Winners of the 2024 Curve Photo Contest

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 website that will be launched during Lesbian Visibility Week 2024, April 22-28… Read more »

April 2024

Curve Power List: 50 LGBTQ+ Women and Nonbinary Trailblazers

We asked, and you nominated. Here are the top 50 outstanding individuals who made our inaugural Power List for their incredible work in the public eye, behind the scenes, in our community, or the mainstream. They come from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, gender identities, and professions and are making a difference in their chosen fields… Read more »

April 2024

Unveiling the 2024 Curve Power List

As Lesbian Visibility Week arrives, we’re bursting with excitement to unveil the inaugural Curve Power List, a celebration of 50 LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals who are creating seismic shifts in the United States. From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and politicians, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and leaving an indelible mark on our community and beyond… Read more »

April 2024

Early Butch:
From Fairy Butch to Rachel Maddow

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 anyone else who might be interested,” recalls Chloe… Read more »

February 2024

Franc on Phranc…And Butch Identity

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… Read more »

February 2024

I Enjoy Being a Butch

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… Read more »

February 2024

From Deneuve to Curve to dapperQ:
A Femme’s Thoughts on Butch

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… Read more »

February 2024

Dear White Lesbians:
You Are Not Studs

First came “butch” and “femme.” Remember when we even said “futch?” Then some women started using “top” and “bottom” (and the accompanying “vers” or “switch”). But today on TikTok the word “butch” is seldom found because all of the young masc girls are identifying as “studs.” But I’m here to tell you, white women: You. Are. Not. Studs… Read more »

February 2024

Butch is Back

If it seems to you like there’s a butch revival, you are not alone. This issue of Curve celebrates butch women in all their glory.

I remember the first time I donned a suit, slicked back my hair, and polished my new black dress shoes… Read more »

February 2024
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