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.

Susan Allen
Susan Allen ‘s incredible drive and dedication to public service helped her overcome a childhood marked by poverty and transience–and propelled her to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she was elected as its first Native American female member. She is also the first Native American out lesbian to serve in any state legislature. Allen moved from place to place during her childhood, living on Indian reservations or cities with prominent Native American communities; by the time she finished eighth grade, she had attended more than 20 schools. She raised a son as a single parent, then attended law school to earn professional and advanced law degrees. She became a partner at the firm of Fredericks, Peebles & Morgan, where she provides legal counsel to Native American tribes and tribal entities on complex commercial transactions, corporate governance and taxation. Now representing the ethnically diverse communities of South Minneapolis, Allen won her seat in Minnesota House of Representatives in a special election this past January. Her own challenges still influence her call to service. “Having experienced social exclusion and discrimination, I ran for office to be at the forefront in fighting discrimination in housing, transportation, employment opportunities, healthcare and other areas of social and economic life,” Allen says.