Collected Item: “Bare‑Chested, Becoming”
Your Name
Charlie Simon
Your Pronouns
they/he
Instagram handle, if any
bs.imon
Work Title
Bare‑Chested, Becoming
Work Year (We are not accepting images older than 5 years)
2025
[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.)
Butch lesbian, non-binary transmasc
[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)
This photo was taken on a secluded trail I've loved for years; it's somewhere where I've always felt like I could be myself. I took this photo about four months after my top surgery, at a time I was learning to inhabit my body without apology. My scars are a source of pride and a reminder of the life I chose for myself. They make me feel deeply, and confidently butch. The surgery marked a profound return to myself - my lesbian, trans, and butch self.
[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 black and white photo of a shirtless individual with visible top surgery scars crouched by a weathered tree trunk in a mountainous meadow.
[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