Author: Melissa Sandor
Curve—the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine which spotlights celebrity interviews, news, politics, music, dating, shopping, pop culture, style, and travel—has secured Buffalo native and West Side resident Holly A. Christiano for the Curve Foundation Advisory Committee.
In 2020, Curve will celebrate 30 years in publishing. The magazine has been a beacon of hope for many during the crucial time of coming out, has provided a sense of community across North America, and has remained a true voice for- and of- the lesbian community. As the anniversary approaches, Curve is taking on a brand-new initiative for the future, The Curve Foundation. The strategy of the foundation is to ensure the Curve brand will persist in providing women of all ages a sense of identity and belonging for many years to come.
“I’m honored to be recognized and selected for the Curve Foundation,” Christiano says. “My goal is to bring creativity, experience, knowledge , connections, ideation and inclusiveness to Curve in an effort to support those who paved the path for us, and those coming up and out. The mission is to build on a historic institution with massive brand recognition and create initiatives that will help secure the future of Curve. My experience in the music, arts, and LGBTQ community aligns with what Curve successfully delivers to its readers, and I look forward to joining forces with them.
The creation of the Curve Foundation Advisory Committee comes in advance of the early 2020 release of Ahead of the Curve, Jen Rainin’s new documentary that addresses the historic struggles of the lesbian community. Ahead of the Curve explores the historic achievement of Franco Stevens, founder of Curve Magazine, and a gay rights pioneer.
When it was launched in 1990, Curve was the only glossy lesbian lifestyle magazine in the nation. Fast forward more than 30 years… Even with progressive activist movements and the legalization of gay marriage, hate crimes are on the rise. Young people are not always aware of the battles fought by lesbians and their supporters 30, 20 or even 10 years ago. In 2019, you can shop for Pride gear at Target and The Gap. That is only because of a generation of fearless activist women whose histories and stories about the fight for queer rights is still untold.
Curve, and Franco Stevens, were truly Ahead of the Curve. Beginning in 1990, the magazine was delivered to homes wrapped in brown paper, protecting readers from stigma and backlash. Stevens’ mission was to build an inclusive, diverse lesbian community.
Christiano is the Co-Founder of Buffalo’s popular Ambush, Co-Organizer of The She She Room, Co-Promoter of Back Lot Bash Buffalo, and a member of the 2018 Committee Chairperson of the M&T Pride Bank Group along with other ad hoc events across the city of Buffalo. She is thrilled to join the Curve Advisory Committee and its efforts to continue the national dialogue on lesbian equity and visibility.
Christiano states, “It’s through the legacy and the grassroots efforts of agitators like Franco Stevens and Silke Bader (founder/producer of the LGBTQI Awards, current publisher of Curve and LOTL -Australia’s only lesbian magazine), that change truly happens. The world remains a dangerous place for lesbians. While Curve no longer needs to be mailed in a non-descript brown wrapper, we still have work to do to protect and ensure the rights of all women, including lesbians.”
Ahead of the Curve is a new independent film produced by a team of mega-watt visionaries including director Jen Rainin, composer and performer Meshell Ndegeocello, and producer Rivkah Beth Medow. The film will be playing at film festivals across the country in 2020.
For Ahead of the Curve updates, donations, etc., visit curvemagmovie.com