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.

BETH MALONE

Unless you´ve been living under a rock these past few months, you know Beth Malone is performing her heart out right now in the Tony-winning Broadway musical Fun Home as the adult version of cartoonist Alison Bechdel (also one of our Women We Love). Another thing Malone has in common with Bechdel is having survived a traumatic coming out experience. “I had shame, so my family´s shame seemed justified,” she says. “I wasn´t even mad when my father stopped speaking to me for seven years. … Now, retroactively, I feel disappointed in the way it all went down, but not at all surprised. There are still large religious enclaves keeping people in the dark ages where gayness is concerned, and I just happened to be raised in one of those. I love my parents very much, but I was saddened that their love for me seemed to have limitations, and me being gay was one of them.” Thankfully, her relationship with her family is much different these days. Malone believes one way we can conquer homophobia, whether in our own families or outside, is to be visible. “The more we are integrated into everyone´s daily reality, the harder it will be to discriminate. … Don´t hide. Live large and free and let young people see you doing that.” -GH


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