Our programs leverage the 30 years of history and culture in the Curve magazine archive to build community, connecting and championing lesbian and queer women’s culture across generations
LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people are largely invisible in the world’s narrative, and conservative forces are working to erase lesbian culture and history from society. When a marginalized group is not visible, it becomes easy to discriminate against them. To ensure that we are seen and recognized for our contributions to society, The Curve Foundation is championing Lesbian Visibility Week in the United States.
The Curve Award program responds to the reality that the voices of those in the Curve Community have been marginalized, silenced, and censored out of the national and international conversation. Stories that center the experience of lesbians, queer women, trans people, and non-binary people are crucial to the wellbeing of our community.
In partnership with NLGJA: The Association of LGQBTQ+ Journalists, we’ve created two awards to recognize and support the Curve Community.
This award was created to recognize and support emerging journalists focused on raising the visibility of LGBTQ+ women, trans and non-binary people. Award winners receive a $5,000 cash award, 1:1 mentoring through NLGJA, cohort-based professional development and opportunities for outward facing visibility (conference presentations at NLGJA, writing opportunities for Curve etc.)
This award honors the contributions of journalists that have dedicated their careers to telling the stories of the Curve Community. The award and its criteria are inspired by notable journalists that have dedicated themselves to covering lesbian social justice issues and communities. Award winners receive a $2,500 cash award, archival support to digitize and memorialize important moments, and a yearlong free digital exhibit, at curvemag.com, archiving major moments & career accomplishments.
Curve’s Community Engagement programming activates 30 years of history and culture, providing context and a throughline between critical conversations forming our movement from the 1990s to today. Rooted in lesbian history, identities, and joy, our programs spur active storytelling and cross-generational dialogue across the Curve Community.
In The Stacks is a speaker series that bridges the community directly to culture makers and storytellers who were featured in Curve magazine. The online Q&A event fosters dialogue between authors and readers, encourages audience connections, and elevates our stories. Past speakers include Jewelle Gomez, Chana Wilson, and Rachel Pepper.
The Curve Foundation photo contest follows the legacy of representation, self-expression, and creativity found in Curve magazine’s lesbian life photo contests. Through an open call, community members submit portraits that express who they are and how they present in the world. The photos are proudly displayed on the Curve Archive website to expand understanding and connection within and beyond queer community.
Frankly Speaking LIVE is an online event series where founder Franco Stevens speaks on the legacy of Curve magazine. The event is two-fold; both storytelling of a through-line theme in Curve magazines (special issues, music, etc.), and a play on an “Ask Me Anything” with Franco answering questions from the community and revealing behind the scenes snapshots on the production of the iconic magazine.
Beyond the Rainbow, a project of The Curve Foundation, is a groundbreaking conversation series that seeks to create an intersectional, multi-generational space touching on gender, queerness, race, ability, and activism of yesterday and today. Beyond the Rainbow seeks to challenge the possibilities and limits of queer representation as a path towards liberation.
Curve Community is a supportive group for LGBTQ+ identifying women. Hosted on Facebook, the community is a safe space to connect, share stories, access exclusive content, and discuss ideas.
Curve Community is a supportive group for LGBTQ+ identifying women. Hosted on Facebook, the community is a safe space to connect, share stories, access exclusive content, and discuss ideas.
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