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.

Martha Nelson
In 2010, publishing powerhouse Martha Nelson was named editorial director of Time Inc., the company’s second-highest editorial executive position. As such, she manages all titles and editors in Time’s Style & Entertainment Group and Lifestyle Group—a collection of the biggest consumer magazine titles in the country. Nelson’s previous role involved overseeing several of Time’s leading magazine brands and their websites, including People, Entertainment Weekly, InStyle, Essence, People StyleWatch and People en Español. Her work as a editor has been celebrated with some of the industry’s most prestigious accolades. Forbes Magazine featured Nelson as one of the “World’s Most Powerful Women” for three years in a row. She was designated “Editor of the Year” by Adweek in 2006, while Media Industry News (MIN) recognized her as one of the media industry’s “21 Most Intriguing” the previous year. An active philanthropist, Nelson is on numerous boards of directors, including The Actors Fund and the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America.