How does a woman in a sport that celebrates conventional femininity adapt when she comes out? This being ice skating, that is indeed a slippery prospect. But just like learning a new skating maneuver, it can be an exhilarating work in progress. Recently, Kaitlyn Weaver, a two-time Olympian in the sport of ice dancing, posted an Instastory in which she was going through skating costumes from her competitive days. Some are iconic to skating fans, especially a dark red dress with a strap that intentionally slips down—don’t worry, the dress was secured—and others suggest the role of a leading lad ..read more

If you asked me a month ago how much I knew about life abroad, I would have described myself as reasonably well-traveled. I would have told you about my stint living in the Czech Republic during my second year of college and detailed the subsequent journeys to Europe in my adult life. As a freelance writer who won’t quite sit still, I’m no stranger to going overseas, picking up in some random metropolitan city, and making my way as I go. What I was unaccustomed to, as a 30-year-old woman who came out at 27, was traveling while lesbian. More specifically, I was unaccustomed to traveling-while ..read more

We put out an open call to submit original images and we were delighted by the richness, diversity, and quality received. Submissions were not limited to lesbian-identifying cisgender people and we encouraged queer women, trans, non-binary, and others to participate. Three winners and two honorable mentions were chosen by The Curve Foundation team based on creativity, self-expression, and representation. Winners will be awarded a Polaroid camera, and of course publication here! All submissions will be proudly displayed in a special digital exhibition on our Curve Archive ..read more

From left to right: Emily Hawking Shilling, Kristen Kish, Imani Rupert Gordon, Sarah Kate Ellis, Karine Jean-Pierre, Ariane Debose, Sharice Davids, Kristen Stewart, Kelley Robinson Amber Glenn Ice Skater Andy Marra Politician and human rights activist Ariana DeBose Photo By: Cameron Smith Ariana DeBose Actor/singer Ariana made her name on Broadway before wowing audiences with her Oscar-winning performance as an Afro-Latina Anita in the 2021 film remake of West Side Story. She is the first Afro-Latina, the first openly queer actor of color, and the first openly queer woman to win an Os ..read more

Why aren’t more out lesbians invested in our visibility? Visiting Curve Archivist Tina Brewster investigates and finds out that the problem has always been with us Curve Magazine, Volume, Issue, October 2013 Why are lesbians afraid to grab the lesbian flag and wave it during Lesbian Visibility Week? This question arose after several attempts to recruit lesbians across the country to commit to help promote Lesbian Visibility Week in April as part of The Curve Foundation’s initiative. The LGBTQ+ community has made great strides since October 2013 when Curve published the article “Brea ..read more

From the desk of Curve’s Publisher, Franco Stevens Statement of inclusivity: This Lesbian Visibility Week, let’s embrace our theme: “Unified, Not Uniform” We’re a diverse bunch, but together, we’re unstoppable. At The Curve Foundation, inclusivity isn’t just a buzzword. It’s at the heart of everything we do. Throughout LVW, let’s celebrate our differences and uplift everyone, especially people of color, trans, non-binary, and marginalized community members. This week, let’s ensure everyone feels seen, heard, valued, and energized! Photo by Barak Shrama As Lesbian Visibility Week arrive ..read more

Curve Archive and Outreach Manager Julia Rosenzweig taps into the butch origins of the magazine’s founder and publisher, Franco Stevens. Deneuve Volume 1, Issue 1, May/June 1991 From Stonewall activist Stormé DeLarverie to renowned author Leslie Feinberg, butch women have been influencing American lesbian culture since before the genesis of the contemporary Western identity that emerged in the 1940s-1950s. It became a formal identity within the underground lesbian bars of the time, where butch/femme dynamics simultaneously reflected and subverted mainstream gender norms. Curve maga ..read more

At the dawn of the world’s best-known lesbian publication, the one commodity that was in short supply was images. Images of us! Luckily, aspiring lesbian photographers such as Chloe Atkins were in the Bay Area taking iconic photos of lesbians in ascent. Fairy Butch, photo by Chloe Atkins Chloe Atkins first connected with Deneuve and Curve and Franco Stevens when she was a Bay Area shutterbug. “In the 1990s I was trying to make a living as a freelance photographer in San Francisco, so I was taking my portfolio around and showing art directors of all the magazines, ad agencies, and an ..read more

The first thing to know about Phranc is that she’s low-key funny all the time, introducing herself as “Phranc—with a PH and a hard C.” She’s what the French call droll. Phranc has a dry, clever, not-ostentatious wit that just pulls you along through much of what she says and it is, to be honest, delightful. Phranc is delightful. She’s smart and savvy and talented in ways you won’t expect and is exceedingly inquisitive about everything. She’s totally immersed in her current work and excited to talk about it and the journey it took to get to it. She embraces a multiplicity of communities from p ..read more

Deneuve incorporated butch style early on and as the issues rolled on, so did Curve, presenting masc and genderqueer style in spreads on a regular basis. By the time I came on board as editor in 2010, our community was experiencing a golden age of queer women’s style, much of it centered around communities in Brooklyn, New York. If you were a queer woman at that time, you undoubtedly heard of or knew about or were part of a growing culture of dyke designers, queer couturiers, masc models, and the image makers who were putting them on the map. And this new thing called social media! Early Ins ..read more