Carrie and Bren’s Great Big Lesbian Wedding With 300 Queers On A Mountaintop

When little lesbian girls dream of their wedding day, they probably envision it happening on top of a mountain in Southern California with zero actual family members and 300 members of their big queer “family,” many of whom they do not actually know personally. They probably imagine a 23-year-old comic-book writer / forever intern serving as their ring bearer, substituting a stuffed dog named Tinkerbell (she used to be a purse) for the traditional pillow. They imagine a 25-year-old Jewish vagabond flower girl whose primary relationship to flowers is a preference for floral print dresses tossing petals into the wind. They probably imagine a Wedding Officiant who received her certification on the internet for $35 and has questionable public reading/speaking skills. They probably imagine a banquet held in a cafeteria designed for rowdy eight-year-olds.

Well, this May, two very lucky lesbians saw that dream come true — AND THEN SOME.

This is their story.

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The Proposal

Brendin, Autostraddle.com’s editorial assistant and merch girl, met Carrie 19 years ago in Mrs. Stevens’ Honors English Class in Hueytown, Alabama. They were only sixteen years old, and they’ve been happily together ever since!

In 2011, Brendin and Carrie moved from Florida to California, secretly hoping that one day they’d have the chance to legally marry each other in this fine state. When that finally became possible, Carrie decided that she wanted to propose to Bren — and that she wanted to do it as a surprise at Autostraddle’s A-Camp in October 2013. Brendin was working at camp and thus had no idea that Carrie was driving seven hours from Walnut Creek to Angelus Oaks, California, to propose to Bren on the last night of camp.

Everybody cried, it was beautiful.

So, of course, when Bren asked if we’d like to host the actual wedding at A-Camp May we were like OBVIOUSLY YES. Maybe we aren’t blood relatives, but Bren’s been a part of my and Laneia’s cyber-universe for something like eight years now, and has been daily working behind-the-scenes to make Autostraddle operate seamlessly for the last three. In other words: Bren and Carrie are a part of our family, and we wouldn’t miss their wedding for the world.

Although a variety of life factors have prevented the timely release of our A-Camp 5.0 Recamps, we had to get this wedding to you ASAP because y’all looked so cute. Let’s begin!

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Wedding Prep

A-Camp May 2014 took place May 21st-26th in Angelus Oaks, California at Alpine Meadows Camp and Retreat Center. Bren and Carrie made an invitation for every A-Camper, slipping them into the mini-mailboxes A-Camp Co-Director Marni so lovingly creates every year.

Alpine Meadows is already an idyllic setting for a romantic wedding, but Aja‘s flower crowns and Bren’s paper bouquet added important touches to the ambiance of this formidable occasion. “Riese, I learned how to make origami lilies for this woman,” Bren told me. “Clearly there is nothing I won’t do.” 

Furthermore, Interior Design Captain Leader Of All Things That Look Good, AB Chao, had spent the morning making Fire Pit #1 look like an official Wedding Venue and coordinating Serious Wedding Crafting.

As campers relaxed at the pool, visited the A-Camp Salon and otherwise enjoyed the spring afternoon, tiny mice/humans were preparing for the big show.

In Carrie and Bren’s luxurious honeymoon suite, which offered the couple the chance to remember what it was like to sleep in a twin bed and to share a bathroom with six other people, hair stylist Kara Hurston was hard at work on Carrie’s hair.

Then makeup artist Marla Verdugo worked her magic.

We were running a wee bit behind schedule, but were full of hope just the same.

Meanwhile, everybody gathered at the fire circle to blow bubbles in the air and eagerly anticipate this monumental event.

The brides looked fantastic.

As we were heading down to Fire Circle #1 a mere 20 or so minutes behind schedule, we heard the opening chords of Joan Jett’s “Crimson and Clover,” which was the song our Ring Bearer Grace and Flower Girl Vanessa would be walking down the aisle to. It seemed they had started without us!

A-Camp Co-Director and Photographer Robin Roemer, because she is Boss, immediately radio’ed DJ Carlytron and was like STOP THAT RIGHT NOW HOLD THE PHONE SERIOUSLY NO WE CANNOT START UNTIL I AM THERE WITH MY CAMERA JESUS ALMIGHTY. START OVER. START OVER.

The Wedding

So we started over, with Crimson and Clover:

I hear it was even better the second time. Vanessa threw flowers, Intern Grace walked down the aisle while feeling weird that everybody was looking at her, Tinkerbell looked amazing, and basically everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.

Then Carrie walked down the aisle to the sweet sweet sounds of the classic 1986 hit “Take My Breath Away” which you might recall from Top Gun or from the Top Gun ride at Kings Island, where they play that song on repeat for hours on end.

The brides STILL looked fantastic.

A-Camp Co-Director Marni’s mother officiates weddings in Canada, and she’d sent over some examples of same-sex ceremonies she’d performed, from which Carrie produced a script for the A-Camp Wedding. They also told me I could “ad lib” but I didn’t want to like, ruin the wedding or whatever. From here forward, the script has been transcribed so you can re-experience everything blow-by-blow. The personal additions/adjustments I can remember making are indicated in italics.

Words of Welcome

On behalf of Brendin and Carrie welcome and thank you for being here. They are delighted that you are here today to share in their joy during this wonderful moment in their lives. By your presence, you celebrate with them the love they have discovered in each other and you support their decision to commit themselves to one another for the rest of their lives.

Address to the assembly

Today their relationship changes. All of us know it will grow, and become stronger and better. Indeed this day is a day of hope. A day in which Brendin and Carrie demonstrate their commitment, devotion, and mutual respect, as well as their faith and love in one another.

You who are gathered here as witnesses are called to give your support and encouragement as they unite in marriage.

Address to the couple

We all know marriage is more than two people standing up here repeating vows. There is an art to any creative activity. So too in marriage. Part of the art of marriage is finding room for the things of the spirit. So to you two I say continue in your search for the good and the beautiful in this life. Part of the art of marriage is being flexible. So in your marriage cultivate flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour. Part of the art of marriage is to comfort each other and strive to be each others best friend. Most importantly, develop the capacity to forgive and heal your differences day by day. Always remember that your love can prevail. It can be the miracle that invites you to learn, to blossom, to expand your horizons.

This ceremony today is a most serious covenant made before all of us as witnesses. From your new marriage relationship can come the nurture and strength you two need to face the world. Only from this moment on you will face the world together in a new way.

The expression of intent

Brendin, you have chosen Carrie to be your wife. Will you love and respect her? Will you be honest with her always? Will you stand by her through whatever may come?

If so please answer: ‘I will’

Brendin: “I will!”

Carrie, you have chosen Brendin to be your wife. Will you love and respect her? Will you be honest with her always? Will you stand by her through whatever may come and however many boxes of Autostraddle merchandise she crams into your apartment?

If so please answer: ‘I will’

Carrie: “I will.”

And do you both promise to be adorably cute together super fucking cute forever?

If so please answer: “We do.”

Brendin & Carrie: We do.

The affirmation of family and friends

Now, in the spirit of joy and affirmation, I want to ask the campers present a question:
Do you, the campers of A-Camp 2014, give Brendin & Carrie your blessing and support, wishing them a wonderful life together?

If so please answer: We do. FUCK YES!

Everybody: FUCK YES

The Exchange of Vows

Carrie and Brendin, we now come to your vows. May I remind you that saying your vows is one thing but nothing is more challenging than living them day by day. What you promise today must be renewed tomorrow and each day that stretches out before you. Will you now please turn and face each other and hold hands.

Brendin, please repeat after me:
I Brendin, choose you Carrie to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, to love and to cherish, and to be faithful to you alone. This is my solemn vow.

Now, Carrie, please repeat after me:
I, Carrie, choose you Brendin to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, to love and to cherish, and to be faithful to you alone. This is my solemn vow.

The giving and receiving of rings

May I have the rings please.

Brendin, please repeat after me:
Carrie, I give you this ring, that you may wear it as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. I pledge you my love and respect, my laughter and my tears. With all that I am I honour you.

Now, Carrie, please repeat after me:
Brendin, I give you this ring that you may wear it as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. I pledge you my love and respect, my laughter and my tears. With all that I am I honour you.

Now, Brendin & Carrie will do an second exchange of rings. They will give one another the rings they originally gave one another almost 18 years ago in a tiny college dorm room in Alabama! They have written their own vows for this exchange of rings.

The Vows

Brendin, you may go first.

“I remember when I bought this ring. I got up early because they were having a sale at Wal-Mart. And even with a sale at Wal-Mart this was all I could afford. It’s 1/20th of a carat. At the time I was embarrassed that it was so small, but now I think it’s fitting.

Because how much I loved you then, which was a whole lot, I mean I went to Wal-Mart for you…”

“It’s 1/20th of how much I love you now, today. And how much I love you today is a fraction of how much i’ll love you tomorrow and the next day and all the next days.

I think this is where I’m supposed to promise some things:

I promise to hook up all our electronics and put together all our furniture with a minimal amount of cursing.

I promise to be your big spoon except when I need to be the little spoon.

I promise that when I need to be a little spoon, you’ll always be my big spoon.

No one has ever made me laugh as much as you… or cry as much… clearly.

You are my Smizmar, you are my lobster, you are my EVERYTHING.

I can’t wait to love you for the rest of my life.”

Now, Carrie:

“First of all, you look very hot.

I have wanted to do this for so long, and here we are — finally. We have been through so much together. We have been through times when we were young and had a lot of money and life was easy. And lately we have gone through a time where we don’t have as much money and it certainly hasn’t been easy. But one thing has never changed and that’s you — you’re it. You’re the only person I have ever wanted since I was sixteen.”

It means so much more to put this ring on your finger now than it did 18 years ago, which I didn’t even think was possible. I will always love you. I think you are the most amazing person in this world and I am so proud to be your wife. I can’t imagine ever being happier than I am right now, on this mountain, with you and the rest of these wonderful human beings. But I know that I will be. Every day that I am with you is the best day of my life, no matter what happens. And I hope you know that. Nothing could ever keep us apart. If my mom couldn’t do it, then lord knows nothing else can.

I promise to keep you in constant supply of Diet Pepsi and to warm your freakishly cold feet. And I promise to love you.

By the way, this ring also came from Wal-Mart and is also 1/20th of a carat. And I gave her this ring first! I locked this down first.”

Now may those who wear these rings live in love all their days.

Affirmation of the marriage

Now may the love which has brought you together continue to grow and enrich your lives.
May you meet with courage the problems which arise to challenge you and may your relationship always be one of love and trust. May the happiness you share today be with you always and may every word you have pledged here be a living truth in your lives.

Declaration of Marriage

Brendin and Carrie, we have heard your promise to share your lives in marriage. We recognize and respect the covenant of marriage you have made here this day before each one of us as witnesses.

It is my honour and delight to declare you henceforth married… for reals.

You may now kiss the bride.

Introduction of the couple 

It is my pleasure to introduce to you Brendin and Carrie, the first ever A-Camp brides!

Then it was time for the recessional, as guided by my favorite musician of all time, Taylor Swift.

Everybody felt gay and full of love!

Then we headed back to central camp to prepare for the banquet and reception.

It was our great honor to make Brendin and Carrie’s wildest dreams come true at A-Camp, and we look forward to talking about it again in our recamps, which’ll exist at some point in the future, we promise. You can look forward to pictures from the banquet and reception too.

FYI, confirmed as of this afternoon that they are still together. I think this one is forever, y’all!

VIDEO: Mary Dickerson is Neither Artist Nor Predator

Earlier this week, New York Magazine published a cover story called “Is Terry Richardson an Artist or a Predator?” which is a maddening question to ask for many reasons, including that we already know the answer (definitely undoubtedly a predator, possibly also an artist depending on your definition of “art.”). The article itself is equally maddening. The gist of the situation is this: Terry Richardson is a noted photographer whose work you’d probably recognize who also exploits and sexually violates his models and he is surrounded by people who seem to be okay with it for some reason. So NYMag ran this article about Richardson that purports even-handedness but is full of intentional omissions and is ultimately a defense of him and his art, even though, and I cannot stress this enough, he admits to performing sexual acts on/with women in situations where consent was either not given and/or not an option. Since the article’s publication, two of Richardson’s models have written pieces about what a fucking unforgivable piece of human garbage he is, including model Sena Cech, who was 19 when she shot with Richardson:

I remember going home after the casting and crying hysterically, unable to tell my boyfriend why I was upset and unwilling to share with him that I had been coerced into this bizarre sex act at work. I believe that Richardson is using his connections and financial power in the industry to sexually harass and abuse vulnerable young women.

So FUCK Terry Richardson and his shitty, gross, misogynic photography forever, is what I’m saying. It’s disgusting that this guy still has a job.

Anyhow, in response to all of this vile bullshit, our actually talented photographer/A-Camp director Robin Roemer and Autostraddle contributor/A-Camp special programming director Carly Usdin have birthed this parody video into the world to offer an alternative photographer to the fashion industry.

Bearing all that in mind, I give you: “Neither Artist Nor Predator: The Mary Dickerson Story.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaDDIRGT1iM

Photographer/Perfect Human Robin Roemer’s New Hollywood Project

Long-time Autostraddle contributor slash calendar girl photographer slash A-Camp co-director slash all-around amazing person Robin Roemer has a new project that you’re probably going to fall in love with. Enter: The New Hollywood Project, an attempt to combine and contrast the glamour of old Hollywood with the stars of today’s new media stars, particularly Youtube stars. Here’s Robin’s artist statement:

As entertainment becomes more accessible and digestible, the stars of today become familiar to us, attainable in a way that celebrity has never been in the past.

The purpose of this project was to take today’s most familiar form of celebrity, the YouTube creator, and capture them in an analog way; shot on a 500cm Hasselblad on black and white film and lit with hot lights. The stars and starlets of glamorous Old Hollywood, who also lived in a new golden age of media, were immortalized in film; a process left behind by the digital age. I pay homage to the film lighting greatness of George Hurrell and celebrate the imaginative and enterprising spirit of the YouTube creator in this project all about contrast.

Seriously, this is a good example of a project that’s a phenomenal concept with equally phenomenal execution. Robin’s a genius, basically, is what I’m saying.

Here’s a tiny sample of the project!

Check out the full gallery here!

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BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. Robin will be presenting a gallery show of her work at Rebel’s Ark in Los Angeles on Friday, May 16 from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m.! Admission is free, but you have to RSVP in advance. You should totally go!

These 2014 Autostraddle Calendars Are F*cking Beautiful

Every year we conceptualize, design, shoot, produce and give birth to a brand-new Autostraddle calendar. These calendars showcase a diverse group amazing and accomplished queer women and, of course, give us an opportunity to further worship Robin Roemer’s awesome photography. Each calendar has its own individual theme and style — and we’re especially proud of this year’s look.

You’ve spent the year getting to know our 2014 calendar girls, and now it’s time to have them on your wall!

This year, the calendar is a very normal 8.5″ x 11″ when closed, and 11″ wide by 17″ long when you’re hanging it on your wall. It has a drilled hole for easy hanging, and as requested, plenty of space in each box to keep track of the days of your life.

We even have all the appropriate holidays marked off for you, like National Coming Out Day and National Sandwich Day.

Seriously, I could think of no better way to keep track of 2014.

The 2014 Autostraddle Calendar is for sale in our store for $16 and it’s the perfect holiday gift for your favorite person! Also, your purchase supports the ongoing existence of this website and next year’s calendar! So everybody wins.

We also have lots of other merch available this season, including flasks, hoodies, pins, and the classics. Merchandise sales are a big element of what keeps us going financially, so happy holidays and thanks, as always, for your support!

Visit the Autostraddle Store

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Ivy is Miss December

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in!

Ivy is Miss December

Occupation/major/passion:

Right now I travel around the U.S. (and sometimes other parts of the Western Hemisphere) teaching dance and directing youth programs. I currently teach five classes a week in a teeny li’l ol’ mining town called Grass Valley, located in Northern California, slowly drinking a nice cup of ‘easy does it.’ Although this is a big change from teaching 17 classes per week in Los Angeles, I’m in love with the small town vibe and honestly, I am not sure I could have made a better life choice. My work schedule is, and potentially always will be, fluctuating. Work commitments expand and contract seasonally and I hear I am geographically difficult to keep track of. This year alone I have lived in four different cities teaching dance, mock trial, public speaking, kindergarten and storytelling. I have a degree in Psychology with a strong passion for movement, health, and youth arts education. I care more about one conversation with a kid than I do about almost everything else. Kids truly are the gatekeepers to life’s “hidden” secrets. They know and tell all.

Why did you want to be a part of this project?

Autostraddle is groundbreaking, unique and important to the growth of our culture. The world is craving this dialogue, this feeling of common ground, outlet, refuge, support and many other roles a dynamic website like Autostraddle can and has offered. I believe in wearing what you believe in, owning it and not hiding our raw humanism from fearful eyes. I wore my A-Camp staff shirt to the grocery store in Berkeley and TWO people stopped me to ask me how this year’s camps went. They had participated the year previous and wished they had gotten it together on time before tickets were sold out. This is big and I want to be part of it. Autostraddle helps people to feel like they belong, and realize how easy it is to receive constructive critique, love and encouragement all in one safe zone. Of course I want to be part of a community that is doing its part to shed light on this multifaceted experience.

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Like what you see? The 2014 calendars are now for sale in the Autostraddle merch store! Grab one for yourself or give the gift of a different brilliant, talented and gorgeous human every month to the eyeballs of someone you care about!

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models — its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do — who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo
Line Production, Location
Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production Assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Lynn is Miss November

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in!

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Lynn is Miss November

Where are you from?

I was raised in Shanghai, China, but I spent the last four years in the Bay Area and only just moved to New York.

Occupation/major/passion:

Money and pussy! No but seriously…

I have been very fortunate in my life to find something that I love so much it moves me to tears. Having just completed my BFA in Jewelry and Metal Arts, I can honestly say that the amount of work that went into it would move anyone to tears (and cause many painful injuries), but I loved every second of it. There is something so timelessly wonderful about metal, the way it outlasts everything else through history. There are few other materials that can withstand the tests of time; books can deteriorate, memories forgotten, but anything from a metal statue to the remains of a shipwreck, to even the smallest family heirloom jewelry can prevail while everything else degrades. I find it comforting to know that the work I make will endure however fragile my existence may sometimes feel.

Why did you want to be a part of this project?

Autostraddle is awesome, what queer wouldn’t want to be a part of it?

Years ago, I found Autostraddle while Googling the realities of my curiosities. Since then, the articles have guided me through my coming out, then in, then out again as I phased in and out of fear, denial and anger. For the most of my life, (keep in mind that I’m only 22) I was covered head-to-toe in issues as I struggled with my identity and self-loathing. Finding Autostraddle was like a breath of fresh air, you made me feel okay and allowed me to take a step back from vicious cycles of self-destruction. I never tried OkCupid until Autostraddle posted an article about Oh Gay Cupid. As for sex toys? I NEEDED advice on that! And all the beautifully written prose of other queers’ experiences, the laughs and tears of their coming-outs. All of that made me feel sane in my own skin, made me realize I was still human after all — which was all that I really needed. So this is what I mean when I say Autostraddle is crazy, sexy beautiful, and everything I ever wanted in a website… so again, what queer wouldn’t want to be a part of it?

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models — its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do — who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Rachel is Miss September

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in!

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Rachel is Miss September

10 Things You’ll Like About Me:

1. My adult ADHD is both debilitating and charming. Good thing there were butterflies flying around the yard during the photoshoot.
2. This is the last thing. Get it? (Think binary.) But just kidding we use the decimal system here. Moving on.
3. I have almost everything in robot, from multiple pairs of underwear to salt & pepper shakers to a robot lunch box full of robot sandwich containers that I bring to my big person job.
4. I have a genderqueer bike named Sunshine because a day without my bike is a day without Sunshine.
5. I’m a Hufflepuff.
6. I have a retail therapy obsession that usually manifests itself in American Eagle tank tops. Sometimes the customers even think I work there.
7. Forget the carpet matching the drapes, my underwear always matches my outfit.
8. Candy Crush Saga is affecting my relationship with life.
9. Sometimes I dance around my apartment like Billy Elliot.
10. Chopping vegetables stresses me out.

Where are you from?

My mother’s uterus, which happened to be in the Chicago suburbs. But I moved to the real city in college and then I left forever and moved to Oakland where I reside now and whine about it every day.

Occupation/Major/Passion:

The major passion that occupies my life is robots, duh! But for real, I am a computer science nerd that currently works for a consulting company. I am looking to become a tech entrepreneur (I know, “just like everyone else,” but not). I also have a few ideas for coffee shops that I want to open up. And I’m sure by the end of this month I’ll have some other super amazing idea that I’ll have to do “right now” (see #1 on my list).

Why did you want to be part of this project?

I’m usually the person that is behind the camera, so I wanted to know what it would be like to be in front of the camera. Clearly, I didn’t realize you needed to have more than one face, so I hope you don’t get tired of looking at my “super happy big smile” for a month.

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models — its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do — who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Katie is Miss August

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in!

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Katie is Miss August

One night when I was fourteen, I asked my mother if I could be a lesbian. Her immediate answer was unexpected and sharp, like when the nurse finally finds a vein she likes and sticks the needle in. “No.” “No?” “No, Katie, you are not gay.” She was quick to point out that my P.E. teacher, Ms. Dalton, was a lesbian and since I clearly didn’t look or act like her (Ms. Dalton was a strong butch woman and I was an awkward, frizzy haired, feminine teenage girl), then there was no way I could be like her.

After my mother went to bed, I quickly got up and pulled my diary down from my shelf. I re-read an entry I’d written a few weeks before. In big, scrawled writing, I asked my diary why I felt so irrevocably attracted to my beautiful, young English teacher, Ms. Davis, and what this could possibly mean. I read the entry several times, my heart pounding with a fear of such intensity I thought I would pass out. After the fourth read, I ripped out the pages and tore them into confetti, making sure they would be completely illegible if a spy happened to find them and try to fit them back together.

Seven whole years went by before I allowed myself to feel that forbidden attraction again. I had been able to keep it so hidden, buried deep within the folds of my cortex. When I remember those seven years, I don’t recall thinking about it. Yet I know that it was always there. Like a tone so low and quiet that only the most sensitive machines can pick it up. It was there, emitting a tiny, but constant pulse in my brain. It fell below the frequency of consciousness, but above that of memory.

And then I met the girl who would change everything.

When I first locked eyes with her, those seven years that I had spent building that painstaking, intricate tower, came abruptly to an end. Like the way my cousins used to delight in knocking down the castles I built out of blocks, she disassembled me. Broke through my steel cage with a single breath. The low-frequency buzzing grew to an audible roar, and before I knew what was happening, I was falling.

And so ends my coming out story, or so I thought. What I didn’t realize about being both feminine and a lesbian is that I would be coming out over and over again for the rest of my life.

The next seven years were spent defending myself. Once I was brave enough to speak out loud that I was gay, it was like I couldn’t stop. As Tina Fey would call it, word-vomit. I came out all the time, to everyone, everywhere, because I wanted to defy what they thought, what my mother had thought, what the entire world seemed to think about women who loved women. I came out as a cocktail waitress to drunk men who leered at me and insisted I just hadn’t met the right guy yet or asked if they could watch. I came out to angry protestors during the initial campaign against Prop 8 and was told I was going to hell. I came out to bosses and people I had just met and guys who hit on me and former boyfriends and doctors and professors and relatives and Facebook and even the grocery store cashiers. I wanted to assert myself, my identity. It infuriated me when people asked me about my promise ring that I wore with my first girlfriend and I told them I couldn’t get married and their shocked reply was “What?! Why??” Because they would never guess. “Ever hear of Prop 8?” **crickets**

And for those seven years I also was struggling to define myself as a woman, as a graduate, a new adult entering a scary working world unsure of what she would find. The journey to find my calling in life was not unlike my struggles to come into my own as a lesbian in a world that had a very narrow definition of this word. I often wonder about the words we use to describe and label ourselves. “Gay” is an adjective, like “sexy” or “brunette” or “talkative,” and is a piece of a whole, whereas “lesbian” is a noun on par with “woman,” “mother,” “American,”—to me it has always seemed like a much more encompassing term, and it took time to rediscover who I was beyond that identity once I had swallowed and digested and accepted it. I needed to remember who else I was. And what I wanted out of life, what kind of legacy I was going to leave behind.

I am happy to announce that I am many, many more things in addition to being a lesbian. I am uncensored to a fault. I have no sense of direction. I talk about inappropriate topics constantly, and I get way too excited when I get to teach sex-ed in my bio classes (very progressive and gay-inclusive sex-ed, I might add). My favorite way to unwind (besides wine) is grocery shopping (which usually includes buying wine). I am terrible at singing but great at remembering lyrics. I am a huge science nerd and love the ocean and nature and Planet Earth is my favorite show of all time. I love working out and running because it makes me feel awesome. I love fermented things (cheese, beer, sourdough bread, kombucha, etc.) I love my friends, my family, my silly old dachshund Lucy, and cooking. I have seen a lot of the world, but I never miss an opportunity to travel more. I am going to get a tattoo this year, I swear, this time I will do it. It is going to be my favorite quote, from Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare: “Age cannot wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety.” I like it because it could refer to me, a special woman, or all women. Variety!

Also, my mother has since come around completely and is now the biggest gay rights advocate ever. She understands that a lesbian can look like anyone and is way hip because she uses the word “femme” instead of “lipstick lesbian” like all the other women her age. Love you, Mom.

Occupation/Passion:

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been obsessed with stories. Telling them, writing them, listening to them, creating them, but most importantly, documenting them. And the stories I like the most aren’t big and grandiose and full of robots and aliens. I like stories about real people and worlds that usually go unnoticed right here on planet earth. When I realized a couple of years ago that what I really wanted to be was a filmmaker, it was a revelation almost as startling as the one that had started this whole identity-crisis in the first place.

Growing up in the Bay Area, aka the land of Facebook and Google, everything is tech and business. No one tells you that being a filmmaker is a viable career path (and, lezbehonest, it isn’t the smoothest one). I tried other fields, took every standardized test known to man, considered every possible alternative, and still felt lost. It took years of living in Los Angeles after graduating from UCLA with a degree in English and a background in education to finally silence the voices of my upbringing that were telling me to pick a more sensible career, and embrace that this was something I had to do. And here’s the wonderful thing about making films: they can be about anything.

I currently teach Biology, Spanish, and English literature at an alternative high school, as well as helping to produce a documentary that’s in its early stages. The best thing about this decision has been realizing that I don’t have to give up teaching, which I love, to do this, and that many filmmakers are also professors or teachers. My goal is to combine my four main passions: writing, teaching, science, and film, into a career in which I travel the world, producing films that explore the power of nature and the beauty of the human experience. I want my work to show people the world through the lens of a new perspective, to inspire people to understand each other, thinking always of the connectivity of everything and everyone.

My last class in college was a senior English seminar entitled “Pornography and the Politics of Representation.” The final project for that class was a thesis paper on the topic of our choice and a visual presentation. So, naturally, I chose lesbian porn as my topic, and naturally, I made a documentary about it. It was a blast to make this film, it has been well-received, and ever since then I’ve planned to expand it into a feature-length project that will blast the lid off of what the world thinks lesbian sex entails. This year I am making that film a reality. So if any of you homos are interested in this project/know a porn star I could interview/want to be in the film, hit me up! I could certainly use some extra hands (har, har). It will be a dream come true to make a film that educates the world just a tiny bit more about lesbians because, let’s face it, we are a pretty interesting bunch and I’m so excited to tell our stories.

Why did you want to be part of this project?

Because to the world at large I still am perceived as a straight girl.

I wanted to be part of this project because I am not a straight girl, simple as that.

I love the Autostraddle calendar for its insistence on giving a big middle finger to Maxim and showing every possible iteration of what a lesbian can be because—newsflash, World—yes we are lady-loving-ladies but we are also humans. With stories. And anxiety. And not-perfect lives. And bills. And jobs that sometimes suck. And we come from everywhere, and we look like every type of woman. We are masculine, and feminine, and in-between, and we’ve been around since the beginning of time.

I’ve been reading Autostraddle since the very beginning and have watched this site grow and blossom into the most amazing, informative, and intelligent space for lesbians on the Internet. I love what you girls have done here and I am honored to be a part of the calendar.

It is scientific fact that the cells of the human body completely regenerate themselves every seven years. I was fourteen when I asked my mother if I could be a lesbian. She said no and I went into denial for the next seven. I was twenty-one when I met my first girlfriend and finally came out, and spent seven years integrating that new word into the long and intricate lexicon of my personhood. Now I am twenty-eight. This year, I came out again. Not as a lesbian, but as a woman who is no longer afraid to follow the path that she was born to pursue. And a woman who no longer needs to defend herself, but rather prefers to exist, to be open and whole, and knows that this is enough. The biology teacher in me cannot help but see the correlation in these seven-year milestones. Three cycles of renewal. I am thrilled to embark on the next journey, wherever it takes me, and I hope I get to meet some of you along the way. Cheers.

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models — its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do — who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Drea is Miss July

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in!

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Drea is Miss July

I’m a hybrid of the mid-west and west coast, with my parents and relatives being from the south. Most of my family is back in Tennessee, Indiana, and North Carolina and I’ve been in Los Angeles since pre-school. I consider both California and back east my home.

I have two loves in my life and always have. Those are creative writing and music. With a sprinkle of techy / geek. There’s nowhere to even begin with the style / genre / topic of things I write. Musically – what one person describes as “sex music” another describes as “musical madness.”

When I started to come out I felt there was so much momentum in the way my life was changing; about to graduate college, making friends who ‘know’ me, going to A-Camp!, coming out to my mom and immediate family, graduating, getting my first ‘career’ job, going to A-Camp again!, moving in with my awesome roommates who’ll be here forever – right?, and then realizing the momentum was slowing down.

I’m not out to the rest of family, not out to the people who I spent most my college time with, not out to my dad, not out to that guy who said ‘I thought u was gay’ who lived down the hall from me, not out to my ex-boyfriend Marine. Not out to a good friend of mine that I’ve since lost – because I had been too afraid to come out. Wouldn’t it be hilar if I wasn’t out to the people I met at camp? Lmao!

About my creative writing; sometimes poetry, sometimes humorous. Sometimes creative humorous poetry. I made up a genre called Spotify poetry – basically making a playlist that can be read like a poem.

“Hey You Yeah You”

“Let’s Get Some”

I was writing my diary in haikus at the time I applied for this calendar (lasted 18 days). Here’s the one I wrote when I found out I’d be a part of this:

Damn I got that call

An email to be precise

My photos online

My favorite poets are Dr. Seuss and Tupac. Sometimes I pretend I’m various people and write poems as if I were them. Sometimes I wonder if Alex Vega will ever get Tinkerbelle tatted on her ass. I aspire to one day have an advice column written from the perspectives of fictional characters.

The humor is pretty much a way for me to divert from my more introvert, truly sensitive side. I’m the toughest most fragile chick I know.

More fun stuff >> Miss July ’14 Preliminary App

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models — its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do — who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Danielle is Miss June

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in!

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Danielle is Miss June

I had to fight for this body. Since the day I was diagnosed with bone cancer at age fifteen, I began to wage wars on multiple fronts. I fought to be normal – and when that failed, I fought to appear normal. I fought against my cancer as if my disease had a will of its own. The doctors’ weapons of choice were scalpels, poison, and pills. In the name of healing, my body was invaded on every level. So, I left. I checked out of dealing with a body so battered and chronically broken. I obeyed the rhythm of relapses which came every two years and which left with pieces of my lungs and ribs. On the surface, I built a shell of normalcy and ignored every emotion that threatened to weaken it.

Surrendering saved my life. I grew up in a very religious community. Even though my parents were liberal, everyone in our town went to churches and youth groups in warehouse. Countless sermons on porn and promiscuity made me ashamed of my body – a body I already struggled to find beautiful. People were quick to write their own narratives onto my experiences. I was told how to feel and given ready-made explanations.

I argued with God a lot, wondering what I was supposed to learn from having the same excruciating experiences over and over again. When I was twenty-three, I almost died twice in the hospital due to the medical treatments meant to save my life. I had enough. I had enough of fighting. I stopped chemotherapy and accepted that my body needed something more from me. I returned. I began I different kind of work – the work of listening. Through yoga and a vegan diet, I asked myself: “what is true?” I learned not to fight whatever came up. I learned to sit and be uncomfortable until I understood.

Through those silences, I realized I was gay. Not the revelation you’re looking for when you have been married for five years to your high school boyfriend and have spent your entire adolescence as the sick, disabled girl. I spent months crying on my yoga mat waiting for any other explanation to arrive. I didn’t want to date. I didn’t want to find out whether or not anyone else in this world found me attractive or, dare I hope, sexy. I wanted safety – not another battle – after all the fighting I had done.

Slowly, the painful realization came that I didn’t accept myself at all. For all my pretending, I still believed I was irreparable. On a core level, I didn’t believe that any of the liberal stuff I preached applied to me. Yet, listening to yourself gives you a kind of vulnerable strength. I learned to let go. I released all the ideas of what I should be like and honored who I am.

The first girl I dated asked me why I was so angry. The questioned surprised me because I am generally a positive person. Yet, there was resentment boiling. I betrayed myself too often. Despite all the work I had done on honesty and acceptance, I still didn’t know how to stand up for myself when men hit on me in aggressive ways. I still didn’t always talk freely about who I was actually dating. Although my brother is gay and accepted by our family (because “everyone knew since he was three”), I didn’t explain myself when family members insisted I was going through a phase or used other tired cliches they would be horrified to hear anyone say to my brother. I was back to the fight and flight routine – half checking out, half clawing.

Until recently, I was obsessed with building a kind of awesome lesbian alliance with only the most interesting, stylish, talented women. I was desperate to belong and to make all the suffering I had gone through worth it. I subconsciously thought: if only my life looked like some version of The L Word (well, all the glamour and none of the crazy); if only I sat at the cool kids’ table (something I have never succeed at doing, despite being voted homecoming princess because our culture has a fascination with putting crowns on bald girls’ heads and turning cancer patients into princesses); if only my gay relationships appeared better than my straight ones, then I would I be able to prove to people that coming out was the right decision.

Women, it turned out, could be just as objectifying as men. I didn’t know how to talk about my body and didn’t know how to have a healthy relationship. I freaked out the first time a girl told me she was going to a strip club. I was afraid to ask for my needs to be met because I feared deep down that my looks made me less desirable. I was afraid that anyone with me would secretly always be wishing I was different – whole.

Finally, I woke up. Hiding who you are is exhausting. Apologizing for making other people uncomfortable is soul-crushing. I am what I am and my identity is no better or worse than anyone else’s. I no longer need to prove to anyone that I am beautiful. I no longer need to cover my perceived flaws to protect myself from imaginary blows. When I feel it rising up – the fear, the self-doubt, the desire to fight – I take a breath and surrender. I remind myself to be present in this world, in this body, in this identity. I remind myself of the power of simply saying, “I am here.” When I approach people from this grounded stance, the shift comes naturally.

I walked into this photo shoot terrified. I didn’t know anyone. I realized this fact at the last minute while I was standing on the doorstep. Suddenly, I found myself in the middle of all those talented, gorgeous women. Just when I would have loved to have put up a defense and pretend to be someone infinitely cooler, I was asked to strip down. Robin and Sara originally told me they had nothing for me to wear but they must have seen the color drain from my face. Physically and symbolically, removing all your protective layers can be freeing. You find you are not as soft and scarred as you thought – only raw, strong, and humming with untapped potential.

I’ll see strangers staring with disgust when I kiss my girlfriend’s cheek in our favorite cafe. I hear guys yelling from their car windows. I notice when all of a sudden my mom needs to get off the phone because I am talking about my relationship. I pause and listen when people ask to touch my leg or to comment on the way I am walking. They want to know how I shower. They want to know how I have sex. They want to know why I like butch girls instead of femme or if I’ve slept with enough men (one) to really know I’m a lesbian. They want to know what I eat. They want to know what dying is like. I used to be offended. I used to go on the defense. I used to think fighting made us strong.

Now, I know: true strength comes from compassion and vulnerability. Now, I can stop, take a breath, and drop completely into the moment. I think: you may not be looking at me like a fellow human being but I see you and I know you are human – a person struggling and fractured in ways I may not be able to recognize right away. Then, with practice, I do the bravest thing of all. I tell my truth. And I prepare myself to receive yours.

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models — its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do — who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

You Should Go: Autostraddle’s Robin Roemer And Her Calendar Girls Are Putting On A Show

Appreciators of the annual Autostraddle Calendar: have you ever wished that you could see images from said calendar all giant on the walls of an Actual Gallery? Have you hoped, as well, to do so in the company of other appreciators and practitioners of fine arts, including Autostraddle’s own Robin Roemer? On top of all of this would you also like to have a really great time and support a really great cause? You can do all this and more at Fotosensori, a “multi-dimensional photographic show” in Los Angeles celebrating the five senses and the local scene.

Robin will be exhibiting photos from the 2013 Calendar Girls shoot, which, as we all remember, occurred on a magical black and white beach:

“For this particular series, I sought to capture images that would reflect the subjects’ feelings of freedom and comfort in their own skin. I was particularly interested in natural, uninhibited moments. I chose a simple expanse of sand and water where the horizon line is sometimes indistinguishable, which was the perfect setting for a very personal and focused look at each of these extraordinary women, among them a Miss California pageant contestant and a former Olympian.

Touch comes into play in this series as the models physically interact with each other and their surroundings. Cold water and the feel of rough sand come uncomfortably in contact with the subjects, contrasted with magnetic attractions and budding friendships that bring bodies closer together. I loved coming away from this shoot knowing that many of this women are now friends, and I hope these images reflect that bond.”

The show also features work by nine other photographers, five different musical acts, cupcakes, and dumplings. This mashup of amazing things happens for one night only (Saturday, June 1st!) from 6 PM to midnight at Monk Space, a historic warehouse space and gallery in Los Angeles. Part of the profits from purchased prints, as well as a $20 suggested donation, will go to Free Arts for Abused Children, a national organization that provides art therapy to neglected and impoverished kids. People who are going should connect on the Facebook event page! And if you can’t make it, but would still like to support Robin’s work, go here to cast your vote for a familiar face in PDN’s Faces Portrait Photography Contest.

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Parneet is Miss May

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in! If you haven’t picked up the 2013 calendar yet, you should probs get right on that — they’re now available in our store for only $5! For 2014 prepare to have your mind blown, among other things.

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Parneet is Miss May

I. am…

I am queer.
In that, I am undefined.
Yet I continue to exist.
Locating snapshots of myself in others.
Those that reflect even a sliver of me, illuminate my very existence.

I am queer.
Out of that, I become strange.
Estranged by others who wish to erase the being I choose to embody.
Desperate leaps to alleviate their own lack.

I am queer.
Beside that, I am whole.
A self created out of subversion.
A collection of what is not, to make something that is.

I am queer.
On top of that, I remain beautiful.
A mosaic of unknowing.
Creating a life out of uncertainty,
In hopes of becoming found.

I am queer.
Under that, I am light.
A particle of sun spark made of that which binds us.
Breath and death; a cycle of existence beyond our understanding.

We are queer, as is the universe.
For we can never fully grasp ourselves.
Slowly, I am learning to embrace this.
As I work to become a part of this universal undoing.

I am queer…
I am…
I.

As an artist and activist, this poem is a reflection of my journey in understanding
and creating my queer identity.

Get to Know Parneet

Where are you from?

I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba but would identify as originally coming from Edmonton, Alberta. Shout out to all my amazing prairie homos! However, even more originally, I identify as Indo-Canadian, as my parents emigrated from India to Canada over 20 years ago. Another shout out to all my amazing indo-homos! I’ve been living in Montreal with my partner Angie, and her dog Sid (the not-so-vicious) for two years now, and it’s been an incredible romantic and mind blowing/growing experience.

Occupation/Passion:

I am so excited to announce that I graduated this month as a therapist after a seven year-long journey in psychology. I finally completed my masters in counselling psychology, which has been such a privilege to obtain. It’s been such a self-actualizing experience trying to navigate myself within a system that I live in and benefit from while still trying to deconstruct aspects of it that I do not fully agree with. I identify as a social justice/feminist/narrative therapist and so much of my personal life is integrated into my practice, because I see my own life as a story; a construction that I have a great deal of power in changing and re-creating. I love creating safe spaces, and I find the work I do to be radical and subversive in that it challenges the patriarchal notion that emotion is irrational and excessive and rationale is the highest form of understanding. There is great wisdom in emotions, and I work to nourish that and support others to give weight to their feelings.

Aside from psychology, I have a million other interests and one life really does not feel like enough time to live them all! I do have a great passion for spoken word, hip-hop and jazz. I suppose that’s the storyteller in me. I find music, song and spoken word such powerful tools to express my passion for social justice, freedom and love. Although I’ve been writing poetry since I was a child, I didn’t start getting serious about hip-hop until my best friend/soul mate Sami and I started jamming together and we both realized we had a lot to say and were able to do it with crazy flow. She’s living in California, but I’m hoping to convince her to live with me so we can get on with our bad selves. I also play classical Indian Sitar, and I am really interested in creating jazz/hip-hop/classical fusions with all the incredible artists that live in Montreal. A lot of time and practice is needed, but it’s well worth the experience, and with the abundance of time I have, I’m excited to start practicing!

Why did you want to be part of this project?

As a queer woman of color, I grew up identifying and comparing myself to patriarchal, white and straight standards. I always felt inadequate. It was really a constant sense that I was not enough of anything. At home, it was patriarchy. At school, it was whiteness. In society at large, it was a wretched combination of all three oppressions. My very existence is subversive in that I exist despite being told and showed not to. I live for this. I thrive on knowing this. I work to embody this more freely, more lovingly, more passionately.

When I applied to be in the Autostraddle Calendar Girl photo shoot, it was my first serious act of getting out there as a model. That act alone has such deep roots because it marks a long journey of healing and challenging all the kinds of oppression I experienced, and reclaiming my body and my identity. Taking the leap to be a part of this calendar, not only sealed my outing that I am queer, but reflected the internal work I have been doing for all of my conscious life in believing I am lovable and desirable. I have come such a long way in rebuilding a loving relationship with myself that is compassionate, generous and kind. So much of the real work we do is done in silence; beyond skin and scars. These photos capture not just my physical body, but more so, an internal state and body of self-love and acceptance.

What did you take away from the project?

There were three major gems that I took with me from my trip to California for the Autostraddle photo shoot. First, my recognition that I am supported and loved. I wouldn’t have been able to financially afford the trip to California if it wasn’t for the generous support of my partner and friends, who raised more than enough money for me to fly down there. We hosted an auction, and everyone came bearing wonderful skills and gifts to auction off, which humbled me beyond words. To me, that made the trip incredibly meaningful before I even boarded the plane.

Second, I met so many beautiful queer women, who found and reclaimed power in their own lives in creative, industrious and meaningful ways. It was so inspiring to be surrounded by powerhouses! Meeting other queer women of color was especially moving, because I found parts of myself in them, and it can be hard to feel understood as a brown queer person. Everyone in the photo shoot was so inspiring, and I hope to visit California again and surround myself with such beauty.

Third and most prominent was the feeling I had during the actual photo shoot. I had made a promise to myself that the purpose of this trip was to seal and symbolize loving and accepting myself, and I felt that manifested in the beautiful garden we stood in during the shoot. I will never forget that moment because like meditation, my mind often wanders to critical and judgmental places easily. That day however, I was Zen. I had fun, I felt sexy and fierce, and the feelings and thoughts that were happening inside myself were just as incredible and joyous as what was happening outside. That moment sealed the trip for me because I was content. I had shared a moment with myself that was loving and forgiving, and I found myself believing that I was enough. I sealed a shift in my consciousness and took it home with me as a gift. I am grateful to now be able to share that gift with all of you.

I love you all deeply for being and existing. I really do. Please visit Montreal, we are amazing here.

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models — its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do — who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Maria is Miss April

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in! If you haven’t picked up the 2013 calendar yet, you should probs get right on that — they’re now available in our store for only $12! For 2014 prepare to have your mind blown, among other things.

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Maria is Miss April

 

Greetings, world! I am a restless soul with a knack for books, clothes, happy hours, bowties, booty popping on the dancefloor, good whiskey, Lana del Rey, and beautiful women. My name is Maria and people know me as the outlandish girl with the fun hair, the fun clothes, and the fun-sized stature. I find comfort in doing things that make me (and others around me) uncomfortable and anything that gets my blood pumping. Flying airplanes, jumping out of them, getting frostbite during brutal 12 mile obstacle courses… count me in!

My tattoos are my babies! All, except for one, are based on my love for science/evolution/evolutionary psychology/evolutionary biology/physical anthropology. My side piece is a quote that says “In the end, we’re all just a bunch of wild animals” with scratch marks going through it to remind myself that we are not superior to the other species we coexist with.

My most prominent piece is the custom red ink damask pattern on my arm. It represents the red queen hypothesis, an evolutionary hypothesis about sex and the evolution of human nature. It is also named after the Red Queen in the Alice in Wonderland tales. The red damask pattern is surrounding a red and gold crown with a DNA strand emerging out of in on my inner arm. It is my pride and joy!

Lastly, I have an 11:11 in white ink on my left hand. I’m afraid I can’t tell you the story behind that one! My best friend has a matching one done in black ink on her right hand and we are the only two people in the world that know the meaning behind it.

Next up on my tattoo wishlist: an extravagant peacock because they are the universal symbol of sexual selection, and something super gay because… I’m kind of a lesbian.

Get to Know Maria

Where are you from?

I was born in the Philippines but moved to Los Angeles when I was one and grew up there. For the last four and a half years, I’ve been living in the beautiful beach city of Santa Barbara, CA with my gay pitbull, Rocco.

Occupation/Major/Passion: 

I am an HIV test counselor for the Pacific Pride Foundation. PPF specializes in providing services to the LGBT and HIV/AIDS community of Santa Barbara county. At night, you can find me tending bar at a quirky little nightclub called Wildcat Lounge (aka the Shitty Kitty). We host Santa Barbara’s premiere gay club night every Sunday so if you’re in the area, stop by for a drink! Recently, a friend of mine and I have started hosting G-Spot, a hot, SEXY dance night for ladies and ladies who love ladies every last Sunday of the month at Wildcat Lounge. I’d love to see some of you there! We decided to band together to create an event that specifically catered to the large queer women population in Santa Barbara because for the last year, queer women specific gatherings have been nearly nonexistent here.

I graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara (Gaucho class of ’12, baby!) where I studied Psychology, Anthropology, and Applied Psychology. Studying evolutionary psychology and physical anthropology, more specifically, the evolution of human sexual nature, is what I am passionate about. If you have any thoughts on monogamy, polygamy, and polyamory, I’d LOVE to chat with you!!

I am also extremely passionate about being a sexual health educator and eventually becoming a sex therapist. Teaching others about sex and helping normalize it is what I want to focus my career on. I am usually the friend who brings up topics like cunnilingus or vibrators to the dinner table or the go-to friend for my friends who don’t know what to buy at the sex store. Sex shouldn’t be taboo and deemed as illicit, it should be embraced! SEX, SEX, SEX! It’s a natural instinct!

Random fact: Did you know that bonobos are considered one of the most peaceful species on earth? They rarely engage in any physical altercations because they resolve their conflicts with consensual sex. Sex is used not only for procreation, but for recreational purposes and to relieve any tension within members of the group. Maybe we can learn a little somethin’ somethin’ from our close primate relatives * winkwink *! Just sayin’… J

Why did you want to be part of this project?

I am an only child, a first generation Filipino-American, and somewhat of the “black sheep” in our traditional, conservative, Catholic family. As a gay atheist with tattoos trying to pursue a career in sex therapy, I think I turned out to be the complete opposite of what my family expected of me. Yes, this definitely made coming out extremely fucking difficult. After many, many years, I am still currently in the process.

I wanted to be part of this project to be a voice for those “black sheeps” out there. If you are feeling like a black sheep, I say, dye your wool a rainbow, put on your craziest outfit, and strut your stuff! This community of ours is larger than it seems and we will find you, accept you, and love the sh*t outta you.

Autostraddle has helped empower myself as a lesbian. I’ve never had close, queer female friends, only acquaintances, so I felt I never had an outlet for my lesbian voice. When I stumbled across Autostraddle, it became an outlet for my lesbian-ness. Now I have Autostraddle to thank for helping me acquire actual lesbian friends too, ha! I love everything that Autostraddle stands for and to all of the people behind it, thank you from the bottom of my queer heart for allowing me to take part in this project, for being amazing…and for being so damn sexy!!!

Cheers, queers!
xoxo

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models, its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do, who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Brianne is Miss March

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in! If you haven’t picked up the 2013 calendar yet, you should probs get right on that — they’re now available in our store for only $12! For 2014 prepare to have your mind blown, among other things.

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Brianne is Miss March

Brianne in her own words:

Hello! My name is Brianne, but you can call me Bri. Or Mama Bri. I have a fierce intensity and I tend to overwhelm people. It’s okay, you’ll adjust, I promise. I’m a loud extrovert, and I will talk to just about anybody. When friends are looking for me, they usually just listen for my voice, my laugh or both. I try to kick myself out of my comfort zone, and I live life with joy.

Get to Know Brianne

Where are you from?

I grew up in Mormon Country — American Fork, Utah to be exact. I currently attend Stanford University.

Occupation/Major/Passion:

I came to Stanford thinking I would major in International Relations, become a diplomat and then Save The World. I figured out my freshman year that I’m actually not very diplomatic. I was left trying to figure out what my passions are and I stumbled onto engineering and design. I ended up taking two years off to come out of the closet and start cultivating my mental health (which in itself is quite the story). Now I’m back at Stanford, trying to learn to live my life without having to plan out a ten-year life plan. After Stanford, I’ll take on Silicon Valley and build my own companies – but I don’t know what my future will look like, exactly. It’s going to be a great ride.

Why did you want to be part of this project?

Oh, a few reasons:

One, I was raised Mormon, in a community where upwards of 90(ish)% of the population belong to the Mormon faith. In Sunday School, I was told to wear camis underneath all shirts, because if a man saw my cleavage and “thought bad thoughts” God would hold me accountable for his sins. I now know: My Femininity is powerful. My participation in this project is another middle finger to the Mormon patriarchy I grew up under. This is my body, and I’ll do with it as I please.

Along the same lines, I am so very tired of reading about Mormon LGBTQ kids committing suicide because they feel rejected by their loved ones and their higher power. My family members’ views and beliefs have evolved over the last few years, and I am incredibly grateful for their support of who I am — even if they don’t completely understand it. Coming out: I was on Google at 2am, searching for advice and trying to find people who were in similar circumstances to mine. I hope this article will show up on someone’s screen who needs it. I wish I would’ve found someone who told me, “There is nothing wrong with or your feelings. You can create your own spiritual path. You are a good person, worthy of love – please keep going.” I’m working on a site, utahisgay.com, as resource for LGBTQ people who are Mormon or were raised within the faith.

Two, in the thread calling for submissions readers were asking for “size diversity,” but it’s impossible to show the diversity of our community when people don’t show up. I had this idea that to be an attractive queer lady, I had to have slouchy jeans and jutting hip bones. This isn’t the case. Positive body image is a motherfucker to cultivate, but it sure is a lot easier when you see someone in the media who looks like you.

Three, I am beginning my career, and I know I am going to encounter people who critique the way I look/dress instead of how I actually run a goddamn company. I’ve decided to circumvent the critics now by taking ownership of the presentation of my body.

This experience has been incredible. The staff was so awesome and made it clear that we were only to do what we were comfortable with. (You guys should ask Robin about what Gloria Steinem said about her kicks.) All of the calendar girls are so different. We have an incredible spectrum of backgrounds, identities and dreams and I am so grateful I got to meet each of them. Models from 2014 have turned into great friends. I have lots of feelings about Autostraddle and its community and I am so grateful to be apart of it.

 

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models, its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do, who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Chloe and Intern Grace are Double Miss February

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in! If you haven’t picked up the 2013 calendar yet, you should probs get right on that — they’re now available in our store for only $13! For 2014 prepare to have your mind blown, among other things.

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Chloe and Intern Grace are Double Miss February

Chloe in her own words:

Hi! My name is Chloe and I’ve been instructed to by a fellow calendar girl to tell you that “I dance and I like to make girls blush, I’m also a hot redhead and I made everyone die by walking around in my underwear at the shoot.” But let me try and use my own words! Let me just start by saying that writing all this made me just as nervous as if I was talking to a girl I liked ridiculously too much…so I might talk too much, but I just really like you guys! I am 19 years old, INFJ and a Gemini. As well as yes, a redhead who loves to dance, make girls blush, and who walked around a good part of the calendar-shoot in my underwear. I decided I really wanted to share the adorable story of when I first told my dad I got chosen to be a 2014 calendar girl with you guys. I am extremely lucky to have very supportive family and friends, but none-the-less, I was still a little nervous to tell my dad I wanted to run off to LA to model for a queer lady calendar. After initially skipping all the way home from school, turning on loud music, and doing crazy excited dances around my room, I called some of my friends and family to share the news, including my dad. After slowly and awkwardly explaining to him what exactly I had applied and gotten chosen for I asked him what he thought, to which I received an enthusiastic “This is so exciting!! That is so awesome!! I am so proud of you!! You have to do it!” I knew he was an amazingly supportive parent, and I don’t know what I expected, but it blew me away and I told him that it took a very special kind of father to say they were proud and excited to send their daughter off to be a lesbian calendar girl. I know that not many of the other girls had family that they were able to tell why they were in LA that weekend, and I am extremely lucky to have family that all responded to the news much like my dad. Having that moment where I was able to step back and really appreciate how amazing the people in my life are is just one more positive thing I will take away from being a part of this project.

Get to Know Chloe

Where are you from?

I live in Livermore California, a small city in the SF Bay Area, where I was born and raised. I love living in the Bay, but in a year or so I’ll be transferring from my community college to some University somewhere and can’t wait for the change of scenery.

Occupation/Major/Passion:

For the past few years I have been working part-time as a ballet teacher for 3-5 year olds and I absolutely love it. I am incredibly passionate about dance and it’s pretty special to apply that to teaching tons of crazy little children. I have been doing ballet for eight years now and I am still just as head over heels in love with it as the day I started. I have also been doing hip-hop for a while now and love how empowering it is. I always leave class feeling like an unstoppable sexy dancing badass, which is never a bad thing. In school I am majoring in psychology, everything about it fascinates me and I am just a complete nerd about it. I plan on earning my master’s degree so I can become a counseling therapist. Also, also! I bake, a lot. Rarely does a week go by when I haven’t whipped up something sweet. It’s a wonderful stress release and also not a bad way to impress cute ladies!

Why did you want to be part of this project?

This last year I decided to approach life with a new sense of adventure. I made a goal to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone and to go after as many new experiences as possible. September A-Camp was one of the first of those experiences and it had a huge part in me applying to be a calendar girl. Camp was so unbelievably wonderful and filled with so many amazing people and memories. I came home feeling the most like myself and with the strongest sense of community I had ever felt in my life. Being an Autostraddle Calendar girl is being queer and out and proud in such a big, powerful, and public way, and my newfound camp confidence made me realize that that was something that I wanted. I wanted to be bold and brave and to have the opportunity to represent the amazing community that is Autostraddle. I owe so many thank yous to Robin, Sara, and the rest of the crew, as well as a shout out to all of the other 2014 calendar girls — I love you all dearly! I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this project. It was such a wonderful and memorable whirlwind of a weekend that I will never forget. Phew! That was the hardest question to answer by far! I didn’t know how to begin to fit all of my feelings into words!

Get to Know Intern Grace

Where are you from?

I live in Columbus, Ohio.

Occupation/Major/Passion:

I’m at Ohio State working on a double major in Journalism and Women’s Studies with minors in Theatre and Film Studies. I am majoring in Autostraddle, basically.

Why did you want to be part of this project?

Robin made me do it.

I am finding it hard to think of something to say here that I will not instantly regret because now whenever I write anything about myself, I feel like Hanna from “Girls.” Robin suggested that people might want to hear about “what it’s like being Riese’s personal intern,” and another calendar girl said that she wants to know what it’s like to have my “own personal fan club.” I feel like the answer to both reads like a film review for “But I’m A Cheerleader,” in that it’s hilarious! It’s unexpected! You get to see Clea Duvall make out with chicks!

I mean, if you can adequately understand and respond to a 2a.m. email that just says, “I need a picture of a tater tot in a cardigan,” you could probably be Riese’s intern. She’s so independent that she almost never asks me to do any heavy lifting. That being said, she is absolutely the smartest person I know, and she is even more clever and more caring privately than people probably realize. Autostraddle has literally and directly saved my life more than once, and I can’t express my gratitude enough.

This calendar was also really big deal for me to do because even though I jokingly identify as a teen heartthrob, I have a lot of deep-seated body issues that I don’t like to talk about publicly or even privately. It can’t be overstated how incredible Robin is as a photographer and as a persuasive friend because if nothing else, this photo shoot gives my therapist and I a new way to talk about an old issue. The point is, this community of weirdos and Muppets has been very good to me, and I’m grateful that I have this opportunity to give back by taking off my shirt.

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:

I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models, its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do, who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2014: Cynthia is Miss January

Sometimes, SOMETIMES you can’t cover your face with smokin’ hot lesbians. When this happens why not cover your walls with them instead!? That’s where the 2014 Autostraddle calendar comes in! If you haven’t picked up the 2013 calendar yet, you should probs get right on that — they’re available in our store for $18! For 2014 prepare to have your mind blown, among other things.

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Artist’s Statement from Robin Roemer:
I want to start off by saying I wish I had a few weeks to photograph each of our 130 applicants, because they were all beautiful and inspiring! We are honored so many of you wanted to participate and we hope, at some point, we can work with each one of you. I mean that most sincerely.

This year we went through our applicants based on the survey first, the photos sent in to me had little to do with who our final picks were. We chose based on answers to a variety of questions. We wanted people who really had a sense of what the project was all about, were readers of Autostraddle, and were involved in their communities at home. We wanted women bursting with energy and love. Second, we wanted to represent our incredibly diverse our community: beauties of all different shapes and styles and backgrounds and gender expressions. Finally we found ourselves with 13 models, its 2013 now so twelve just wouldn’t do, who we feel represent some of the most brilliant our readership has to offer. I hope each of you, especially those of you who applied and were not chosen this year, enjoy this year’s calendar.

Cynthia is Miss January

Cynthia in her own words:

Hey homos! My name is Cynthia and I’m a 22 year old recent grad from the University of Iowa. I turn 23 on January 19th so shout-out to all the Capricorns! This year, Robin wanted us Calendar Girls to submit some of our personal stories. I was going to share the story of how I told my parents I was going to California to visit a law school when I actually had a photo shoot for a queer lady calendar, but I’ll save that one for later. I’d like to think that something unique about me is my energy. I just love life and the people in it so much! It doesn’t take much to make me laugh and when I start it usually takes me a while to stop. I really believe when we emit positive energy in our words, actions and thoughts we attract even more good vibrations to ourselves. I also am starting to believe I can think things into existence but again, another story for later.

Get to Know Cynthia

Where are you from?

I’m from several south suburbs of Chicago but for the past five years I’ve lived in Iowa City.

Occupation /Major/Passion:

I just graduated from the University of Iowa in December with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Theatre. I’m applying to law schools right now and hope to eventually practice human rights law. In the mean time I work in a group home, providing care for amazing individuals who happen to have developmental disabilities.

Why did you want to be a part of this project?

I still can’t believe I was chosen to be a be a part of this project! Major love to Robin, Sara, and everyone who helped make the 2014 calendar happen! It was an experience I’ll truly never forget. Autostraddle is more than a website; it is an amazing community of queer women. It’s the personal stories shared by brave women on this site that gave me the courage to finally come out.

I’m a first born, first generation Cameroonian-American with very traditional and religious parents. My decision to come out was absolutely terrifying. Still, I knew that no matter how my family reacted, there was a community of understanding ladies ready to accept me with open arms. After coming out there were lots of tears, lots of prayer and things still get a bit rocky at times but I’ve never been closer with my family and wouldn’t have things any other way. I just hope that sharing my story inspires women the same way other Autostraddlers have encouraged and inspired me.

On a lighter but just as serious note, I also wanted to be a Calendar Girl because the eligible lesbian population in Iowa City is roughly 4.5. Since my OkCupid isn’t getting many hits either I figured, “What better way to get myself out there?!”

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Crew:
Co-created by Robin Roemer and Sara Medd
Photographed by Robin Roemer
Wardrobe styling by Sara Medd
Hair by Taylor Stevenson
Make-up by Marla Verdugo

Line Production, Location Scouting and Catering: Sarah Croce
Design, Location Scouting, Production assistant: Alex Vega
Lighting Assistant: Kamila Baker
Production Assistant: Christina Bly
Puppy Wrangler: Mollie Thomas

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive and remain on-topic. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any  criticisms of the model, her appearance or the appearance of the Calendar Girls as a whole will be deleted. Furthermore, any direct questions/concerns about the project in general can be to robin at autostraddle dot com!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2013: Christina is Miss December

Another year, another opportunity to create a kickass calendar of smokin’ hot lesbians. If you’ve not picked up the 2012 calendar yet, now would be the time — they’re available for the post-holiday price of $5! For 2013 we did something completely different yet totally spectacular.

Are you ready to meet the 2013 Calendar Girls?

video edited by Sarah Croce and Lauren Aadland

Now, onward and upward — here’s Robin!

Artist’s Statement:

For the 2013 Autostraddle Calendar, we put on our bathing suits and hit the water! My goal this year was to do a black and white series that was playful, sexy, and all about the women. I sought to capture images that would reflect the models’ feelings of freedom and comfort in their own skin. We chose a simple expanse of sand and water where the horizon is somewhat indistinguishable, and it was the perfect setting for a very personal and introspective look at each of these extraordinary women.

As a photographer, photographing an entire day at the beach is a great challenge. You need to maintain consistency as the light changes drastically throughout the day and the tides ebb and flow. This adds an interesting element in the images as over the course of the day, we watched them play and interact from sunrise to sunset. We closed the day with some very quiet, intimate interactions between the women who’d come to know each other over the course of those hours.

I love coming away from these shoots knowing that all of these women are now friends, and I hope that these images reflect those bonds formed.

A huge thank you to our beautiful models and our amazing crew for a job well-done. A special thank you to stylist and co-producer Sara Medd for being my partner in this project.

Robin, Photographer

Crew:
Robin Roemer, Photographer and Co-producer
Sara Medd, Stylist and Co-producer

Sarah Croce, Production coordinator and video
Lauren Aaland, video

Alex Vega, designer

Christina Natale, Make-up
Brandi Andrews, Make-up
Taylor Stevenson, Hair
Michelle McCaw, Hair

Sabrina Bringuier, Photo Assistant

Our December Lady is Christina:

Christina in her own words:

Hey! My name is Christina Bly, but everyone pretty much just calls me Bly. I’m 25 and moved to LA two years ago from NY. One of those “grew up in NY and was ready to take on the world” stories, and I’ve really enjoyed the adventure so far. I came out here primarily to work in production and have been making my way up the ladder to do audio.

When I’m not slaving away at work, I enjoy my free time being spontaneous. If you feel like taking a road trip or random vacation anywhere, call me up because I am always in. Also I love camping and hiking — the car is always packed and ready to go. I guess I like to live as if I can drop everything one moment and go do something crazy and random the next. Keeps life interesting that way.

Thank you Autostraddle and the girls who put together the whole calendar for letting me be a part of such an awesome experience. Your hard work definitely shows.

Robin’s Phoner with Christina

Where are you from and why did you decide to move to LA?

Well I am from NY but when I say that I don’t mean NYC I mean upstate western NY area…Rochester. I moved to LA because I went to school for film/tv and obviously not much was going on in good old Roc City so it was move to NYC or LA and I had never been to LA so why not take an adventure.

Are you working in film or TV now?

Yeah, I have been fortunate enough to move to a city I had never even visited before and stay pretty busy working mainly in reality TV.

What’s it like being on a reality TV set? Do things feel more staged than what the audience sees?

A lot of “reality” is staged. But a lot of the time they have story ideas they already want to incorporate and try and get the cast members to run with those ideas. As far as what they say and do afterwards a lot of that is the reality.

Being a behind the camera person, did it feel strange to be photographed?

It was a little awkward to be the focus. I have been photographed before for some other friends projects but by no means do I feel like a natural. It is fun to experience the other side at times though.

We basically just shoved you in the water with Mary and were like- GO!

Getting to shoot with Mary was great. I think it broke the ice a little when I met her and a minute later we got knocked over by a wave on top of each other. Like, oops it was nice to meet you!

I think its so cool that no one knows each other at the beginning of these shoots and now, for instance, Mary lives in LA and you guys are buddies.

Most of the girls from the shoot were all new to each other and it’s been amazing to see how we have all stayed in touch and some even have become really good friends since!

You and Mollie were I think our most tattooed models. How many do you have now?

Ohhh boy, I never know how to count this. My sleeve is basically my journal so I keep adding pieces at a time so if I counted some of those separately, with the rest of mine I’m going to say currently 14.

That’s commitment.

Yeah it is. I will eventually have a full sleeve and have even gotten a couple more since the shoot.

You were also a model again on Autostraddle this year for Sarah Croce’s fitness article right? I believe you were at a gun show. Is that where you were, a gun show?

Yes I was. Croce started writing fitness articles for Autostraddle and apparently thought I had the guns to participate in the show.

I think its safe to say you do and that you are most likely also into fitness. Is that a fair assessment?

That is indeed a fair assessment. It gets difficult keeping up with it when you work 12+ hour days in production but I try and fit in workouts when I can and eat healthy as well.

What’s the most (stereotypically) lesbian thing about you?

Probably the fact I own a lot of camping gear and tools.

Camping!! Why haven’t you come to A-Camp yet?

I know!! I’m all about the outdoors and I have missed A-Camp both times. This just means I’m going to have to come to the next one and have twice the making up to do at it!

One more question, what’s the sexiest aspect of a girl?

I really like when a girl can keep up with me in conversation but also has some mystery about her. It’s intriguing. Also I’m pretty sarcastic so I think it’s sexy when they can give it right back to me.

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any shit-talking or criticisms of the model’s appearance will get deleted. Direct questions/concerns about the project or website as a whole can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com or riese at autostraddle dot com!

Introducing the 2013 Autostraddle Calendars! Pre-order Now and Get Special Things

After months of hot girls and sweet anticipation, it’s finally time to unveil The 2013 Autostraddle Calendar, our best calendar yet! It’s been quite a process this year (apparently partial nudity is An Issue for very many printers) and I’m absolutely thrilled to open up pre-orders for this year’s calendar/zine featuring the work of Robin Roemer and the hearts/minds/bodies of 20 queer women.

See the 2013 Calendar Girl series here.

That day on the beach seems like so long ago, but the pictures bring me back: this year Robin wanted to do a stripped-down black-and-white shoot that focused more on scenes of friends being super-gay together on the beach than on the more traditional individual portraits.

The pictures are pretty rad — Robin even had a gallery show in New York for the collection we’re now selling to you on 40 tabloid-sized newsletter-style pages featuring 12 calendar layouts in a photo-‘zine format.

Now it’s time to pre-order your calendar! From now until December 1st, you can pre-order the 2013 Autostraddle Calendar for only $14 (price goes up to $18 after December 1st). Here’s a giant link:

Pre-Order Your 2013 Autostraddle Calendar Here

There are so many photos in this thing, you guys, photos that make you feel good to be alive and gay. Plus, there are so many ways to use 40-pages of newsprint: pull the full pages out and hang them up as posters, or use them as gift wrap for the holidays (I have done this with past ‘zines and highly recommend it), use the calendar pages as your 2013 wall/poster calendar, or just leave the whole thing together as the complete entity that it is.

And guess what there’s room to write your notes in on certain days
so that you don’t forget to feed your cat or whatever:

When will my calendar arrive?

Good question – for pre-orders made before December 1st, you will receive your calendar the second week of December. So at some point between the 10th and the 14th. So get those pre-orders in, y’all!
As always, thanks for your support and don’t forget to pre-order your 2013 Autostraddle Calendar!

Check Out The Gay-Wedded Winners of the Marriage Equality Giveaway Package!

Once upon a time, when marriage equality was still a new and shiny thing in New York state, Autostraddle’s Robin Roemer offered a giveaway of a wedding photography package to celebrate. The contest was narrowed down to five finalist couples, which all of you voted on to decide who would receive:

+ A professional photography package that includes wedding coverage, image editing, an online gallery and a DVD of high-resolution images.

+ A personalized wedding ceremony valued at $850-$1,000.

+ A signed copy of the book, The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget by Kate L. Harrison.

+ A gift certificate for a $250 shopping spree to Green Bride Guide’s Green Wedding Registry.

+ Their wedding featured on Autostraddle.

When the votes were all tallied, the winners were the super-cute and head-over-heels-in-love Abby and Lani!

When Lani and Abby applied to the contest, we were in shock and awe over how adorable they seem and how fantastic their relationship sounds:

“My favorite moments together are the times that seem most like ordinary life. Curling into the crook of her arm and watching reality TV cooking shows. Slicing vegetables and making hummus to put into our salads each day for lunch. Lani always gives me her seat on the subway, and stands in front of me holding my hand. I give her extra greens in her salad and I always keep extra almonds in my bag in case she gets hungry. Our love, to me, is daily, hourly, moment-to-moment thoughtfulness. It’s a diligent love, kind of like Elizabeth Gilbert’s “diligent joy” in Eat Pray Love. She will always save me the crispiest french fries. I will always keep her peanut butter stocked so she has a 2 AM snack.”

“We love deeply, and passionately- but it’s when we’re quiet and calm that I can really feel how powerful and full our commitment is. I cannot wait for romantic vacations, road trips, and wild adventures, but I also can’t wait for marriage. Pushing our toddler on a swing. Waking up when the monsters are in the closet, and singing lullabies together to help our baby back to sleep. What means the most to me is that we will truly have a lifetime of love together. And the day we commit our lives to each other, legally and in front of all of our family and friends- I want that day to live with us and in us always. I want to open a book, and point to a wall, and say, “We did that. We made vows that we are keeping every day.” If ever there was a couple who would appreciate your gift and share it with everyone around us, it is us.”

After finding out that they had won the giveaway, Abby and Lani changed their wedding plans somewhat:

This has really been an amazing journey for us. We still can’t believe we WON! A huge thank you to every one of the Autostraddle readers who voted for us. And an ENORMOUS thank you to all of our friends and family, who were bombarded every day on facebook and email, each day with more compelling pleas to vote. We had friends passing the link around to their offices, their families… It was really how you dream these contests would turn into – everyone played a part and shared the love.

When we entered this UNREAL competition, our plans were to have a hometown wedding in NH. Well, we turned that idea on its head once we realized that we really wanted a lot of quality time with our loved ones. Like, DAYS. Enter the destination wedding! We planned an amazing 4 day/3 night event through the 4 star, all-inclusive Palace Resorts / Hard Rock Hotel and invited along 35 of our closest friends and family.

Thank you Autostraddle and Robin Roemer for this amazing gift!

 

So Robin flew out to Paradise, also known as Cancun, and spent days capturing just how beautiful Abby and Lani’s relationship is.

It’s hard to describe Abby and Lani’s dynamic because you sort of have to see it to understand. Hopefully the images I’ve chosen give you a glimpse into how incredibly enamored these two are with each other. Every time I saw either one of them, they just looked like they were the happiest they could possibly be. It was so lovely to meet both supportive and loving families and their super fun friends who travelled to Mexico from all over the country to be there for the couple. I’m so incredibly grateful I was able to give this gift to such a deserving and lovely couple. From the bottom of my heart, I wish them all the happiness in the world.

— Robin

And now some words from Abby and Lani:

A lot has happened in the past year for us as a couple. Lani handed in her dissertation to receive her doctorate from Yale (two weeks before the wedding!). Abby got a really fantastic new job and has been spoiled rotten by amazing coworkers and corporate benefits. And we’ve grown a lot together. We had a pretty fast engagement, so the past 18 months have been really essential for our growth as a couple. Learning how to face conflict, problem solving with someone else next to you, being present when you want to run to your room… It’s hard and amazing and we are just so happy to be where we are: side by side, for always.

Congratulations to Abby and Lani from everyone at Autostraddle! To see all 50 photos from Abby and Lani’s wedding, check them out on Robin’s website!

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2013: Alana and Julie are Double Miss November

Another year, another opportunity to create a kickass calendar of smokin’ hot lesbians. If you’ve not picked up the 2012 calendar yet, now would be the time — they’re available for the post-holiday price of $10! For 2013 we did something completely different yet totally spectacular.

Are you ready to meet the 2013 Calendar Girls?

video edited by Sarah Croce and Lauren Aadland

Now, onward and upward — here’s Robin!
Artist’s Statement:

For the 2013 Autostraddle Calendar, we put on our bathing suits and hit the water! My goal this year was to do a black and white series that was playful, sexy, and all about the women. I sought to capture images that would reflect the models’ feelings of freedom and comfort in their own skin. We chose a simple expanse of sand and water where the horizon is somewhat indistinguishable, and it was the perfect setting for a very personal and introspective look at each of these extraordinary women.

As a photographer, photographing an entire day at the beach is a great challenge. You need to maintain consistency as the light changes drastically throughout the day and the tides ebb and flow. This adds an interesting element in the images as over the course of the day, we watched them play and interact from sunrise to sunset. We closed the day with some very quiet, intimate interactions between the women who’d come to know each other over the course of those hours.

I love coming away from these shoots knowing that all of these women are now friends, and I hope that these images reflect those bonds formed.

A huge thank you to our beautiful models and our amazing crew for a job well-done. A special thank you to stylist and co-producer Sara Medd for being my partner in this project.

Robin, Photographer

Crew:
Robin Roemer, Photographer and Co-producer
Sara Medd, Stylist and Co-producer

Sarah Croce, Production coordinator and video
Lauren Aaland, video

Alex Vega, designer

Christina Natale, Make-up
Brandi Andrews, Make-up
Taylor Stevenson, Hair
Michelle McCaw, Hair

Sabrina Bringuier, Photo Assistant

Our November Ladies are Alana and Julie:

Alana in her own words:

Hiya! I’m Alana! I’m 23; born, raised, and still living in Los Angeles! And this whole thing might be in exclamation marks because I’m so excited! Okay, so I’m not going to do that but I am super excited. Anyways, I’m currently in this really awkward phase of growing up and finally figuring out the things I want to do with my life, so I’m basically in school and working. Switching from the role of a partying wild child to a responsible adult has been a little tough, but I like becoming more independent.

I love animals, and have two babies. I’ve been a vegetarian since 2006, and I’m still going strong! (Tofurkey anyone?) I love all types of music, and will dance to almost anything that I can. My favorite when it comes to dancing is ballet, though dancing in a club is almost as good. I’m a pretty social person who likes to be out and about around people, and having a good laugh. Though I won’t lie and say I’ve never been the person who befriended the dog over talking to people at a house party.

I consider myself androgynous and identify with being called queer. I think the fact that I never related to the word ‘lesbian’ made it a little difficult when coming out. I feel like I’m in the grey area between butch and femme, and I like it. Realizing that this grey area made me feel less constricted has helped me become a lot more comfortable with being myself. I’d like to thank the ladies at Autostraddle for this opportunity! Meeting those of you I have met, haven’t met, and people I’ve met through you, has all played a big role with me being more comfortable in my skin. THANK YOU ALL!

Robin’s Phoner with Alana

What got you interested in applying for the project?

Well, I’d been on the site a lot, and it was a really last minute thought. I was on the site, and was really thinking, “Why not? If I’m not picked no big deal, and if I am well, that’ll be awesome and it’d be great to part of something.” A possible ego boost helped too!

What was your favorite part of the day?

Hm, I think best part was just the chill time in between the shots. And talking to everyone and joking around. When I think back I just like the feeling of acceptance that was there. I have like three lesbian friends, and it was my first time being around such a diverse group of women.

What do you do for fun?

I like to dance. It helps with my state of mind. When I was younger, I was always too shy to ever go in front of people. I started off alone in my bedroom instead of a class filled with other kids. I don’t think I was actually on beat until I was like 16 though.

Tell me about your pets!

Oh I could probably go on forever. My dog Ted is 4 years old — he’s my baby, and I’ve actually given new parents advice from my experience with my dog. Also, the advice worked! But yeah, he’s basically a furry human who’s good at listening, rolling his eyes, and getting more attention from girls than I do. I also have a kitten named Dorian who’s around 4 months old. I’m still learning with him, but so far he thinks Ted is his mom, and tries to nurse from him. Also he likes water a little too much and jumps in the shower and/or toilet whenever he can.

If you could be a Disney sidekick, who would you be?

That’s tough! But I think I’d want to be Kronk from Emperors New Groove. He speaks squirrel and is super funny. And comes with a little demon and angel on his shoulder. Or I’d probably be Genie from Aladdin.

Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?

I’m more excited for shopping after Thanksgiving!

Do you have a favorite store?

I like ASOS a lot and Topman for more boyish styles, as far as online stores. Though H&M is really good too. Depends on the style I’m going for.

And you have a more andro style, so you probably like mix it up a lot.

Yeah I have a hard time figuring out just the right look I want. I probably take way too long to get dressed, even for something very simple.

---

Julie in her own words:

Hi! I’m Julie, 23 and a recent resident of the beautiful city of San Francisco (GIANTS!) after previously residing in West Hollywood. I was born outside of Chicago, and spent most of my life on the coast of Florida.

My original goal after college was to go to law school, but even after doing fairly awesome on the LSAT, I had a change of heart. Like most people my age, I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that is — but for now, I’m in Operations at a great company called Indiegogo. Autostraddle, I think you may have heard of us?

When not in the office, I spend a lot of time with the pups — a 5 month old Husky mix and a 3 year old Golden Retriever mix. These two are part dolphin and love when they’re taken to the ocean. I’m also a fan of exploring the best coast/blowing all of my money in Vegas/wine tasting in Napa with my beautiful girlfriend, Devon. A lot of time is also spent going to music festivals, eating at one of San Francisco’s nine million amazing restaurants, or the (very) occasional Top Model/SVU Netflix marathon. Two words: Olivia Benson.

Anyway, I just want to say thank you to Autostraddle for allowing me to be a part of this amazing group of ladies. That, and congratulations on your amazing campaign! You guys deserve it : )

Robin’s Phoner with Julie

So, I know it was almost a year ago now, but did you enjoy the shoot day?

Yeah! It was amazing. Getting the chance to meet girls from all over the place in that setting was awesome. Also, it was basically the first time my girlfriend and I hung out for more than an hour or so, so that was also a great bonding experience for us.

The water was so cold, you guys were very brave.

Yeah, it was freeeeezing. Nice transition into the lovely beaches of SF.

Oh yeah, you moved from LA to San Fran, how are you liking it?

I’m really liking it a lot. I’ve never lived somewhere with cool weather, so it’s definitely a new experience. I live in the Castro, so it’s not toooo different from West Hollywood, but it’s definitely a more tight-knit community.

From gay utopia to gay utopia!

All gay, all the time.

What do you do in SF for fun?

Well, I have two crazy dogs so I spend a lot of time taking them to the parks around here. I also explore the city and take advantage of the millions of events that happen in SF all the time. Today was actually the Giants parade, and they closed down half the city. Totally nuts. We also go to a lot of music festivals!

Are you a musician at all or just a music lover?

Just an admirer. I’ve tried my hand at guitar before (for a girl, ha) but I’ll just leave that to the professionals.

So you still work at Indiegogo?

Yep!

The Autostraddle campaign did pretty well huh?

Autostraddle is actually a big name around here, one of our largest campaigns. It went incredibly well.

I love the idea of Indiegogo — it must feel good to know you work a place that helps people raise money for worthy causes.

Yeah, it’s amazing. Giving anyone the chance to earn money for their cause is something that I definitely stand behind. Right now we’re focusing on helping the victims of Hurricane Sandy. There are already a lot of campaigns that have been started to help out.

That’s so great! There’s certainly a need. Switching gears a little, do you have any guilty pleasures?

I love super cheesy pop music. I’m kiiind of in love with Miley Cyrus…and Justin Bieber. I actually had to make one of the most difficult decisions recently: I had tickets to both Madonna and Bieber, on the same night. But after a lot of reasoning, I chose Madonna. Not a bad predicament to be in.

Haha, nice choice. Although, I do like me some Bieber too.

I figured Bieber has some time left to tour. Madonna might have to call it quits a little sooner than he, but after seeing how incredibly in shape she is, I could be wrong.

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any shit-talking or criticisms of the model’s appearance will get deleted. Direct questions/concerns about the project or website as a whole can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com or riese at autostraddle dot com!