100 Women We Love 2011
It’s been a whirlwind year for Chely Wright. The award-winning country artist and songwriter stunned the conservative country music world by coming out in 2010, a difficult and life-changing decision she detailed in her 2011 autobiography, Like Me. She also released her critically-acclaimed seventh album, Lifted Off the Ground, a tour-de-force more than five emotionally-grueling years in the making. The documentary film, Wish Me Away, chronicles her journey from preparation to aftermath of her decision to come out to Nashville, her hometown, and within the LGBT community, will make its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival this summer. Her soul-searching, however, has been worth it: The newly-minted LGBT role model serves as the national spokesperson for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and speaks out against school bullying. Wright believes “that to whom much is given, much is required. I have lived a very blessed life and I know what it feels like to achieve goals. I want to do my part in helping others have as many opportunities to have milestones in their lives too.” –KL
The 100 Women We Love – out artists, elected officials, business leaders, athletes, community activists – are role models for us all. Many are up-and-coming movers and shakers; some are at the zenith of their careers. Some of their achievements change our world and, just as importantly, others improve the world’s perception of out women. They all strive tirelessly to increase our visibility and continue our incredible progress toward equality and justice.
We proudly present the class of 2011, in random order, so each gets her well-deserved turn in the spotlight.
CLARITY HAYNES
In the late ‘90s, visual artist Clarity Haynes founded the Breast Portrait Project, an ongoing, collaborative feminist art project. After painting a nude self-portrait in oil that helped her accept her body, Haynes began doing torso portraits in pastel at women’s festivals and retreats. “Historically, the painted portrait signifies prestige, beauty and social power. I choose to portray women’s real bodies, which are often invisible in this culture,” she explains, adding, “My work is an expression of the pride that we can and should feel about ourselves, the space we take up in the world, and our divine fierceness.” Haynes’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Brooklyn’s Tabla Rasa Gallery, Bogigian Gallery at Wilson College, and Artists’ House Gallery in Philadelphia; and in group exhibitions at the ‘temporary Museum, the Allentown Art Museum and Hopkins House Gallery of Contemporary Art in New Jersey. –CM
