Films and series that pass the Curve Test help broaden and deepen representation beyond the stories that reduce LGBTQ+ women, trans, and nonbinary people to stereotypes. This test is not intended to be used as a weapon to shame. Films and series that don’t pass are not to be condemned. Rather, the test is intended as a tool for conversation, a barometer to help us see which films and series are pushing the movement forward and where we need to put more attention.
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Franco Stevens, the founder of Curve magazine, didn’t realize it was possible for a woman to be queer while she was growing up. Why? Because she didn’t know of any out lesbians and she didn’t see representation of LGBTQ+ women in any of the films or television shows she saw growing up.
When the AHEAD OF THE CURVE team decided to tell Franco’s story, one of their strongest motivations was to create a film that represented strong, complex, LGBTQ+ women to add to the still paltry list of lesbian cinema. Researching 30 years of Deneuve and Curve magazine issues for the film, they fell in love all over again with Alison Bechdel’s comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. They were intrigued that this early contributor to Franco’s magazine was the same person who created the famous Bechdel Test as a simple way to determine whether there were well-rounded female characters in the movies we watch, and were inspired to adapt her model for LGBTQ+ female, trans and nonbinary characters.
With input from our impact producer Andrea Pino-Silva and other members of the Curve Foundation advisory council, they identified two simple questions. For films that feature lesbian, trans, and/or queer women and/or nonbinary people, it asks that they:
- are focused on more than coming out
- aren’t reduced to stereotypes
Recognizing that the lens through which a story is told has a significant impact on the authenticity of the story, a film also scores a Gold Star
if the people in front of and behind the camera are LGBTQ+.
NOTES:
Our intention is to be as inclusive with our language as possible, but we recognize that language is constantly evolving. If we have inadvertently offended or left someone out, please reach out so we may make things right.
Some of the media that is discussed on this site may contain triggering or upsetting content. For a list of content warnings associated with this and other media, visit
www.doesthedogdie.com.
