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.

Gauri Manglik
At 23, Gauri Manglik is already making her mark on the predominantly male tech startup scene. After graduating from NYU, where she majored in computer science, the young entrepreneur quit her job in finance to start her own company. She is now the CEO and co-founder of Fondu, a growing social network for sharing “bite-size restaurant reviews” with friends. Recently featured by Apple in its App Store, Fondu’s ambitious vision is to eventually move past food reviews and allow users to view all experiences through other people’s eyes. With the launch of Fondu, Manglik grabbed the technology world’s attention. NYU named her Entrepreneur of the Month and she is a featured innovator on Under30CEO.com, a media platform covering early stage businesses around the globe. All the while, Manglik is confident, out and proud–a true trailblazer. “Being a lesbian and an Indian in a leadership role is really cool,“ she says. “I’m proud to bring my unique perspective to the startup scene where a diversity of ideas is important when trying to create innovative solutions. I’m glad I can do this, so that other people can do it too.”