Curve Magazine

What Curve Magazine does

Curve Magazine is a digital media publication serving LGBTQ+ women, lesbians, bisexual, transgender, queer, and nonbinary individuals in North America and globally. Originally founded in 1989 as Deneuve magazine and renamed Curve in 1996, the publication has chronicled LGBTQ+ women's lives, politics, and culture for over three decades. In 2020, founder Franco Stevens bought Curve back and donated it to The Curve Foundation, and in 2021 the magazine officially became a not-for-profit project of the Foundation, relaunching digitally with a new look. Today Curve operates from Oakland, California with 1-10 employees and produces quarterly issues alongside a multi-product content ecosystem.

The publication's core offering is a digital content platform at curvemag.com featuring articles, opinion pieces, photography, book reviews, and topic-specific sections covering sports, community, books, The Curve Test, and Frankly Speaking. Supporting products include the Curve Archive (a searchable living archive preserving content since 1991), The Curve Test (a media evaluation tool adapted from the Bechdel Test for LGBTQ+ representation in film and series, with a Gold Star designation for projects featuring LGBTQ+ cast and crew), the annual Curve Power List (publicly nominated recognition of LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers), the revived Curve Photo Contest (originally the Lesbian Life Photo Contest, 1995-2006), and the Frankly Speaking editorial column. The technology stack is standard digital publishing infrastructure: a WordPress-based website, Google Analytics for traffic analysis, MailChimp for newsletter distribution, Authorize.net for payment processing, Flipcause for donations, and Facebook Comments and Meta pixel for social integration and advertising.

Curve operates a freemium business model. Core content (articles, blog, email list signup) is free, with premium subscription areas offering enhanced access on a recurring monthly basis with automatic renewal. Revenue is supplemented by donations to The Curve Foundation via Flipcause and by events, including the flagship Lesbian Visibility Week (April 20-26) which in 2026 featured over 100 free events across the US and Canada. The go-to-market motion is community-led: organic content marketing, social media engagement, email newsletter, and event-driven visibility. Strategic partnerships include a flagship international alliance with the UK's DIVA Charitable Trust to co-power Lesbian Visibility Week across North America and the UK, positioning Curve as a central node in the Anglosphere's LGBTQ+ women's media ecosystem.

Name

Curve Magazine

Legal name

The Curve Foundation

Website

https://curvemag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Curve Magazine is a not-for-profit digital publication and quarterly editorial platform serving LGBTQ+ women, lesbians, bisexual, transgender, queer, and nonbinary communities with articles, a 30+ year cultural archive, and community events including Lesbian Visibility Week.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LGBTQ+ Digital Media Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Women’s Interest & Parenting Magazines (MPAJAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ digital media
• Queer women's publishing
• Niche editorial content
• Community events programming
• Cultural archival platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountainside

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Curve offers premium subscription access to certain areas of the Service. Subscriptions are periodic fees with automatic renewal at the end of each subscription period.
2. Donations/Philanthropy: As a not-for-profit project of The Curve Foundation, Curve accepts donations through the Foundation's Flipcause platform to support LGBTQ+ women's visibility initiatives.
3. Events: Curve organizes and hosts events including Lesbian Visibility Week, Curve Power List unveiling, and community gatherings. Many events are free to attend, with some premium offerings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Curve Magazine is a quarterly digital publication that publishes articles, opinion pieces, photography, book reviews, and cultural coverage targeted at lesbians, queer women, transgender women, and nonbinary readers. The publication operates as a not-for-profit project of The Curve Foundation and distributes content via its website, email newsletter, and an annual calendar of community events (Lesbian Visibility Week), supported by a searchable archive of issues since 1991.

Product overview

Curve Magazine operates as a quarterly digital publication under The Curve Foundation, offering a multi-platform content ecosystem for LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary communities. The core offering is Curve Magazine itself, a digital publication featuring articles, opinion pieces, photography, and cultural coverage. Supporting products include the Curve Archive (a searchable historical archive since 1991), The Curve Test (a film/series rating tool for LGBTQ+ representation), the annual Curve Power List (recognizing influential LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers), the Curve Photo Contest (documenting queer life through photography), and Lesbian Visibility Week (an international annual awareness event). The platform also features editorial sections like 'Frankly Speaking' and topic-specific sections covering sports, arts, books, community, and opinion content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Curve Magazine (quarterly digital publication) A quarterly digital publication providing articles, opinion pieces, photography, book reviews, and cultural coverage for lesbians, bisexual women, transgender women, queer women, and nonbinary readers worldwide. Offers a freemium model with free articles and blog content plus premium subscription areas with automatic recurring billing.
• Curve Archive A searchable living archive preserving content from Deneuve and Curve magazines since 1991, documenting LGBTQ+ women's culture, politics, and history for past and future generations.
• The Curve Test A media evaluation tool adapted from the Bechdel Test, rating films and series for LGBTQ+ women, trans, and nonbinary representation. Films moving beyond stereotypes with LGBTQ+ cast and crew earn a Gold Star rating; ratings are published in an online database with community commentary.
• Lesbian Visibility Week An internationally recognized annual event (April 20–26) celebrating lesbian and queer visibility, featuring 100+ free events across the U.S. and Canada including NYC Kickoffs, Wellness Wednesdays, Coast to Coast Queereoke, Queer Women in Sports Day, landmark illuminations, and virtual panels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 free events across US and Canada during Lesbian Visibility Week 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• The Curve FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020In 2020, Franco Stevens bought Curve back and donated it to The Curve Foundation. In 2021, Curve magazine became a not-for-profit project of The Curve Foundation. The Foundation operates Curve as a quarterly project and supports its mission to provide visibility for LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people.
• DIVA Charitable TrustflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020DIVA Charitable Trust is the UK's leading charity dedicated to advancing visibility, wellbeing and equality of LGBTQIA+ women and nonbinary people. Together with The Curve Foundation (US/Canada), they co-power Lesbian Visibility Week internationally. Curve Magazine has long been an important cultural platform for lesbian storytelling, while DIVA has played a similar role in the UK since the 1990s.
• Lesbian Visibility WeekflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration between Curve Foundation (US/Canada) and DIVA Charitable Trust (UK) to celebrate Lesbian Visibility Week annually. Started in 2020 by Linda Riley (UK) with Curve joining in 2023. 2026 features 100+ events across North America and the UK.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Tagg Magazine: US-based lesbian and queer women-focused digital publication covering culture, lifestyle, and community. Smaller in scale than Curve but competes in the same lesbian/queer-women niche with similar mission-driven positioning.

Broad incumbents

• The Advocate: One of the oldest US LGBTQ+ news and culture publications, owned by a major media group. A larger, better-resourced incumbent that overlaps with Curve on LGBTQ+ news, politics, and cultural coverage.
• Them: Condé Nast-owned digital LGBTQ+ publication covering culture, identity, and lifestyle. Significantly larger platform and editorial resources than Curve, with overlapping audience and advertiser base.
• PinkNews: Large UK-headquartered LGBTQ+ digital news outlet with global reach. A scaled incumbent competitor in the broader LGBTQ+ media space where Curve also operates, particularly relevant given Curve's UK partnership activities.
• Queerty: US-based LGBTQ+ news and culture site covering politics, entertainment, and lifestyle for a broad queer audience. A larger competitor for LGBTQ+ reader attention and programmatic advertising.
• Out Magazine: Long-established US LGBTQ+ media brand covering news, entertainment, and culture across the full LGBTQ+ spectrum. Broader audience and significantly larger scale than Curve, but covers overlapping content categories and competes for LGBTQ+ advertising spend.

Direct peers

• Autostraddle: Online publication and community for queer women and nonbinary people, with a comparable mix of news, culture, opinion, and community programming. Closest US-based direct digital competitor to Curve for the lesbian/queer-women audience.
• Lesbian News: One of the longest-running lesbian publications in the US, historically print-based. Targets the same lesbian readership as Curve and competes for the same subscription and advertising dollars within the niche.
• DIVA Magazine: UK-based magazine and charity for LGBTQIA+ women and nonbinary people, and Curve's direct international partner co-powering Lesbian Visibility Week. Operates the same community-led, mission-driven media model targeting the same audience segment in a different geography.
• GO Magazine: Digital LGBTQ+ travel, culture, and lifestyle publication. Comparable in scale and digital-first orientation, and competes with Curve for LGBTQ+ women's lifestyle and cultural content attention and advertising budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheRealCurve
• Facebookfacebook.com/curvemag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curve-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Curve Magazine