100 Women We Love, Queer Women We Love, Wonder Women

100 Women We Love 2012

June 15, 2012 Destiny Dejesus

“Knowing that my election showed Charlotteans and the world that we are not bound by discrimination wakes me every morning with pride,” proclaims LaWana Mayfield, the City Council representative for District 3 in Charlotte, NC, and the city’s first openly gay elected official. Last November, she trounced her Republican opponent in the council election with 78 percent of the vote, replacing an eight-year incumbent. Now, continuously building on her 15 years of activism, her other leadership posts include the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, Mecklenburg County Development Corp. Board, Smart Start Board and the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund Board of Advisors. Prior to the election, Mayfield took an active role in LGBT activism as the Human Rights Campaign’s Diversity Co-Chair. “I believe that my role, along with growing the City of Charlotte, is to open the door for LGBTQ dialogue and to create pathways to service. I have this amazing opportunity to help direct the growth of the City of Charlotte through my vote,” Mayfield says. “I am right where I am supposed to be, and I love my job!”

Drum roll, please! We’re excited to present this year’s 100 Women We Love—our most diverse group of out entertainers, artists, athletes, activists, business principals and elected officials yet. Each of these women is a superstar in her own right. Their achievements and contributions shape our lives —and elevate us in the eyes of the world . They’re working to raise LGBT awareness, increase our visibility and quicken our progress toward a just society.

We are extremely proud to present the class of 2012. There are no rankings or numbers. They are all leaders.

Christy Halbert
“Especially for women athletes, sport can offer a safe place where, for a match or a game, we don’t worry about conforming,” Dr. Christy Halbert observes. She speaks from experience. Halbert is the leading expert on women’s boxing, a sociologist, an elite-level coach of four multiple-time U.S. champions, and a passionate advocate for female athletes. Last year, in recognition of her pioneering work in women’s boxing, she received the prestigious Olympic Torch Award from the U.S. Olympic Committee, an honor given to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the Olympic movement in this country. Halbert was the driving force behind the debut of women’s boxing in the 2012 Summer Olympics, a historic first. Her dedication stems from a strong belief that sport is both self-definition and a crucial part of the women’s movement. She believes that Olympic boxing is a matter of social justice. Thanks to her, the Games of the XXX Olympiad will be the first in history to include men and women in all sports. She hopes that others will discover the transformative power of Olympic-style boxing.