100 Women We Love 2015

We are thrilled to present this year’s 100 Women We Love—an incredibly diverse group of out entertainers, athletes, artists, activists, business leaders and elected officials.

ANJA PAERSON

Anja Paerson´s confidence and outspokenness match her phenomenal skiing career. The decorated Swedish Alpine athlete has a roster of wins that any pro would envy. Paerson made her professional debut in 1998, when she was just 17 years old, at the World Cup in Switzerland. Between that year and 2012, Paerson went on to compete in 42 World Cup races and took home 19 championship medals, including 7 golds. She also competed in three Winter Olympics-2002 in Salt Lake City, 2006 in Turin, and 2010 in Vancouver-and won one gold, one silver, and four bronze medals. After retiring in 2012, Paerson opened up about her private life; she told Swedish media that not only had she been in a relationship with a woman for five years, but that she was expecting her first child. She had her son Elvis on July 4, 2012, and married her girlfriend Filippa in August 2014. That year, Paerson spoke out against Russia´s anti-gay laws and the International Olympic Committee´s reluctance to address homophobia at the Sochi Olympics. “The Olympic Committee had a huge responsibility in Sochi and they didn´t stand up for human rights,” she later told CNN. “They were hiding from the difficult questions.” She´s still urging the international sports community to get with the times. “Hopefully they have learned from Sochi Olympics and will get better in the future,” she said. -KL


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