100 Women We Love

100 Women We Love 2011

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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.

SHARYN JACKSON

If you run into Sharyn Jackson wearing a salt-and-pepper wig and a boxy pantsuit, don’t be alarmed. She’s just channeling the late, great Bea Arthur as the co-founder of the “We Love the Golden Girls” annual tribute party at the Stonewall Inn, now in its fourth year. “The Golden Girls…portrayed female sex appeal in a way no other show ever did. Those four women were icons during my childhood; they taught me what I had to look forward to. And as someone who identifies most with Dorothy/Bea Arthur, Golden Girls showed me that you could be awkward, sarcastic and exceptionally tall, and still have people fawning over you for a date,” Jackson laughs. “Where else could I have learned the difference between ‘Lebanese’ and ‘lesbian’?” Out of Miami Beach drag, Jackson attends Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, where she concentrates on magazine writing, and works as an associate editor at the Village Voice. –KL

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