100 Women We Love: Class of 2021

Abby Sugar is the founder and CEO of Play Out Apparel, a gender-equal clothing brand. The brand came out of a personal struggle to find gender- expression affirming apparel, and from her entrepreneurial spirit, which was nurtured in The Founder Institute startup accelerator. As an “outgoing, unapologetically queer startup founder,” she says, Sugar strives to be a leading voice for the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, when faced with adversity within the startup world, she didn’t back down. In 2020, only 2.3% of venture capital funding went to women-led startups, and for LGBTQ+ led ones, the number was even smaller. “I think a lot about the obstacles to success that LGBTQ+ founders face in the startup industry when I think about being an out startup entrepreneur,” says Sugar. “I am determined not to be limited by these numbers and to succeed in the face of adversity.” Her current role allows her to not only plant a flag for LGBTQ+ led startups, but give back to the community through comfort and fashion. “The most rewarding aspect of my work is hearing from customers and members of our community that they feel represented and seen by our brand and can fully express themselves authentically by wearing Play Out,” Sugar tells GO. “It really touches me when we receive messages that our website and social media is a safe space, and that they truly see that we are making the world a kinder and more accepting place. It inspires me to keep doing what we’re doing!” —IL

Founder of Moonlight Experiences, Aisha Shaibu is an LGBTQ+ activist whose award-winning company is dedicated to uplifting marginalized voices through nightlife and tourism. Moonlight Experiences aims to create intersectional events that challenge the traditional lack of diversity in these spaces by promoting queer, POC, and women-owned venues for queer and ally tourists. Moonlight Experiences was named LGBTQ+ Company of the Year in 2021 for London and South East England. Shaibu also heads the Community Engagement for UK Black Pride and is a Board of Trustees member for GiveOut. In 2019, she was recognized by the Mayor of London for her work in nightlife activism. The decision to volunteer one’s time, Shaibu believes, can make a difference in one’s life and in the lives of others, leading to an invaluable experience for all parties involved. “Volunteering our time in person or virtually to uplift others using our resources, skills, and privileges truly can empower our community,” she tells GO. She believes that everyone, no matter what stage they are at in life, has the opportunity to make an impact. As a Black queer woman from a Muslim conservative household, she didn’t believe she would be able to ever live authentically. However, “once I removed the shackles of my own doubts, cultural beliefs, and fear from what my family would think, I didn’t just feel free, but I began flourishing in my work, in my activism, and also in supporting and making a difference in other people’s lives.” —NT

Alina Carson has appeared in Jess Dunn’s “@DatingZoe” and “Gray Ground” and the Instagram scripted series “Besties: The Ultra Mini-Series.” All of these indie roles are the precursor to her TikTok career-making dark yet comical videos about intersection racism, capitalism, and her queer existence. Carson’s TikTok has since blossomed into a platform that people were able to truly identify with. “I wasn’t accustomed to taking up space with my own ideas or opinions because my whole life I’ve been conditioned to keep myself small,” she says. Now, no longer content to be “small,” she’s become more invested in creating her own work and exploring the complexities of queer identity in addition to acting. While workshopping new scripts, she enjoys the input of her peers, telling GO: “Sometimes I’m wrong about things, and it’s great! I’m always learning and listening. I’m only one person with one set of experiences to pull from, and queerness is not a monolithic experience.” This authentic depiction of queerness is important to Carson, who finds big-budget scripts uninspiring and their agendas transparent. “My favorite involvements have been with small, passion projects,” she says. “I find that with indie films, the creators have a clear vision; there is no weird agenda to reach a certain demographic or pioneer diversity in a way that feels performative.” Carson is currently working on a new web series, a dark comedy about a book club whose members are less interested in novels than they are in discussing their own problems. The pilot drops on August 1. —NT

Andrea Himmel’s career has been a big circle, starting and ending — or, currently, situating — in real estate. Himmel studied the field at the Joseph Wharton Scholars program at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating, however, she entered the world of hedge funds, where she was part of a founding team and one of seven investment professionals who worked at Sanders Capital. Seven years later, she left to launch her own oil company, Tierra Resource Partners. Two years after that, she launched Revere Resources, a successor fund investing in oil and gas royalties. From the fund’s success, she built Revere Resources into a thriving company. Then in 2018, Himmel joined Himmel & Meringoff Properties, a real estate firm founded by her mother; she now runs acquisitions and growth for the company. “I chose to go into real estate because of my passions for the creation of unique spaces in which people from all walks of life live, work, and play; the ability for us to reimagine and shape the skyline and communities with creativity; and the need to create equity and safety in affordable housing,” she tells GO. She speaks regularly on panels and is recognized as a thought leader in the New York real estate community. Himmel also serves on the Diversity Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York, where she advocates for equity within the industry. “Being out, proud, and accountable to oneself is both predicated upon and the source of confidence,” she says. “Conviction in myself translates to the confidence that I carry with me in all aspects of my life — in the workplace, on the yoga mat, and in personal connections.” —IL

For chef Angela Lowe, coming out wasn’t her choice. After being outed by a relative, Lowe went through a period where she didn’t speak to her family. But that experience didn’t cause her to retreat back into the closet — instead, she chose to live out loud. “I have never been a person that would live anything but my truth, so [since] I came out, I haven’t turned back, and being gay is one of my favorite things about myself,” she tells GO. “I love being a badass gay businesswoman.” Now, Lowe is an acclaimed chef, international restaurant consultant, and recipe developer with eight new restaurant concepts set to launch across the country. She just launched two companies with her partner: Vegan Sunday Supper, a full line of vegan products, and Plant Based Sandwich (PBS), which sells vegan gourmet-style sandwiches. Lowe recently began a partnership with Gaia Women Lead, a women’s conference, in which she will serve as a keynote speaker offering recipe content and mentorship. Her list of accomplishments includes an eclectic mix of culinary career experiences, including hosting the first vegan dinner at the New York Food and Wine Festival, serving as Ryan Seacrest’s personal chef, and being featured at the Seed Food and Wine Festival in Los Angeles. —IL

“Being a member of the LGBTQ community has allowed me to speak from a personal level on legislation that impacts us,” State Representative Ann Johnson tells GO. “It is important to have representation of all communities at every level of government.” Johnson, a teacher, small business owner, and attorney, was elected to represent Texas House District 134 in November, defeating the Republican incumbent. She is a former chief human trafficking prosecutor, and as an attorney, represents victims of sexual exploitation and those who cannot afford a lawyer; one of her cases went to the Texas Supreme Court and resulted in the creation of a framework to protect minors who are victims of human trafficking. “I ran for State Representative to continue my fight for the vulnerable and was proud to fight this session against the attacks we saw on our democracy, our trans community, and access to abortion,” she says. She was honored to earn Texas House Democratic Caucus Freshman of the Year as well as the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus Freshman of the Year for her outstanding efforts. She lives with her wife, Sonya, and their three rescue dogs. —NT

“It’s important to remember that there are more of our stories out there hidden deep down, and slowly, we are uncovering them,” Aubree Calvin tells GO. “For so long, we’ve been denied knowing our full LGBTQ history, and so many of us are working to bring those stories to light.” Calvin brings those stories to light with the podcast “Southern Queeries,” which shares “stories that celebrate our accomplishments and contributions to society,” she says. Calvin, a proud LGBTQ+ southerner who lives in Texas with her wife and daughter, is an assistant professor of government at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth and a freelance writer who focuses on race, mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, and the myriad ways those topics intersect. Her work has appeared in The Dallas Voice, Gay Parent, and Nerdist. Being out and open about her identity as a trans woman in a supportive environment has made her a better teacher, she says, because it’s allowed her to be honest about herself. It’s also allowed her to recognize her own mental health needs and to thrive in her writing career. “Coming out gave me the space to get the proper medical help I needed for my ADHD, anxiety, and depression, which has led to my greater focus on my goals,” she says. “Taking care of my mental health now is what allows me to write articles, produce a growing podcast, and channel my ever-present creative energy in a way that I can use to help the LGBTQ community.” —RK

“Realizing my transness and womanhood has been an integral part of achieving my artistic ambitions,” graphic novelist Bishakh Som tells GO. “I’ve been drawing, painting, and making comics all my life, but it was only when I quit my full-time job in architecture that I was able to seriously consider making art for a living.” Around this time, she began her debut graphic novel, “Apsara Engine,” which would later win the L.A. Times Book Prize for Best Graphic Novel as well as a Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Comics. She also recognized something about herself: “I had always written and drawn women as the protagonists of my comics, not knowing quite why, but now they seemed to be calling to me, beckoning me, embracing me as one of their own.” “For most of my life, I never thought I would be able to sharpen my love of drawing, art and comics into a life’s work, but coming out as trans and becoming a trans femme has honed that process and given me a divine sense that my gender and my art are inseparable,” she tells GO. Her graphic memoir “Spellbound” was a 2021 Lambda Literary Award finalist, the same year “Apsara Engine” won the prize for Best LGBTQ Comics. Her work has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, The Boston Review, Black Warrior Review, VICE, and Huffington Post. But the most rewarding part of her work isn’t the success; it’s “being able to jumpstart the images of queer/femme utopias into being, to have joyous femmes fully inhabiting, dancing, frolicking, thriving in a queer landscape.” —RK

When Brittany Howard was growing up in rural Athens, Alabama, it was a carefree and simple time for her until Jaime, her older sister, began to suffer from retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eye. Eventually, her sister died from the disease, and Howard moved in with her mom in Madison, Alabama after her parents split up. “I still talk to her every day, think about her every day,” Howard told Pitchfork. It was there that she really got into music — Jaime had taught her how to write poetry and play piano, but Howard figured out the rest on her own. She started going to concerts regularly, and sneaking out to watch bands at night. Eventually, she and members Heath Fogg, Steve Johnson, and Zac Cockrell formed their own band. They went on to become Alabama Shakes, and rocketed to both popular and critical acclaim with two albums: “Boys and Girls” and “Sound & Color,” the latter of which won three Grammy Awards. In 2018, Howard put the band on hiatus to release “Jaime,” her solo album. She also married Jesse Lafser, a member of the Bermuda Triangle Band, another band which Howard is also part of. “My identity is very clear to me and I don’t have to make it clear to anyone else, because I don’t think that’s important — what anyone else thinks about me or what box they want to put me in,” she told NPR. —IL

Harlem Pride was one of the first LGBTQ+ organizations in Harlem, but “now, there are many,” says Harlem Pride co-founder, President, and CEO Carmen Neely. As a community-focused leader, Neely understands the importance of visibility to the LGBTQ+ community; her own presence has been a force for change. “In the community, being out exposes larger society to the beauty that is being a Black Lesbian,” she tells GO. “They’re able to see that we are everywhere. … They can see we’re just as human as they are.” In addition to co-founding Harlem Pride, she helps plan for the Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and other Harlem-based LGBTQ+ organizations. She is also a co-chair of the LGBTQ Committee of the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the NAACP, a Co-Chair of the Black & Latino LGBTQ Coalition, a board member of the Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center, and a Co-Chair of NYC Pride & Power. Additionally, she has recently begun a new position as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of The Center For Black Equity, based in Washington D.C., aimed at promoting a multinational LGBTQ+ network to improve health and wellness opportunities, economic empowerment, and equal rights. But her wide-ranging work doesn’t stop Neely from seeing the impact her life has on the small scale as well. “Even within my family, my visibility has made it easier for the next generation of my LGBTQ family members to be loved, respected, and valued,” she says. —NT

Entrepreneurship was going well for Claire Elisan. “I owned my own business and made pretty good money,” she says. However, despite her financial stability, she realized that the money she earned didn’t bring with it the happiness she thought it would. Instead, she tells GO, “I realized my true passion was to help people.” She traded the for-profit world for the nonprofit one, founding Project No Labels in 2015. Its mission: To unite the LGBTQ+ community with straight allies through positive activities and events while promoting volunteerism and activism. They also offer high-quality, affordable mental health therapy through Dear Self, You Are Worth It, a program which launched in January 2020. Project No Labels was the recipient of Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Business of Pride Award in 2018 and was named 3rd Most Effective Local Nonprofit by Watermark Magazine in 2020. In 2020, Elisan was named second Favorite Local Activist by Watermark and one of Business Equality’s 40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40. But her biggest accomplishment, she says, is helping establish the Trans Pride March with both St. Pete Pride and Equality Florida in 2017. In 2019, the March had over 2,000 participants pre-registered. This success is part of her privilege, which Elisan knows not everyone shares. “Being able to feel free to be who I am has been a privilege I don’t take lightly,” she says. “I know there are many countries around the world where it’s not legal to be LGBTQ+ and some places where you can still be killed. These are the places I would really like to see Project No Labels in, places where people can find community and feel safe to be who they are.” —RK

Daria Berenato has always been a fighter. It’s what she’s known for. Berenato is currently a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar known as Sonya Deville, and is the first openly lesbian wrestler in WWE history. As part of a tag team with fellow wrestling superstar Mandy Rose on WWE’s “SmackDown Live,” Berenato is not afraid to be out and proud, because that’s who she is. It’s a philosophy she wants to pass on to the entire community: be yourself unapologetically. “Nothing is more important than living as the person that you can love, not who or what anyone else wants you to be,” Berenato says. “We have to be us because everyone else is already taken. There shouldn’t be pressure around your coming out. Take your time, do it when it feels right and safe for you, but know that doing so is a beautiful thing. Don’t allow the naysayers to put a negative connotation on such a beautiful experience.” That passion for helping people realize just how amazing they are is one of the reasons Berenato chose her career, which she loves as much as the queer community she represents. “The most rewarding aspect of my work is being able to do what I love and use that platform to spread love at the same time,” she tells GO. “I can genuinely say what I do doesn’t feel like work. I love what I do, and I’m grateful I can help in making this world a more inclusive place in the process.” —IL

Dr. Erin Cech, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, sees science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as an area that could use more LGBTQ+ leaders. The most rewarding aspect of her work “is the opportunity to give voice to the experiences of LGBTQ-identifying folks in STEM,” she tells GO. “When someone at a talk I give or someone who has read an article I wrote reaches out to me to say, ‘Thank you for seeing me,’ or ‘Thank you for helping me see I’m not alone,’ that is a powerful experience.” Prior to her professorship, Dr. Cech studied at both UC San Diego and Montana State University and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. From there, she joined the faculty at Rice University. Her work has appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science Advances, the American Journal of Sociology, and the American Sociological Review. Dr. Cech’s goal in her research focuses on creating and maintaining opportunities for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people in STEM programs and other professional careers. While she is focused on professional development, Dr. Cech also sees opportunities in all areas of life to create space for LGBTQ+ individuals. “As you move through your life — whether up through grades in high school or up through the ranks of your career — provide help and encouragement to the LGBTQ folks who are coming behind you,” she says. “Don’t take for granted the wisdom you have to offer, nor the power of your encouragement, to those who are more junior than you.” —NT

When she launched the lesbian magazine Deneuve — later to become Curve — back in 1991, “so many lesbians felt completely alone,” Franco Stevens tells GO. “Back then, with no internet, you might not even know there was another queer person living just a few miles away.” She started the magazine as a way to increase awareness of, and give space to, queer and lesbian women, and made what was at the time a radical decision: to put the word “lesbian” on the cover. “I wanted to say ‘Hey, we’re here, we look every kind of way, and we are beautiful.’ That was controversial even from within our own community,” she says. “People warned me that it was a death sentence for the magazine because putting the word ‘lesbian’ on the cover meant readers would essentially have to come out every time they went to buy it or read it in public. But, crucially, it also made us visible to each other, and visible to the rest of the world.” The publication thrived, making queer women visible to the mainstream and opening up conversations about sexual orientation, identity, queer families, LGBTQ+ rights, and other issues that are still on the forefront of our cultural discourse today. Recently, Franco has evolved Curve into part of The Curve Foundation, a philanthropic organization that elevates and empowers lesbian, trans, queer women and non-binary persons through storytelling and journalism. “We need to lift up the most marginalized voices in our movement now, focusing on inclusion and on cross-movement work around racial justice, immigration, and disability rights,” Franco says. “The Curve Foundation will be a powerful platform for this work.” —RK

Grace Chu (R) and Nicole Hoschuetzky were part of the New York City Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trials last year. The couple received their first shot the day of the Phase II/III trial in July 2020. “At the time, there was a lot of vaccine hesitancy and fear, and we wanted to be part of the solution, so we could help provide data to bring an end to this pandemic,” Chu tells GO. Chu, a lawyer/photographer, and Hoschuetzky, who works in finance, then reported back to their clinic at scheduled intervals over the course of testing in order to get tested for antibodies and checked for COVID symptoms. While 50% of the trial participants received the vaccine and the other 50% received a placebo, both Chu and Hoschuetzky learned they had each received the real thing when they were unblinded in January 2021. The two remain a part of the ongoing trial, which is now focused on testing for long-term protection into 2022. —IL

Indyra Mendoza has been fighting for LGBTQ+ human rights in Honduras for 20 years. She is the founder of Red Lesbica Cattrachas, the country’s only organization dedicated to tracking anti-LGBTQ+ crimes and providing empirical, data-driven evidence for legal cases in defense of the LGBTQ+ community. With statistics gathered through its Violent Death Observatory, which charts anti-LGBTQ+ violence in Honduras, Cattrachas was able to present the case of Vicky Hernandez, a trans woman murdered during the country’s 2009 coup, before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights last November. “With evidence-based advocacy,” Mendoza tells GO, “nothing stands between the human rights defender and the desired target.” Cattrachas has become a force thanks to its evidence-based approach, and Mendoza and her team frequently collaborate with other organizations worldwide to advocate for protections and anti-discriminatory measures. The most rewarding aspect of her work, Mendoza says, is getting to see the “new fearless generation of LGBTQ+ people. This new generation is free and has overcome the horror associated with the closet. They do not worry about how they express themselves.” She also owes much to her own generation, which paved the way for fearlessness by fighting for “equality in the access of basic human rights.” —RK

“My philosophy has always been to show myself as I am,” says Javiera Mena. “I believe that whenever I have shown my art, I have always been asked about my life and I have always answered honestly.” For the Chilean electro-pop singer-songwriter and producer, living honest and out loud has always come naturally. Her career began over a decade ago with her debut album, “Esquemas Juveniles,” which was followed by “Mena,” “Primeras Composiciones,” “Otra Era,” “Espejo” and most recently, “I. Entusiasmo.” Her work has been nominated for several awards, including for a Latin Grammy in 2015. The most rewarding aspect of her career is having the ability “to create a work of art that awakens emotions, states of mind, and changes my own or someone else’s state of mind,” Mena says. “Music has a sound that penetrates through the ears, but it can also enable you to heal, sing your sorrows, and even provide substantial support. So I’ve always felt like a kind of healer because of the work that I create, which is almost mystical, almost esoteric. I feel like my music can reach out to people, reach out to this world, and even cure someone, which is really beautiful.” —IL

Jenna Laurenzo has loved movies since she was a child because they have “the power to ignite the imagination and inspire dreams, action, and create change,” she tells GO. “Stories allow access to experience a vast spectrum of the human condition, while also entertaining and hopefully delivering a powerful message. There’s something magical about stories, and I wanted to get involved in that magic.” Her love of film may have led her to dive into the industry, but once there, she found that she wanted to see more stories that were reflective of her own experience. “Not being able to find them lit a fire to want to create them,” she says. Now, as a writer, actor, and director, Laurenzo has capitalized on the opportunity to generate content that reflects her experiences as a queer woman. She’s the award-winning director, writer, and star of the 2018 film “Lez Bomb,” a romantic comedy about a woman’s attempts to come out to her conservative family during Thanksgiving. She also directed the internet hit, “Girl Night Stand” — the inspiration behind “Lez Bomb” — and its sequel, “Girl Night Stand: Chapter 2,” which dropped on YouTube this year. But the most rewarding aspect of filmmaking “is when stories resonate with someone on a deep level, and they feel seen and understood and then reach out to share their own stories,” Laurenzo says. “I’m always so grateful to hear that one of my projects has encouraged someone to step into their own truth and authenticity.” She is currently developing her next feature film with Ben Stiller’s Red House Films and awaiting “the day we’re back in theaters, laughing and crying as an audience, all together again.” —RK

Being Director of Operations at Terra Vite North Fork Winery and Vineyard is a dream come true for Jessy Fusco, who is able to work alongside her sister at the Long Island winery. Her career in the wine world began in 2008 in the tasting room at Macari Vineyards on the North Fork. She went on to continue her American Sommelier training in NYC. After completing the program, Fusco joined the ranks of the historic Waldorf Astoria and Intercontinental New York Barclay Hotels, progressing from a floor sommelier to the Assistant Director of Food & Beverage. She also holds a Master in Clinical Social Work from NYU and is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers. According to Fusco, being out since 2007 was not always an easy road to follow, but she attributes her ability to feel confident as a gay professional to visiting a cousin in Los Angeles in her early 20s and attending women-centered nightlife events with her, including “Truckstop.” Her love of enology, the study of wines, gave her a professional purpose, and her hope is “for other strong female professionals to also be pillars for those who struggle with visibility in their workplace,” she tells GO. “I hope that by sharing my creativity and passion for hospitality that it may help others shine through and come out as out and proud, talented professionals.” She knows that visibility in the workplace is vital for young LGBTQ+ individuals to succeed. —NT

In her biography, Julia Scotti describes her comedy career as “corposo” — Italian for “a rich, full-bodied wine.” It’s an apt metaphor for someone who, like a rich wine, improves with age. After performing the first 20 years of her career as Rick Scotti, she came out as Julia after a 10-year hiatus. Her comedy, she tells GO, “became more honest and more relatable” after she came out as a trans woman. “The great comedy writer Bill Persky had four rules for writing comedy: be truthful, stay human, don’t reach for ugly, and be vulnerable,” she says. “Coming out allowed me to do all of those things and grow as an artist. That is my success. Anything that comes from living that authentic life is a byproduct.” So far, the byproduct has been pretty good for Scotti. Her return to comedy has been met with critical acclaim from high places. Recently, she was a quarter finalist on “America’s Got Talent,” earning praise from the notoriously hard-nosed Simon Cowell, who told her: “You genuinely made me laugh.” She also has a best-selling comedy CD, “Hello Boys … I’m Back!” and appeared in Showtime’s “More Funny Women of a Certain Age” in 2020. But despite the accolades, the most rewarding part of her career, she says, is really the audience. “As a comedian, hearing audiences roar with laughter really lights me up,” Scotti says. “In the past, audience members have come up to me after the show and told me that they had lost a loved one recently, and my show was their first night out. I had one person tell me that they had just been diagnosed with cancer earlier that week and needed to laugh again just to feel like there was hope. Things like that make it all worthwhile.” —RK

As the first openly lesbian Black comic in the United States to include specifically lesbian material in her act, Karen Williams changed the game for a number of communities. Since then, she’s had a prolific career in comedy. She’s released “I Need A Snack,” a one-hour comedy special that regularly aired on Logo TV; is featured in “Laughing Matters,” an award-winning film about four lesbian comic pioneers (Karen Williams, Kate Clinton, Marga Gomez, and Suzanne Westenhoeffer); and “We’re Funny That Way,” an internationally-acclaimed film that put Williams on the world comedy scene. Known for her quick repartee, insightful commentary, and audience rapport, it all comes naturally to Williams thanks to her passion for comedy and for being unabashedly herself. In addition to her stand-up, the comedian —who created her own major in “Humor and Healing” — is also the founder and CEO of the International Institute of Humor and Healing Arts (HaHA), which offers live and virtual educational programs, workshops, and seminars on the healing powers of humor. She put the humor and healing to good use this past year, performing a series of solo shows like “Karen Williams Alive” and “Heart Healing: From Pookie to Pandemic;” she also hosted comedy panels, brunches, and student shows, sponsored by the HaHA Institute and other organizations like NOBLA, the National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging. “The most rewarding aspect of my work is sharing the healing power of humor with the world to relieve suffering and to bring out individual and collective happiness and enlightenment,” Williams tells GO. “To my beloved LGBT Community: You are beloved as you are! You are loved as you are! Love yourself as you are!” —IL

Kayla Rena Gore actively works toward the day when her services are no longer needed — what she calls her “end game.” As a coordinator of homeless services and an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, particularly the rights of Black transgender women, it’s no wonder she longs to be out of work. “Through life experiences, I often found myself in organizing spaces addressing harm and violence at the hands of the state,” she tells GO. These experiences led her to work first with OUTMEMPHIS, then with the Transgender Law Center, where she was a regional organizer. Most recently, she co-founded My Sistah’s House, an organization that provides emergency housing for trans and queer people of color in need. The organization also offers other services to trans individuals, aiding them in their quest to legally change their names, obtain hormone replacement therapy, and gender-affirming surgery.” In addition to aiding people who are transitioning or who are experiencing homelessness, she provides trans-inclusivity training for community-based organizations, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations. She also advocates for the rights of transgender people in their dealings with law enforcement. Gore tells GO that the most rewarding part of her work “has been seeing the elevation of the lives of people just like me.”—NT

“Since coming out, I have been given a platform where I can speak up about trans visibility and trans rights, and I do not take that for granted,” says Kayleigh Scott, a flight attendant and trans activist who works with United Airlines. “I am in a position where I can use my voice, and I do so for those who do not share the same privilege.” Part of that privilege, she tells GO, is working in an environment that is supportive, giving her the opportunity to openly transition. “If I was going to come out, I would do it as a flight attendant where I knew I could do it comfortably, safely, and confidently surrounded by a group that would support me along the way,” she says, noting that it was United’s diversity and inclusion policies — and the support offered through their LGBTQ+ resource group, EQUAL — that convinced her to work for them. Not only did she come out, she also serves as a brand ambassador for the airline, using her platform to provide representation, awareness, and educational opportunities to the company’s more than 80,000 employees. Being an out flight attendant isn’t simply a job for her, she says; it has also given her a voice, a life, and a family — providing her the support she was missing from home. “It’s made me feel like Kayleigh,” she says. For other LGBTQ+ people out there, who might themselves be afraid of coming out, Scott offers this advice: “Your time in the closet can be dark and scary, but it doesn’t have to be. You are seen, you are heard, you are validated. Come out. Be counted. Be uniquely you and do not allow anyone to stop you.” —RK

Kelly Cogswell has lived a number of lives, but each one comes back to the same purpose: to advocate for the rights of lesbians and the LGBTQ+ community. At the start of her journey, when she moved from Kentucky to New York with a willingness to work hard and learn, she took on any job she could get, from prep cook to temporary secretary. Eventually, she found her way into the Lesbian Avengers, a 90s-era direct action group dedicated to bringing awareness to lesbian issues and lives. Her role with the group rocketed her to a career in writing, as she found a practical way to direct her skills. “When I joined the Lesbian Avengers in New York in 1992 I was doing performance art and writing poetry,” says Cogswell. “Everybody contributed what they could, and since I was a writer, it made sense for me to sometimes work with the ‘Propaganda’ committee doing newsletters and press releases.” From 2000- 2006, Cogswell co-founded and co-edited The Gully, an online magazine for queer thoughts and opinions. In 2014, she published “Eating Fire: My Life as a Lesbian Avenger,” a memoir about her experience with the organization. She was also awarded a Poynter journalism fellowship at Yale University in 2018. Most recently, Cogswell published a new edition of the 1993 “Lesbian Avenger Handbook: A Handy Guide to Homemade Revolution” that serves as a resource for activists and scholars who want to learn and put in the work for the lesbian community. —IL

Gayle Rabinowitz, who goes by the moniker “Lady Glamb,” was born again at the age of 60. While she had recognized her attraction to women since she was a child and came out at the age of 16, she returned to the closet and toward a life of celibacy when she was ordained as a Pentecostal minister. The decision was difficult, she tells GO, “but I lived in celibacy because I believed there was something wrong with me. I lived in fear all those years that I was going to hell because of what I was taught.” The message was devastating and caused her to turn away from who she was for a great deal of her life. However, as she learned more about how homosexuality had been politicized by the Church’s interpretation of Biblical scriptures, she realized that “God not only loved us but embraced us and that he loves all people.” So, at the age of 60, she chose to return openly to the LGBTQ+ community, able to reconcile her faith and her sexuality. Now, Lady Glamb, who is also a writer and a silver model, ministers not with the Church, but one-on-one with LGBTQ+ individuals and “others who have been broken by people who claimed to be God’s messengers but didn’t understand what God’s love was,” she says. “Even the LGBTQIA community needed to know that God loved them.” Although cancer treatments left Lady Glamb unable to have children of her own, she considers everyone in the LGBTQ+ community to be one of her children, and she is happy fulfilling her purpose in life: “leaving a legacy of faith, hope, and love.” —NT and RK

Although Liana DeMasi loves classics, “so many of our stories are about the forbidden aspects of our love and identities,” she tells GO. “I wonder [what] it would’ve been like for me, growing up in the very heterosexual suburbs, to have been exposed to people like me.” Now, as a writer, DeMasi tells stories about queer characters that transcend their sexual identities and focus on more than queer tragedies. “I do often write very tragic and queer work, but it’s not tragedy as it relates to queer identity,” she says. “Sometimes we need a story about hardship that’s not about how hard it was to come out. So much of who we are is about that, but we’re so much more and deserve representation that’s accurate and expansive.” DeMasi’s first book of poetry, “In Which She Takes Multiple Lovers,” explores a queer person’s journey through love. She is also a member of Tactile Movement Collective, an artist collective and company, which holds gallery shows and events, and serves as an independent publisher. Her written work has appeared in The Boston Globe, GO Magazine, Prometheus Dreaming, Musèe Magazine, and other publications. This fall, she will be attending the City College of New York to pursue an MFA in Fiction Writing. DeMasi wants the community to know that, “We so concretely matter. … As marginalized people, we’ve faced — and will continue to face — adversity, but we have something our non-marginalized counterparts don’t have: We have the ability to rise above all odds.” —RK

Cubbyhole might just be one of the best bars in the world although owner Lisa Menichino admits she might be a little biased. She hadn’t started out with the intention of becoming Cubbyhole’s owner; she’d simply taken a job as a bartender while contemplating her career as a social worker. From bartender, she became manager, and then temporary owner. Now, she is the full-time owner and has no regrets about her career shift. The New York lesbian and queer community has no regrets about it, either; anyone who has been to Cubbyhole has experienced the magic. We’ve missed this magic over the past year, but thankfully, Menichino was able to sustain Cubbyhole’s space through the pandemic and reopen this spring. “There has always been a connectivity between the lesbian bar and the celebration of our identities,” she tells GO. While the reasons why lesbians frequent bars may have evolved, “they still represent a safe space in which to gather with other lesbians, to enjoy milestones, or just an ordinary day with other people like us.” However, she notes with caution that we can’t always expect that they will be around, a lesson the pandemic has made painfully clear. These spaces “depend on you to nurture and support them, or they will not survive,” she says, “and with their loss a vital part of our visibility, contributions, and history fades as well.” —NT

Attentive Counseling Services, LLC is the only LGBTQ+ owned and operated Mental Health Clinic in Rock County, Wisconsin. Marilyn Schuh decided to build the clinic because she wanted to create a safe space for people like her. She also founded Yellow Brick Road Organization, a nonprofit dedicated to providing support and safe, affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals and families, for a similar reason. “I wish I had these same safe spaces to go to when I was younger,” Schuh tells GO. Since such spaces are rare, members of the LGBTQ+ community are often hard-pressed to find a place that is knowledgeable about their specific needs. It comes as a relief to know there are people like Schuh, and places like Attentive Counseling Services, where they can feel safe and welcome. “Facilitating these spaces where someone feels safe to start their healing journey and start loving themselves is the most rewarding work,” Schuh says. “It’s incomparable to anything else I’ve ever done.” Though the COVID shutdown took a toll on both the Counseling Services and the nonprofit, she says she’s “excited that both organizations made it out of the pandemic and are starting to see growth again.” That’s a good sign for the LGBTQ+ community, who rely on services like Schuh’s for their well-being. —NT

While at Vanderbilt University, Maxine Spencer founded the affinity group BlackOut, which operated as a space for Black LGBTQ+ students to gather and support each other. Spencer also developed a love of activism that led her to Advocates for Youth, where she is currently a member of the YouthResource program and Advocates for Youth’s Youth Activist Network. After graduating, Spencer joined the Oasis Center, where she served as the More to Me Program Specialist, bringing positive youth development programming to high school age LGBTQ+ youth of color in middle Tennessee. She also established the Middle TN College GSA Network in association with local college GSAs, Fisk OUTLoud, TSU’s Gender and Sexualities Alliance, and the Vanderbilt Lambda Association. Currently, Spencer is also part of the Nashville chapter of the New Leaders Council, which trains progressive leaders across the country, and Stand Up Nashville’s Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute, which focuses on putting local leaders from marginalized groups on boards and commissions. Her work does more than keep her busy — it makes a difference. “One of the most rewarding aspects of the work that I’ve done has been seeing the little changes that happen,” she tells GO. “I have enjoyed seeing a young person grow and change and to be able to notice the small nuances that, as an individual, you don’t think about, but to someone else it shows a world of change. I am so grateful to have had that opportunity.” —IL

Melissa Lucashenko became a writer “because my people — Australian Aboriginal or First Nations people — seemed absent from the literature I saw and read,” she tells GO. “That’s changed over the three decades I’ve been writing, but I love telling stories of fierce and proud Aboriginal peeps, so I keep writing novels and spending lots of time in my imagination with incredible warriors and adventurers.” Lucashenko, a Goorie writer of Bundjalung and European heritage, has paved the way for this change with her own critically-acclaimed novels, starting with her 1997 debut, “Steam Pigs.” Her sixth novel, “Too Much Lip,” won both the 2019 Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance. It was also shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction, the Stella Prize, two Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, two Queensland Literary Awards, and two New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards. Her essay, “Sinking Below Sight: Down and Out in Brisbane and Logan,” won the 2013 Walkley Award for Long Form Journalism, Australia’s equivalent of the Pulitzer. Lucashenko serves as a founding member of Sisters Inside, a human rights organization that advocates for the rights of imprisoned women and girls. For the LGBTQ+ community, she has warm words of encouragement and self-love: “Celebrate exactly who you are and don’t give even one second of your precious time to haters, homophobes, or people who want to control your identity. The world is full of miserable souls who are frightened of free humans and whose crippling terror wants to shut us down. Just smile and wave on your way to fabulousness, sibs!” —RK

“The most rewarding part of our work is that we get to work with dogs all day, seven days a week,” says Millie Acosta(L) who, along with Jenn Gellman, owns Paws For A Cause Dog Training, LLC. The couple, who have been together for 22 years, helps owners find solutions to improve the lives of dogs and their families, offering force-free obedience training and education about dog behavior; they also help animal rescue groups assess dog behaviors and prepare foster families and their dogs for adoption. To date, they have found foster homes for over 1,000 dogs. Their business sprung out of their own love of dogs — they’ve fostered over 400 dogs together and own three of their own. Paws For A Cause Dog Training, LLC strives to make dog training fun for everyone while making a difference in the lives of dogs and their families. The couple’s positive outlook on life is the driving force (besides a love of dogs) behind their work, and it’s a message they want to pass on to the greater queer community. “Life is too short and one has to enjoy life to its fullest,” Acosta says. “Life has so many amazing things to offer us. We just need to know how to find all the goodness in these crazy times we are living in. There is good in everything.” —IL

Nicola Chubb has been working hard in the UK’s queer women’s nightlife scene since 2003, and her success has rocketed her to the forefront of the industry. After opening a lesbian bar in London, Chubb followed her entrepreneurial spirit and created Mint Events, a party for queer women based out of some of the most sought-after members’ bars in London. “Queer women don’t belong in basements,” she tells GO. “We should be strutting our stuff in the most sought-after venues around.” Mint aims to create inclusive, safe, and diverse space for queer and trans women and non-binary people. They also host large-scale events for the wider LGBTQ+ community. While Chubb has found professional success with Mint, what makes the work most worthwhile is that it gives her the chance to bring queer women together, offering them space and support and even, sometimes, a chance to fall in love. “The most rewarding aspect of my work is seeing queer women enjoying themselves — especially if they get together romantically,” she tells GO. Chubb is currently creating the UK’s first queer wellness festival and developing an online network that offers a safe space for women to build connections and explore their identity with community support. —IL

When Paloma Pujol Mayo was growing up in Mexico in the 1990s, girls weren’t encouraged to play football (a.k.a. “soccer,” for Americans). Not that Pujol Mayo let traditional social norms stop her; instead, she trained with the boys. When it came time for her first game and the referee told her she couldn’t play because of her gender, she and her coach found a convenient way for her to work around the technicality: They created a fake player’s card that identified her as a boy. “Being a girl was a disadvantage,” she tells GO. Early on, she adopted a masculine look that allowed her greater access to the types of things girls weren’t supposed to do — like play in local football matches. It wasn’t until she moved to the more liberal Spain with her mom that she could play football on a girl’s team. Although she no longer plays football in the traditional sense, Pujol Mayo is now among the best in the world at freestyle juggling, an individualized sport that requires the juggler to artfully control, or “juggle,” a special soccer ball with only their feet. She is also a five-time Footbag World Champion, star of the short film “All I Need is a Ball,” and one of the founders of the Instagram handle @WeAreFemaleFreestylers, which connects over 750 female freestyle jugglers worldwide. In her free time, Pujol Mayo, known in the freestyle world by the moniker “Paloma Freestyle,” runs workshops for girls who, thanks to her efforts, can now play football. “The world has changed so much,” she says, “and it feels amazing.” —RK

DJ Cilla Bk got her start in the music scene as a studio manager and owner in 2013 while she was working for the New York Fire Department. After being involved in a life-changing 911 emergency, she retired from the department and began working full-time as a radio host for Dwild Music Radio. The change suited her, and DJ Cillia Bk was born. As her career grew, so did her LGBTQ+ following, which motivated her to work harder in her newfound vocation. “The most rewarding aspect of my work is bringing the LGTBQIA community together through music,” she tells GO. Noticing a lack of support for other LGBTQ+ artists, she opened Haus Of Madusa, a creative space for all artists to work freely and for all queer people to gather, make music, and be themselves. “The best response I’ve heard from an artist after a session at Haus of Madusa is, ‘Thank you, I’ve never felt so comfortable and it just feels like home,’” she says. “That response is worth every sleepless night and hard work that is put into this studio.” Haus of Madusa also serves as a reminder that you can do anything you put your mind to. “When you discover your true self, accept and love yourself, you can truly accomplish anything,” DJ Cilla Bk says. “Success is for you to define.” —IL

Los Angeles-based artist, musician, and filmmaker Rachel Mason recently received an Emmy nomination for the Netflix documentary “Circus of Books,” which chronicles her life story about growing up as the child of pornographers who were at the center of the gay community. Mason’s first feature film, “The Lives of Hamilton Fish,” premiered at the Raindance Film Festival in 2016. Aside from filmmaking, Mason is also a prolific musician who has written three operas, recorded 14 albums, and performed or exhibited at venues like the Whitney Museum, the Hammer Museum, the Queens Museum, LACMA, the New Museum, the Park Avenue Armory, La Mama, and Dixon Place. Her last large-scale performance, a meditation on black holes, premiered at the Disney Redcat Theater in Los Angeles and featured a collaboration between Oguri, a famous Butoh dancer, and Kip Thorne, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. While she has a lot of irons in the fire, Mason’s connection to the queer community runs through it all. Her message to the community is clear: find who you are and be that person. “There is no one way to be queer and there is no rulebook for coming out,” Mason tells GO. “Every single person is entitled to their unique choices that work for only themselves and their own situation. And coming out is also not mandatory to one’s family, work, or any other social group. It is entirely your decision.” —IL

While you may know Rebecca Black from her 2011 cultural hit “Friday,” the singer wants you to know she’s more than just a viral YouTube video. This year, Black released “Girlfriend,” the first track offering from her project “Rebecca Black Was Here.” Black is also a strong advocate for anti-bullying, mental health initiatives, and the LGBTQ+ community who has partnered with the AdCouncil, GLAAD, and Best Buddies in recent campaigns. “I feel it’s important that as queer people we are just as cognizant to the work that still needs to be done to provide equity, freedom and support to all aspects of our community, especially to its most vulnerable members, including Black trans women and homeless LGBTQ+ youth,” Black tells GO. “Whatever means or resources we have to help provide support to those is vital to the health of our community as a whole.” Now, as she is preparing to head out on her Rebecca Black Was Here tour early next year, Black continues to work for the community and is glad to see that, like her, others are being accepted and welcomed for their identity. “As the queer community grows every year, I am so happy and proud to see more and more queer people feeling comfortable sharing their stories, feeling confident in who they are, and encouraging others to do the same.” —IL

Being known as “The Queen of Filth” isn’t something that happens overnight; for Wood, it’s taken years. Known for her extreme physical acts that are meant to strike an emotional nerve, the performance artist addresses a number of issues in her work, including variant gender identities, societal constructs, under-represented individuals and hidden personal struggles. As an artist, Wood says that her passion for art comes from the healing nature it brings to the world, especially during or after a particularly rough time. An artist is “an essential worker,” she says, but unlike doctors or even teachers, artists “have the job of restoring the often dented and bruised humanity of our audience.” For the past 14 years, Wood has headlined both the New York and London locations of The Box, a theater of varieties. She was also awarded the “Queer Icon” by the Guadalajara International Film Festival in 2018. Looking forward, Wood believes that “our community [which] has formed as a response to trauma, plague, and oppression… can also be unified in homage to the great members of the community.” In doing so, “we can be united by honoring and recognizing our unique value to our society.” —IL

“I’ve been in public service for most of my professional life, and the only way I know to build trust with the public is to be authentic,” says Sändra Washington, who, as a member of the Lincoln City Council, is the first out Black woman elected in the state of Nebraska. “Being myself gave me a foundation on which to build honest relationships with conservation partners, coworkers, and now with constituents. Even though I’ve been out for over 40 years, it still feels like I’m frequently in situations where I need to come out again, but I do so now from a more confident place than I did in my 20s and 30s. Being out has given me practice in truth-telling, and I think it’s made me a more compassionately honest public servant.” Originally appointed to the council to fill a vacancy in 2019, she easily won re-election earlier this year as the top vote-getter for one of three vacant seats. Her focus on the council has been to address concerns such as affordable housing, climate resiliency, and pandemic response. Among her accomplishments, she worked with her colleagues to pass a ban on conversion therapy for minors, developed a community platform to talk about race and equity, revised the community police advisory board for greater transparency, and increased funding for emergency mental health response. The most rewarding part of her work is community-building, “whether it’s helping to build stronger neighborhoods, tackling policies to ensure our city is welcoming to all, improving government transparency, building a more robust emergency mental health system or adding to our terrific system of local parks and trails. If I can assist in bringing groups of people together to creatively solve problems that improve the lives of our residents,” she says, “then I’ve had a good day.” —RK

For Loretta Andro Chung (r), co-founding Dyke Beer gave them a chance “to meet and connect with fellow queers.” “There is such a nice energy that comes out of seeing people’s faces light up when they are drinking Dyke Beer.” Chung and cofounder Sarah Hallonquist launched Dyke Beer in 2020 in partnership with local breweries to create delicious farmhouse ale housed in artfully designed cans; their first Dyke Beer Saison launched in 2021. Sales of Dyke Beer are used to help fund future dyke/queer spaces, something Hallonquist and Chung both know something about. The duo is behind Dyke Bar Takeover, which promotes LGBTQ+ artists and the creation of lesbian/queer events, venues, and spaces. “It’s super nice to have people come up to me and thank me for creating spaces for them,” Chung tells GO. “I really want everybody to get together and meet in real life because I think it’s so important to have chosen family and a solid friend network.” For Hallonquist, who worked in corporate America for more than a decade, co-founding the Takeover gave her an opportunity to finally do something that she was passionate about. “It gave me such life,” she tells GO. And she brought that passion to Dyke Beer as well. “I love the reactions folks have when they see the art on the can and they can enjoy the beer inside, too,” she says. “I’m so grateful for the positive response from our community.” Hallonquist and Chung are also working with Greenspoint Ale to produce a new beer, Tall Girl Gose, which launched this Pride month. —RK

For Shana Zucker, being out is part of the job. “Being queer is not only central to my personal identity, but also my professional identity,” she tells GO. Her identity as a queer physician and her interest in queer health equity and education led her to create the “Queericulum,” a curriculum designed to teach sexual and gender minority health to medical students. “Being out has enabled me to connect to a network of fellow out health professionals. We’re here, we’re queer, and we are working to make sure that all patients — especially our LGBTQ+ community — feel comfortable being their authentic selves, and that they will be met with healthcare providers who will provide the highest quality care.” She also co-authored “Teaching LGBTQ+ Health,” a free, open-access curriculum for healthcare providers and educators that covers the basics of teaching queer health concepts. Zucker, who is currently an internal medicine resident at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Health, was awarded the LGBT Health Achievement Award from both the American Medical Student Association and GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality. She’s also the recipient of two Changemaker Catalyst Awards from Tulane University’s Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, and the Junior Leadership Award from the Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians LGBT Health Workforce. Based on her work and success, Zucker wants the LGBTQ+ community to know that “there are providers (including myself) who are out here working to make the healthcare space more inclusive and safe for people of all genders, sexes, and sexualities.” She tells GO, “It is our responsibility as healthcare providers to create a safe environment and to learn everything we need to know to address your unique health needs — and there are those of us out there working to get our peers to catch up!” —RK

“Most people live their whole lives feeling unseen, unheard, or silenced,” Shea Diamond tells GO. “I was one of those people before I discovered the power of music.” The singer-songwriter might now be living her dream, but as a Black transgender woman, she has lived through some difficult times to get here. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Diamond found herself putting on a masculine front for her family and society, even though she knew she was a girl. “I should have gotten an Oscar,” she says of that time in her life. At 14, unable to deal with the pressures of living in secret, Diamond ran away from home. After a desperate burglary attempt to obtain funds for sex reassignment surgery, she was incarcerated in the men’s prison system for 10 years. Ironically, it was during this time that she found her identity — and her voice — by writing songs. After being released, she moved to NYC and got involved with trans activism. A performance of her hit song “I Am Her” at a Black Trans Lives Matter event caught the attention of her now-producer Justin Tranter. Since the release of her GLAAD Media Award-nominated EP “Seen It All,” Diamond and Tranter have co-written a number of stand-alone singles including “Smile” and “Presence of a Legend,” a tribute to Chicago transgender icon Gloria Allen. —NT

“It has been an honor and huge responsibility to carry on The Stonewall Inn legacy and to spread that legacy to the faces, spaces, and places that need it the most,” Stacy Lentz tells GO. As the co-owner of The Stonewall Inn and an LGBTQ+ activist, Lentz has helped organize hundreds of events and fundraisers for LGBTQ+ organizations. In 2013, Lentz also helped organize the March for Marriage rally, which united over 80 LGBTQ+ organizations and thousands of people in a call for the repeal of DOMA. She was among a group of investors who stepped in to save the beloved Stonewall Inn from closing in 2006; in 2016, a decade after it was saved, the iconic bar was named a National Monument, making it the first LGBTQ+ national monument in U.S. history. In addition to co-owning the bar, Lentz serves as the CEO and co-founder of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to help the most underserved members of the LGBTQ+ community. No matter how much success she or the bar achieves, Lentz says she’ll keep working to uplift and give back to the community. “We have to continue the fight that started at The Stonewall Inn in 1969, as the fight isn’t over until we will reach full global equality and raise up the most marginalized among us.” —IL

New York native Susan Burdian developed her cooking style by absorbing the nuances of the diverse cuisines available in New York City. From Southeast Asian cuisine to rustic Italian, Mexican BBQ, Filipino, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Farm to Table cuisines, Burdian took in the myriad tastes to create her own flavor. She brought this flavor to notable NYC restaurants The Flatiron Room, Superfine, and Vinateria. In 2017, Burdian moved to North Florida and opened a series of restaurants in Amelia Island, Jacksonville, and Tampa. Most recently, she was selected to create a new menu for Social Roost in St. Petersburg, a restaurant featuring a globally-inspired kitchen with a focus on poultry. The diverse menu is reminiscent of a fine New York eatery, and Burdian strives to give guests a similarly fabulous experience. “I hope our guests feel like it’s an extension of home, where they can get the most delicious, satisfying version of whatever they are craving,” she says. It’s extremely important to Burdian that she gives back to her community, and she does so by mentoring young cooks and chefs. “I love to get those phone calls from former employees, excited to tell me that they just got some big opportunity, or that they’re finally running their own kitchen,” she tells GO. “It is deeply gratifying.” —NT

In May 2022, comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer will have been touring for 30 years, an accomplishment that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Having been out since the 1990s, Westenhoefer has proven that being yourself isn’t an obstacle — it’s a benefit. “I’m delighted to say that ‘being out’ is the reason I have a career,” she tells GO. “Being openly lesbian in the 1990s was beyond rare in the entertainment world. It made me stand out, get noticed, and succeed.” Her advice to the LGBTQ+ community? “Community first. We are not each other’s enemy. We come in all colors and creeds, so there are real enemies and your energy should focus only on fighting/teaching them.” She takes this advice seriously herself, using her comedy to poke fun at her own community while creating an intimacy and openness with audiences. Her sets include jokes about her partner’s conservative family, something many in her audiences can relate to. Westenhoefer speaks the truth that sometimes life can be difficult for LGBTQ+ people, but she also shows that we are still able to laugh it off — a key aspect in living life loud and proud. Her ability to talk openly about her experiences gives her power in any room, as she commands audiences’ respect while earning their laughs. —NT

Taylor Small sought elected office after a call from Diana Gonzalez, the first openly queer woman of color in the Vermont state legislature. Gonzalez, an incumbent, was stepping down; someone needed to run for her seat. Enter Small, a local drag artist and the Pride Center of Vermont’s Health and Wellness Program Director. “It was just the push I needed to step up and run,” Small tells GO. “I didn’t know that I could successfully run a political campaign as a young, working class, transgender woman, but with community support and strong advocacy, I did.” After winning the seat in last November’s election, Small is now the first transgender legislator in the state. Her focus is to advocate for LGBTQ+ and marginalized Vermonters and improve access to health and wellness care. She also co-sponsored HB 128, a bill that bans the use of the “trans panic” defense in criminal cases, which passed into law this past May with unanimous support from both the Vermont House and Senate. Small received a letter of recognition from the state’s Republican governor, along with the pen that was used to sign the bill into law. The most rewarding aspect of her work, she says, is “hearing from young queer and transgender youth across the country saying, ‘I now see a future for myself in politics.’ Our youth are not only our future, but our present, and I think it is imperative that we give them a strong platform to be able to share their voice with the world.” —RK

When you imagine a post-apocalyptic zombie fighter, Tig Notaro might not come to mind — but that was before the trailer for Zach Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” dropped earlier this year. As ammo-packing badass Marianne Peters, Notaro’s “first look” set the internet ablaze. The new role is a departure for the Grammy and Emmy-nominated Notaro, who is known for her sardonic, observational wit and willingness to share her personal struggles with breast cancer in her standup. But it’s also a sign of her versatility as a performer. Her career has included everything from stand-up specials like “Boyish Girl Interrupted” to scripted shows like “Star Trek: Discovery,” where she plays chief engineer of the USS Hiawatha Jett Reno. She’s also the host of two podcasts: “Don’t Ask Tig,” where she talks candidly with guests, and “Tig and Cheryl: True Story,” where she and co-host Cheryl Hines discuss a documentary each week. Her next venture, the comedy special “Drawn,” is set to premiere on HBO on July 24. Her message for the LGBTQ+ community — who has always known she was a badass — is a call to arms against anything from zombie hordes to haters: “Living free allows others to as well.” —RK

Veronica Kirin is many things: anthropologist, author, serial entrepreneur. This past year, she created “Stories of COVID,” an ethnographic (story-based) study that documents the pandemic in real time through worldwide interviews and follows her award-winning book, “Stories of Elders.” But though she wears many hats, Kirin identifies strongly as a socially conscious entrepreneur. Her entrepreneurial career began after she was laid off from a corporate position following a buy-out, and she “swore to never again put my livelihood in the fickle hands of someone who cared only about the bottom line.” She hasn’t looked back since. Owning a business, she believes, offers freedom from the discrimination that often leads to unfair job loss. She shares these ideals by teaching small business owners about the power of their own finances, which they can leverage to fight imposter syndrome, work against discriminatory practices in the workplace, and create job spaces for LGBTQ+ professionals. Kirin has been featured on BEQ’s 40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40, has presented her research on the TEDx stage, and was recently recognized by Forbes as a NEXT 1000 honoree. “Entrepreneurship spells freedom, empowerment, voice, and leverage for our community,” she tells GO. “It gives our community the power to say no to bigots, to leverage finances against outdated discriminatory practices, and creates the flexibility to choose how to invest their talents, all without the dangerous repercussions of being fired for who we love. That is the future I want for us.” —NT

“As a first-generation immigrant, I think of being queer as part of my process of defining myself instead of letting my definition be decided by spectators,” Yao Xiao tells GO. “As I mature as an artist, I make work to express myself fully, instead of trying to please a mainstream, white, and straight audience. With my comics, I get to express my idea about my own person, contemplating questions that trouble or move me in a way that isn’t tied to a gender or racial stereotype, or the trauma they leave in my life.” While self-described as “goal-driven” as a young artist, she found balance in a gentler, self-affirming approach to making art in recent years. This progression in mindset was followed by her critical success as an artist, with 2020 being a big year for her. Her debut graphic novel “Everything Is Beautiful, And I’m Not Afraid” received critical accolades and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. The children’s book, “How To Solve a Problem,” which Xiao illustrated, also debuted last year and was named a Best Book of 2020 by Publishers Weekly. Her illustrations and art have appeared in Time, The Washington Post, National Geographic, and other publications, and her comic “Baopu” has run in Autostraddle since 2014. Xiao, who emigrated to the U.S. from China, used graphic art to capture her experiences as a queer immigrant. “When I first started writing comics, I was anxious about not having an audience at all. I thought I would be writing into a void, only confirming my own isolation,” she says. “I feel more confident about myself because I feel that my voice is heard and reflected back, and I helped build a community through my messages, the intersectional, transnational, fluid community I was searching for and could not find.” —RK