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.

Nancy Sutley
Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), which coordinates federal environmental efforts and works with agencies to develop environmental initiatives. As such, she has the Obama administration’s ear when recommending science-based policies for energy efficiency, addressing climate change, natural heritage protection and public health. Before moving to D.C., Sutley served as L.A.’s Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment, where she spearheaded a program to retrofit 500 of the city’s buildings for greater energy efficiency and designed environmental standards for new real estate developments. In her twodecade career in public service, Sutley also served in the EPA during the Clinton administration, as California Gov. Gray Davis’ Energy Advisor, and on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Recently, Sutley and other officials unveiled the Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities, an initiative to address the multiple factors causing disproportionately high rates of asthma among minority communities. “[These communities] often face an unacceptable burden of pollution in this country, diminishing their economic potential and threatening the health of millions of American families,” Sutley explains. “The President’s administration is standing behind his commitment to integrating environmental justice into the missions of federal agencies, promoting clean air and healthy communities, and ensuring this really is a country of equal opportunity for all.”

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