Collected Item: “A Lesbian & Her Cat”
Your Name
Esther Godoy
Your Pronouns
She / They
Instagram handle, if any
@esthergoodboy
Work Title
A Lesbian & Her Cat
Work Year (We are not accepting images older than 5 years)
2026
[Image Rights] Do you confirm that you hold the rights to this image?
Yes
[Eligibility] The Curve Photo Contest proudly centers and uplifts people who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer women and nonbinary people. Please share how you self-identify, using language that feels most accurate to you. Feel free to include all intersections of your identity. (Examples: lesbian, trans person of color, Latinx queer woman, radical faery, butch, etc.)
Lesbian, Dyke, Queer
[Artist Statement] Tell us more about your photo by sharing a brief artist statement OR answering this prompt: "This is what being ______ means to me..." (Max. 100 words)
A lesbian shaves their head alone, their black cat watching from the background, two icons of lesbian visual language collapsed into a single, intimate act. The shaved head, often coded as masculine-of-center, is performed by a visibly feminine body, unsettling fixed ideas of gender expression. The gesture is private, self-authored, domestic. The black cat is a trusted companion not an omen, historically misread, carrying the quiet energy of outsiders who survive together. It speaks to mutual independence and the intimacy of chosen family. This is lesbianism as self-determined ritual: soft, sovereign, and answerable to no one.
[Visual Description] Describe your photo so we can provide alt-text. Example: "Two women holding hands and smiling as they walk in a pride parade, surrounded by rainbow flags."
A person with a feminine body stands in a domestic interior, shaving their head with electric clippers. Their hair is partially cut, with visible stubble and longer sections still falling. They appear alone, focused, and calm. In the background, a black cat sits nearby, watching. Hair is visible on the floor or sink. The moment feels private and self-directed, with no other people present.
[Agreement] In the event that you win the 2026 Curve Photo Contest, do you consent to having your photograph printed for the sole purpose of displaying at The Curve Foundation's one-day event at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco, CA) during Lesbian Visibility Week? The Curve Foundation will cover printing costs, but will not cover costs for mailing the print after the event ends.
Yes
[Agreement] Do you consent to The Curve Foundation storing, sharing, and using this image and its description as we deem appropriate, including disseminating on our social media, website, and Curve Archive and Curve Quarterly?
Yes
[Agreement] By checking 'I understand' below, I acknowledge that this contest upholds values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I confirm that my submission does not contain anti-LGBTQ+ or other discriminatory, hateful, or exclusionary content.
I understand