Frances "Franco" Stevens

Frances “Franco” Stevens (born Frances Rene Goldberg, October 18, 1967) is the founding publisher of Curve Magazine, a leading international lesbian lifestyle magazine, and the subject of the 2021 documentary film Ahead of the Curve.

Early life

Frances "Franco" Stevens is the fourth of five children born to Gloria and Martin Goldberg. She grew up and attended school in Potomac, Maryland.[1] She married Blaine Stevens, a doctor in the US Army, at age 18 and moved the San Francisco's Presidio, where Blaine was stationed. The marriage dissolved in 1989, shortly after Frances came out as a lesbian.[2]

Founding of Deneuve magazine

Stevens and a team of volunteer staff launched the first issue of Deneuve magazine in 1990.[3] Unable to find funding for the then unproven lesbian market, Stevens put up her own money and struggled to convince advertisers that lesbians were a viable market. Within two years, she landed ad buys from Budweiser and Warner Brothers.[4] The full-color, glossy mainstream lifestyle magazine covered national and international news stories, politics, celebrity interviews, style, travel, and trends oriented around the lesbian experience.[5][6][7][8] Deneuve was known for drawing attention to “lipstick lesbians” as some celebrities were beginning to come out of the closet, and for keeping up with changing concepts of gender and sexuality in lesbian culture.[9][10]

In an effort to build the magazine's subscriber base, Stevens partnered with Barbara Grier of Naiad Press, at the time the largest lesbian feminist publisher in the world. Grier agreed to include Deneuve's subscription form in their newsletter. The magazine garnered a large subscriber base very quickly thereafter.[11] Stevens also appeared on television shows, including CNN and Geraldo, and she took her staff on cross-country tours to grow their readership.[12][13][14][15]

Trademark infringement dispute

In 1995, the French actress Catherine Deneuve sued for trademark infringement.[16][17] Stevens denied the name was inspired by the actress.[18][19] On May 19, 1995, a large fundraiser called "Alive and Kicking" featuring many LGBTQ celebrities, such as Armistead Maupin, Marga Gomez, Lea Delaria, June Millington, Jean Millington, and Gretchen Phillips, was held in San Francisco to aid the magazine in covering legal fees associated with the lawsuit.[20][21]

Catherine Deneuve stated in the Advocate magazine that “They are using my name, and my name is a commodity. You cannot do that.”[22]

The case was settled in 1996, and Stevens changed the name of the magazine from Deneuve to Curve.[23][24] The magazine continues to be published under its new name and has featured Martina Navratilova, Melissa Etheridge, Tig Notaro, Ellen DeGeneres, Lily Tomlin, and the cast of The L Word among others.

Ownership of Curve

In 2010, Curve magazine was acquired by Avalon Media.[25] Stevens stated, “I'm excited to begin a new chapter in my life. I'll be passing the baton of publishing over to the magazine's new owner - Avalon Media - and Silke Bader, a woman who has earned my respect and gratitude for her amazing work in lesbian publishing for the last decade.”[26]

Avalon reported Curve's circulation at 52,237 with a readership of 182,831 people.[27]

Stevens helped launch The Curve Foundation after re-acquiring the publication on April 15, 2021 to help advance its mission. Curve magazine is now a non-profit project of The Curve Foundation.[28]

The Curve Foundation

Launched in 2021 as a result of Franco's journey to understand whether the mission of Curve magazine is still relevant today, The Curve Foundation will empower and amplify voices of the Curve Community: lesbians, queer women, trans women, and non-binary people of all races, ages, and abilities.[29] The Curve Foundation encourages and supports active storytelling and cross-generational dialogue by supporting journalism in the tradition of Curve magazine, investing in the next generation of intersectional leaders, and bolstering existing community archives as a resource to ensure LGBTQ+ women’s culture and history can be known. Founding Executive Director Jasmine Sudarkasa says, “Telling fearless stories has always been the heart of Curve‘s mission. The opportunity to invest in intersectional queer stories and celebrate lesbian visibility feels fearless in the face of twin pandemics – true to the spirit of Curve and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."[28] Franco's path to launching The Curve Foundation is documented in the 2021 film Ahead of the Curve.

Personal life

Stevens served on the board of directors for GLAAD and was founding board member of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.[1] Stevens was badly injured in an accident in 1997 that left her permanently disabled.[30] She is now retired and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife Jen Rainin and their two sons.[1]

Awards and honors

See also

References
  1. Lowey, Robin (2017). Gamechangers: Lesbians You Should Know About. United States: Epochalips Books. pp. 32–35. ISBN 978-1-5323-5372-7.
  2. Brandt, Katie (1993). Happy Endings. United States: Naiad Press. pp. 151–160. ISBN 978-1-56280-050-5.
  3. Howard, Lucy; Zeman, Ned (November 18, 1991). "Women's Issues". Newsweek.
  4. Streitmatter, Rodger (1995). Unspeakable: The Rise of the Gay and Lesbian Press in America. Boston, London: Faber & Faber. pp. 315–316. ISBN 978-0-571-19873-3.
  5. Lerner, Paul (July 3, 1992). "New Sheen on the 'Zine Scene". Frontiers.
  6. Richards, Dell (July 31, 1992). "Lesbian Magazine, Deneuve, Marks First Anniversary". Equal Time.
  7. Pogrebin, Robin (December 23, 1996). "Lesbian Publications Struggle for Survival in a Niche Dominated by Gay Males". New York Times.
  8. Stuart, Jamie (2008). Performing Queer Female Identity on Screen. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7864-3971-3.
  9. Sender, Katherine (2004). Business, Not Politics: The Making of the Gay Market. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 47. ISBN 978-0-231-12734-9.
  10. Stuart, Jamie (2008). Performing Queer Female Identity on Screen. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-7864-3971-3.
  11. "Brooke Means Business: Franco Stevens, Founder and Publisher of Curve Magazine". Autostraddle. 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  12. Dean, Sherry (August 31, 1993). "Gay Advertising". CNN.
  13. Rivera, Geraldo (October 10, 1995). "I Saw You on Geraldo and Just Had to Meet You". Geraldo.
  14. Rivera, Geraldo (June 3, 1994). "Power Dykes: They're Out and Coming to a Town Near You". Geraldo.
  15. Levin, Sue (1999). In The Pink: The Making of Successful Gay- and Lesbian-Owned Businesses. New York, London: Harrington Park Press. pp. 104–105. ISBN 978-0-7890-0579-3.
  16. Dunlap, David W. "For Lesbian Magazine, a Question of Image". Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  17. Gold, Rachel (1996). "Deneuve Throws a Curve". Focus Point. Vol. 2, no. 85.
  18. Joseph, Yonette (January 10, 1996). "Mon Dieu!". Miami Herald.
  19. Associated Press (January 9, 1996). "Curve Ball". Honolulu Advertiser.
  20. Holt, Patricia (May 5, 1996). "A Bookstore Clerk's Big Idea". SF Gate.
  21. "Thrown for a Curve". May 12, 1996.
  22. Marcus, Lydia (July 25, 1995). "Catherine Deneuve: The Ultimate Lesbian Icon Breaks Her Silence". The Advocate.
  23. Ramsey, Susan (July 17, 1996). "Literary Lesbians: Determination Without Fear Leads to Success". Out Front.
  24. Anderson-Minshall, Diane; Anderson-Minshall, Jacob (2014). Queerly Beloved. New York: Bold Strokes Books. pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-1-62639-062-1.
  25. Cassel, Heather (21 October 2010). "Publisher sells SF-based Curve magazine". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  26. "Curve Magazine Sold to Avalon Media". The Seattle Lesbian. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  27. "Curve Facts - USA". www.curvemag.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  28. "The Curve Foundation launches with a mission to empower LGBTQ women". Queer Forty. 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  29. "Founder Stevens buys back Curve magazine". The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  30. Grabell, Michael (March 25, 2015). "The Fallout of Workers' Comp 'Reforms': 5 Tales of Harm". ProPublica.
  31. "NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Names Susan Horowitz and Jan Stevenson, Franco Stevens, and James B. Stewart to LGBTQ+ Journalists Hall of Fame - NLGJA". Retrieved 2023-09-18.
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