Franco remembers Essence editor Linda Villarosa on Deneuve’s cover in 1993. “We were enamored with the fact that she was a strong African American lesbian at the helm of a magazine. And she’s smokin’ hot!”

Franco remembers Essence editor Linda Villarosa on Deneuve’s cover in 1993. “We were enamored with the fact that she was a strong African American lesbian at the helm of a magazine. And she’s smokin’ hot!”
Franco remembers: “If you bought your copy of Deneuve in the South, chances are you couldn’t browse the October 1994 issue. It was deemed offensive, so a cobalt shrink-wrapped plastic cover concealed Marga Gomez’s half naked torso, making it impossible to peek inside or even see the cover without buying the magazine.”
Franco remembers the second Deneuve cover. “Two dancers from SF straddling each other on a motorcycle with a gay flag in the background. If that doesn’t say lesbian I don’t know what does!”
“If I inspired even one young activist to use what I did as a springboard to speak up and represent their community, then it was a total win.” Franco spoke with Claudia Cometa about her experience with Curve magazine on the Free Your Mind podcast.