EPISODE · Apr 14, 2026 · 57 MIN
Franco Stevens on the history of Curve Magazine, lesbian visibility, and extremely creative fundraising
from Cruising | Queer History and Culture · host Sarah Gabrielli, Rachel Karp, and Jennifer McGinity
Franco Stevens first made her mark on lesbian history in 1990, with the creation of Curve Magazine (at the time known as Deneuve, but we'll get into that later). Curve would soon become the most successful lesbian magazine in the world, committed to lesbian visibility, community-building, and documenting our history. Its pages have featured change-makers and celebrities from Melissa Etheridge to Jenny Shimizu to the cast of the L Word and everyone in-between. But it was, by no means, easy for Franco to get there. She joins the pod to detail: -coming out to her (then) husband as a teenage bride -raising money for the project when no one else believed in it -her controversial decision to display the word "lesbian" on the cover -bouncing back from a devastating lawsuit -the real reason Franco had to sell the magazine, and how she eventually bought it back ... Follow Franco on Instagram and Facebook Follow Curve Magazine on Instagram and Facebook Browse Curve's digital archive Watch Ahead of the Curve, the 2020 documentary about Franco and the magazine Browse the schedule for 2026 Lesbian Visibility Week (April 20-26) Learn more about the Curve Foundation ... Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast! -Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! -For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook -Check out Cruising's Substack for deep dives and companion pieces to our episodes! -Preorder our book, THE LESBIAN BAR CHRONICLES -Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you! -Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by Joey Freeman. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Franco Stevens on the history of Curve Magazine, lesbian visibility, and extremely creative fundraising
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