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

100 Women We Love 2012

June 15, 2012
“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.

Ellen Degeneres
This isn’t the first time Ellen DeGeneres has been included in “100 Women We Love,” and we predict it won’t be the last. The comedian/actor/philanthropist talk show queen’s winning streak just won’t quit. Most recently, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. honored DeGeneres with the 15th annual Mark Twain Prize, one of America’s most prestigious awards for humor. Like Twain, DeGeneres crafts lighthearted comedy with social commentary, highlighting injustice and advocating causes close to her heart without polemic. “To get the same award that has been given to people like Bill Cosby, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell, it really makes me wonder—why didn’t I get this sooner?” she quips. Between taping her eponymous talk show, publishing her third book Seriously…I’m Kidding, and keeping house with wife Portia, the media magnate devotes time and money to her “pet” projects. She’s adopted cows at The Gentle Barn, a rescue for abused and neglected farm animals; encourages cruelty-free eating with her website, Going Vegan With Ellen; and connects adoptable pets with new families. What’s not to love?

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