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Description
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ToC Covet: A Transgender Watchmaker Transcends Time (p12); Fitness: Your Body Is Your Temple, Take A Long Weekend (p18); Profile: Casey Legler is Finally In The Swim (p24); In The Crossfire: The Midterm Elections "Rainbow Wave" (p34); Culture Trip: Rebirth of Lesbian Cool (p44); Cover: TV's First Black Lesbian Superhero, Nafessa Williams (p60)
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issue
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3
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Date Issued
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Fall 2018
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PDF/A
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Publisher
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Frances Stevens
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Curve_Vol28_No3_Fall-2018_OCR_PDFa.pdf
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L I V I N G
83
25274
80539
DISPLAY TILL DECEMB
l
6
T R U E
CST#1009281040
MASTHEAD
CURVE
LIVING
TRUE
Fall2018 » volume28 number 3
Publisher Silke Bader
Founding Publisher Frances Stevens
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief Merryn Johns
Senior Copy Editor Katherine Wright
Contributing Editors Victoria A. Brownworth, Lyndsey D'Arcangelo,
Janelle and Melany Joy Beck, Jennifer McDowell, Rachel Paulson, Dave Steinfeld
Editorial Assistant Liv Steigrad
OPERATIONS
Director of Operations Jeannie Sotheran
PROOFING
Proofreader Melanie Barker
ADVERTISING
National Sales Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021
Email todd@curvemagazine.com
ART/PRODUCTION
Art Director Bruno Cesar Guimaraes
COVER
Cover Image ofNafessa Williams by Sed Baliem
Photo Credit: © ShotbySed
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Liv Steigrad
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melanie Barker, Amy Deneson, Anita Dolce Vita, Alex Eugene, Merryn Johns,
Sassafras Lowrey, Jennifer McDowell, Dave Steinfeld, Lisa Tedesco
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Grace Chu, Jill Greenberg, Sheryl Kay, Syd London, B. Proud,
Amanda Ramon, Rachael Zimmerman
CONTACT
Curve Magazine
PO Box 1099
Darlinghurst NSW 1300, Australia
Phone (415) 871-0569
Subscription Inquiries (800) 705-0070 (toll-free in US only)
Advertising Email todd@curvemagazine.com
Editorial Email editor@curvemag.com
Letters to the Editor Email letters@curvemagazine.com
Volume 28 Issue 3 Curve (ISSN I 087-867X) is published 4 times per year (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) by Avalon
Media, LLC, PO 1099 Darlinghurst NSW 1300, Australia. Subscription price: $35/year, $49 Canadian (U.S. funds
only) and $75 international (U.S. funds only). Returned checks will be assessed a $25 surcharge. Periodicals postage
paid at San Francisco, CA 94114 and at additional mailing offices (USPS 0010-355). Contents of Curve Magazine
may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher.
Publication of the name or photograph of any persons or organizations appearing, advertising or listing in Curve
may not be taken as an indication of the sexual orientation of that individual or group unless specifically stated.
Curve welcomes letters, queries, unsolicited manuscripts and artwork. Include SASEfor response. Lack of any representation only signifies insufficient materials. Submissions cannot be returned unless a self-addressed stamped
envelope is included. No responsibility is assumed for loss or damages. The contents do not necessarily represent
the opinions of the editor, unless specifically stated. All magazines sent discreetly. Subscription Inquiries: Please
write to Curve, Avalon Media LLC.,PO Box 1099 Darlinghurst NSW 1300, Australia, email jeannie@curvemag.com
Canadian Agreement Number: 40793029. Postmaster: Send address changes to jeannie@curvemag.com, Curve, PO
Box 17138, N. Hollywood, CA 91615-7138. Printed in the U.S
curvemag.com
4 CURVE
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CURVE
LIVING
TRUE
Content
Covet: A Transgender
Watchmaker
Transcends Time.
Samuel J.Rosenmayer only transitioned
two years ago but he's already founded
a watch company, bringing timeless elegance to timepieces-and
Fitness: Your Body Is
Your Temple, Take A
Long Weekend.
to his own life.
Wellness guru Richelle Donigan shares
her mind-body empowerment book in a
way that will give you a whole new zen
Profile: Casey Legler Is
Finally In The Swim.
attitude for the new season.
The former Olympic-level swimmer has
penned a compelling memoir about her
youth in which she struggled to balance
addiction and abuse with expectations of
excellence.
6 CURVE
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Cover: TV's First Black
Lesbian Superhero,
Nafessa Williams.
Culture Trip: Rebirth of
Lesbian Cool.
2018 is the year of the black superhero
and lesbians have not been left out of the
equation with Nafessa Williams gracing
Meet the high profile lesbian movers,
In The Crossfire: The
Midterm Elections
Rainbow Wave".
11
shakers, and style makers based in Los
the small screen in the CW's hit series
"Black Lightning:'
Angeles who are ushering in a new
golden age of lesbian visibility.
A record number of women and out
LGBTQ candidates are running for political office or re-election but will they
make a difference?
FALL
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OUR TEAM
Contributors
VictoriaBrownworth Richelle
Donigan
Politics
Fitness
AllisonKugel
Celebrity
LillianFaderman
History
Victoria
V.Brownworth
Richelle
Donigan
Victoria is a lifelong Socialist, feminist and advocacy
Richelle is a teacher, life mastery coach, and author.
journalist who has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
She has worked in and studied transformation
and won the Society of Professional Journalists Award,
more than 40 years and has taught yoga and medi-
an NLGJA Award, and a Lambda Literary Award. She's
tation for 15 years. Richelle is a powerful guide and
published two dozen books, including the award-win-
leader of practices and systems that she has used
for
ning OrdinaryMayhem,ComingOut of Cancerand From
in her own life to accelerate results. She offers these
WhereTheySit. In 2010 she founded Tiny Satchel Press,
proven systems to others so that they may bring forth
which publishes books for kids of color and LGBTQkids.
a lived experience beyond their wildest dreams.
AllisonKugel
LillianFaderman
Allison is a syndicated entertainment and pop culture
Lillian is an internationally-known scholar of lesbian
journalist, editor, entrepreneur, and author of the book,
and LGBT history who has won six Lambda Literary
JournalingFame:A memoir of a life unhingedand on the
Awards, two American Library Association Awards,
record.Allison manages her own public relations firm,
several lifetime achievement awards for scholarship in-
and serves as a freelance writer. As Senior Editor of
cluding Yale University's James Brudner Award among
PR.com, she frequently conducts celebrity interviews.
many others, including the American Association of
This issue she interviews burlesque star Dita Von
University Women's Distinguished Senior Scholar
Teese Follow her on lnstagram @theallisonkugel.
Award. (lillianfaderman.net)
8 CURVE
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WELCOME
Editorial
NafessaWilliams
isa
breakout
star,playing
TV's
firstblack
lesbian
superhero.
A
s we greet a new season we also embrace new
possibilities of expression. I was thrilled to welcome to our cover the beautiful Nafessa Williams,
star of the CW show BlackLightning.2018 is the year of the
black superhero, and Williams is a breakout star, playing
TV's first black lesbian superhero. Season 1 was an over-
Editorin Chief
Merryn Johns
night success, premiering as the network's #1 new series.
That's great news for anyone who ever wondered if their
authentic self would find representation and acceptance in
the mainstream.
We also take an in-depth look at the November midterm
elections and the potential "Rainbow Wave" of out LGBT
candidates. More diverse women than ever before are entering the political field hoping to enact necessary change,
and that's something worth celebrating. Enjoy our story on
the Indigo Girls, who are trying something new musically,
and meet other women from coast to coast who are pursuing their selfhood in the most delightful and inspiring ways.
Hats off to Esther Newton and Casey Legler whose lifelong
journeys made me proud to call this community my home.
merryn@curvemag.com
7
~
FALL
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WOM
E
"ci
+
C:
a.,
(/)
m
u
a.,
0..
(/)
a.,
----,
10 CURVE
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WOMEN WE LOVE
DitaVonTeese
The burlesque goddess on refashioning feminism. AllisonKugel
Dita Von Teese has carved out an iconic reputa-
Onfemininity
andfeminism
inthe#Me
Too
era:
tion for herself as the most famous and sought
I have always understood feminism to be about
after burlesque performer in the world. VanityFair
having choices. I don't see how you can put rules
dubbed her a "Burlesque Superheroine," and Elle
on that, especially now. Whatever you do, there's
declared her an "all around icon." I sat down with
always going to be someone who criticizes it. I
Von Teese during her recent tour, Dita Von Teese
think more than ever it's about sticking close to
and the Copper Coupe, to discuss everything
people who share your beliefs. You try to under-
from her captivating appearance to her thoughts
stand other people's point of view, but you don't
on femininity and feminism.
have to take it for your own, or feel like someone is
Onredefining
femininity:
fingers at other people.
pointing a finger at you. We have to stop pointing
I grew up admiring movie stars of the 1940s
and '50s. To me, that was always the epitome
OnAmerica's
problem
withsensuality:
of "feminine," and it made a mark on me from
It's not just sensuality, but decisive sensuality.
a very young age. Eventually, I guess I came
That's one of the things people have a problem
to associate the very idea of "feminine" with
with. If I had made a sex tape and then said, "Oh,
exaggerated femininity-the
way a woman en-
I'm sorry I did that," it would be more acceptable,
hances herself with the tools in the beauty box,
compared to me deciding to present striptease
so to speak. That's how I love to represent the
and eroticism, and doing it in this way, because it's
outwardly feminine. On the other hand, I have a
decisive, unapologetic. It's not "accidental." Am I
different, closed-door feminine as well, where I
inspiring other women to embrace their sensuality
can remove those layers and get to the essence
in a way that they're not apologizing for, and is that
of what we are trying to exaggerate with the hair
what upsets people?
and makeup, the high heels, and all the things we
do to be hyper-feminine in public.
Advice
forcreative
pioneers:
Onburlesque
asaformoffeminism:
ence me when I started. I had to use my imagina-
The feminist movement must be respectful of
tion. I didn't have anyone to watch except ladies
other women's ideas of what it is, and what it
from the past. There wasn't YouTube. I had to re-
means. More than ever, we as women have to
ally forge my own path, and I'm grateful for that.
I feel lucky that I didn't have the Internet to influ-
respect each other's choices. My social media
I think one of the things getting in people's way
following is about 85 percent female. I like to say
now is the feeling that everything has already been
that burlesque is an alternative feminist move-
done, because they're scrolling through lnsta-
ment. Something that could have, in the past,
gram. Or they'll look through social media and just
been considered degrading to women. I think
copy what other people are doing. They don't have
that idea has been turned upside down since my
to rely on their imagination. I'm not saying you
audience is mainly female. They're getting inspi-
shouldn't be inspired by other people. Even if it ap-
ration from this and feeling like they can harness
pears that everything has been done before, there
their own sensual power in a different way-be-
are ways of making it better or making it different.
cause they're in control of it.
dita.net/shows
FALL
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COVET
J
ust 27 years old, Samuel J.
Rosenmayer is a recently transitioned transman and watchmak-
er. Bullied for most of his childhood for
not being a "typical" girl, Rosenmayer
felt extremely out of place during adolescence and was instructed by Christian therapists to constantly suppress
his LGBTurges and identity. "As a result,
I now have a linked struggle: removing
the lies I grew up believing and replacing them with the truth of how God
loves me and created me to be who I
am-for a reason;' he says. But becoming who he was has been a long journey.
"Coming out to family and friends was
absolutely terrifying. I lost many friends
and I lost contact with my parents for
a period of time due to being an LGBT
individual:'
But Rosenmayer persisted and not
only did he begin transitioning; he also
started his own company at the same
time. "I was struggling to focus my attention on something other than all the
issues around me, so I began drawing
again. I've always loved drawing but I
COVET
stopped sketching after high school.
that will be incomparable and unique
So I started designing watches, be-
from all the others on the market. My
sion, anger, humiliation, and repressed
cause all the watches online looked
watches are for individuals who want
emotions. My situation was similar
the same. Out of frustration and a
their watch to express their personal-
to many other transgenders: Parents
desire to make better watches and an
ity and individual style.
tend to focus on how their transition-
was really messy, with sorrow, confu-
honest watch company, I started Sam-
Quality is key, for example, glass
ing child's decision is impacting them
uel James Watches, Ltd., based in the
made out of scratch-resistant sapphire
but forget that it isn't about them, it's
Chicago area, where I was born and
crystal. And for those of you who have
about the child:'
raised:'
never owned a watch because you've
While his relationship with his par-
With an emphasis on craftsman-
always had an iPhone, Rosenmayer
ents has improved over time, dating
ship and style, Rosenmayer channeled
reminds us that watches have been a
is still hard. "I'm sure it is surprising
his vision into a quality product that
fashion accessory since the 15th cen-
when I tell women I am not a cis male,
expressed his authentic identity. "I
tury, and their appeal lies precisely in
because on the outside you would nev-
spent so much time finalizing details,
the fact that they are not digital.
er know. I don't hold anything against
picking out the colors for every piece,
In the two years since he began
woman who are not interested in a
the type of materials used, the move-
transitioning, time and the transitions
transman, but it still stings when you
ment, etc. I wanted them to look like
it can afford, is also playing a role.
develop an emotional connection with
nothing that is on the market now, and
"I am more confident in my faith and
someone then suddenly they want
I was unsure how the public would re-
overall happier as a person now than
nothing to do with you because you
spond to something so different, but
I have ever been, but it took a lot of
weren't born with a certain body part."
I have received nothing but positive
heartache and despair to get here."
feedback and a demand for more:'
Currently single, Rosenmayer is
Rosenmayer has struggled to find
"perfectly content and happy focusing
What sets his watches apart from
acceptance from his parents during
on myself, my new watch business,
others is "uniqueness, quality, and
the process. "My siblings and extend-
and my Shorkie dog, Charlie."
honesty. Trends are not important.
ed family showed immediate support,
"I am purposely creating watches
but between my parents and me it
samueljameswatches.com
FALL
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TRENDS
Summer is the best season for sipping ice-cold rose, but as the
Cozy
RhOne
temperaturesdrop you want to reachfor somethinga little roundera
If your palate isn't ready to leave
summer behind, don't worry-Cotes
du Rhone has you covered for fall.
your girl.
more reliablein wine,just likeyou do yourfavoritelight sweater.Rhone
ValleyVineyardspresentswinesthat aredelectableand easy-drinking
but with a touch more complexitythat your summer go-to.
From one of the largest and oldest appellationsin Francecome
wines that are beautifullymade and yet surprisinglyaffordable.From
the regionof Cotesdu Rhone,alongthe scenic RhoneRiverin France,
comes wallet-friendly,accessiblewines perfect for happy hour, accompanimentto a simple meal,or just curling up on the couch with
Cotes du Rhonemeans "hillsidesof the Rhone,"and these casual
wines are made using up to 22 grape varieties,with the best-known
red grapesbeingGrenache,Syrahand Mourvedre.And this is notjust
any red. Like many Frenchwines, Cotes du Rhonewines meet the
strict qualitystandardthat has madethem world-famous.And it's not
just all red.Sip a well-structuredwhite, or refreshingrosefrom Cotes
du Rhone,too. You don't haveto leavesummer behindjust yet. Ask
your local wine store for wines from RhoneValleyVineyards,or if you
livein New YorkCity,drop by ChambersStreetWines.
rhone-wines.com
14 CURVE
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TRENDS
e
EricTexier
Chat
Fou2016
e
Domaine
LaGaranciere
Clos
2016
duJoncuas
Seguret
Blanc
This supple and easy-drinking red wine
is perfect by itself or with lighter fare.
Deliciously soft, fresh, and berry-ish, it
This floral and fruity white has a pleasantly
round mouth-feel and pairs well with fruit and
also has a surprising mineral quality,
which makes it a perfect in-between-sea-
cheese. Serve slightly chilled at a picnic and pair
with some chicken salad, fresh fruit or cold cuts,
sons choice.
or simply sip as an aperitif.
FALL
I CURVE 15
TRENDS
e
Domaine
deCreve
Coeur
2016
Rose
duCoucou
Made from Grenache and Cinsault, this
lively, pretty wine is fun and well-structured, made according to organic and
biodynamic principles. Hang onto summer with a glass of the "cuckoo" from
Domaine de Creve Coeur.
16 CURVE
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FITNESS
F
18 CURVE
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FITNESS
TheDivine
Alchemy
ofRest
Fitness isn't just about body-it's about spirit and soul, too.
RichelleDonigan
hat if you were able to hear the inspired insight of
W
your own quiet voice, above all others? The voice
that is sure of your next bold move. The voice with
answers to the questions of what to be, or do, or create; with
insight into what would bring the financial wealth you desire,
the relationship you long for, health and wellness at levels
you have only dreamt about, an unbridled joy that constantly
bubbles up from deep within. What if you knew that these
things were waiting for you? Not outside of you but within. If
you knew that the next idea that would catapult your work,
your art, your creative expression to new heights were right
here, right now, would you pause? Would you take the time
to be with you?
You are the smartest person you know. No one knows of
the wonders that await more than your spirit, your eternal
self. No one can. You have access to this wisdom in every
moment. Trust yourself. Take the time to hear you, apart
from the stress of the outer world, which can hold us in patterns that we are not aware of. Patterns that can drown out
our true voice. Retreat within long enough to see, enhance,
release, or repattern what is not of service. The book Long
Weekend is about that retreat. The "why" of it and the "how."
This is important because it is about reclaiming our lives.
Spirit is always saying yes. She is our most intimate lover, who knows us better than we know ourselves. She sees
things we are not yet able to comprehend. She is truth, trustworthy and infinite in her nature. And because of that trust,
FALL
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FITNESS
that willingness to step off before ac-
disconnected unless we have known
is about one thing, remembering who
tually seeing the whole bridge, mag-
connection? In every moment, we are
you are. You are a powerful creator.
nificence happens. Out of that step-
being shown the way to be connect-
There are many roads that lead to
ping off, Long Weekendcame to be. A
ed. If we slow down enough, we will
self-knowing. We may or may not be
year before it was published, I knew
notice the lessons of this practice
able to go to ashrams, or centers, or
that I would write a book. I had no
all around us: The sun doesn't rush
find our way to nature. But we can al-
idea how, yet I stood in the knowing.
to rise, nor does the moon try hard to
ways find a home right where we are.
I took the steps that I could. I wrote
get to its fullness, or mourn when it is
All it takes is our willingness to pause
daily, calling myself an author. Then
waning. There is beauty and perfec-
and maybe even invite a few friends
I received an email asking me to be
tion in every stage. We are too often
along. You have only to decide. The
part of a book project that explored
trying to get to peace, to get to ease,
word "decide" comes from the Latin
ideas of self-care, spirit, and vision.
when it is right there in the journey.
decidere, which means "to cut away."
A year later, the book is out in the
Pause, right now, and listen to your
but I could and did make it welcome.
I cowrote this book from a place of
listening. I retreated within, to places
that knew the truth of my being. I retreated from the voices of doubt and
reason.
If you want to cut away the mental
noise and escape from all the busy-
world. I could not make that happen,
"Listen
tothat
partofusthatis
ness, what would you need? The first
step is committing to caring for yourself, knowing yourself.
As you'll discover in Long Week-
asking
ourselves
end, "We can often keep time for
rest, slowing, and quiet out there
Long Weekendis about rest and reset, renewal and recovery. It's about
get-ting still for moments or days, so
that we can hear ourselves beyond all
the external chatter. As a life coach,
I guide my clients to listen to that
totakecare
of
thisgift this
exquisite
body"
somewhere, in someday, when we
have time (or space), in the land of
wouldn't that be nice, or if only ...lt's a
place we rarely find our way back to
actualizing."
Ask yourself, What would I LOVE.
What is one thing that I can DO?Then
still, small voice: the part of us that
is asking ourselves to take care of
breathing for three full cycles. Feel
this gift, this exquisite body, through
yourself become more present.
do that.
Breathe and listen.
Rest deeper, longer, more frequent-
which we experience everything. I
I wanted to write a book that some-
believe that we are spirit having a
one could open and on any page find
ly. It is not a luxury, it is a necessity.
human experience. Spirituality is our
something that would heal the part
You are enough, you have all that you
wisdom, our wise self; it's our innate
of the self that doesn't know how
require to build an extraordinary life
knowing, our connection to all things.
beautiful it is, how easy it can be,
filled with all you desire. The answers,
It isn't something we have to chase
how loved it is, and how perfect and
the calling, the knowing are within.
down, run after, squeeze out, or make
powerful you are right now. You don't
Whether it's for a moment a day or
happen. We are experiencing it all the
need to learn that next yoga pose, or
a Long Weekend. Your beautiful self
time. It's that indescribable feeling
complete that course, or gain the ap-
lies within. Go there and roam.
of connection-and
disconnection-
for how could we know that we feel
20 CURVE
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proval of anyone to claim this knowledge. The opportunity that is this life
parallax.org/product/long-weekend/
FITNESS
FALL
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GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE
l-lere in ~lorida's LGBT+ capital, we welcome everyone
who shares our spirit of inclusion. Discover a vibrant
collection
of cultures and activities, as unique and
individual
as you.
Your getaway begins at sunny.org/lgbt
Join us for
PRID~2019
r=ort Lauderdale
I ~ebruary 24
PROFILE
Troubled
Waters
In a searing memoir, former Olympic swimmer Casey Legler
revisits her harrowing adolescence.
Lyndsey
D'Arcangelo
PROFILE
or a long time after she re-
she endured sexual assault, a tug-
tired,
didn't
and-pull battle with addiction, and
swim. She stayed far away
the pressures of being a young and
F
Casey
Legler
from the water. The former Olym-
talented athlete.
pic swimmer's youth was so deep-
From the very first page of the
ly immersed in a pool of addiction,
book, Legler tethers you to a boat
anguish, and assault that she was
with no sail and lets you drift farther
almost drowned by the weight of it
into dangerous waters without
all. But five years ago, while she was
compass or any sense of how you're
in Sydney, Australia, with her wife,
going to get back to shore. As the
Siri May-United
a
Nations Program
captain, she is a willing guide, but
Coordinator for Outright Internation-
that's it. You're in this journey with
al-Legler dared to dive into the An-
her, no matter where it goes or how
drew "Boy" Charlton Pool in Sydney
it might end. There are white-knuck-
Harbor.
le moments, sentences so rich with
And it felt good.
sounds and sights that they jump
"I've been in the best pools in
right off the page, and times when
the world and it's the best pool in
Legler seems as much a struggling
the world;' she says over the phone
character as she does the orchestra-
from her home in New York City, her
tor of her own destruction.
voice dripping wet with excitement
"The way that I wrote the book
at the thought of it. "It was a saltwa-
was intentional;' Legler admits. "The
ter pool, outdoors, by this beautiful
first draft that I gave my agent was
botanical garden. It's also the same
a multidiscipline 85-page experience
place that I finished my book."
Legler, now 41, is sober and de-
complete with photographs and different types of language-from
po-
lightful. These days she spends her
etry to succinct phrases and short
time managing French restaurant
stories-to
La Mercerie in Soho, modeling male
rience that was my childhood. What
clothes for Ford Models, and im-
I had essentially created was an art
try to embody the expe-
mersing herself in her writing. Her
project. I had a few copies made and
magazine work has been featured
gave them to some close friends.
in Vogue, Time, and Le Monde, and
And then we just started working
her first book, Godspeed, was just
on the actual story that I was really
re-leased through Simon and Schus-
excited to tell, though I knew that in
ter. It's a blunt and extremely honest
order for it to be interesting to a wid-
memoir about Legler's harrowing
er audience, I had to change the way
ride through
I wrote it."
adolescence, where
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PROFILE
Most of Godspeed takes place in
my swim career, because I had such
truth alongside all the other very
France, where Legler spent the bulk
a deep sense of shame and failure
brave people who are telling their
of her childhood. She intersperses
for how I performed at the Olym-
stories right now [during the #Me-
some of her memories with French
pics;' Legler confesses. "Swimming
Too movement)."
phrases and words-something
she
was so distressing for me, but some
Another aspect of Legler's past
says she's done because her mind
of the skill set I have as an adult,
that she only recently became aware
recalls them that way.
some of my best traits, I gained di-
of is that she is autistic, which she
"A lot of my memories are in
rectly from swimming. I also think
discovered shortly after she finished
French, but I write in English. So, I
swimming saved my life. If I hadn't
her memoir). The news she says
had to figure out what that was go-
had the obligation to go to practice
was "the best thing;' because inad-
ing to look like on the page, and then
every day, where everything was qui-
vertently she had revealed what it's
bring the reader along on this jour-
et, I'm not sure I would have made it
like to be in the mind of an autistic
ney that is not an easy one and that
past being a teenager."
adolescent girl. It's something she's
at times is abhorrently violent. My
Before Legler sat down to write
very excited to share, something
life today is so full of joy and peace,
the manuscript for Godspeed, she
that is "wild and magical and mirac-
so it was about making a book that
had already made peace with her
ulous;' but at the same time explains
tells a story that folks will want to
past. Revisiting the intense trauma
so much about who she was, how
read and understand, and then come
she suffered at the hands of her ad-
she's evolved, and where she is now.
away from maybe even feeling in-
diction wasn't cathartic or even trou-
At the end of Godspeed, readers
blesome. It was necessary in order
who don't know Legler as a kickass
to tell an authentic story-a
story
model and chef, an incredibly warm
at 12 years old. She used it as a
that Legler felt she was in the right
and genuine human being, and a vo-
remedy for many things-boredom,
place and state of mind to share.
spired."
Legler started
drinking
alcohol
have written
cal advocate of LGBTQrights, are left
it any
to wonder what's become of her. But
even as a release from the stress of
sooner than I did. I'm 41, and this
she doesn't need to write a sequel in
competitive swimming.
book stops when I'm 20. So, there's
order for you to find out. She'll gladly
As talented a swimmer as she
a distance there that allows me to
share that with you now.
was, Legler actually came to hate
meet the inevitable challenges when
"I'm happily married. I'm laughing.
everything about swimming. It was
someone is writing about that type
I have real relationships with friends.
a gift and a curse. At 19 years old,
of content. It wasn't difficult to write
I've fallen in love with the life that
she competed for France in the 1996
but, yes, of course, some parts were
I get to have in restaurants. I feel
Summer Olympics. Though she had
painful to tell, simply because they
lucky that I can show up, be present
broken a world record the day before,
are horrible. I think I chose some of
and say my name in art and fashion
in practice, that night she went on a
the moments specifically for their
spaces, and be given the chance to
bender to escape the world around
poignancy. And they remain, even
write. And there isn't a day that goes
her. She failed to even come close to
for me, difficult to read. This book
by that I am not grateful for or aware
the podium.
was meant to happen in this partic-
of the fact that I should be dead."
stress, inadequacy, confusion, and
"I couldn't
"It took about seven years after I
ular era and that feels very special,
retired to be able to even talk about
to be able to show up in dignity and
26 CURVE
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Godspeed:
A Memoir(Simon& Schuster)
PROFILE
''This
bookwas
meanttohappen
in
thisparticular
era
andthatfeelsvery
special
toshowup
indignity
andtruth
alongside
other
bravepeople
..."
STYLE ICON
STYLEICON
tanding six feet, two inches tall,
S
that the world did not revolve around
her innate sense of style, but for her
For Miller, sexuality and spirituali-
sense of self, which transcends the
ty, ambition and compassion are not
many limitations that her profession has
in-compatible.
Jess Miller commands atten-
me. It is an ecosystem of beings who
tion-not just for her height and
are just trying to do good."
historically imposed on young women.
It is a rarity to sit down with a model and
about using spirituality as a means
find beneath the requirements of beau-
for healing and a means for connect-
ty and grace an intelligence that burns
ing with people who otherwise you
brightly and engages with ideas and is-
wouldn't have anything in common
sues that extend beyond herself.
with. It's a bridge builder in the same
Catching up with the Seattle native,
way that we could be in a queer space
who has relocated to New York City to
and we might have completely sepa-
pursue her career, I was delighted to
rate interests-but
dive into a far-ranging conversation
your suffering and your joy, and we can
that
share on a more eternal plane, and it's
en-compassed everything from
I know elements of
identity (she's queer and Christian);
not just surface level. We're all in this
to career goals; to the meaning of ex-
together."
istence, and the role of spirituality in a
meaningful life.
Miller is one of a new generation of
The narrative of Christianity-which
has been co-opted by the far right and
can marginalize minorities-is
for Mill-
category-defying queer models who
er simply a way of seeing goodness in
are challenging identity labels as they
other people.
negotiate the vagaries of the label-obsessed fashion world.
But while many older folks puzzle
"I'm never going to be the person
who's trying to tell people about Jesus;' she says. "I'm going to be the
over what millennials want, Miller has
person who's extending care to people
already made up her mind: everything.
who the world has written off. There's
"I want to be a 25-year-old with a bowl
a ton of queer people who want to be
cut and I want to be an 80-year-old with
Christian or who are Christian and are
long gray hair-and I can be all these
being told, 'You're not allowed' "-not
things."
only by Chris-tians but by other queer
Already, she's making inroads into
a notoriously tough business while
people.
Historically, faith might be connect-
ex-amining and developing her own
ed to the repression and control of
values.
sexu-ality, but Miller would like to re-
As a teenager, Miller started exploring
::::,
"My faith is about radical inclusion,
write that narrative.
spirituality and found that faith gave her
In a similar way, modeling and fash-
"a sense of purpose and an awareness
ion have been about the repression
z
FALL
I
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STYLEICON
of women and their commodification.
conforming to any particular catego-
Miller also hopes to change that.
ry. In-spired by androgynous models
"Modeling was never my intention-
such as Oslo Grace, and activist mod-
it was always an interest and one that
els such as Cameron Russell, Mill-
I wanted to pursue but that I thought
er is part of a new generation of New
wasn't attainable because I didn't fit
York-based models who don't have to
the standard size: I'm too tall and I'm
compromise their sense of self to make
not skinny enough. I'm already outside
headway in the industry. She's soaking
the box for what's supposed to be stan-
up the challenges and the excitement
dard, so it was just a childhood dream."
of living and working in New York, and
But then Miller entered a plus-size
dreams of walking in Fashion Week for
model search run by Universal Stan-
designers she admires, such as Chris-
dard, the New York-based label that
tian Siriano. She also has her Big Apple
specializes in realistic sizes (the major-
fangirl moments, such as running into
ity of Ameri-can women are size 10 and
Gloria Steinem and Karlie Kloss at the
above). As the winner of a nationwide
Gramercy Park Hotel, but none of that
competition, Miller felt encouraged to
defines her concept of success. That
turn her childhood dream into a reality
will depend on the extent to which she
and moved to New York to work as a
can fully express her own identity. A
model. She is now managed by The Li-
self-described "kind of a nerd at heart;'
ons management company, which also
Miller plans to go to graduate school to
represents Stella Maxwell and Kate Up-
study theology and obtain a masters of
ton.
divinity (MDiv) degree with an empha-
But far from letting success go to
sis on "queer and womanist theology."
her head, Miller has decided to chal-
"It's about taking the oppression out
lenge the exclusivity of fashion: "What
of faith traditions and repacking it so
am I using this platform for? Is it just
that spirituality can be liberating and
to sell clothes? Is it just to help the rich
not harmful to black, femme, queer, and
get richer? My whole purpose in being
other identities;' she says.
a model is to be a physical, visual rep-
She's also considering social work
resentation of people who don't see
and clinical mental health counseling
themselves as or feel like they are de-
as vocations, and at just 25 years old
sirable, people who don't see that they
she's still exploring the breadth of her
are what is in fashion. I want to em-
passions. "I'm not ready to one-track
power the people around me. I'm not in
my mind. It's in a diversity of world-
it for the money or for the ln-stagram
views that we can get a sense of what
likes."
the Creator is or what our purpose is
In this #MeToo era, Miller sees her-
to be on this earth. When we can lis-
self as a model-activist expressing a
ten to all perspectives it's only going to
spectrum of possibilities rather than
get better."
::::,
z
30 CURVE
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FALL
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32
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TheRainbow
Wave
WillLGBTQ
candidates
makea difference
inthemidtermelections?
VictoriaA. Brownworth
o one thought the primary race for Kansas's
N
3rd Congressional District would capture
national attention, but it's been that kind of
year. Races that looked like clear-cut wins for white
men have turned into come-from-behind victories
for women-particularly
minority women. KS03 was
one of those.
Sharice Davids seemed an unlikely political candidate in a solidly red state. The Native American lesbian comes from a working-class Kansas background.
She was raised in a single-parent household, and
worked her way through a local community college.
As amazing as it is that Davids went on to Cornell
Law School, became a White House Fellow in the
Obama administration, and had a side career as an
MMA fighter, she then decided to run for Congress to
unseat Trump-friendly Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder.
She wasn't alone. Five other Democrats had the
same idea, and one, Brent Welder, had worked for
Sen. Bernie Sanders, who endorsed him. Davids got
her own endorsement: The Kansas City Star chose
her out of what they termed "a field of exceptional
candidates."
Yet Welder was getting all the mainstream press,
posing with Sanders and getting spots on CNN and
MSNBC.
Davids went door-to-door looking for votes. She
met with possible constituents on a daily basis, pos-
(/)
Q.)
"'
u"'
ing for selfies with prospective voters and posting
--0
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C:
them on Twitter. She even acquired a namesake, a
>,
.n
newborn baby named Sharice.
--0
Q.)
0.
0.
Kansas City native Janelle Monae endorsed her.
::,
(f)
(/)
Margaret Cho followed, as did Melissa Etheridge.
Q.)
O"l
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34 CURVE
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IN THE CROSSFIRE
Money started flowing into her campaign. But in the
Aug. 7 primary, early returns put Welder in the lead,
and reporters had him ready to declare victory within
hours after the polls closed.
It took all night to count the votes, but by the
next morning Davids had won, besting Welder and
the other four candidates, all of whom had spent far
more than she had.Within another 24 hours, the seat
that had been slated as safe Republican was suddenly listed as top-tier for Democrats.
Davids's campaign video, which garnered nearly
20,000 views, has her in the MMA ring, declaring,
Davids
isone
ofanexciting
roster
of
candidates
running
to
makeand
change
history.
"I've had to fight my whole life. Because of who I am,
who I love, and where I started."
Davids is one of an exciting roster of first-time
candidates running to make and change history. If
elected, Davids would become the first Native American woman in the House. Ever. She would be only
the second lesbian in Congress. Ever. America has
gone without a Native American woman in Congress
for 242 years. Shocking.
With November around the corner, candidates like
Davids are making news and shifting narratives.
With two far-right extremist Supreme Court picks, an
at-torney general who has blocked lesbians and gay
men from suing for anti-gay discrimination, an executive order instituting a ban against trans persons
signing up for the military, and another supporting
religious freedom laws that discriminate against
LGBTQ people, Trump is the most anti-LGBTQ presi-
dent in recent histo-ry.
Democrats are battling to regain control of Con-
gress to keep Trump's ex-tremist policies in check.
It's a fight that will require more than one MMA-style
combatant. But the kind of get-out-the-vote campaign Davids ran in Kansas could turn a whole lot of
red seats blue.
And there are more like hers. Gina Ortiz Jones
would be the first Filipina American and another lesbian in Congress if she wins her seat for the 23rd
District in Texas. A former Air Force intelligence officer with degrees in economics and East Asian studies from Boston University, as well as a degree from
FALL
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CURVE 35
IN THE CROSSFIRE
the War College, she served for years under Don't
Ask, Don't Tell and is an Iraq War vet with an impressive resume in national security and intelligence.
Ortiz Jones, whose Facebook page tells a charming story of her coming out to her mother, is up
against incumbent Rep. Will Hurd in a race that is
surprisingly close, for America's most populous red
state. The race has gone from safely Republican to
a toss-up.
Lauren Baer worked in the Obama State Department for six years as a senior advisor to former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry and
to U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power. She left the
State Department to work for another former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright.
Baer is running for Florida's 18th District. If elected, she would be the first lesbian married to a samesex partner to serve in the House.
Angie Craig is a married lesbian mother of four
running for Minnesota's 2nd District. This race has
been slated by the Democratic Party as one of the
top 10 most flippable. GOP incumbent Jason Lewis
narrowly won in 2016.
Nearly 20 years ago, Craig had to fight her way
through the courts to gain custody of her oldest son,
who is adopted. That fight has informed her candidacy: She wants everyone to have the same rights,
and knows that many battles are far from won.
Nancy Pelosi has campaigned for her, but the
race remains a statistical dead heat. And that redblue split defines the midterms story. To regain the
House of Representatives, Democrats must hold the
193 seats they have and flip 25 more.
To regain the Senate, Democrats must win 28 of
the 35 seats that are being contested this yearwhich means holding on to all 26 of the Democratic
seats up for re-election as well as winning two more.
It's huge. Not just a Blue Wave, but a Blue Tsuna-
(/)
Q.)
"'
mi. At the helm of this effort is House Minority Lead-
--0
--0
C:
u"'
er Nancy Pelosi, who has raised millions for House
.n
races and become a lightning rod for Republicans
>,
--0
Q.)
0.
0.
intent on maintaining Trump's power.
::,
(f)
(/)
Flipping the House would reinstate Pelosi as
Q.)
O"l
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IN THE CROSSFIRE
Speaker. In an August 13 column in the New York
Times, Nobel Prize-winning
Inwhat's
been
called
"the
Hillary
Effect,''
morewomen
thanever
before
are
•
running
foroffice.
economist Paul Krug-
man called Pelosi "the greatest Speaker in modern
times:' detailing her progressive accom-plishments
for the good of the country.
In what's been called "the Hillary Effect;' more
women than ever before are running for office. This
Pink Wave has been driven forward by presidential
nominee Hillary Clinton's call to women to "run for
office" to beat back Trump.
At a talk she gave at Rutgers earlier this year, Clin-
ton said, "The numbers of women who are running in
these midterm elections and special elections that
we've seen in the last couple of months is very encouraging to me. We have to keep that pipeline full.
It's not one and out. It's keep getting more women to
run, keep convincing young women to be part of it."
Her message has been heard: 575 women have
run for the House, for the Senate, or for governor. It's
a grassroots revolution, with women like Davids and
Ortiz Jones determined to have their voices heard.
According to the Center for American Women at
Rutgers University, the number of women challenging seats in the U.S. House of Representatives is
350 percent more than it was in 2016. Emily's List, a
feminist political group that trains women for public
office and supports the candidacies of pro-choice
women, says more than 26,000 women contacted
the organization for information about starting a political campaign in the past year.
Jennifer Duffy, senior editor for the non-partisan
Cook Political Report, spoke about the wave at Ready
to Run, a training program for female candidates.
Duffy credits the Me Too movement with some candidacies, but thinks there's another rationale as well.
"In politics, I think what you're seeing is enormous
frustration among women. I think it's frustration that
some of the biggest issues in our country, and some
of the issues that are very important to women, are
not being solved."
But more women running for office doesn't necessarily translate into more women winning. In 2016,
40 women ran for the Senate and only six won.
FALL
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IN THE CROSSFIRE
The hardest glass ceiling to break-other than the
presidency-seems
to be the one in any governor's
office. There are only seven female governors-four
Republicans and three Democrats. More women
running for governor has yet to translate into more
women winning those seats. The last woman to win
a gubernatorial race was Gina Raimondo in 2014
when she won in Rhode Island, and three of the seven current women governors were appointed to fill
out terms vacated by men.
In the House, dozens more women have run and
won seats, but the House still only has 84 women
out of 438 seats. If all the planets aligned and every
worn-an running won her race, there could be 226 by
the morning of November 7.
As exciting as that prospect might be, it's unlikely. More likely is the idea that the Rainbow Wave of
LGTBQ candidates will result in more representation. The Victory Fund, an organization dedicated to
electing LGBTQcandidates, cites nearly 200 lesbian,
bisexual, and trans women candidates among the
women running for office.
In Wisconsin, the sole out lesbian in Congress and
the first out gay person in the Senate, Sen. Tammy
Baldwin, is fighting to maintain her seat despite the
several million dollars in GOP money that has been
pledged to oust her. Current polling has her in a
tough challenge with Republican State Senator Leah
Vukmir, who won her own bruising Republican primary on Aug. 14. Polling for Baldwin against Vukmir
had them in a dead heat with each at 50 percent.
On both sides, money from outside the state is fueling the race, which Republicans believe they can
win.
In Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, the sole out bisexual
in Congress, is running to replace Republican Jeff
Flake in the Senate. Arizona hasn't had a Democratic senator in 25 years and has never had a woman
(/)
Q.)
"'
senator. The GOP seat is currently at toss-up, with
--0
--0
C:
Sinema holding a slight lead.
u"'
>,
.n
Kerri Evelyn Harris, a black lesbian, is running
--0
Q.)
0.
0.
against incumbent Democrat Thomas Carper in a
::,
(f)
(/)
late-September primary.
Q.)
O"l
i
38 CURVE
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Two highly publicized races could give us the
didn't know what to do. I mean, many of us in this
nation's first out lesbian governors. Award-winning
country shed a lot of tears for what happened on
actor and Democratic Socialist Cynthia Nixon is run-
November 8."
ning to unseat Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuo-
The night of the Vermont primary, Charlotte Cly-
mo in a tough, late-season New York primary that
mer, a veteran and a member of Human Rights Cam-
falls just weeks before the midterms.
paign's communications team, said, "As a transgen-
In Texas, Democrat Lupe Valdez hopes to unseat
der woman and someone who cares deeply about
the virulently anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice GOP in-
this country, Christine Hallquist's win isn't just his-
cumbent Greg Abbott to become the first Latina gov-
toric. It's also a powerful rebuke against this White
ernor of Texas and the first lesbian governor in the
House that has worked non-stop over 19 months to
U.S. Valdez holds an MA in crimi-nology and rose to
harm and erase transgender Americans. Tonight, I
the rank of captain in the military. As Dallas County
feel pride."
sheriff, she was the highest ranked female law enforcement agent in Texas.
Clymer's words resonate. Nearly every state has a
lesbian, bisexual, or trans woman candidate in local
The daughter of migrant workers, she notes, when
and state races. The momentum has a visceral pow-
talking about recent im-migration battles, "My father
er to it. The thought of so many new female faces in
lived knowing you could never be caught after dark
Congress or state houses or even governors' man-
on the other side of the tracks if you were Mexican."
sions isn't just enticing, it's empowering.
In Oregon, Kate Brown fights to make history
But women are still struggling to achieve repre-
again. In 2016, as Oregon secretary of state, she was
sentation in political office, 99 years after we won
appointed governor when the popular three-term
the right to vote. The choices lie before us for No-
Democrat John Kitzhaber resigned due to corrup-
vember.
tion charges. Brown became the first openly bisexu-
In a speech she gave at HRC earlier this year,
al woman to hold statewide office, as well as the first
Kyrsten Sinema, who went from living homeless as
openly LGBTQgovernor in the U.S.
a child to getting her Ph.D. and a law degree, spoke
In Arizona, Kelly Fryer is a lesbian activist running in a three-way Democratic primary for governor,
challenging GOP incumbent Doug Ducey.
about what we face in the midterms and in battling
policies that cement inequality.
"The only way to win these important fights is if
On Aug. 14, Christine Hallquist made history by
we're willing to put aside our differences and engage
winning a four-way Democratic primary challenging
each other in good faith:' said Sinema. "See, I'm run-
GOP incumbent governor Phil Scott. Hallquist is the
ning for the Senate, but I'm also running to stand up
first transgender candidate to run for governor in
for the values that unite us as Americans. The right
the U.S. and will be the first trans governor in histo-
to define our own destinies. We here, we together,
ry, should she win. She said her transitioning while
have a moral obligation to continue this work."
CEOof a Vermont electric company, and the support
she received, helped her make the decision to run
against the GOP governor she voted for in 2016.
"Most of all, I am running because I must;' she asserts. "This is not a time in American history to sit
back and be apathetic."
Hallquist says, "November 8, 2016, I realized the
world changed. I went to bed and of course, like any
other trauma, I was in political depression, and I just
FALL
I
CURVE 39
Phoebe
Dahl:
Clothing
Designer
@phoebe
fairclothsupply.com
Granddaughter of the children's-book author Roald
Dahl, she's a creative force in her own right, the designer
and owner of Faircloth & Supply, a clothing company that
merges comfy with stylish and sustainable. Faircloth &
Supply is a feminist clothing line with downright dope
clothing, and Phoebe is not just one of my favorite people
ever-she's also making the world the better place.
Onwhyshestarted
Faircloth
&Supply
After I went to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco and then the London College of Fashion I moved to Amsterdam and assisted a
designer. We went to Japan for meetings, India for production. As I walked around the streets of Japan, the way
people dressed had me in total and utter amazement. In
Tokyo there are thousands of eccentric styles, but there
was one in particular that grabbed my attention: Girls
were wearing oversized linen dresses over ripped Levi's
with espadrilles. It was a very natural, utilitarian style. It
was very simple and minimal, but there was something
so beautiful about it. We were then given a tour around
the most inspiring shops and the most beautiful linen
mills. I left Tokyo with a reignited desire to start designing again. India was the first Third World country I'd ever
been to, and the economic strife impacted me greatly.
Upon arriving home, I quit my job and started Faircloth &
Supply, and that was that!
Onmixingphilanthropy
andfashion
In today's climate we need to take steps toward creating a better world. I started traveling through different
countries, identifying a need, and connecting with the
people whose vision and values are the same as mine. I
was looking for those who had lived through heartbreak
and cultural inequality, through imprisonment and racism and hatred for their gender, the color of their skin,
or the God they worship. When you get off the computer
and into the world, this is how you find the local heroes
living among us.
Samantha
Thomas:
Artist
@redsquare7
Samantha graduated from ArtCenter College of
Design in Pasadena, and she's becoming known
for her creative and inventive work with paint,
enamel, sandpaper, and thread. When she's not
slinging paint or doing art shows, you can find her
surfing the coast or traveling the world.
Onherartistic
process
I'm usually hopping from one station to the
next, layering paint, sanding, or sewing. Each
piece can take months to complete, so it does
become about how the material is changing daily
until I reach my desired surface.
Onwhere
toseeherwork
I was most recently in Pussy, King of the Pirates at Maccarone Gallery in LA with 20 women
artists. I just finished a collaboration with a Mexican textile artisan in Oaxaca, and this fall we'll will
be showing seven flags we made in Mexico City
with After & Again. I'll do a residency in Oaxaca at
the end of the year, while simultaneously working
on my next solo show.
How
she~ame anartist
I was grooming myself to be a professional
golfer and was on a golf scholarship at the University of Tulsa, [No. 2 in NCAA Division 1 at the time],
when I took a still life drawing class, influenced by
my roommate. I quit my scholarship and moved
to New York to pursue art. I lasted a winter and
immediately moved out west. I received my BFA
from ArtCenter College of Design in 2004, was assistant to the artist Ed Moses till 2011, and have
been lucky enough to carve out my own career as
an artist since then.
Yel:
Rapper/Musician
@yupitsyel
soundcloud.com/yupitsyel
Mixing flares of old-school and new-school
hip-hop to pound out her own unique sound, Yel
is about to drop her first EP,and her new single,
"4 AM;' drips with sick and wavy beats. Her freestyle game is also on point; it's definitely worth
checking her out.
Howsre
owned
rap
Growing up I listened to artists like Missy
Elliott, Outkast, and Lauryn Hill, and fell in love
with rap. My mother sang in the church and my
father was a musician, so we bumped a lot of
Kirk Franklin and jazz in the house. With my
parents being music-oriented all my life, it felt
natural for me to pick up a micas a kid and learn
to flow. Started rappin' when I was 10, and been
stuck on it ever since.
Whattoex{:fftfromrerdebut
EP
It's called TheLifeI Live.This project is my story. Talks about the struggles, life lessons, and
situations I've gone through that have made me
the artist I am today. Expect to hear about who I
am and what I went through to get here.
Rachel
Paulson:
Actress/Writer/Host
@rupaulson
WestCmst
vs.EastCmst
I felt like with my career choice it was either
here or NYC. My sisters both already lived here,
so it seemed like the right choice. I decided the
weather was closer to home [Florida] also. I felt
like this was the place to be for the writing/acting scene in film and TV,so LA became my new
home.
How
sredescri~s
thel.Alesbian
scene
Cliquey. I always describe it like a ring of girls
that gets smaller and smaller. Like, the single lesbian circle is this big, then it gets smaller if they
are single and smart, and even smaller if they
are single, smart, and not crazy...and so on. Our
friends have this really dope house, and we've
been hanging there recently. I just realized: LA
needs a new lesbian night. Badly.
Lesbian
vs.queer
Lesbian, but I'm not even sure why we need
those labels. I wish everyone could just be who
they are, no matter who they are attracted to. I
know some people feel the need for them, and I
respect that, but I wish we could all be just "people:' I think being gay/lesbian has always been a
cool identity. We always dress better, and smell
better, and look better! No, but seriously. We're
the coolest.
CamGrey:
Musician
@camgrey
summermoonband.comh
A former member of the now-defunct lesbian duo Uh, Huh, Her, Cam Grey has more music
projects than you have clothing. She's dark and
brooding, with a heart of actual gold. A classically trained pianist who went to the Berklee School
of Music, she also plays bass, guitar, and drums,
and is attempting to learn the violin. These days,
she's playing with the supergroup Summer Moon,
which includes some pretty famous musicians.
Onplaying
inbands
My top three jam sessions would have to be:
Flea, Dr. Dre, and I got to play a cow bell with
Norah Jones once at a Tom Petty Tribute Concert.
That was pretty epic.
I play keys and sing in Summer Moon, which
includes Nikolai Fraiture of the Strokes, Stephen
Perkins of Jane's Addiction, and Noah Harmon of
Airborne Toxic Event. I love those boys. We most
recently opened for The Killers and just recorded a
new EP,out in the fall. I also started a solo project
that is still being mixed right now with my friend
Luke Brandon Field. It's called R0GUES.
Something
she'sintothatnooneknowsabout
I'm very intrigued by astrophysics, quantum
theory, and the study of ancient civilizations, predating what we've been told in our history books.
I'm speaking mostly about Anunnaki and ET stuff.
I'm a member of MUFON [the Mutual UFO Network]. I'm very into the healing arts and the study
of how the mind is our most powerful healing tool.
I love meditation and climbing things that are very
tall. I'm a Capricorn goat, so I suppose it is perfect
for me.
TatDeleon:
DJ/Model
@tatdeleon
soundcloud.com/djt-a-t
Beautiful (inside and out) and down to earth,
Tat is one-half of the cutest couple in the world
(she and Phoebe are an item), but that's not allthere is nothing she can't do. Residing in Mexico
City, where she's a senior spin instructor, Tat also
models and finds time to visit LA and Phoebe.
Couple goals, anyone?
Onbecoming
aDJ
I've always loved music, and l 5 years ago I
got so curious about the electronic music scene
that I was going every weekend to raves. I felt so
inspired by those DJs, and I fell in love with the
possibility to be able to move people that way, so I
bought a MIDI controller and that was it. I started
DJing at friends' parties, and then when I did my
first gig in a club, I just felt that I was doing the
right thing and the thing that I loved to do. I was
studying graphic design, so I quit and signed on
to study electronic music production. Since then,
I've been working with music.
Onthelesbian
sceneinl.Avs.Mexico
In so many places in Mexico there's still a lot of
homophobia. I'm from Mexico City and I can say
that it is a gay-friendly city, but it is not the same
outside Mexico City, where there's still a lot of repression and cultural conflict. More girls are coming out more easily, compared to a few years ago,
when it was still so stigmatized ...So the scene is
big and is getting stronger, but I think there is a
need for more education.
CULTURETRIP
48 CURVE
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CULTURETRIP
s temperatures drop it's tempting to turn your
A
thoughts to a winter escape-but
one that's not
expensive or far from home. As a New Yorker, Fort
Lauderdale is an easy go-to. Just a few hours flight down
the Eastern seaboard and I've traded grey frozen pavement
for warm, golden sand and I'm gazing out at ocean that's
floated up from the Bahamas.
My pick of places to stay is W Fort Lauderdale, a grand
property which recently benefited from a sparkling $55 million renovation. This iconic building, the matching towers
of which form a local landmark, affords point-blank views
of the ocean and a playground you'll never want to leave.
My home base for an escape from the dreariest winter
and spring I'd ever experienced in New York, I basked in
the luxe environment offered by the quirky and classy refurb, including hanging out in the Living Room, which is the
airy, hip and epically-scaled lobby-what
other lobby has
ocean views? It's also the place to enjoy specialty cocktails,
nightly entertainment and take in the unique and progressive design sensibility that permeates this property. The
artworks are chosen with an eye for local color, large scale
architectonics, and the curated aesthetic that has made W
properties world famous. W Cafe, off the Living Room, is the
spot for a healthy breakfast, bites or lunch while soaking up
those glittering views.
Active types should seek out the excellent facilities at
FIT,or get up early and greet the sun with some beachfront
yoga. Walk down to the beach across the street for Sunrise
Yoga Flow, at 8 am. This complimentary yoga class on the
golden sands of Fort Lauderdale beach is provided by the
hotel, accessories included. All you need to do is turn up
with a willingness to discover your zen.
I found my zen poolside, in W's cool pools, lazing on the
WET Deck and ordering some tasty bites while taking in that
ocean view. Follow that with a relaxing Bliss spa treatment
at the hotel-the
female massage therapists expertly rid-
ding me of big city stress. And then a world-class dinner
on property at James Beard Award Winner Stephen Starr's
STEAK 954. The highly acclaimed restaurant is a modern interpretation of the classic steakhouse. Tuck in to dry-aged
meats perfectly prepared accompanied by the latest sauces and sides. Special occasion/ Share the prime 40 day dry
aged Porterhouse for two. And if you're not a carnivore, this
sexy and exotic restaurant serves everything you'd ever
want to eat-including
seafood platters piled high with
FALL
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CULTURETRIP
goodies from the raw bar and a selection of fish entrees and
comforting sides such as truffle potato gratin. Save room
for dessert (try the ice cream sandwiches!). Side perk: you'll
be hypnotized by the wall of translucent jellyfish, which appear to float in rhythm with the room's vibey ambience.
Needless to say, my first sleep night was a joy. I relished
panoramic views of the sand and surf from my signature W
bed, feeling both pleasurably ensconced in my own suite
while connected to the outside world via W's fully-wired
technology and in-room entertainment.
When you leave the property there is much to do. Spend a
morning or afternoon exploring the ritzy shopping precinct
of Las Olas Boulevard. We were lucky enough to be guided by W Fort Lauderdale's personal insider and influencer,
Dervin Webb, who gave us a tour that would delight any
shopaholic. This premiere shopping destination stretches
from the beach to the intercoastal (take a water taxi there!)
and some consider it to be the heart of Fort Lauderdale, acting as a charming commercial hub for locals and visitors.
With over 30 dining choices, many featuring enticing specials, pop-up events, happy hours and a choice of indoor or
outdoor dining, Las Olas has also become a foodie haven.
Fuel up before or reward yourself after your retail therapy
at any number of the 120 specialty shops, fine art galleries,
museums, salons and spas, and fashion boutiques. Shop
for everything from coffee to jewelry, chocolate to real estate-yes, you'll want to look! (lasolasboulevard.com)
The place to have lunch while in Las Olas is the hip and
rambling Italian restaurant, Louie Bossi's. This trendy Eurochic hang dishes up authentic Italian cuisine in a beautiful
setting. Choose from the charming old world ristorante or
sit in the garden with your party. The cocktails are contemporary and refreshing, and the hearty pasta dishes are all
made from scratch-as are the hand-tossed crunchy wood
fired pizzas. There's something for everyone, from traditional antipasti and panini to dry aged steak cooked to perfection on the wood burning grill. Even the gelatos and pastries
are made in-house. Louie Bossi's is destination dining for
locals and visitors alike, equally perfect for brunch, business lunches, and date night-but
be sure to arrive hungry.
(louiebossi.com/ft-lauderdale)
Now how to get around if you don't drive or don't feel like
driving during your snowbird sojourn? Running daily from
10 am to 10 pm is the water taxi, which is much more than
just a mode of transportation. This unique and relaxing
50 CURVE
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Pastaat LouieBossi's
CULTURETRIP
hop-on and hop-off service allows you to see the enviable
mega yachts and mansions of the rich and famous as you
glide along the 'Venice of America' and still get to where you
need to go on time (watertaxi.com). You can also borrow
a bicycle from W's concierge for a scenic ride along Fort
Lauderdale Beach. And aside from spending all your time at
Fort Lauderdale beach-and it's understandable if you doit's worth walking around the neighborhood and exploring
the mix of Midcentury hotel architecture. Drop by Bonnet
House Museum and Gardens, open Tuesday through Sunday (bonnethouse.org) for a trip back in time and to savor
some of the surprising history of Fort Lauderdale. And if
you've never learned to paddleboard (sunrisepaddleboards.
com) or segway (segwayfortlauderdale.com), Fort Lauderdale is the perfect place to learn with its tranquil waterways
and flat streets. Training is included in your experience.
Come Out With Colorat W Fort Lauderdale
W Fort Lauderdale, named among the top five LGBT-friendly properties in the country by The Points Guy in 2015, is
now offering a brand-new package celebrating exactly who
you are. Why not come out on the beach in style? Make an
announcement and a statement with a two-hour celebration that takes place in Living Room, the hip and happening
heart of the hotel itself. Your big moment will include two
drag queen performances, a unicorn bar cart with cotton
candy and rainbow lollipops, confetti cannons, live DJ,
rainbow balloons, bottle service-and
emergency oxygen
cans for any relatives or friends who may find themselves
in shock after your grand reveal. Continue your celebration
at Fort Lauderdale's beloved LGBTQbars, such as Hunter's
Nightclub and Georgie's Alibi, just a 10 minute drive or Uber
ride away. W Fort Lauderdale has been a long-time supporter of LGBTQ rights and participated in the "Love is Love"
wedding celebration in honor of the announcement for
same-sex marriage equality in Florida in 2015. Fort Lauderdale currently is rolling out the rainbow carpet to the transgender community, too, so consider coming out as trans. W
couldn't be more proud. The Come Out With Color package
accommodates groups up to 20 guests and costs $1 500.
wfortlauderdalehotel.com
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GOOD READS
52 CURVE
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ou can pick up Esther New-
Y
Cherry Grove,and the iconic Radclyffe
ton's latest book, My Butch
Hall; living several lives and trying on
Career,open it to any page,
more; settling in Paris, coming back
and just start reading. In the tradition
to America, and finally becoming
of the best memoirs, it is chattily en-
fully, unerringly butch and a world-re-
gaging, historically illuminating, and
nowned scholar of gender and queer-
deeply, provocatively ruminative. One
ness.
would expect nothing less from the
It's a lot.
pioneering author of the first major
My Butch Careerreveals Newton as
anthropological study of a homo-
a narrator who is both an objective
sexual community in the U.S. Her
storyteller and an emotional racon-
dissertation, which later became the
teur. The memoir delves into New-
book Mother Camp:FemaleImperson-
ton's childhood and adolescence,
ators in America,was written just after
linking her family's past and her own
Stonewall and is now an iconic work
disjunctive upbringing to a compli-
of queer scholarship.
cated search for the right career in
But when she wrote it, no one had
ever seen anything like it. Newton
gave birth to a whole new academic
discipline.
Regardless of how easy it is to start
her adulthood, culminating in 1980 as
she turns 40.
The story takes us through her relationships-her
family, her lovers,
her friends. Second Wave readers will
it anywhere,you should read My Butch
recognize many names, including jill
Careerbeginning to end. Then tell your
johnston, Gayle Rubin, Amber Holli-
friends to read it, too. Her memoir is
baugh, and Holly Hughes, Newton's
a tale of lesbian feminist anthropo-
partner of nearly a quarter century.
logical history/herstory as told by a
She traverses the wildness of the
gender outlaw. Newton details grow-
1960s, which she counterpoints with
ing up a "tomboy,' and searching for
the perils of negotiating the closet
a range of identities through a chaot-
while trying to establish herself as an
ic childhood. Later she shape-shifts
anthropology professor. We go inside
between the closet and gay bars,
her therapy and come out with her
discovering sex and exciting women;
questions about lesbian desire and
role-playing lesbian Margaret Mead
erotic attraction to women.
C
0
!
z
QJ
and breaking ground with writings
Newton is always questioning: her
about drag queens, camp, Fire Island,
life, other gay and lesbian lives, what
..c
"'
LLJ
FALL
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CURVE 53
GOOD READS
it means to be butch, the distinctions
"I always wanted to study our [LGBTQ]
to or not. Queer people-our
between butch and trans identities,
community,' she says. "I'm queer, I'm
history-we're just not taught in the
femininity, masculinity, gender.
lesbian, so it always interested me:'
It's the proverbial whirlwind, and all
She also wanted to be a writer and
queer
schools, in K through 12:• shesays.
"How will they know about us if we
of it feels as though it's being told to
says that putting writing and the field
don't tell the stories? There is nothing
us over the various courses of a de-
work of anthropology together felt very
there unless we write it down, unless
lectable and complex meal. It is that
natural to her. My Butch Careerevolved
we tell it:'
unflinchingly intimate and personal a
out of her desire to "tell my own story."
As we talked, Newton noted how
tale.
She kept journals for years, and many
she had been watching the CNN de-
of the memories she captures in the
cades series and how shocked she
book are culled from those journals.
was that "there was no mention of
My Butch Careerfeels intoxicatingly, palpably real: It's a story we can
reach out and touch and one we can
Twenty years ago she read at a lec-
lesbian or feminist anything in the six-
also situate ourselves in, even if we're
ture series, and the response to her
ties:' It was, Newton says, as if all that
decades younger than the 78-year-old
work was enormous. "People loved it.
history had never happened.
Newton. What makes My Butch Career
There was a standing ovation. And it
"It's hard to erase lesbians-we've
so compelling is that while writing
made me realize people really wanted
done so much work for social justice.
about herself, Newton is also examin-
to read this work, they wanted to hear
Yet did we ever even exist? In that
ing her milieu with the eye of the cul-
this story:'
CNN series-all the work that we had
tural anthropologist she became. The
The most defining story for Newton
story she tells is as much our story as
is her own lesbianism. ''The forma-
In the book, Newton writes, "To
it is hers.
tive experience of my life was coming
claim an identity is to place oneself
out in the bars in 1959. It was just so
in a narrative of historY:' When asked
discussed everything from lesbian
stark-the class difference was so dif-
about that compelling statement, she
orgasm to Paris, where she lived for
ferent, it was very stark in my mind:'
explains that she wanted to write this
When we sat down to talk, Newton
done was just gone:'
a time, to the evolving discourse on
Newton struggled to figure out how
book not just because she wanted to
gender, which has been the focus of
to be a lesbian in a community that
tell her own story but that she "want-
much of her work. She spoke to the
was largely working-class when she
ed to write about gender. Gender has
crushing nature of the closet and to
was not, and when she wanted a ca-
always been my thing:' The memoir is
her concerns for LGBTQpeople under
reer. "I had already chosen higher ed-
"my interest in understanding lesbian
Donald Trump.
ucation over the strongest passion in
experience" in all its facets-sexual
my life, my love for women, because
and otherwise.
Esther Newton is one of a breed
rarely mentioned, in our pop-cul-
the two seemed incompatible:'
She says, "Sex was an imperious
ture-driven society, outside the some-
Yet she grew up predisposed to be
force in my younger years:' and the
times stultifying halls of academe: She
lesbian. In My Butch Careershe writes,
book has many compelling details. "I
is an unabashed and life-long intellec-
"I became an anti-girl, a girl refusenik,
was always trying to figure out what
tual. That intellectual fervor melds with
caught between genders:' and that her
would work for me sexuallY:' Spoiler
her butch lesbian identity to produce a
"child body was a strong and capable
alert: She did.
life lived with rapacious gusto and avid
instrument stuffed into the word 'girl:"
The book is also, Newton says, "the
curiosity. She quite obviously wants to
Newton says My Butch Career is
political story of the United States, the
know everything about everything and
fundamentally a history. "I'm very his-
social justice values that my parents
then tell others all about it.
torically minded, and I want our young
had:' Her own leftist and feminist pol-
Newton explained why she wanted
people to know where they're coming
itics evolved from there. As did all her
to tell these lesbian and queer stories.
from, whether they know they want
questioning about identity, which is
54 CURVE
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GOOD READS
at the core of the memoir. "That I have
been willing to embrace feminism
when I felt like maybe I'm not a woman,
that I'd been isolated in my politics-I
wanted to explore all of that'
Newton writes about how excited
she was to be a professor, and she
talks about her students and the give
and take of the college classroom. But
the fights she had to wage as a feminist and as a "suspected lesbian" were
grueling and enraging. She was fired
from one college and had to repeatedly
justify her work and herself at another.
Now retired and a professor emeritus,
she sees the battles she fought for recognition and acceptance in the 1960s
and '70s in counterpoint to the current fight to keep lesbians from being
erased and the fight against the toxic
Trump presidency.
She has taken back the word "lesbian:' She revels in butch identity. She
wants young women to "learn about
pleasure" and not just the mechanics
of sex. She feels confident about the
authenticity of both her memoir and
her butch career as a gender outlaw,
teaching others not to conform, not
to straight-wash their lives. Teaching
others to be gender outlaws.
"Writing my book is saying, 'You tell
your story as authentically as you can:
Every generation has to stand up. We
have to fight for it-for
ourselves, for
who we are,for the country, democracy.
The main thing I can do, now that I don't
teach anymore-I guess I'm still teach-
E
CJ)
ing in a way-is to say why it's worth
fighting tor:' My Butch Careerdoes that
QJ
co
er:
>0
C
co
and more.
z
(dukeupress.edu/my-butch-career)
FALL
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MUSIC TALKS
Mood
Indigo
The Indigo Girls talk
orchestras, politics,
and each other.
DaveSteinfeld
a.,
t:
u
"'
c::
"'
~
t's easy to take the Indigo Girls for granted. For three de-
I
cades now, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray have quietly but reliably been turning out top-notch albums every few years.
Duos often have a harder time staying together-or
staying together happily-than
at least
larger bands that have a dis-
tinct front-person. Having interviewed Art Garfunkel, John
Oates, and Curt Smith (Tears for Fears), I can tell you firsthand
that each of these artists has had to make sacrifices-to "take
one for the team;' as it were-in order to keep that team going.
That has never seemed to be the case with Saliers and Ray.
Any disputes have been minor, each of them has indulged in
side or solo projects when they've felt the need, and their music
sounds as fresh and timely now as it did in the late '80s. Don't
believe me? Pick up their most recent studio album, the criminally underrated One Lost Day, from 2015.
But the new Indigo Girls effort is not a studio album. Rath-
er, Saliers and Ray have released a double-disc live set that
may be their most ambitious project yet. Live With the University of Colorado Symphony Orchestra was recorded in April of
2017. Credit must be given to Trina Shoemaker,their mixer and
co-producer, and to Gary Lewis, the orchestra's conductor. But
ultimately, this album is a testament to the Girls themselves.
Fans will find 22 songs spread over two discs-and almost every phase of their career is touched on. There are the early hits,
like "Closer to Fine" and "Kid Fears" from their self-titled debut;
longtime fan favorites like "Power of Two" and "Galileo"; and
deeper cuts, like "Sugar Tongue" and "Love of Our Lives;' both
from 2009's Poseidon and the Bitter Bug. Surprisingly (and a bit
disappointingly), they've included only two songs from One
Lost Day. But, by now they have a huge back catalog. I was
wondering how it's even possible to choose a nightly set list,
after 30 years and more than a dozen albums.
MUSIC TALKS
"We get a lot of requests, and a lot of them aren't on the set
versity of Colorado that this was the right fit. "You know it when
list;' admits Saliers. "And we're like, 'Ah! Why didn't we choose
it happens;• says Saliers. "I mean, all the symphony experiences
that one?' But we make a fresh set list every night. We eat dinner
are thrilling to us. But there are some that really strike us in our
together and make a set list...When people yell out old songs
heart and our spirit-and playing with this particular symphony
that we haven't played in a while, typically we'll learn them again.
was one of those:' Ray adds, "We kind of kept tabs on who we
There's a way of circulating more obscure choices-deep cuts,
loved as we were playing ...[And] literally, as soon as we finished
whatever you wanna call them - through the set list, and that's
the show [in Boulder], Emily and I looked at each other and we're
based a lot on what people start to request. We definitely listen
like, 'This is who we should record with!'"
to the fans. But if we haven't practiced a song or we just [aren't]
into it, then we don't do it:'
Since I last interviewed Saliers and Ray,much has changednot just in their personal lives (Ray remains based in rural
The Indigo Girls have actually been performing with sympho-
Georgia; Saliers now spends much of her time in Canada with
nies since 2012, so this project wasn't entirely new for them. But
her wife) but also politically. Donald Trump is now in the White
it must have been difficult deciding which symphony to work
House and I was curious to get the Girls' take on what his elec-
with for this record. In fact, there were others they considered-
tion means to the LGBTQcommunity and to America in general.
notably, the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Alabama. But
Ray's take was especially interesting to me. "[It was] 90 percent
Saliers and Ray both felt after working with the folks at the Uni-
for him in north Georgia, where I've lived for years;' she says.
MUSIC TALKS
"And I'm part of the community. I'm so much a part of the
have any conviction. You're just a chameleon. You could be
community that when I go to my voting station, they already
anything, as long as it's gonna serve your purpose of power
know who I'm gonna vote for-and they laugh about it! They
and narcissism.' So it's even harder for me."
feel sorry for me because they know I'm never gonna win, you
For her part, Saliers says, "I think that racism, homopho-
know? But it's all out in the open. We talk about it. There's a
bia, all these 'isms' against people have existed in this coun-
lot of elitism on the left, a lot of hatred on the right. Those
try since it began. But it [often] goes under the radar. With a
two things really knock against each other and they don't
president like Trump-who
is sexist and probably homopho-
achieve anything. I just want people to talk to each other
bic-he doesn't really have a shred of decency that I've been
again." She adds, "If he was a man of conviction, like a Ted
able to pick up on. From wanting to allow people to kill wild
Cruz, [that's] somebody you can disagree with but you don't
game, to the awful separation of kids from their parents at
necessarily think, 'That person's crazy.' But with Trump, it's
the border, [to] the NFL players who kneel to bring aware-
even worse because it's spineless. It's like, 'You don't even
ness to social issues ...For him to make comments like 'I could
MUSIC TALKS
"Ifweeverleave
a
legacy,
it'sthatwe
loved
each
other
well."
- Indigo Girls, from the song
"Powerof Two"
go out on the streets of New York and shoot somebody and
[also] has this ability to tap into some communal feeling about
still win'-it
was like, 'Can this be real?' But I realize that our
something and write one or two lines that sum it up ...l feel that
culture has a sickness and that people are very drawn to reality
I always learn from her." And Saliers says, "Amy can write a
TV, to false heroes, to fake strength."
social issues song and tell it in a way that I just can't do. Her
This time around, unlike the last, I spoke with Saliers and
songs are peppered with references to either historical events
Ray separately. I concluded these interviews by asking each
or social issues ...She's [also] a very visceral guitar player; she
of them what the other person brings to the Indigo Girls that
has a rock and roll energy. You know, musically, [we're] like
is unique. Their answers were beautiful. "Oh gosh!;' says Ray.
night and day. Everything that I can't do, she can do. I love play-
"[Emily] is a killer melody writer. She can write a melody that just
ing with her and she's really influenced me over the years. She
hooks people in; that is a skill that I work on all the time that she
brings so much."
just has, you know? She writes all the songs that people know. I
definitely would not be where I am without that. And I think she
indigogirls.com
COVERSTORY
T
he war on black Americans
The crime-fighting trio is focused
is real. The extrajudicial kill-
on controlling corruption and stopping
ing of black men and women
the dangerous influence of a local
by police has become disturbingly
gang, which is engaged in everything
commonplace. So, too, are the in-
from drugs to sex trafficking.
stances of white people calling the
Curvecaught up with Nafessa Wil-
police on black people who are doing
liams on a broiling-hot August after-
ordinary things: barbequing at a local
noon in Philadelphia, the city where
picnic ground; sitting in a Starbucks
she grew up, to talk about what it's like
waiting for friends; turning in cou-
to inhabit this groundbreaking new
pons at a supermarket or drugstore;
role. Williams was warm, engaging,
or, if they are black women students,
and eager to talk about playing Amer-
hanging out on their majority-white
ica's first black lesbian superhero in a
college campuses, like Smith, eating
year in which black superheroes have
lunch or studying in a quiet corner.
Black Lightning is fighting back
against all of that-to
critical and au-
dience raves.
been breaking box office and ratings
records and spawning a whole new
category at the Oscars.
At 28, Williams has already co-
The CW's latest superhero drama
starred on two soaps, TheBold and the
is part of out gay showrunner Greg
Beautiful and One Life to Live, as well
Berlanti's Arrowverse, a compendium
as two prime-time series, Showtime's
of series based on DC Comics. Black
reboot of Twin Peaks and CBS's Code
Lightning was developed by Salim
Black, and has appeared in nearly a
Akil and combines Afro-futurism with
dozen films.
black American life for a vivid, honest,
and utterly compelling TV series.
At the heart of the story is the
Pierce family. Anissa Pierce (Nafessa
But Williams's role in BlackLightning
isn't like anything else she's done-nor
is it like anything else we've seen on
TV.
Williams) is a teacher and the older
"I got an audition about this super-
daughter of beloved school principal
hero;' she explains, "and I fell in love
Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams, no
with the strong, bold characters;' she
relation to Nafessa), who is also the
explains.
eponymous superhero, Black Light-
Williams says it was always on her
ning. Anissa's younger sister, Jennifer
"dream vision board" to work with both
(China Anne McClain), is a high school
show creator Salim Aki I and co-execu-
student and the superhero Lightning.
tive producer Mara Akil, whose work
Annisa is the superhero Thunder.
Anissa is also a lesbian. The first
black lesbian superhero on TV.
she's long admired for their relatable
characters and strong storylines. "I
knew I could trust what they would
FALL
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COVERSTORY
bodies like ours and skin like ours!'
Annissa
is
alesbian.
Thefirst
black
lesbian
superhero
onTV.
Williams says she's proud to portray a lesbian superhero and have the
fact of her sexuality be an accepted
aspect of who she is right from the
show's premiere. There's no conflict
over Anissa's lesbianism-she's
al-
ready there, with a girlfriend, in bed,
mostly naked, when the series opens.
Anissa and her girlfriend Chenoa
(Shein Mompremier) are kissing and
joking with each other when things
turn serious. Chenoa wants more.
Anissa isn't ready. What Chenoa
doesn't know is that Anissa is a superhero. It's not something Anissa
knows how to talk to herself about yet,
let alone anyone else.
It's lesbian drama with such verisimilitude that every lesbian watching
give us. I knew the characters would
will be nodding along. But Williams
be authentic."
knows there's more to that authentic-
She read for the part with Cress Williams-"l'm honored to be playing his
ity than just the scenes themselves.
"Being able to give a voice to LGBT
daughter and to be working with him,
youth-that's
he's awesome to work with"-and ev-
serts. "We need to see a black super-
important;' Williams as-
erything just synched.
hero who is a lesbian, who looks like
There's nothing jaded about Williams-she's not one of those actors.
Williams explains that Anissa has
That she is thrilled to be playing Anis-
been out as a lesbian since she was a
sa/Thunder is apparent as she talks
teenager, and that her parents accept
about all the aspects of working on
it. "I hope parents of LGBT youth can
the groundbreaking series. Williams
be inspired to be like that, like Anis-
also loves having the opportunity to
sa's parents. That they are open and
model strength and realness for black
accepting is so important, and I think
girls and for the LGBTcommunity.
Black Lightning is putting out a mes-
"I didn't have superheroes who
sage of love with that. It wasn't a big
looked like me when I was growing
ordeal, there wasn't a big coming-out
up;' Williams says. "We need to see
moment. I hope that families of lesbi-
superheroes with hair like ours and
an women will see that:'
Williams says she felt "it was my
62 CURVE
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Photography:
COVERSTORY
duty to tell that story:'
open up Anissa's love life. "I want to
character is and how she walks in
Anissa's breakup with Chenoa is
see more of Grace, to see the show
her truth. She's this young character
harsh; meeting Grace is sexy and ex-
develop more of that relationship and
finding her way, discovering all her
citing. The audience witnesses her
Anissa's love life. But she's also learn-
powers:'
love of and appreciation for women.
ing about her powers, and that's going
For her part, Williams says playing
to play a big role:'
Of Black Lightning she says the
show has allowed Anissa/Thunder
to be fully realized in all her facets-
a lesbian character has been quite
Once Anissa becomes Thunder,
different from her previous acting ex-
things change for her-and they did
including her lesbianism. "We are not
periences. "I've always been opposite
for Williams as well.
afraid to push the envelope:'
men" on screen, she says.
Thunder wears an amazing neo-
The role-and
its heavy respon-
The familial bonds in the series
prene suit that Williams explains
sibility-has
changed Williams, too.
matter to Williams, too, who says it's
takes about half an hour to get into.
The impact of the series in both the
"so important to witness strong black
It's a no-nonsense superhero outfit, of
black and the LGBT community has
characters in a strong black family.
which Williams says, "It's strong and
been enormous. Williams says, "As
Our series shows a strong black sin-
I look ready for action, ready to kick
an actor, I am an activist. I feel like I
gle father raising two daughters. We
ass. It's not a dress. It's not about be-
am doing my part in sparking change.
all love each other and take care of
ing sexy, it's about power. It's tactical.
I found myself becoming an advocate
each other:'
Thunder is ready to take names:'
for LGBT youth, especially." Williams
In the series premiere, Jefferson is
The experience of becoming that
says she hopes that the way Anissa is
pulled over for driving while black and
superhero when she first put on the
comfortable with her lesbianism will
Anissa wants to challenge the police,
outfit, though, Williams describes as
resonate with young people watching
but he tells her not to. The hyper-real-
"a moment. I cried the first time I put
the series.
ism of the scene is as heart-pumping
it on:'
If there's a main message Williams
as any of the superhero moments.
The actor explains how it was "so
wants to impart in her role as Anissa/
The audience knows that it could go
emotional for me because I have nev-
Thunder, it is for people "to be their
many ways-some of them deadly.
er had a superhero who looked like
own superheroes. Teachers, nurses,
Unlike many series, Black Lightning
me. I was so overwhelmed when I re-
artists, actors, students, whoever you
doesn't use Anissa's lesbianism as a
alized I was going to become that for
are-walk in your truth. Follow your
trope-it's genuine,just as it was in the
little black girls. So yes-I cried:'
dreams fearlessly.That is our duty and
DC Comics. Anissa's relationships are
Williams's deep relationship to her
purpose, to walk as boldly as Anissa
does-she gets it done!"
blatantly sexual-there's no pretense
character comes through in many
or fade-outs. The kissing, the emo-
ways, both huge and subtle. In one
Williams gets it done, too. Thunder
tion, the pillow talk-it's relatable and
scene, she's buying lingerie and cor-
is the black lesbian superhero we've
believable. The first relationship didn't
rects the salesclerk who refers to the
needed and wanted and Nafessa Wil-
work out, after Anissa discovered
person she'll be modeling it for as
liams is walking boldly in that role-for
her superpowers. "We grew apart be-
"he:' "She:' Anissa declares. In anoth-
all of us.
cause Anissa couldn't talk about who
er scene she's in her bed, hair pulled
she really was:'
back, researching super powers on
Seasontwo of BlackLightning
her laptop. She can be both flirt and
premieresOctober9 on the CW.
But then Anissa meets Grace Choi
(Chantal Thuy), another superhero.
Williams hopes that season two will
nerd.
Williams says, "I love how bold my
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POPCORN
AVeryDapper
Mystery
A sneak peek at "A Simple Favor"
starring Blake Lively.
It's smart, it's sexy, it's stylish. It's the new film by
Paul Feig (Bridesmaids,Ghostbusters)and this one
also gives his female cast the lion's share of the
action. A SimpleFavoris a delightful mystery-thriller
that deftly balances intrigue with black comedy-all
to a French pop soundtrack. The plot, which is full
of twists and turns, focuses on Stephanie (Anna
Kendrick), an adorable suburban mom and blogger
who becomes fixated on her new friend Emily (Blake
Lively). Emily seduces Stephanie with her glamour,
top shelf martinis, and probing conversation-then
suddenly disappears from their tidy town.
Stephanie vlogs about the enigmatic Emily in an
attempt to track her down-or expose her, and what
she uncovers along the way is surprising. Who is the
real Emily-a leggy femme daddy who carries more
than a trace of lesbian subtext? Is she capable of
murder? And what's behind her disappearance-sex,
secrets, revenge? Most fascinating is the fact that
Emily's past transgressions stir up deeply buried
secrets in Stephanie that she would rather not confront.
A SimpleFavoris fun. Like a perfectly mixed martini it packs a punch while getting you to where
you need to go. And Blake Lively's impeccable high
femme-with-a-twist-of-butch wardrobe (she suggested modeling her look on the dapper Feig himself) is
worth the price of admission.
A SimpleFavoris releasednationally
onSeptember14.
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PHOTOGRAPHY
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PHOTOGRAPHY
WhereThe
HeartLies
Discovering the photography
of Alice Austen.
LillianFaderman
the era that they were dubbed "Boston marriages;' probably after Henry
James's 1885 novel The Bostonians,
about a passionate relationship between two female characters.
Alice Austen met Gertrude Tate
in 1899 in the Catskills, where she'd
gone to visit friends. Alice was 33
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when the two women met; Gertrude
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was in her mid-20s. Alice's family was
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well off; Gertrude worked as a dance
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instructor and an elementary school
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teacher to support her mother and
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younger sister. But despite their age
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gether for the first 18 years of their
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relationship
because Gertrude felt
obliged to stay with her mother and
he story goes that when Alice
married for more than 50 years. Her mar-
younger sister in Brooklyn and be re-
Austen and her wonderful pho-
riage wasn't recognized by the law, but
sponsible for their household. In 1917
tographs were discovered in
it was like many marriages in the late
Gertrude's mother and sister gave
1951 by magazine editor and writer Oliver
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
up the Brooklyn house and moved
Jensen, he asked why she'd never mar-
in that it was entered into by two women
into an apartment and Gertrude saw
ried. He was told that she was too good
who chose to follow a career or an artis-
her chance. She announced that she
to marry,meaning that she was too good
tic passion rather than become wives
would be moving into Clear Comfort,
at sports, too good at mechanics, and
and mothers.
Alice's home on Staten Island. Ger-
T
too good at photography to be pleasing
These long-term, devoted domestic
trude's sister was horrified. She'd
to the men of her day. However,she was
partnerships were so common during
guessed the nature of the relationship,
FALL
I
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PHOTOGRAPHY
which she called "a wrong devotion!'
Gertrude was by now in her 40s, but her
sister thought she still had a right to interfere. She hadn't given up on the idea
that Gertrude ought to marry a man,
though it might have been obvious by
then that it was never going to happen.
Alice used to say she'd led a larky life,
meaning that owing to her economic
circumstances she'd been able to devote her life to pleasure. (Of course, she
left us a very good record of how serious she was about the art and the craft
of photography.) Gertrude and Alice
shared a privileged life until 1929, with
frequent trips to Europe, membership at
the posh Colony Club in Manhattan, and
tickets to the Metropolitan Opera every
Saturday afternoon. Alice was 63 years
old and Gertrude was 57 in 1929, when
the stock market crashed and they lost
everything.
But they were married, for richer or
for poorer, and so they struggled on together. They mortgaged Clear Comfort,
they sold Alice's heirlooms, Gertrude
taught ballroom dancing and broadcast
a series of "charm" classes over the
radio. They even opened a tearoom on
the property, which struggled along until
1941.
In 1945, the bank evicted them and
they moved to a small apartment. Alice
was suffering from health problems,
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and when Gertrude had a fall and broke
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her arm she could no longer be the care-
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giver. There was no solution except that
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they part again. Alice lived in a series of
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nursing homes and Gertrude moved to
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Queens with her family. Gertrude visited
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Alice every week, even in the poorhouse;
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Colony for paupers and died in 1952,
one year after her photographs were
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PHOTOGRAPHY
discovered and she became a celebrity. Though the plan had always been
for Alice and Gertrude to be buried next
to each other, Alice was buried in the
family plot at the Moravian Cemetery of
Staten Island, but 10 years later when
Gertrude died, her sister declared that
the so-called red tape and expense of
burying her near Alice was prohibitive,
and Gertrude was buried in her family
plot in Brooklyn.
Why do we need to know all this, instead of simply enjoying Alice Austen's
extraordinary photographs? It gives us
insight into some of the most iconic
yet baffling pictures, such as the one
of two couples, the women just gazing at each other, or the transgressive
photographs of women in drag, or Alice
and her friend Trude masked, smoking,
half-undressed and sassy. For years, the
part of Alice Austen's life that showed
her to be what our era would call lesbian
has been repressed by those wishing to
save her reputation. Now, we can finally
talk about it without anyone being stigmatized.
AboutTheAliceAusten
House
Located in Staten Island, NY,The Alice Austen House is the only museum
in America dedicated to the work of a
single female photographer and strives
to provide programming and mentoring
>a.,
in the fields of women's history, studies
and careers. The Alice Austen House
is at the forefront of LGBTQinterpretation at historic sites and in June 2017
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was listed on the National Register of
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significance.
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SHOPPING
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Travel
ForChange
TRAVEL I OLIVIA
Cancun,Mexico
Travel can transform you
- and the places you visit.
JenniferMcDowell
FALL
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TRAVEL I OLIVIA
n my many travels with Olivia, I have
pie in these countries and cultures to
she said, and she didn't get much re-
seen firsthand some of the ways in
consider gay people as perverse,other,
spect. But this week people had been
which a group of travelers can have
dangerous.
kind to her, and she showed me her
I
a profound effect on the people they
Enter the Olivia travelers. It is hard
hands filled not only with tips but with
visit. Lesbian group travel has some
to see our group, armed with cameras
scraps of paper with the addresses of
distinct advantages. It provides you
and the occasional walking stick, as a
women who wanted to stay in touch. I
with a sense of community, securi-
threat. In fact, we have earned a repu-
hugged her and smiled, promising that
ty, and the peace of mind of knowing
tation around the world for being more
our group would be back next year.
someone else will take care of all the
friendly, polite, and interested in other
"No:' she said, "you don't understand.
details. One thing it does not provide
cultures than the average tourist is.
I have never known a lesbian, and I
is anonymity. Whether you are rolling
We are eager to hear about our guide's
always thought gay people were bad.
through the Cuban countryside with 30
family life. We look like their mothers
Now I know they are so kind and good.
lesbians, or sailing into St. Petersburg,
and sisters. We help each other off the
I have been telling my family and all my
Russia, with 700 lesbians-blending in
bus, and sometimes hold each other's
neighbors. I will tell everyone I know
is not so easy. In fact, Olivia travelers
hands on the walking tour. We share
that lesbians are the best'.' I hugged
often become unintentional LGBT am-
our personal stories and photos of our
her again and this time it was my turn
bassadors wherever they go.
pets. We connect. And with connec-
to have tears in my eyes.
As we explore the globe, we inev-
tion, the prejudices fall away.
A similar story came to us from
itably find ourselves in places and
At the end of one of my first resorts
cultures with less than evolved ideas
trips in Mexico, I was in the lobby say-
crime of homosexuality. Our tour op-
about homosexuality and gender ex-
ing goodbye to the guests and mak-
erator there wrote to describe some-
pression. In places like Africa, India,
ing sure they got on the right bus to
thing that happened in one of his staff
and some parts of the Caribbean, it is
the airport when I noticed one of the
meetings. He was leading a review of
still illegal to be gay. In other places, like
resort employees, a cocktail waitress,
all upcoming tour clients and describ-
Latin America, many countries have
standing off to the side with tears in
ing where they came from and what to
laws protecting gay rights, and yet gay
her eyes. When I asked her what was
expect. "I explained to them all about
people are not culturally accepted, and
wrong, she replied that she had made
Olivia,their focus, and the role they had
Kenya, where you can be jailed for the
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still live in the closet or on the fringes. It
many friends this week and she didn't
played in supporting gay rights, all of
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is unfortunately still common for peo-
want us to leave. Her work was hard,
that. At first, they couldn't comprehend
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the whole thing about same-sex rela-
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will give the women a shot:'
tionships. But one of them stood up
The next morning, my sub-group
and said, "But they were just like us!"
was greeted at the bus by a beaming
My staff, who attended the Olivia group
female guide. Over the course of the
when they were here, became very vo-
next several days, she led us capably
cal and said, "They were fantastic peo-
through the Vietnamese countryside.
ple:' And from that time on, they have
Her knowledge was never lacking, and
totally accepted the fact of diversity.
I even caught her male assistant tak-
It's been a breakthrough. No amount of
ing notes when we started asking her
talking to my staff about these issues
about more of the domestic side of
replaced the impact of having them
things, like the markets and school-
actually meet people, who, they dis-
ing. At the end of our time together,
covered, are no different from anybody
she made a speech I won't forget. "I
else, and having them realize that we
have never met women like you;' she
are all the same:'
said. "You all have so many opinions:'
Olivia has collected countless sto-
The bus erupted in laughter, but she
ries about changing hearts and minds
pressed on in earnest, exclaiming, "I
over the years. It is gratifying to think
want to be a lesbian. I want to be a les-
of the ripples of love and tolerance we
bian just like you!" The group was brief-
::::,
u
leave in our wake as we move through
ly stunned into silence. She explained
the world. My favorites stories, though,
that she loved her husband and did not
are the ones in which our visits help to
want to leave him, but she wanted to
transform people's ideas about them-
be strong and in control of her life. Her
selves and their place in the world.
week with us had given her a taste and
A few years ago, Olivia visited Viet-
an example of what feminine power
nam and Cambodia. Our group of
could be. I know she will never be the
about 150 guests would be separated
same.
into five different buses, each with its
Just by traveling as a group, con-
own tour guide. Olivia's Jill Cruse had
necting with people naturally,and being
requested that, whenever possible,
ourselves, we can have an impact on
the tour guide spots should be filled
the people and places we visit. When
with women. Our tour operator ex-
we visit a place with the intention to
plained that while the women were just
effect change, the power is magnified.
as qualified and knowledgeable, the
Olivia harnesses that power through a
norm was to give these more lucrative
program called Olivia Gives.
and prestigious spots to the men. The
Whenever it's logistically possible,
women, by tradition, would take the
our trip planners will work with the lo-
support roles. 'This time;' said Jill, "we
cal experts to identify a worthy cause
FALL
I
CURVE 79
TRAVEL I OLIVIA
that we can contribute to as a group. The
guests are advised in advance about what
type of supplies are needed, and Olivia not
only contributes but manages the research,
the legal process, the off-loading fees, bus
rentals, escorts, and execution to make sure
that our community's generosity lands in
the right place. It will come as no surprise
that the beneficiaries are usually women, children, and animals. Olivia Gives has
supported schools, women's shelters, and
animal sanctuaries in Honduras, Africa, the
Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico,
the Caribbean, Cambodia, and India, among
many other places around the globe.
One of my favorite places to visit was a
small school in Costa Rica. It was located in
a relatively isolated village with few resources. We always visited the school as part of
our countryside tour, after our excursion to
the coffee farms. The children and parents
would greet us with genuine joy and affection, and it was thrilling to watch the school
as it experienced a steady transformation
from year to year.The last time I visited, they
proudly showed off their new library, which
consisted of some shelves in the corner of
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a room. I recognized some of the books as
donations from our Olivia travelers in years
past, and I knew we were making a difference.
Travel has the power to transform both
the traveler and the destination. It can shift
prejudices, change perceptions, connect
and empower us. So go ahead and take that
trip you've been dreaming of. It could be
more than a fun adventure-you just might
C/J
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change the world along the way.
olivia.com
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• Spring • Summer • Fall • Winter
PRINT $35
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curvemag.com
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