION
IDENTITY
BEAUTY
»
>>
Trend alert: Athleisure
wear is here.
BY ANITA DOLCE VITA
CHROMAT
(NEWYORKCITY)
This high-end, luxury label was
formed by queer designer Becca
McCharen in 2010. McCharen
has designed garments for Taylor
Swift, Madonna (2012 MDNA
World Tour), and Beyonce (2014
MTV VMA Performance, Mrs.
Carter Show World Tour, and
Super Bowl XLVII halftime show),
and Nicki Minaj (2011 Femme
Fatale World Tour), just to name
a few of Chromat's impressive
list of celebrity clients. In 2014,
McCharen made the Forbes "30
Under 30: Art and Style" list.
(chromat.co)
STYLE/
SEP/OCT
ACTIVEWE
2016
CURVE
37
STYLE/
ACTIVEWE
STUZO
(LOSANGELES)
Owned and operated by QPOC
couple Stoney Michelli and Uzo
Ejikeme, Stuzo Clothing is a line
of affordable, genderless, laidback Cali street style. Stuzo
has been worn by androgynous
model Madison Paige, Kiyomi
Mccloskey of Hunter Valentine
and The Real L Word, and rapper
and choreographer Lady Cultura.
Stuzo only produces a few pieces
per design in order to provide
quality, limited edition products.
(stuzoclothing.com)
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
39
Paige takes her guitar with her wherever she travels, even
to modeling gigs, which helps explain the effortless synergy
between her sound and her personal style. She is a selfdescribed unapologetic, badass tomboy who dresses for
no one but herself. Her confidence has led to commercial
success as a gender-fluid supermodel in a fashion world
where there is little space for female masculinity. It has also
translated into a raw sound that embodies her femininemasculine energies so perfectly reflected in the fishnet
stockings and combat boots she dons.
Beyond business, Paige spends her free time
skateboarding and is a movie buff. Among her favorites
flicks are The Breakfast Club, Boondock Saints, A Clockwork
Orange, and Snatch. Paige also leverages her celebrity
status to create positive social change. She recently
competed at SPiN New York's second annual Model Citizen
Party, a supermodel ping-pong tournament for charity.
Paige battled it out on the tables to help raise money to
support the international humanitarian aid organization
Save the Children. (@MadisonPaige)
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
41
Coming out of the closet,
from the outside in.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
When Dawn Waters came
out, one of the first things
she did was fill her closet
with low-top Chuck Taylors
in a rainbow of colors. The
fashion choice made sense to
her because it made her feel
comfortable. And considering
how
uncomfortable
her
coming out experience was,
the smallest details-down
to
the style of her shoes-made
all the difference.
STYLE/
Waters, a Detroit native, didn't have the
luxury of coming out as a teenager. She
didn't come out in her 20s. She came
out "just shy of" 40, with three kids and a
husband, and a straight life that didn't fit
anymore. What happened afterward was
a whirlwind of epic proportions. Once the
dust settled, Waters, now 45, decided to
boldly share her experience in her memoir,
Switching Teams.
"I never imagined at the age of forty I
would be divorced, raising three children,
living in a rental house, and embracing life
as a lesbian;' Waters writes in the opening
sentence. She goes credits her sense of humor with helping her get through it all, then
takes the reader into the deepest caverns
of her heart.
Switching Teams has nothing to do with
sports, although Waters studied sports administration and coaches youth sports. It
focuses, instead, on the emotional turmoil
and upheaval she faced in the midst of a
life-altering event. Her nonlinear approach
to the narrative was intentional.
"I chose to do that consciously, because
for me to have it be authentic, I was such
a giant ball of emotions;' she explains. "If I
had to put one word on what the whole experience entailed, it would be 'emotional:
And that's what it reflects."
Waters adds that her goal in writing the
book was to put something out there that
would be relatable, because she had been
searching for just such a resource herself
while she was going through the process of
ending her old life and starting a new one.
Waters turned to books for support, but she
couldn't find anything that captured what
she was going through.
"My goal was for someone to read to the
story and say, 'OK, I'm not alone: You can
basically substitute any huge life change in
there and the stress and emotions would
probably be very similar. I didn't want it to
read like a self-help manual, either. I wanted
to give enough of the emotional flavor without detailing the whole sordid mess:'
PROFI
Readers will get plenty of raw emotional
flavor for sure-so much so that after finishing the book it's hard not to want to give
Waters a call and offer her some compassionate, comforting words, or send her a
virtual hug through Facebook.
"They are all supportive," Waters says of
her family. "Everything is cool. My ex and I
have gotten to a pretty good place. It's taken a little while. But we really worked hard
together on handling the situation so that it
was not affecting the kids negatively:'
Looking back on her journey, Waters
admits that starting over at 40 was tough,
traumatic, and one of the most challenging
things she has done in her entire life. But
she has no regrets.
"It took me a long time to get to the point
where I wasn't mad at myself because I
didn't realize I was gay until later in life. I can
look back now and see it. But I can't change
how it unfolded. I am who I am today because of it."
In her heartfelt YouTube video "Enough,"
Waters describes growing up as "a tomboy
with no interest in typical girl things" who
"edited" herself into femininity according
to the wishes of society. After coming out,
she says, came "figuring out what I thought
being gay looked like:'
She experimented with lesbian signifiers: baseball caps worn backward, short
hair, shaved hair, tees, tanks, and plaid,
even tattoos. "The slow changes happening on the outside were a prologue
to what was happening inside of me." But
something was still wrong. She was again
obeying external expectations of who she
should be via what she should look like.
"The fear I had about looking like a guy
whispered to me each time I got dressed,"
she says in the video. It was only when
Waters finally let go of her fear about her
pleasure in looking more masculine that everything changed. "I was me, unedited and
free ...l am enough:'
Not long after Switching Teams was
published, Waters received the first of
many emails from a woman thanking her
for writing the book. That was it. That was
the moment she knew that she had finally
succeeded. (switchingteams.com) •
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
43
Dive into active swimwear
by Beth Richards.
BY MARCIE BIANCO
STYLE/
Beach season may be over but heated pool
and jacuzzi season is just beginning! Many
queer women don't often feel comfortable in
skimpy bikinis and prefer swimsuits that are
practical and durable. Canadian designer Beth
Richards views swimsuits as "an opportunity to
change the way women feel about swimwear:'
She doesn't want women to feel self-conscious;
she'd rather build their confidence "one-piece"
at a time. Maybe you didn't reach your fitness
goals this summer, but you'd still like to do some
laps and lose some pounds without judgment.
So, jump in the pool after hitting the gym.
This quality contemporary swimwear is made
from Italian fabric engineered for athletes,
boasting superior stretch and durability as well
as 50+ UVB protection. Plus, every garment
is made in Canada, a country that believes in
ethical and First World wages for employees.
(bethrichards.com)
SWIMWE
LEtBEAUTY
Simple, natural and effective beauty products for the new season.
WHERESCIENCEMEETSBEAUTY
ClarityRX offers a range of premium organic, plant-based and
paraben-free, results-driven products that cleanse, correct, and
protect any skin type. The Get Fit Multi-peptide Healthy Skin Serum
is an anti-aging treatment proven to reduce wrinkles in a month.
Accompanied by the Sleep It Off Mask, a warming nighttime mask
and moisturizer powered by a blue green algae extract, you'll wake
up feeling fresh and looking like you had the perfect summer. (From
$100, cla rityclinica Iskincare.com)
:
••
HERBAL
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Cl.EANSER TONER
<Jt~
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After a summer of sunscreens and sunburn your skin could use
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exfoliator is made with premium organic Dead Sea salt, Kona coffee,
cacao and coconut shavings-antibacterial power to fight acne,
rosacea, eczema and age spots; follow with the all-natural, organic
Rose Water Witch Hazel Facial Toner to soothe and heal; finish with
Enhanced Vitamin C Serum, organically infused with botanicals that
boost collagen production. ($13-$17,artnaturals.com)
I
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PACKTHE ESSENTIALS
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Foam Cleanser is gentle and soap and oil free; The Herbal Toner is
a refreshing blend of botanicals; G.S.Ginkgosome is a concentrated
time release serum; the Cell Renewal Day Cream is a luxurious yet
lightweight moisturizer; and the Bamboo Cream Peel gives you a
quick and easy microdermabrasion that leaves skin soft and silky. All
in a TSA-approved travel packl ($25, doctorschwabCA.com)
Feeling down, anxious or going through menopause? Don't go on
antidepressants just yet, not before you've tried Body Software, a
line of mood-improving vitamins by Dr. Prudence Hall, a gynecologist
for 30 years. These natural proprietary therapeutic formulas were
designed specifically for women and can bring your hormones and
biochemistry back into balance by utilizing natural mood stabilizers
such as Mucun, 5-HTP,L-tyrosine,and Phenibut. They also help reduce
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If you're on vacation and you don't want to come back looking like
you need one, pack the Essentialsby Doctor D. Schwab. The Herbal
46
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
-- 50
56
CHAMPION PROFILES
58
ELLEN'SENDLESSAPPEAL
A SONGBIRD REUNION
48
MEGAN
RAPINOE'S
NEWEST
CAUSE
COMMUNITY
CULTURE
SHEROES
»
>>
V
' ~-
,
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
47
GLOBAL
AMBASSADO
The out soccer star
on the Olympics, her
clothing brand, and
her latest role.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
Megan Rapinoe graced the
cover of Curve back in 2013,
when she debuted as a
member of the U.S. Olympic
soccer team that won the
gold medal in London. A
lot has happened since
that first gold. In addition to
joining the women's soccer
team in Rio for the 2016
Olympics, despite an injury,
she's a clothing designer,
an LGBT advocate, a writer,
and a global ambassador for
streetfootballworld. Curve
caught up with Rapinoe over
the summer about what's
going on in her life, how
coming out was the best
thing she ever did, and why
her future wedding plans are
on hold.
48
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
WE SPOKE SOON AFTER YOU FIRST
CAME OUT. ARE THINGS DIFFERENT FOR
YOU NOW?
One of the biggest things I've realized
since coming out is that the topic of gay
and lesbian issues was always there for me,
maybe not always at the forefront, but it's
always in my story. And that's something
that is really important, I think. For it to be
taken into account, whether that means
people looking at the Women's World Cup
team or the Olympic team and breaking
down the different aspects, or just looking
at me doing XYZ. But it's always part of the
conversation for me. I am just trying to use
my own voice and the stuff that I am doing
to get the conversation going and keep it
going.
YOU HAVE A CLOTHING
COMPANY,
RIGHT? TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THAT.
My sister and I do! Under the Rapinoe
brand. We just rolled out our first line of
apparel. We've got T-shirts, sweatshirts,
beanies, cinch bags, and a little zip-up jacket. It's so cool. We love it. It looks great, it's
comfortable and stylish, and it's something
we've both worked really hard on for the
FEATURES/
last eight months. It's kind of a cool creative
outlet for both of us. Hopefully, people will
like it.
makes it difficult to plan. We have to figure
all that out. But we're taking time to do so.
WHO'S YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?
Everybody [laughs]. My grandpa can
ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO START A
FAMILY IN THE NEAR FUTURE? IS THAT
SOMETHING YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT?
wear it, my 14-year-old nephew can wear
it, and my mom can wear it. We have the
Pinoe Club line, which is kind of basic. And
then we have another line that's more fashion-forward. Everything is available online
at ShopRapinoe.com.
I don't know. I don't think I'm in any place
to be having a child at the moment. I'm not
mature enough yet. We are really not sure.
I love kids and being around them. But kids
are a lot of work. I'd make a cool mom,
though.
WHAT'S
WEDDING
AFTER THE ORLANDO SHOOTING, DO
PLANS? HOW ARE THEY PROGRESSING?
Well, we put them on pause because we
YOU THINK THE VISIBILITY OF LGBT
UP
WITH
YOUR
started planning and everything and-that
shit is stressful. Just with everything that
has happened this year, my injury and the
Olympics and other stuff. We decided to
take a break for a little bit, but we're enjoying being engaged, and we're taking full
advantage of that.
ARE YOU PLANNING A BIG WEDDING OR
A SMALL CEREMONY?
Well, that's part of the problem. We really didn't know what we wanted. And that
ATHLETES IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT?
Yeah, I do. Professional male leagues
like the NFL and NBA aren't doing enough
to help prepare the environment for gay
athletes. They are still very homophobic,
in my opinion. Really, it all goes beyond
athletes. It's a larger issue, on the whole.
I think sometimes because people are
working in a certain job, or because of
their family, they don't feel the need to
come out. But it's incredibly important to
be open and to talk about LGBT issues.
A lot more athletes have come out since
SPO
I've come out, but it feels like it's starting
to dwindle down, and I didn't think that
would happen.
WHAT DOES BEING AN OUT LGBT
ATHLETE MEAN TO YOU?
A lot. I have people coming up to me
all the time saying, "Thank you-you're
the reason I came out," or "You're the
reason my family is OK with me being
gay." You can't ever underestimate the
power of coming out. Yet at the same
time I feel strongly about people coming out in their own time, when they
feel ready.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT
WITH STREETFOOTBALLWORLD.
My involvement is basically to help
bring eyeballs to this organization that
does such great work. There are so many
grassroots movements going on and
streetfootballworld
helps bring them
all together. It serves as a tool and a resource, and helps empower them.
To join the network of football for a
cause go to streetfootballworld.org.
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
49
A story of struggle,
and what makes a
champion-from
winning on the
basketball court to
confronting life with
bipolar disorder.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
50
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Chamique Holdsclaw spent most of
her life on the winning side of things.
During her time at Christ the King High
School in Queens, N.Y., she helped her
team win four straight New York State
Championships. And under legendary
coach Pat Summit at the University of
Tennessee, she led her team to an unprecedented three straight NCAA Championships in a row, from 1996 to 1998.
But when Holdsclaw got to the
WNBA, something began to shift both
on and off the court. She was no longer winning games, no longer surfing
the highs of success, and no longer
able to escape the lows that crept in
afterward. She didn't know it at the
time, but she was battling an adver-
sary she couldn't outrun or outshoot.
She was living with a mental illness:
bipolar disorder.
"The only time that I felt really out
of place on the basketball court was
after I had been first diagnosed and
stepped away from the game for a bit,"
she explains. "One of my coaches convinced me to come back while I was
on medication. When I stepped on the
basketball court, it felt so unfamiliar.
Everything around me seemed like it
was happening in slow motion, and I
just felt like I didn't belong. I didn't like
that. So after a while I stopped taking
my medication."
In 2012, Holdsclaw reached a breaking point when she was arrested for
,SPO
firing a handgun at her ex's car. She
remembers talking to her ex after it
happened and thinking it felt like an
out-of-body
experience.
The media
jumped all over the story and portrayed
Holdsclaw as just a head case-a player who couldn't cope when her career
took a dive. That was tough to watch,
tougher to live through, she says, but
it needed to happen.
"It was something in my life where I
wish I could have a redo, but it's also
something that has impacted me for
the better. I don't know if I would here
today if it weren't for that incident, because it pushed me to get help."
Though Holdsclaw was diagnosed
again as bipolar, this time she was
prescribed a different medication. "It's
like when you're dating around, trying
to find the right partner," she says.
"It's the same thing. You have to try
a few different things before you find
the right medication. You have to see
what works for you and what doesn't.
I went through that whole process to
find the right meds."
With her life and mental health back
on the right track, Holdsclaw decided
to use her prominence as a professional athlete as a platform from which to
speak out about mental illness. She
also began running basketball camps
for kids, making sure they'd have
breakout sessions where they'd learn
how to express their emotions-a
skill
that Holdsclaw herself lacked when
she was growing up.
"Kids love sports," she says. "And
kids love to listen to sports figures. A
lot of these kids struggle emotionally,
and they don't know how to express
themselves. I don't want them going
through what I went through."
Holdsclaw also told herself that if
she had the opportunity,
she would
use her voice to help others. Fittingly, LOGO reached out and offered to
make a documentary
about her. At
first, Holdsclaw declined.
"I didn't want my personal life out
there on TV," she admits. "But I realized that so many people go through
similar situations and don't have the
platform that I do. I knew it had the
potential to help a lot of people."
When mental illness is the topic of
discussion, there are often negative
connotations-and
a certain stigma to
overcome. Many people look at it as a
sign of weakness and can picture only
the most extreme behaviors, such
as people out on the streets talking
and shouting at no one. It's a harmful
misconception,
one that Holdsclaw
knows all too well.
"It's like you say 'mental illness' and
people automatically think 'crazy,"' she
explains. "But mental illness is something you can live with, and function
and have a successful life. Once I started talking openly about it, people started to tell me their own stories, about
themselves, their friends and family
members, and they started asking
questions. That's why it's so important
to maintain an open dialogue."
Holdsclaw ended up doing the documentary after all. MIND/GAME: The
Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw
aired on LOGO in April. It gave viewers a raw and intimate look at the rise
and fall of an incredible athlete who
is also a woman living with a disorder
that affects people all over the world.
A woman who reached the mountaintop, fell to the ground, and lived to
tell about it. Now, the 38-year-old is
retired from basketball and works fulltime as a mental health advocate.
"I'm just glad I've come to this
place of acceptance in my life. I wake
up every morning and say, 'OK-I'm
a lesbian. I'm a black woman. I have
mental health issues. This is who I
am, so let me step into the world and
live my truth."'
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
51
How a lifelong fan of
two wheels pursued
her dream of racing
motorcycles.
BY LYNDSEY D'ARCANGELO
52
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
You're never too old to chase your
dreams, as Lisa Taylor will tell you. At 44
years old, the former Army reservist and
retired police detective is finally racing
motorcycles competitively-a sport she's
always loved but never fully pursued until
recently. Even though she's been riding
motorcycles for four decades, her racing
career is just taking off.
Taylor, an Arizona resident, started riding
motorcycles when she was a 4-year-old.
Back then, she was into dirt bikes. But in
1999, she bought her first sport bike and it
changed her love of motorcycles forever.
"The Yamaha R1 was the fastest, most
powerful, and best-handling production
motorcycle of that era;' Taylor says. "I started doing track days, initially at Phoenix
International Raceway (PIR), which were
open to any riders and gave us the opportunity to test and improve our skills on a
closed-circuit racetrack:'
Gaining confidence after a few years
of practice, Taylor signed up for the club
racing season in 2003 at PIR. As the only
woman, she competed in three races in the
novice class, and recorded one first-place
and two second-place finishes. The club
FEATURES/
racing season ended abruptly when the
racetrack was shut down, and Taylor figured her racing career was over.
Then, in early 2016, she signed with Kerry Alter Land Speed Racing, which gave
her a second shot at her dream. It was an
opportunity Taylor wasn't about to waste.
"Land speed racing is flat-out speed on a
straight course," she explains. "I did my first
race at Gila Bend Race Wars in February
2016, where I reached a top speed of 188.9
MPH in a half mile. I won a trophy for the
fastest female at the event, which included
cars and motorcycles:'
Taylor's second race took place at the
Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif.,
in April 2016. She became a member of the
200 MPH Club in the Mojave Mile, reaching
a speed of 215 MPH in a one-mile distance.
On the very last run of the day, she ran her
fastest speed ever-226 MPH. As a result,
Taylor became a member of the 225 MPH
Club in the Mojave Magnum.
According to Taylor, very few motorcyclists have achieved speeds of over 200
MPH. And as a woman in a male-dominated
field, she's that much prouder of achieving
such a feat.
SPO
"Since motorcycle racing is a male-dominant sport, there typically are not any
provisions for males versus females. Quite
frankly, I prefer to be identified as a top
motorcycle racer-not limited to a women's-only category. I am a proven example
that women can excel in this sport, and any
sport, regardless of gender:'
As an out lesbian, Taylor credits her wife,
Elaine, for supporting her belief that she
could make a career out of racing motorcycles. The couple has been married two
years, but they have been friends for over
a decade.
"We met while hiking and training for a
backpacking trip to Havasupai Falls in the
Grand Canyon in 2004;' Taylor says. "Elaine
is extremely supportive of my racing and
encourages me to follow my dreams. She
makes sure I'm eating and staying hydrated. Best of all, she gives me love and
encouragement to go out there and do it
again:'
Right now, Taylor is signed to a one-year
contract with Kerry Alter Land Speed Racing. Her sights are set on breaking more records in upcoming competitions, and then
seeing where her new career will go from
there.
"Motorcycle racing is an extreme sport,"
she adds. "To be at the top of the game
requires a great deal of riding experience,
determination, a no-fear factor, and faith in
the equipment. I love the challenge of it. I
also love that I can inspire other women,
and all riders, to push themselves to make
their riding experience safer and more enjoyable."
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
53
A new photo series
shines a spotlight on
the determination of top
performing female athletes
and sportswomen.
PHOTOS BY ANDREA CORRADINI
The Portland-based queer couturier
Wildfang celebrates the historic nomination of Hillary Clinton for president with
their new photo series, A Woman's Place
Is In The House. The series features eight
top performing female athletes who have
risen in their respective fields through a
combination of discipline, perseverance,
strength, hard work, and talent. The photo
series of gritty, documentary-style images
includes three luminaries from the sporting
and fitness arenas: WNBA All-Stars Brit-
tney Griner and Sue Bird, and weightlifting
champ Mira Kwon Gracia. One of the best
players in the game, Griner was named
the WNBA's Defensive Player of the Year
in 2015. Bird is a WNBA legend and Olympic gold medalist. And Kwon, who started
Industrial Strength Gym, holds nine state
records in weightlifting and was ranked
second in the Masters Nationals. To learn
more about these inspiring women and
others, and to browse the latest styles, go
to wildfang.com.
SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
55
Meet the only out lesbian to reach the summit
of Mount Everest. BvMARCIE
BIANco
Jen Loeb readily admits her Bucket List
is "out of control" because that list consists
of climbing the "seven summits" of the
highest mountains in the world. Loeb traveled to Nepal on March 30, and trekked for
two weeks to base camp. Then with two
guides and one male climber, she reached
the summit of Mount Everest on May 19 after a four-day climb. The expedition took
nine weeks overall. Loeb is the first woman
from Iowa, and the only out lesbian that
we know of, to achieve that feat.
At age 40, and with a day job at General
Mills, Loeb might seem an unlikely mountaineer, but she's transformed herself into
one through mental focus and steady
training-over a year of running and climbing on the stairmaster while wearing a
backpack with a sandbag in it, to meet the
fitness standards required of such a task.
"The obstacles of a peak like Everest include extreme altitude and extreme cold;'
says Loeb. "And it's really difficult to stay
healthy in that environment for that long.
It's hard to sleep, hard to eat, and really
hard to breathe. You're dying as you're
asking your body to perform this grueling work. I just tried to stay as healthy as
I could ...but your body is fighting a losing battle really. I lost a lot of weight over
the course of the expedition. The biggest
thing is to keep your head in the game.
56
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2016
Stay focused on the task at hand and what
you need to do to accomplish the climb."
She converted her fear into respect for the
mountain, and focused on accomplishing
her goal.
Loeb became hooked on climbing in
2010. It gave her a bigger sense of purpose, took her out of her comfort zone,
placed her in the outdoors with like-minded people, and gave her a huge adrenaline
rush. It also kept her very busy.
"There's a ton of work that goes into
every expedition long before I ever leave
the country: booking flights, insurance,
getting visas, getting vaccinations if needed, getting gear, training, filling out paperwork. It's pretty life consuming, really.
And I'm gone so long that I need to make
sure everything gets taken care of at home
while I'm gone."
Then there's the physical reality of the
expedition itself. "It's a matter of climbing
safe, climbing smart, and staying healthy.
Climbing is really grueling work but a lot
of fun, too. I've traveled to some really
remote and unique places in the world. It
allows me to experience new cultures with
cool people:'
While extremely dangerous-several
climbers lost their lives while Loeb herself
was on Mount Everest, and she endured
temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees
at night-Loeb never thought she wouldn't
make it. When she reached the summit
she felt an immense sense of relief-this
was the result of three years of preparation. She was at the summit for about 30
minutes, and then she turned her focus to
the descent.
She's now climbed all of her seven summits except for Mount Vinson in Antarctica. "It's the only peak I have left to finish
out of the seven," she says. But first, some
rock climbing in Kentucky! •
11
Top LGBT Pick of Sundance''
- The Advocate
A cinematic essay from Bay Area filmmaker
Jenni Olson,The RoyalRoad offers up a
primer on early California history alongside
intimate reflections on nostalgia, the
pursuit of unavailable women, butch
identity and Alfred Hitchcock'sVertigo all against a backdrop of 16mm urban
California landscapes, and featuring a
voiceover cameo by Tony Kushner.
11
A beautiful, haunting
historylesson."-OutMagazine
"It will give you goosebumps"
-AfterEllen.com
(
,, WINNERJ\f
JURY
AWARD
BEST
LGBTQ
FILM
ANN
ARBOR
FILM
FESTIVAL
fEDITH
49~I?~ATRUNK
LAKE wtddNsoN
When writer-director Jane Anderson(HBO's Normal, If TheseWalls
Could Talk2) learns her great-aunt Edith was put in an asylum for being
a lesbian, she set out to learn about the woman whose beautiful
paintings (rescued from a dusty trunk) had inspired her
own career, and to have Edith's work recognized in the
art world.
''Genuinely moving ...
tells an eye-opening story."
- The Hollywood Reporter
"'"'
~~=·''Should resonatewith audiences worldwide."
All it took was the first act of courage.
- vARtETv
An inspirational drama about four ordinary
women who, through their mutual
friendship, find the strength to break out of
the traditions of servitude they were born
into. Hindi with English subtitles.
*Please note: This title is not specifically
lesbian, but an amazing story of women
finding empowerment through their bonds
with each other. We know you will enjoy it.
"Oneof the mosthonest,uncompromising
portrayalsof femalefriendship
I've ever seenon screen." - BROADLY
'' WINNER~'-'
DIENCE
AWARD
BEST
FILM
INDIAN
FILM
FESTIVAL
OFLOS
ANGELES
Wolfe·
WolfeVideo.com/WolfeOnDernand.com
Yourtrusted communitysourcefor LGBTmovies
(
music and entertainment
Jountry
legend Dolly Parton is currently
Parton, who grew up in a religious yet
of what the Bible says-to love one another,
open and tolerant household, continued,
to love your neighbor and to not judge.
touring 60 North American cities
"We're all God's children and we all have
I think there's room for everybody to be
on her first major tour in more than 25
a right to our own happiness. So I've just
accepting to more people, not just to gays
years. To coincide with the tour, Parton
always been loved for being accepting,
and lesbians.
wrote and produced the album Pure and
I guess. I've always wanted people to
"There's just so much prejudice in this
Simple, a collection of love songs, which
accept me for who and what I am. I've been
world for people being different. I think
she says commemorate her 50th wedding
persecuted for the way I look and all that,
people should get over themselves and start
anniversary, but also hark back to her early
but I just care about the soul and the heart
thinking about what would make this world
years-and to a much simpler time. The
of people:'
a better, happier place, and a good place to
album is "a good, positive force;' depicting
I asked her why she thought country
happy in their own selves:'
music-from
love, all-time love, cheatin' love, sexy love,
Chely Wright-appeals
lesbians so
Her own cheerful philosophy is to "go with
romantic love, I just tried to cover it all,"
much. "I don't know...;' she mused. "We are
the flow and love everybody, and maybe
Parton said in a recent interview she held
all women and my songs hold a positive
God'll love me more for loving more:' When
with exclusively LGBTmedia.
view of women;' she said. "The fact that
it comes to whom she'd love to sing a duet
we are hanging together, doing our thing,
with, Parton admires the younger generation
When asked why she thinks she has so
Patsy Cline to k.d. lang to
start would be to allow people to be free and
"love of many colors: true love, lasting
to
many LGBTfans, Parton said, "I would like to
experiencing emotions that we all feel-
of female singers, nominating Adele or Miley
think that they know I love them; they know
whether we're straight or gay-the lyrics of
Cyrus. Until then, Parton, who turned 70 in
I accept everybody for who they are. I have
country music tell the story of the common
January, continues to make music with
a lot of friends who I work with who are gay
aspects in women's lives:'
a message of love and acceptance. "I've
and lesbian, I have a lot of gays and lesbians
Parton feels, however, that some folks
in my family, I have people in all of my
in the country music industry and fandom
don't know what we're all here for. I'm just
businesses. I just love people. I don't really
could be more accepting. "What really gets
finding out what I can do, and part of that is
think about if you're straight or gay, I just
me is that so many of the country people,
just trying to love people, enjoy people, and
love you because I love you. I think people
they're supposed to be good Christian
accept everybody for who and what they
respond to that:'
people. To me, if they would exercise more
are:' (dollyparton.com)
58
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2016
always just had a good time in this world. I
•
1
f listening to Pure & Simple. makes
you crave more country music-not
a cappella version of Harris's "Calling My
second of all, it's kind of hard to walk," she
Children Home."
says with a laugh. "So I don't think there's
any chance of me touring."
to worry. September 9th marks the
"Everything went on [this package],"
release of a new box set from Emmylou
explains Harris. "That's sort of the point
Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt.
of putting this collection [out]-well,
one
right now;' agrees Harris. "But the fact that
we're friends and we were able to make this
"Yeah, I think we can put that to bed
The Complete Trio Collection, appropriately
of the points. There were these beautiful
enough, contains three discs. The first two
gems that for one reason or another hadn't
music together-that's
are remastered versions of the Trio albums
found their place on the original releases.
after we're gone. We're just gonna keep on
that came out in 1987 and 1999. But the
We just felt like, 'This is it. This is everything
with our lives and be grateful that we had
real treat for collectors is the third disc-a
that we did.' And I don't think there was a
the chance to get this much music down
20-track smorgasbord of bonus material.
dud in the bunch."
for ourselves and for whoever wants to
gonna be here long
hear it.''
You'll find alternate takes on songs that
When asked if they will be supporting
were included on the original Trio albums
The Complete Trio Collection with a tour,
("Wildflowers," "I've Had Enough," "Do I
Ronstadt-who
with
us feel about the great women of country
Ever Cross Your Mind"), as well as some
Parkinson's Disease in 2013-is quick to say
music, Parton adds, "We're bound together
previously unreleased selections, like an
no. "I can't sing a note, to start with. And
at the song.''•
was
diagnosed
And perhaps summing up how many of
SEP/OCT
2016
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59
(
)yndi
Lauper has worn more than a
few hats during her 30-year career:
the success of her Broadway musical Kinky
Boots (created with Harvey Fierstein), and
look up the history of your roots in music,
pop music megastar and '80s style
her induction into the Songwriters' Hall of
you don't find a lot of women. But Wanda
Jackson was right there, at the beginning of
when I was in Blue Angel. Because as you
icon; actor and comedian; theater composer;
Fame. Her new album, Detour, was recorded
and major ally to the LGBTQcommunity, to
in Nashville. It finds Lauper interpreting
it. When Elvis was singing like that, [so was]
name just a few. Even though her 1984 solo
country standards and features cameos
Wanda...She's a great rocker and a great
debut, She's So Unusual, seemed to make
from Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss,Vince Gill,
symbol for us all:'
her an overnight success, the fact is that
and Emmylou Harris.
"I cut my teeth listening to Wanda and
Patsy Cline;' she continues. "Even Dolly
Lauper had been toiling in semi-obscurity
Some may question the authenticity of a
for nearly a decade (notably, as frontwoman
girl from Queens going country, but Lauper
Parton, when she first came out, OK? She
for the NYC New Wave combo Blue Angel).
does herself proud on this disc, alternating
was happenin' and [she still] is happenin:
Before its release, no one could have
between upbeat songs and ballads, and
And the same [with] Loretta Lynn. To me,
predicted the popularity of She'sSo Unusual.
even speaking in her unmistakable New
even though they were country, they had
The whole package-Lauper's lovably zany
Yawk accent on a couple of tracks. Moreover,
that rock and roll edge. When Loretta Lynn
image, the creative videos, and no less
as she puts it, "Even though [these] are
came out with 'The Pill; it struck me that she
than five hit singles-took
her from the
country, they're pop songs! When I was little,
really understood a woman's plight...I still
trenches to the mainstream, overnight! The
they played all this on the radio. Patsy Cline
love her:'
album's two biggest hits, of course, were the
and Loretta Lynn, they were radio stars, you
It's well known that Lauper loves the gay
upbeat "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and the
know?" She has a point. On Detour, Lauper
community, too. Her sister Ellen is a lesbian,
timelessly beautiful ballad "Time After Time:'
covers songs made famous by both Cline ("I
and in addition to the True Colors tour,
Eventhe deep cuts (remember Lauper'stake
Fallto Pieces;' "Walking After Midnight") and
Lauper created the Give a Damn campaign,
on "When You Were Mine" by Prince?) were
Lynn (an adorable duet with Gill on "You're
which aims to educate the heterosexual
winners.
the ReasonOur Kids Are Ugly").
community about LGBTequality.
a
"My sister is part of the community;' she
rendition of "Funnel of Love;' a song originally
tells me, "and I grew up watching my sister
entertainment industry's Big Four: a Grammy
made popular by a woman Lauper feels
struggle-in
(two, actually), an Emmy, and a Tony Award.
doesn't get enough credit-Wanda Jackson.
dark again now! But I think you gotta be who
And the last few years have been especially
"[She] was one of the first female rockers;'
you gotta be, you know? And celebrate your
good to Lauper, with her True Colors treks,
says Lauper. "I was really excited to hear her
life triumphantly:' (cyndilauper.com) •
While she never again scaled those
heights as a pop star, she has won three of the
60
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2016
The album opens, however, with
dark times. It's starting to get
*
*
M[DIA
ICON
[ll[NDtGtNtRtS
ON
HtR
NtW
~llM,
TH[
U.S.
PR[SIDtNTIAl
tltCTION,
AND
WHAT
TH[
WORlD
NttOS
MOR[
0~.
BY MELANIE BARKER
SEP/OCT
2016
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H
eneres came out in a cover
th Time magazine in 1997 and
ater she came out again, this
time on her self-titled sitcom, Ellen. But
that pivotal moment for DeGeneres-and
for millions of gays and lesbians around the
world-almost didn't happen. DeGeneres
told Us Weekly late last year, "I didn't think
I was going to come out, period. I didn't
think I'd be coming out on a show, ever:'
But after a meditation retreat during
which she confronted her worst fear-that
her fans wouldn't love her if they knew she
was gay-she decided that she could do
it. Her coming out on that Time cover on
April 14, 1997 with the simple words "Yep,
I'm Gay" changed the course of LGBT history forever, setting a precedent for stars to
come out rather than be outed, and giving
ordinary people afraid to speak their truth
the courage to follow in DeGeneres's footsteps. While her career did initially take a hit
and she lost popularity and her show, DeGeneres eventually came back bigger and
better than before, even eclipsing Oprah
Winfrey in the ratings game.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which first
aired in 2003, has been such a success that
it has broken ratings records and scooped
up scores of Daytime Emmy Awards. The
show's YouTube channel boasts nearly 17
million subscribers. And DeGeneres is also
a hit on social media. A selfie she tweeted
with her A-List pals while hosting the 2014
Oscars broke Twitter's retweet record (it
was retweeted 3.4 million times), and today
DeGeneres has over 61 million followers on
Twitter. That's a lot of people who love her,
no matter her sexuality.
In 2008, DeGeneres married American-Australian actor Portia de Rossi; they
are still inseparable and seem to be happy,
in spite of the unending tabloid rumors that
they've broken up or are divorcing. In an
interview with reporters at the premiere of
Finding Dory in London, when asked what
discovery she had made personally, DeGeneres responded that her discovery was
that De Rossi was her "true love;' effectively squashing reports that their relationship
was in trouble. While in London to promote
the film, DeGeneres and de Rossi attended
the Wimbledon Ladies Final, which had
been one of their long-shared dreams.
Finding Dory has brought DeGeneres
more career success over the summer. It is
the long-awaited sequel to Pixar'sanimated
box office smash Finding Nemo, in which
62
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2016
*
*
°'
UJ
II-
Ellen DeGeneres
O
ia'9 @TheEllenShow
If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars
-
Follow
10:06 PM - 2 Mar 2014
2,531,155 RETWEETS 1,182,465 FAVORITES
DeGeneres voiced Dory, a sweet-natured
blue tang fish suffering from short-term
memory loss. For many, DeGeneres's character was the highlight of the 2003 film.
Here, DeGeneres takes time out to discuss the new film-and a few other things.
SO DORY, WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG?
That's what I was asking, over and over.
For 13 years, I've watched every other Pixar movie get a sequel-Toy Story, Shrek,
Cars-and everyone has wanted a Finding
Nemosequel.
DID YOU EVER IMAGINE YOU WOULD
GET YOUR OWN MOVIE?
That I was not expecting. I never campaigned for that-publicly-but
behind the
scenes [laughs] .... No, I was so interested
to know more about Marlin and Nemo and
Dory, but I never thought a movie focusing
on Dory was ever in the pipeline. But I'm
very happy it turned out that way. And I love
that this story focuses on where she comes
from and her background. It was a very organic transition because last time it was all
about finding Nemo. This time we wanted
to learn where she came from, why she was
the person she was-always helping other
people, asking what can I do, but this time
it's a personal journey for her-where is my
home, why am I here? And everyone wants
that sense of belonging. They want to know
about their roots, they want to discover
their place in the world. And she learns a
lot about herself, and it's funny and sweet
and touching.
THE FILM IS PERFECTLYTIMED-EVERYONE NEEDS A DOSE OF DORY. WE NEED
TO LOOK AT THE WORLD THE WAY SHE
SEES IT, WITH WIDE-EYED OPTIMISM.
DOES THAT MAKE WORKING ON THE
FILM ALL THE MORE SPECIAL?
Absolutely, especially with what's going
on right now. A film that puts that positive
message out there, distracts people from
what's happening, and is exactly what we
all need. Dory is perfect. She's optimistic,
she's non-judgmental, she's sweet, she's
compassionate, and she's got friends that
look different from her. I mean, that's sort of
a beautiful thing.
FROM THE AFTER-END-CREDITS SCENE
IT LOOKS LIKE THERE COULD BE A
THIRD MOVIE. WHAT COULD HAPPEN
TO DORY DOWN THE LINE-LOVE?
ROMANCE? SHE DESERVESIT!
Yeah, that would be really interesting,
to see if she could handle romance, for
numerous reasons. I'm sure there's a lot
of practical issues that might prove problematic-forgetting
about her significant
other, for one. And I don't think there are
too many romance things in Pixar movies.
I don't think Pixar has ever done that, so I
don't know if it would suit.
SO THERE'S NO ROOM FOR LOVE IN A
PIXAR MOVIE?
Love, yeah-but romance, I don't know.
WHAT ABOUT WOODY AND HIS GIRLFRIEND IN TOY STORY?
There was a flirtation, but I don't know if
FEATUREstCOVER
they actually got together. Without giving it
away, I think, yeah, you're right, there could
be more about who's involved at the end of
the credits. Or Hank, I think we could follow
on his story. Or maybe Hank and Dory might
get together.
THAT WOULD BE REALLYSWEET. THERE
WAS SOME FLIRTATION BETWEEN
THEM.
As flirtatious as Dory can be.
DOYOUTHINKWEWILLEVERSEEAGAY
CHARACTER IN A PIXAR MOVIE?
There might have already been some
gay characters in there. I'm just saying
there might, but I don't think it's the wornan with the short hair. She just happens to
have short hair. She just happens to have
short hair and someone jumped to the conclusion that she was gay. And I know lesbians, and she wasn't one [laughs]. I think I
know what I'm talking about here.
ST
I didn't actually see that at all the first
time, and then when all the news came out
about the lesbian couple, I watched it and
all I saw was a woman with very short, very
bad hair. And I was offended. Is that how
the world sees lesbians? Maybe they were
just two women standing together, maybe
they were friends, maybe their husbands
were off doing husband stuff. I also saw
men standing together. They could have
been gay men. I hope there are lots of couSEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
63
pies of all sexualities in these films, representative of everyone.
SPEAKING OF REPRESENTING EVERYONE, DONALD TRUMP: IT'S GETTING
QUITE WORRYING HOW POPULAR HE
IS IN THE U.S.
It's pretty shocking, yes.
WHAT IF THE WORST HAPPENED?
It would be quite possibly the worst
thing to happen to our country in a long
time. Really, it would be a full-out disaster
to place a bully in power. And that's what
he is, a bully. It's a harsh word, but it's
true. He says he's just speaking his mind,
defending himself from attack and accusation, but I don't buy that. And I highly
doubt he will be the next president of the
United States.
WELL, GEORGE W. BUSH WAS ELECTED.
This is a different level of irresponsible
stupidity-I don't think people would be
so stupid to do that again. I'm fairly certain
that the next president in the White House
will be Hillary Clinton.
BUT WHAT IF SHE ISN'T? HE HAS A BIG
FOLLOWING.
She has to win, there's no two ways
about it. She has to absolutely win or we're
in serious trouble.
WHAT KIND OF PRESIDENT WOULD
SHE MAKE? YOU KNOW HER.
Well, not that well. But she is perfectly
suited to the job. She's experienced, she
has the knowledge and the intelligence,
and she's got Bill, who's amazingly talented
ACCORDING TO ELLEN ...
"So as you know, I have a clothing line
and I have a shoe line .... All that time I
spent in the closet really paid off."
"Mother Nature, boy you may be 4.5
billion years old, but thanks to global
warming you're getting hotter every
year:'
"I advocate for less hate and more
love, less tearing apart and more
coming together:'
64
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2016
and smart.
You know, if anything, whatever is happening in the world, good or bad, it should
make everybody look at and analyze how
we're treating one another. And whether
someone is voicing something completely
opposite to what you believe in and understand. You know, everything could make
us look at what's happening in our own
hearts.
WOULD YOU EVER THINK OF RUNNING
FOR OFFICE YOURSELF? YOU ARE AN
ICON, A ROLE MODEL, AND PEOPLE
LISTEN TO YOU.
I couldn't think of anything worse. That
will never ever, ever happen.
*
In the meantime, although we may not
see DeGeneres gracing the Oval Office
with her presence, we can look forward
to her gracing our screens for some time
to come: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
will run through 2020, sharing its host's
unique brand of humor, optimism, and
love. Speaking out on today's social inequities, including supporting transgender
rights, DeGeneres created a hashtag that
sums it all up: #BeKindToOneAnother.
Yes, we could all use more of that.
Finding Dory was released in June and
grossed almost $800 million worldwide
at the box office. It is scheduled for U.S.
DVD release in November 2016. For The
Ellen DeGeneres Show air dates visit
ellentv.com.
66BRAZILIANBABES
74
SAFARISTYLE
77
LESBIANADVENTURE
curve
SEP/OCT
2016
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65
FEATURES/
"Like we say in Brazil, it's for all
tribes." I'm speaking with lesbian tour
guide Polyanna Miranda about Galeria
Cafe. "Just like Rio," she adds. "Rio is
for everyone." I get where she's coming
from.
Everything
connected
with
place feels multipurpose and a little
improvisational. Take, for example, "foot
volley," a hybrid sport that fuses beach
volleyball and futebol and endows
its players-both
male and femalewith some of the best bodies in the
world. And then there's cacha9a. This
sugarcane liquor is the main ingredient
in the caipirinha,
Brazil's national
cocktail, but, according to local lore,
fishermen have also used it to clean
the decks of their boats. Likewise,
Galeria Cafe (galeriacafe.com.br) leads
a double life. It's a coffee shop and art
gallery by day, but at night it turns into
a club known to be GLS, or gay, lesbica,
e simpatisante-slang
that essentially
means "all tribes." Flexibility, it seems, is
a cultural motif in Rio, one that makes
the city simultaneously welcoming and
difficult to define.
There are more than 6 million people
in Rio de Janeiro, a metropolis of
less than 500 square miles. Every 20
minutes, linked cable cars leapfrog up
Pao de A9ucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) at
the mouth of Guanabara Bay, revealing
unobstructed
views of Christ the
Redeemer on Corcovado
Mountain,
the far-off forests of Parque Nacional
da Tijuca, and two of the most famous
beaches in the world: Copacabana and
lpanema. It's at this last location, at the
foot of Rua Farme de Amoedo between
lifeguard towers (Postos) 8 and 9, that
you will find the center of Rio's GLS
scene.
I'm staying at the lpanema Plaza Hotel
(ipanemaplaza.com.br/en),
literally half
a block from the rainbow flags at Posto
9, and like many visitors I make the
beach one of my first stops. The Postos
offer more than a lifeguard lookoutthey serve as handy markers to find
your tribe. If you're into surfing (or
ogling surfers), head east to Arpoador
at Posto 8, or round the outcropping
to visit world-famous
Copacabana.
To sunbathe with the locals, try Praia
Leblon just west of Posto 11;this stretch
is popular with the cariocas (those born
in Rio). Weekends are prime beach time,
so stake out a spot early and schedule
in at least one sundown near Posto 9,
where it's a tradition to applaud the
sunset.
It's the carioca way to fuel up on light
snacks and drinks at a beachside tent.
For a specifically GLS- and trans-friendly
vibe, visit the Rainbow Kiosk in front of
the Copacabana Palace hotel. If you're
looking for regional eats, you must try
feijoada. Unofficially Brazil's national
dish, this bean and smoked meat stew
is available at many restaurants around
the city. Serious carnivores should visit a
churrasqueira for all-you-can-eat meat,
while vegetarians will have more luck
at any of the city's por kilo buffets. The
gay-owned Gringo Cafe (gringocafe.
com), located right in lpanema, has a
menu full of American comfort food
and cocktails; or you could head over
to Eclipse in Copacabana for late-night
pizza.
Party planning is a serious business
in Rio, and for me, the first order of
business is a nap. Cariocas arrive at the
clubs after midnight, often staying until
the sun rises. "Up Turn is a container
in a supermarket parking lot in Barra,"
tour guide Miranda says, adding that
it hosts her favorite girl party, because
from there "we can see the day rise."
The Week (theweek.com.br), in Centro,
also attracts all-night revelers to hear
big-name DJs in its multilevel dance
space. Make sure you bring your IDthe security here is tight. Come for
sushi and stay for the dancing at 00
(pronounced "zero zero") in Gavea's
planetarium
(00riodejaneiro.com.br).
On Thursdays and Sundays, the crowd
is predominantly gay. In Copacabana,
Fosfobox (fosfobox.com.br) has parties
for girls, or try TV Bar (bartvbar.com.
br), especially on Saturdays. This venue
is the former site of Rio TV and still
maintains its decor. Finally, make sure
you get to Lapa, an up-and-coming
district that's attracting attention for its
young hip crowd and Bohemian vibe.
Buraco da Lacraia (buracodalacraia.
com.br) is a good bet for a fun, friendly
night with its cheap beer, drag shows,
snooker, and videoke. Lapa is also
TRA EL
where you'll find plenty of raucous
samba clubs.
The unleashed revelry of Carnival
has helped put Rio on the map of
party cities, but there are persistent
concerns about crime and, for many
LGBT travelers, violence. In Brazil, antidiscrimination
laws are irregular and
unevenly enforced-a work in legislative
progress-and
as in other countries,
human
rights
advancements
have
been met with resistance, primarily
from religious sectors. "You don't have
to be concerned about LGBT safety
specifically, but Rio is a big city and as
dangerous as any other big city," says
Miranda. In addition to the experience
she's gained from years of work with
the tour organization Rios de Historia,
Miranda is also an out lesbian. She met
her partner in Rio three years ago, right
around the time same-sex marriage was
legalized (though she points out that
Brazil has recognized civil unions since
2004). "My bride-to-be and I have always
been pretty affectionate everywhere
and never had problems," she says. The
couple are getting married this summer,
on their third anniversary.
In Rio proper, there's
a state
organization-Rio
Sem Homofobia (Rio
Without Homophobia, riosemhomofobia.
rj.gov.br)-and
a municipal body, the
Office for Sexual Diversity (cedsrio.
com.br), both dedicated to increasing
visibility and rights for LGBT people in
the city. Additionally, since 1993, Grupo
Arco-Iris (Rainbow Group, arco-iris.
org.br) has successfully advocated for
legislative change, helping to extend
rights to same-sex partners and set
penalties for discriminatory practices.
And their annual Gay Pride event is a
multiday celebration capped by a parade
on Copacabana Beach that is expected
to attract a million people in November
2016.
Whether you're coming for a worldclass celebration like Pride (in 2016,
November 13 through 16) or Carnival
(February 24 through 27, 2017), or for
some independent
travel,
Miranda
makes one recommendation:
"Always
tour with a licensed guide," she urges.
"We have the safe, legal, and correct
access to the sights."
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CATCH
AWAVE
ATGAY
SURF
CAMP
INSOUTHERN
BRAZIL
Like other lifestyle sports, surfing is part
of a culture built on some pretty exacting
gender norms. All you have to do is flip
through the pages of a surfing magazine
to see that men are overrepresented,
and even more discouragingly, the focus
on female surfers is on swimsuits rather
than shredding. Still, you can't hold
back an ocean, and a surge in female
interest is driving a new generation of
surfing fans and athletes. Around the
world, surf camps aimed at women
and girls are cropping up, but only one
in South America-Gay
Surf Brazil by
Brazil Ecojourneys-specifically
invites
lesbians (and their gay, trans, and allied
friends) to learn to ride the waves.
Although
lesbian-owned
and
-operated,
with
tours
specifically
designed to be inclusive and diverse,
Brazil Ecojourneys wasn't originally
imagined as a gay travel company.
"We were never keen on offering the
traditional 'gay' packages," co-owner
Marta Dalla Chiesa says, adding that
she and partner Lesley Cushing were
more interested in showcasing what
the region has to offer than importing
existing party scenes. In 2013, however,
the LGBT surfing community site (and
force behind the 2014 documentary Out
in the Line-Up) gaysurfers.net contacted
them to propose a partnership. Right
away, the pair realized this was a
unique opportunity.
"Surf is a very
non-stereotypical sport for gays," Dalla
Chiesa says. "Even I was surprised that
a social website with thousands of gay
surfers existed. We knew we wanted to
get involved."
An LGBT surf camp was an idea whose
time had come, and Brazil Ecojourneysalready operating out of a gay-friendly
surfer's paradise-was the right company
to offer it. Since the 1980s, when an
influx of artists and surfers transformed
Florian6polis (known as Floripa) into a
diverse and inclusive community, the
formerly provincial capital has garnered
a reputation for welcoming "all tribes."
Dalla Chiesa elaborates: "For decades,
Florian6polis has had a strong LGBT
carnival, and its Pride has become a
favorite among Brazilians." But this is more
than a South American Provincetown;
Floripa is a close-knit community. "Brazil
lacks anti-discrimination laws, but Floripa
has one. Also, a pioneer health unit
catering to trans people opened last year,
and there's an openly gay man serving on
the town council." And then there are the
waves. The vast majority of Florian6polis
is on a large island (read: tons of coastline)
with dozens of sweet surfing beaches.
One of these, in nearby lmbituba, is Praia
do Rosa, and it's where students at Gay
Surf Brazil learn their moves.
The group's instructor, Capitao David,
runs the oldest surf school in Rosa and
he's taught more than 10,000 people
everything from the basics ("You must
stand upright, like a king!") to the
advanced art of reading the swells.
With instruction and practice over five
consecutive days, punctuated by two
much-needed yoga sessions, guests get
to live the surfing life.
Those unsure about their abilities
needn't worry, either. "Surfing's not for
everyone," co-owner Lesley Cushing
shrugs. While her partner spends the
days carving up the waves, Cushing takes
a more laid-back approach to the camp.
"There's colonial history, good seafood,
and lots of other activities besides
surfing, like biking, walking trails, and
really great beaches to relax on."
The camp runs for a full week and
includes five days of instruction and
surfing. There are opportunities for local
day trips, and arrangements can be
made for specific extensions. Learn more
at facebook.com/GaySurfWeekBrazil.
Brazilian Embassy or consulate nearest
to your place of residence . The Zika Virus
Alert for Brazil is at Level 2, which means
practice enhanced
precautions
and
especially avoid mosquito bites. The virus
can be transmitted through unprotected
sexual intercourse, but female-female
transmission is as yet unknown. For
updated information visit the Centers For
Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov).
Crimes such as theft are common so don't
travel with valuables, or secure them.
BRAZIL: IF YOU GO
Brazil requires U.S. citizens to carry a valid
U.S. passport and visa when traveling
to Brazil for any purpose. Check with
the U.S. State Department website for
updates (travel.state.gov) and obtain
your Brazilian visa in advance from the
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"It's paradise," a lesbian friend recently
said of Costa Rica, which is high praiseand mostly accurate if you pick the right
time of year and the right places to go.
Costa Rica certainly has an abundance of
natural wonders that make it a paradise
for nature lovers: two coastlines and
countless beaches, stunning mountains,
jungles, waterfalls, volcanoes, and a
good portion of the world's biodiversity
all in a small country of fewer than five
million people. Flanked by Nicaragua to
the north and Panama to the south, it's
arguably the most stable and friendly
country in Central America, espousing
the philosophy of pura vida-pure life,
which is compatible with the intention
to have the trip of a lifetime, or in the
case of many expats, a good life. There
are choices to be made when visiting
Costa Rica: which coast-Pacific
or
Caribbean; north or south; green season
or dry season. For this trip, my wife and
I chose the Southern Pacific Zone just
prior to rainy season. We flew into San
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Jose International Airport, rented a car,
and drove an easy twenty minutes to our
first location.
FINCA ROSA BLANCA COFFEE
PLANTATION & INN
Just 20 minutes outside of Costa Rica's
capital, San Jose, is a surprising oasis
lovingly honed by American expats Glenn
and Teri Jampol. Finca Rosa Blanca is set
in the highlands of the beautiful Central
Valley, 4,000 feet above sea level, and a
few minutes drive to quaint local villages.
This intriguing lodge and compound is set
amidst eight acres of flourishing tropical
gardens and winding walkways, and
adjacent to and part of a thriving, 30-acre
organic shade-grown coffee plantation.
(You'll get to sample plenty of that coffee
during your stay-at breakfast and in the
complimentary afternoon teas with freshly
baked cookies. Make sure you take a coffee
tour and tasting during your stay, and pack
a few bags of delicious, finely roasted
Finca coffee to take home with you!)
FEATURES/
'\\\\\'
•
,~ ...
··•-·.·-·.~
--:a.•.
r ....
The stunning main lodge is an
idiosyncratic architectural wonder: a great
room with 40-foot ceilings, a waterfall
reflection pool, skylights, and beautiful
international and local artwork. Designed
and decorated with artistic flair by the
Jampols (Glenn is a painter and his wife Teri
also spent time in Manhattan's art world),
many of the rooms are hand-tiled, handpainted, and boast unique architectural
features and decorative flourishes. Choose
where to stay out of three master suites, 11
junior suites, and two private villas. Many
of these have private verandas affording
sweeping valley, volcano, or city views,
kitchenettes, and special soaking tubs.
This inn has the amenities of a resort: an
organically-shaped, crystalline, chemicalfree swimming pool and waterfall, and
a hot tub set amidst the terraced garden
offering intimacy and lovely views.
Glenn is a leader in sustainable tourism,
so the property follows green principles
such as composting, growing organic
food, and existing in harmony with the
environment. The overall aim is to provide
visitors with an authentic, environmentally
first hotel with a perfect rating of 5-star
luxury and five-leaf sustainability-is
worth it! Arenas Del Mar Beachfront &
Rainforest Resort provides guests with
spacious, air-conditioned rooms, decks
with built-in jacuzzis and ocean views, a
choice of two gourmet restaurants, and a
range of guided wilderness activities. This
TRA\AEL
sustainable yet luxurious experience, to
employ locals, and to give back to the
community. We recommend exploring the
local villages and markets, or taking the
nearby volcano tour. Enjoy your seclusion
while staying connected via the free WiFi and a shuttle into town. Make sure that
you eat at the resort's restaurant, El Tigre
Vestido, which provides sophisticated
and healthy meals for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner. If you want to indulge your
inner
gourmand,
book
U.S.-trained
Chef Alvarado's seasonal chef's table.
Mushroom "cappuccino,"
pan-roasted
corvina, pork belly with faro-this is not rice
and beans, but the best of Nuevo Costa
Rican cuisine! (fincarosablanca.com)
ARENAS DEL MAR
It was an easy three-hour drive from
Finca Rosa Blanca to our next port of
call: the gay area of Costa Rica, Manuel
Antonio. In this gorgeous hippie-meetshipster seaside enclave there are
many properties to choose from, but
splurging on Manuel Antonio's only luxury
beachfront property-and
Costa Rica's
rare combination of sophistication and
sustainability is perfect for nature- and
animal-lovers. The hotel is a Shangri-La of
suites connected by walkways and ramps,
which you can stroll if you wish, or you
can call for a golf cart to transport you.
Lazing on property is encouraged and we
recommend a romantic couples massage
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at the lovely spa, which is set on the bluff of
the cliff, a picture window offering ocean
views. It's so tranquil to relax to the sound
of the waves gently below you.
Our Ocean Breeze Suite overlooked a
beautifully secluded little beach where we
ordered BBQ for lunch and watched the
waves roll in. There is also access to the
stunning long beach that is fringed with
jungle and connects with Manuel Antonio
National Park.
Arenas Del Mar can book you a guide
to take you through the ecoparadise
of Manuel Antonio National Park. Our
friendly female guide was trained in
biology, a lover of wildlife, and a genuine
conservationist-like most Costa Ricans.
She took us along walking trails and, with
her telescope, spotted the diverse wildlife
for which Costa Rica is famous: howler,
white-faced, and squirrel monkeys, sloths,
colorful frogs, crabs, butterflies, parrots,
and songbirds. She'll take photos for you
of the elusive wildlife, and watch your
belongings while you take a cooling dip in
the park's pristine beach. When you return
to Arenas Del Mar you will share some
chilled fruit and refreshments, but save
room for the restaurant's sublime menus
featuring fresh local ingredients presented
with flair. (arenasdelmar.com)
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KURA DESIGN VILLAS
Just over an hour's drive south from
Arenas Del Mar, following the coast where
the rainforest-covered mountains meet
the beach, is a property of such vision
and elegance it took our breath away. Kura
Design Villas is a minimalist masterpiece
with only six luxury hillside villas. Its
exclusive ambience is the product of its
lovely architecture as well as its location
at the top of a mountain via a steep and
unpaved winding road. The drive up the
mountain requires a 4WD vehicle, or if
you're a timid driver you can call and they'll
come and collect you from the village
below. This peerless property, including its
sexy vibe, is the product of a young, hip,
and charismatic couple: Alejandra Umana
(a biologist) and Martin Wells (an architect).
Originally from San Jose, they wanted a
property that brought out the best of their
country's beauty, and Kura does exactly
that, with views to the misty mountains
and to the Pacific coast, particularly of the
famous "whale tail" peninsula of Uvita.
Kura's villas are simply stunning, with
two villas located underneath the infinity
pool offering high ceilings and expansive
terraces; and two junior suite villas that
boast a unique canopy-level view. We
stayed in one of these and were able to
lounge in our double hammock and watch
the birds, and a luminous "poison dart"
frog that paid us a visit after a rain shower.
What luxury, what romance: Open plan
design, open showers with double rainfallstyle showerheads, divans, clever storage
space, a king-sized bed facing the view,
and sliding-glass doors leading onto the
spacious terrace. Mod-cons include plush
towels and bathrobes; a private minibar,
wine cellar and espresso maker; a personal
safety deposit box; and an iPod docking
station.
Now, about that infinity pool! Cooling
off in the 62-foot saltwater miracle
overlooking the Pacific Ocean as I watched
a flock of toucans perch in a nearby tree as
the sun set behind them is high up on my
list of unforgettable travel moments. Top
that off with a chilled glass of white wine
at the outdoor lounge and bar area before
your gourmet dinner. Paradise indeed!
For date night dinner request the
romantic table, which is on the edge of
the veranda overlooking the town lights
of Uvita far below. For something really
special (think proposal), book dessert and
a bubbly tub for two in the private spa.
Kura's hospitality is outstanding. Staff
bend over backwards for you, greeting
you with welcome drinks, water, and
chilled hand towels when you return from
an excursion. You'll want to actually visit
that "whale tail" peninsular that you can
see in the distance at low tide. It's a natural
sandbar formation, one of only a few in the
world and part of Marino Ballena National
Park. Incredibly, there are swimming
beaches on each side of the "tail" and
nestled in the left-hand curve is protected
snorkelling, which you can kayak to. Kura
staff will recommend a friendly local guide
to take you on a tour paddling through
the mangroves and out onto the sandbar,
observing the intricate ecosystem the
whole way (kuracostarica.com).
HOTEL GRANO DE ORO
It was hard leaving Kura, but we had to
head back to San Jose for one night before
our flight. The three-hour drive back up
the coast and through the mountains was
lovely and I felt sad to leave-even sadder
when I checked into the well-appointed
Hotel Grano de Oro, a grand plantationstyle Spanish Colonial treasure in the
heart of the city. The general manager,
Marco Montoya, went out of his way to
accommodate us, and offered us a choice
of room based on our noise preferences.
It turned out that the very night we were
staying a local festival and street parade
celebrating an obscure saint, and involving
fireworks (at 3 A.Ml) might possibly disturb
us. We chose an oppulent suite with a kingsize bed, sitting area, and sunken jacuzzi,
overlooking the city, and the guest deck
which has two more hot tubs and lounge
chairs. We barely heard the fireworks-but
we woke to the vaguely sulphur emissions
of the active volcano! A reminder that
paradise has many facets, and the real,
unapologetic charm of Costa Rica is
special. Hotel Grano De Oro is worth a
longer stay than we could afford. You must
dine in its elegant, old world restaurant,
which has a wonderful European-style
menu and excellent wine list. And hang
the calories! Have the caramelized
banana pancakes with cafe con leche for
breakfast. (hotelgranodeoro.com)
THE CAYUGA COLLECTION
The thread that held our magical journey
together was the Cayuga Collection-not
your garden-variety hotel chain but rather
carefully curated and managed ecolodges,
resorts, and sustainable hotels throughout
Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Some guiding
principles form the backbone of the
Cayuga experience: landmark properties
in unique settings; a commitment to
sustainability and luxury; respect for local
culture and customs; friendly, impeccably
trained staff who go above and beyond the
standard benchmarks of the hospitality
industry. But it's the commitment to
environmentalism that appealed to us
the most, and that commitment involved
more than changing the bed and bath
linen every other day. Cayuga grows,
shares, recycles, upcycles, and partners
with communities to employ locals and to
build and sustain them through charities
and conservation for future generations.
(cayugaonline.com)
GETTING THERE
Book your airline and rental car using the
superior algorithm of Skyscanner.com, the
biggest online travel marketplace in the
world, offering millions of travel options at
the best prices. When we booked our trip
we found that Skyscanner provided more
options at more competitive rates than
similar sites.
IFYOUGO
You don't need a visa to travel to Costa
Rica, just a valid passport. If you dislike rain
don't travel in green season, although an
afternoon rainstorm at most times of year
is quite lovely. Petty crime such as theft
can be common if you do not protect your
belongings. If renting a car, choose a gutsy
4WD over something glam. And choose
the full insurance package with a GPS.
Costa Rica's roads have improved vastly
in the past few years, but if you do get a
flat tire or stuck in some mud it's nice to
know you're covered. A pinch of Spanish
is useful, although not essential. Many
locals speak more than a little English. Zika
is not a problem here yet, but do avoid
mosquitoes. If you're pregnant or plan on
becoming so, take a raincheck for now.
Pack your bathing suit, sunglasses, hat,
umbrella, non-aerosol sunscreen, insect
repellent, quick-drying clothes, walking
shoes, water shoes for snorkeling, and a
camera, GoPro or smart phone to capture
those amazing moments in paradise!
FEATURES/
Minutes into my first-ever safari I saw a
crash of white rhinos before me. Dusk was
falling, and they had congregated near a
pond in South Africa's Madikwe Game
Reserve (madikwegamereserve.co.za). My
eyes could barely comprehend the sight of
these majestic wild animals roaming freeno bars or moats separating us, in our
open-air jeep, from them. Then our guide
motored forward to a cluster of bushes
where everything got way more real.
There, in the shade of the setting sun,
were two teenage lions feasting on a
zebra. The guide said they were siblings,
and just past them their parents lay sated
on the dusty hillside. The youngsters
avidly pursued their dinner, a startling
display of the natural order that exists
apart from humanity. Far more shocking
was the audible biting, and the tearing of
bones and flesh: the sounds of hungry
lions at work. It completed a full-sensory,
full-throttle welcome that introduced me
to a magnificent new realm of travel. Like
Shakira sang in her 2010 smash "Waka
Waka," this is Africa.
Between books, films, and firsthand
accounts, I'd long heard stories that Africa
is soul shaking. My soul is always open to
a good shake-I think that's precisely why
most of us love to travel. Jody Cole, the
founder of and guide for Wild Rainbow
African Safaris (wildrainbowsafaris.com),
told me that on her first visit in 1998,
"Africa took me under its spell, and I'm still
in its grasp." That degree of enlightenment
is borderline scary, but in a good way. To
be gripped is to feel overwhelmed, but
also alive and inspired.
So I approached my journey to the
mother continent with optimism, but with
a lid on expectations, so my experience
could take its own course. With a suitcase
specially packed (zoom lenses, a safari
hat), I endured the 16-hour flight from JFK
and eventually awoke in Johannesburg.
Jo'burg is sprawling, with a bustling
inner city and lively "suburbs," some of
which are still within the city limits, and
others more far-flung around the province
of Gauteng. Melrose is the city's upmarket
area, home to the Melrose Arch mixed-use
development. It's surprising at first to have
a security checkpoint for a neighborhood
of hotels, shops, restaurants, and condos.
But it establishes the line that divides
tourists and more moneyed South Africans
from everyone else; it is a line defined
more by class than by race. Those who
stay in and visit Melrose Arch are able to
roam freely at all hours, more confident of
their safety.
This is a tricky facet of what Westerners
discover about urban South Africa: There
are a lot of walls. They wrap around homes,
subdivisions,
businesses-they're
not
everywhere, but they're common, and
each is meant as an assurance of safety for
those within. But they also uphold literal
and symbolic divisions that Americans
born into a don't-fence-me-in culture may
find bewildering at first, until they become
just another part of the African experience.
Melrose Arch, while new and polished,
is north of the city center and home to
many hotels, like the sleek Protea Hotel
Fire & Ice (protea.marriott.com). It's part of
the Marriott's Africa chain, and has a posh
lobby lounge, a lovely outdoor terrace,
and familiar amenities like a fitness center
and fast Wi-Fi. Just outside its doors is a
bounty of retail that might appeal even
to non-shoppers, thanks to the great
exchange rate between the dollar and
South African rand. Head to Moyo (moyo.
TRA EL
co.za) for traditional African cuisine like
curries, tagines, and grilled meats flavored
with peri peri, a very hot, indigenous chili
pepper rightly used in moderation.
While Jo'burg's LGBTscene is scattered
about the city-much of it is in the more
residential suburb of Pretoria about an
hour's drive north-the
busy nightclub
Babylon (facebook.com/BabylonTheBar)
is on Oxford Road, just a few blocks from
Melrose Arch. In the same complex is
Beefcakes
(beefcakes.co.za/illovo),
a
burger restaurant with nightly shows, drag
queens, and buff waiters. Though both
places are guy-centric, they are fun spots
for finding other queer ladies in the 'hood.
Much of South Africa's governmental
history is tied to Johannesburg, so it
makes sense that the somber, edifying
Apartheid Museum (apartheidmuseum.
org) would be located here. To the west
in Soweto, a related historical site is the
compact Mandela House (mandelahouse.
co.za), where Nelson Mandela returned in
1990 after 27 harrowing years as a political
prisoner. Nearby is the Hector Pieterson
Memorial and Museum (joburg.org.za),
named for the 13-year-old boy shot by
police during a 1976 student protest.
A major historical highlight in Gauteng
is not specific to South Africa, but applies
to all humanity. The Cradle of Humankind,
a UNESCO World Heritage site, is about
an hour from Jo'burg and home to about
40 percent of the world's human-ancestor
fossils. Visit the Maropeng Visitor Centre
(maropeng.co.za) and tour the deeply
humbling Sterkfontein Caves, where
hominid skeletons dating as far back as
three million years were discovered.
In Johannesburg on Sundays, one of the
best places to pass the day is uber-cool
Maboneng precinct, where an art market
fills Fox and the adjacent streets, a food
hall lets you taste-test treats, and galleries
showcase works by emerging artists. Grab
an outside table at Pata Pata (facebook.
com/PataPataJazz) for delicious dishes,
often accompanied by live jazz, and watch
the gorgeous, stylish women float by.
You can also lodge in Maboneng, at
the design-casual 12 Decades Art Hotel
(12decadeshotel.co.za) or at Curiocity
Backpackers. This city is famous for
its politically infused graffiti, and one
of the best ways to absorb it is with
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Past Experiences, which hosts unique
graffiti tours around Newtown Junction,
a revitalized historic and retail area
(pastexperiences.co.za).
Johannesburg is a major departure
point for safaris, best organized through
tour companies or lodges that make game
drives and air travel part of their packages.
Kruger National Park (krugerpark.co.za)
is the largest of South Africa's game
reserves, but there are plenty of smaller
ones, like Madikwe.
Jaci's Lodges (jacislodges.co.za) is an
excellent family-owned accommodation,
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with lovely rooms and ace guides who are
native to the region, and who readily track
the full gamut of safari animals: elephants,
giraffes, buffalo, leopards, monkeys,
eagles, and an occasional hippopotamus.
Cape Town is South Africa's other
prime destination. The Victoria & Alfred
Waterfront (waterfront.co.za) anchors the
tourism scene and serves as the departure
point to Robben Island (robben-island.org.
za), where Mandela was jailed for 18 years.
Don't miss a chance to stroll Long Street,
Cape Town's main drag; see the colorful
houses of Bo-Kaap, tour Table Mountain,
and browse cool Neighbourgoods Market
(neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za; also with
a Jo'burg outpost). Just leave time for
cocktails at Beaulah Bar (facebook.com/
Beaulahbar), a lesbian club in the LGBT
pocket of De Waterkant.
Some call South Africa a "bucket list"
destination, as if a trip there is meant to
happen once in a lifetime. But a devoted
traveler may want to consider getting
to this enchanting land sooner rather
than later-because
one journey may
just turn out to be the first of many.
(southafrica.net)
MARKtT
Buying?
Selling?
Relocating?
INSTANT ACCESS TO
THE NATION'S TOP
LGBTQ REALTORS.
I caught the travel bug at an early age.
When I was in sixth grade I fund raised for
two years to go to Hawaii with my soccer
team for a tournament. Being a SoCal
girl I didn't think the beaches of Hawaii
would be all that different. As I skimmed
across the waves, I took in colorful coral
and tropical fish. The sand was entirely
different, the climate tropical, and the
flora and fauna blew my mind.
When I returned from my trip I asked
my parents why they didn't want to go
to a place like that. They said, "When
you live in paradise there is no need
to leave." I thought, 'How do you know
what paradise is if you haven't compared
all that there is out there?' Thus began
my quest for the perfect place. I had to
wait until I was a little older and made
friends with Visa and MasterCard before
my next travel fix.
Working as a paramedic
for a
decade allowed me to see the world.
Ten 24-hour shifts a month leaves a
lot of space to travel, and travel I did.
After I sustained a career-ending back
injury while responding to a 911 call
I had to figure out what was next for
me. This was the first time I could be
location independent, so I moved to
Costa Rica and opened a business
services company. After experiencing
firsthand the steep learning curve of
being an expat in Costa Rica I created
a guidebook series, Becoming An Expat.
I enjoyed writing the guidebooks,
but I missed the interaction
with
people I'd had as a paramedic. I enjoy
playing host and hunting down unique
experiences, so after visiting many
countries and living in five, I was ready
to launch Lesbian Excursions.
In my opinion, you can find yourself
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who are new to understanding their
sexuality,
being
with
like-minded
women who are comfortable in their
own skin can be life changing for them.
I hope to cultivate an environment for
epic adventures, life-long friendships,
business partnerships
and-if
we're
lucky-love! (lesbianexcursions.com)
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SEP/OCT
2016
CURVE
77
LAST LOOK/
CROSSWO
THE
L-OUIZ
Test your
lesbian knowledge
with our queer crossword.
BY MYLES MELLOR
ACROSS
1.
Lesbian tennis star who won
Wimbledon, first name
33.
Lesbian fitness expert who
stars in Work Out, Jackie __
5.
Lesbian who is a US soccer
heroine
36.
In good physical shape
9.
Steal
38.
Partner of 13 across, first
name
10. Lesbian who won a gold medal
for Norway playing handball at
the 2008 Olympics
12. High jump obstacle
13. Lesbian who is an all-time
tennis great
16. Gym equipment
17. Baseball team groupings
19. Networking need
20. Sign of summer
22. 4th in the family
23. Bound, Carol, Blue Is the
Warmest Color, etc.
28. Internet address
29. Email subject line intro
2016
Middle of the year month
32.
3.
Recede
34.
Basketball org.
4.
MIT degree
35.
Lesbian who is a US soccer star
6.
Lesbian who is a top Canadian
speed skater, _ Bucsis
7.
Little_ Peep
8.
Lesbian ice hockey star,_
Cahow
11. Lesbian LPGA star,_
Jones
45. First name of the first
transgender man playing
NCAA women's basketball,_
Allums
13. Cathode abbr.
46. Lesbian who is a star player
for the Phoenix Mercury
basketball team
15. Lesbian mixed martial arts
fighter,_ Carmouche
48. Basketball team number
18. Lesbian tennis great from the
Czech Republic
51. Lesbian who was a top
women's tennis star, Hana_
52. Ogle
1.
32. One, en Frarn;ais
SEP/OCT
43. Gobad
DOWN
30. Miami's state
CURVE
41. Number cruncher, for short
49. "Let's get crackin'!"
25. Went head over heels, often
romantically
78
39. Lesbian who is an Olympic
softball star for the US, Lauren
2.
Lesbian field hockey star from
Australia, Alyson_
14. Norwegian handball player who
is a lesbian,_
Hammerseng
16. Magic charm
21. " ... happily_
after"
23. Lesbian who was an LPGAstar,
_ Spencer-Devlin
24. Las Vegas nickname, with City
26. _-A-Day
27. Morning rose moisture
31. Roman 51
Where the Jazz play a lot
37. Suggestive
40. Courage
42.
Little kiss
43.
Basketball hoop
44.
Perfect score for a gymnast
46.
Government e-mail address
ending
47.
DNA's relative
50.
St Louis arch locale
HAPPEN
--:~
SO KIDS!~.
CAN BE
HUNGR .
FOR
MORE
TLOOK!STARS
Autumn Charms
Virgo and Libra bring us some seasonal seduction.
By Charlene Lichtenstein
Screen legend Greta Garbo was
born on September 18, 1905.
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Leo (July 24-Aug 23)
A long distance relationship
may have its ups and downs
for you, Aries, but the glorious
ups far outweigh the lonely
downs. Draw her closer with
either a long visit or maybe
some future plans. For those
with an urge to travel, find an
adventurous bosom buddy to
share your sleeping bag and
explore every nook and cove
with your traveling hands.
Is there anything Lionesses
like to do better than to relax
and have fun? Give yourself a
break from anything that bogs
you down or holds you back.
Explore your neighborhood.
You'll not only feel enlivened
and inspired, you'll also spread
your electricity to a few new
sockets. Light up the ladies as
well as the night.
Virgo (Aug 24-Sept 23)
VIRGO 1/
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
LIBRA 1/,
(Sept 24-0ct 23) 1/,
1/,
Libra is represented by Scales (of 1/,
Justice). She strives for balance 1/,
and equality for all. The most 1/,
diplomatic sister in town, she's 1/,
1/,
always finding a kind word or the
1/,
upside of even the most appalling 1/,
situation. She possesses infinite 1/,
patience and the ability to put 1/,
1/,
up with unbearable behavior
1/,
from others. But she is no idiot, 1/,
girlfriends. She is quite aware that 1/,
a particular someone is a jerk, but 1/,
feels that it would serve no good 1/,
1/,
purpose to point it out to them. 1/,
1/,
1/,
1/,
Charlene
Lichtenstein
istheauthor 1/,
A Guide
toAstrology1/,
of HerScopes:
(Simon
& Schuster)1/,
ForLesbians
1/,
nowavailable
asanebook 1/,
(Aug 24-Sept 23)
The lesbian Virgin possesses
great emotional depth and a
sizzling sensuality that can satisfy
any voracious appetite. (Three
cheers for those lusty earth
signs!) And she is loyal; once
she commits, she's in it for the
long term. Don't be surprised
if, after the second date, she
pulls up to your front door with
a U-Haul containing her worldly
possessions (all labeled in neatly
sealed boxes, no doubt).
Taurus (April 21-May 21)
Put some elbow grease into
any boring task that has been
gathering dust on your desk,
Taurus. You will be able to
accomplish a lot in a short
amount of time because of
your ramped up powers of
concentration and laser-like
focus. The more you can finish
now, the more time you will
have to play later. Or find a
helpmate.
Gemini (May 22-June 21)
Do some of your relationships
need some refreshment or
dash of artistry, Gemini? Focus
more attention and creative
energy on attending to the
needs of the most important
lady in your life. You'll surprised
how a little extra tender loving
care can have refreshing
results, especially if you get
fresh yourself.
CURVE
SEP/OCT
2016
Libra (Sept 24-Oct 23)
You have more than your fair
share of glam and charisma
now, Libra. Spread your
personal oil around and slide
into new groups of influential
ladies. You have great ideas
that have been germinating
for a while. Help them grow by
convincing the power brokers
to help you. Present your ideas
and plans, rest your case and
see if the jury is out.
Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 22)
Sagittarians are ready to take
on the world with one arm tied
behind their back. Great! But
you can't conquer the world on
your own. Enlist a willing group
of gal pals to assist in the fight
while you lead the charge. But
with your short attention span,
where will you eventually lead
your Pride Parade? How about
to the nearest dyke bar?
Capricorn (Dec 23-Jan 20)
Office politics and jealous
co-workers may try to take
advantage of your good nature
but don't let the bastards
get you down. Get ready to
go fishing for the corporate
sharks, Capricorn. You have
many talents and abilities
that will get you far. Find
new ways of getting your
accomplishments noticed.
Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19)
Don't be surprised if your
love life turns upside down,
Aqueerius. It will be full of
happy surprises. A platonic
gal pal can easily turn into a
zesty lovergrrl. An exotic and
mysterious stranger can get
very familiar. The secret to
your romantic success is to
keep yourself open to myriad
possibilities.
Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22)
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
There is a lot to do around the
house from small projects to
a complete home entertaining
extravaganza. Enlist the help of
talented advisors to maximize
your space. Cancers strive
to make their surroundings
as comfortable and cozy as
possible. Make your nest a
(tinyurl.com/HerScopes). destination for a flock of birds.
80
Family members may ask you
for money or some other type
of helping hand and it might
be hard for you to say no. Try
to be open, magnanimous and
generous, not only to family
but to others who may be
in need. Karma has a way of
paying back, Virgo. Give them
all the benefit of the doubt this
one last time.
have her where you want her.
You have a guardian angel,
Scorpio, and she is focused on
your wellbeing and happiness.
Who is this glorious mystery
woman? All is possible to a
willing heart and an open
eye. Be especially generous
and kind now to everyone
around you. Share you deepest
thoughts and hopes with a
certain someone. Then you will
Pisces (Feb 20-March 20)
Gimmie some sugar, sugar.
Pisceans shimmer with love
possibilities and might just
become the possibility of many
hearts this autumn. You ooze
passion and charisma. And you
have them where you want
them. Make yourself available,
do some outreach, and see
who you attract this fall.
UNFORGETTABLY
FLAWLESS
,,,
''14!
·,,,,!
•7/L
:tf(
•7/L
'~.e
7/;/
'Jr/I.'
7/L
7/t
7.IL.
,·.;
--~
•
~very piece of your look-from
your
uni9ue style to your edgy haircut-comes
together
to create
smoking
cigarettes,
and missing teeth,
Live t:obacco-free.
your unforgettable
Aawless. But
which can leave you with ashtray breath
can hide your fierce style. Stay unforgettably
Aawless.
~.\
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