100 Women We Love: Class of 2017

Artist and hypnotherapist Kayko Tamaki is dedicated to helping women survive life’s challenges. Splitting her time between the Bay Area and her native Hawaii, Tamaki offers pro-bono healing sessions for women battling cancer, and has volunteered with minority girls, domestic violence survivors and women’s groups. Two of her other passions are photography and videography, which have taken her to India and Japan to create a visual “time capsule” of her elders’ stories. She’s now working on a documentary about death and grief, building on her experience of losing her own mother and managing a grief program for children and families at a hospice as a grief counselor. Tamaki is also a well-known figure in the LGBTQ community, boasting a strong following on Instagram and her personal blog. “As a population that has faced and is still facing the challenges of being treated as equals, we have come a long way from a history of pain,” she says. Having organized events and fundraisers where queer women connect and celebrate together, she recognizes that “we’ve made leaps and bounds on the road to equality, yet there is still more road to be walked.” On that road, she says, “we must take care of one another and support one another—even support those who don’t support us.” –SLO

Christina Wiesmore Roberts found her niche in nightlife when she attracted Chicago’s lesbians to the gay bar where she worked. Since then, nightlife has become her bread and butter. Alongside colleague Amie Klujian, Roberts created the all-women’s Pride party Back Lot Bash and also throws regular Girls’ Night Out events in Boystown, packing the week’s chosen bar with more than 200 women. “I think of everyone who attends my events as one of my friends, and my goal is for them to have a great time and forget about the stresses they have in the outside world,” Roberts says. “Our community deals with so much, whether it’s external pressures or internal divisions, and it genuinely makes me happy to bring a diverse mix of people together for a night or a weekend to listen to music, dance, meet people and just have fun.  I can’t tell you the number of people who met their spouse or significant other at one of my events, and I’m honored to have given them that opportunity.” Roberts also contributes as the Marketing & Community Development Manager for the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, and from her seat on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA). “Don’t be afraid to create something,” she says. “If you see a need within your community, find a way to fill it.  We never dreamed Back Lot Bash would grow into what it is today, but we worked hard and focused on what people wanted and the rest just happened.” —TB

“Being a part of the queer community in NYC is everything to me,” says cutting-edge fashion superstar Becca McCharen-Tran, a Virginia native who founded Chromat, a brand of swim and athletic wear designed for strong, powerful women. Drawing from her background in architecture, McCharen-Tran launched Chromat seven years ago as an architectural womenswear line. Using high-tech fabrics and performance-enhancing designs, Chromat collections are where fashion, architecture and technology converge. McCharen-Tran’s bold, innovative approach to clothing design focuses on perfectly fit garments that empower women—and the fashion world definitely approves. In 2015, Chromat was nominated for the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Just before that, McCharen-Tran made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list of “People Who Are Reinventing the World.” Chromat has garnered considerable attention from the world’s hottest and most iconoclastic celebrities. Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj and Madonna, just to name a few, have rocked Chromat designs. But McCharen-Tran isn’t taking all of the credit—collaborations with engineers, artists and scientists help make the magic happen, she explains. When asked about the most rewarding aspect of her work, she says, “Collaborating with other artists, musicians, scientists and activists is definitely the best part of the job.” –SLO

Music is so ingrained within Sinclair that the artist says singing and playing one of her many instruments is the way she gets through the “rough shit.” “It’s the only thing I can to do to express my feelings or to heal from pain,” she says. “It’s kind of a gut reaction and very much a part of my bones, I suppose.” One of nine children born to a pastor in Upstate New York, Sinclair had a difficult coming out process (“I thought I could pray the gay away. So naive!”), but turned the hardships into music like her autobiographical track “This Too Shall Pass,” which has more than 11 million streams on Spotify. Sinclair decided to start over, moving to Nashville with her wife, Natalie Rose. (“It was exactly what I needed!”) Now she’s in the studio working on the follow-up to her EP, “CLR BLND.” “When people reach out to me and tell me how deeply my music has impacted them, or share special memories of them with their lover finding each other and my music is the soundtrack to so many of their moments,  it’s the most important thing to me,” she says. “That my music can reach people in ways that no other communication can, you know? Art is wild like this—and touching people through the music is the reward.” —TB

Kristen McCallum struggled to come out to her Caribbean family, but she was able to find some self-love and new siblings in QTPOC spaces. “Learning to love something about myself that I grew up ashamed of has been painful but I deserve to be my best self,” McCallum says. “That is my constant reminder to be softer with my community because we really need to be there for each other.” As the creator and host of the podcast #SafeWordSociety, McCallum offers listeners a chance to hear stories about themselves and others like them, focusing on queer, trans and non-binary people of color who are rarely represented elsewhere. Prior to the podcast, she was already doing this kind of work, conducting interviews with social justice leaders and QTPOC influencers for Afropunk and producing/managing content for Elixher, the GLAAD Media Award-nominated website and magazine for black queer and trans women and non-binary people. “There is a void that is vital to our progress and well-being,” McCallum says. “Being able to give my community something they can be proud of is everything to me. Our content is going to change lives and I’m here for it.” –TB

There are many facets of Fawzia Mirza’s identity—actor, producer, writer, storyteller, Muslim, Pakistani, queer, woman—but what she doesn’t want to be is “the model minority.” “My mission as an artist is to use comedy and art to break down stereotypes,” Mirza says. “I wasn’t always a writer—I started writing because I was tired of waiting to be cast and I was tired of waiting for other people to tell my story. I wanted to create the stories of my family and communities and my different identities.” Chicago-based Mirza co-wrote, produced and starred in “Signature Move,” a QWOC-themed feature film that premiered at South by Southwest this March, and will be at fests this summer. She’s also working on the adaptation of her one-woman play, “Me, My Mom & Sharmila,” with screenwriter Terrie Samundra. What all of Mirza’s work has in common is that it’s as multi-faceted as the star herself. “The idea of ‘coming out’ to me isn’t the same thing as it may mean to a lot of people,” she says. “Like I wasn’t allowed to drink alcohol or wear a bathing suit growing up. I wasn’t allowed to go to prom or date boys or even hang out with boys so suddenly, according to Western standards, I was supposed to say, ‘Mom, by the way, I’m having sex with women!’ It took me a while to realize that because I identify as South Asian and Muslim and queer and a woman, that my intersectionality creates a much more complicated conversation about how you may end up talking to your family or your community about who you are. And that’s OK!” —TB

Hockey player-turned-professional model Briana Benavides was plucked from her Detroit high school at the age of 16 when a stylist happened to be in the audience during a performance at her local theater. “I never looked at myself as a model,” Benavides says. “I always saw myself as awkwardly tall and lanky. But I decided to give it a shot. I had so much fun at the shoot that I chose to pursue it and see where it led me, so I guess it was something that I just sort of fell into.” Since then, Benavides has appeared on “Project Runway” and in print and commercial campaigns, while also being a visibly out and proud member of the LGBTQ community, which is what she finds “the most rewarding.” “I am very fortunate that the fashion industry has grown to be very LGBT-friendly so I think if anything it has affected my success in a very positive way,” she says. Benavides hopes that she can also be proof that there’s no one way to “look like a lesbian,” which is a comment she’s received too many times to count. “It’s really hard not being taken seriously or having people think that you’re ‘doing it for attention’ because of the way you look,” she says. “You don’t have to look, act or dress any certain way to fit any stereotype. No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning your authentic self.” —TB

It may be hard to believe in 2017, but some casting directors and producers still tell comedian Bridget McManus to tone down the gay if she wants to snag bigger and better roles. “I’ve been out my entire career,” McManus says. “There was no way I was going to pursue my career as a performer and not be out. That was never an option.” A screenwriter, producer, director and award-winning comic, McManus has created and starred in two shows, “Bridget McManus Presents: That Time of the Month” and “Brunch with Bridget” on LOGO, and also created/starred in “We Have Issues,” tello Films’ “McManusland” and the romantic drama “Maybelle,” for which she earned a Best Actor nom at London’s Raindance Web Fest. Next up, a recurring role on the Season 4 of “Transparent” and a turn in Guinevere Turner’s “Post Apocalyptic Potluck,” playing film festivals this summer after a premiere in Provincetown.  And as one of the very few female warm-up comedians in TV, she gets to indulge in what she loves most: winning over a live audience. “I grew up idolizing Carol Burnett, so I’ve always known I wanted to be on stage,” McManus says, “performing live in front of large crowds and wearing as many wigs and costumes as possible.” —KL

“I think we’re used to seeing surface-level queer characters that aren’t complex and don’t accurately reflect the people in our lives,” says Kirsten King, a Los Angeles-based writer and editor who addresses the trials facing women, including queer women, today. Through her powerful essays about holding her girlfriend’s hand in Trump’s America or watching her ex fall in love on social media, King is trying to change those superficial portrayals. As a senior editor at Buzzfeed Motion Pictures, the digital media giant’s division for in-depth visual storytelling, King creates videos that examine queer relationships, rape culture, consent and mental health. “I got into digital media because it felt like the best way to connect with teens who are struggling with the same issues I did,” King says. “I want to write diverse narratives about real people”—paying their bills, falling in love, living normal lives—“and hopefully play some small part in helping someone better understand and accept themselves.” In addition to Buzzfeed, her work appears in the Huffington Post, Politico’s Weekend Reads, Cosmopolitan and Elite Daily. “I think when you’re visible and out online, that can be really terrifying,” she says. “The internet can undoubtedly be a mean and scary place, but it can also be a beautiful community if you find the right people.” —KL

“Be the role model that you needed when you were younger,” says Shawna McNamara. “I didn’t have a bisexual role model growing up, so once I figured out I was bi… I decided to take action, became visual and vocal to represent the bisexual community, and work every day to be the type of role model I needed for our queer youth.” Minnesota native McNamara works with LGBT artists as a talent agent, and she’s also a member of the Minneapolis High Femme Society as well as serving on the board of the Bisexual Organizing Project—BOP (“promoting femme visibility in the queer community”). From her place as a visible person in the community, she can often be found performing at special events like First Avenue’s Grown & Sexy Pride, and always advocating for bisexual visibility, especially for a new generation.  “I’m a strong believer that inclusivity should be a life goal, and this includes all groups,” McNamara says. “As a bisexual, I am often ostracized in the queer community because of biphobia and bi-erasure. I would love to see the LGBTQ community become more inclusive and supportive of each other.” —TB

We didn’t just lose Barack Obama in the White House in the last election; we also lost Aditi Hardikar. As President Obama’s LGBT and AAPI Liaison, Hardikar was the national spokesperson on community-specific issues, policy proposals and strategic communications. She left only to work the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, which was rewarding up until the very end. “After the soul-crushing result of the election last year, I found myself excited about nothing,” Hardikar laments. “I had spent the entirety of my professional career passionately endeavoring to make lasting change through public service and enthusiastic self-sacrifice. But with the election of a racist, misogynistic, LGBT-phobic, Islamophobic, anti-immigrant bigot, it was painful to pick up the pieces and think about what was next.” But she went back to work, helping “connect progressive grassroots leaders, heads of national organizations, elected officials and influencers to power the national resistance,” which got her excited again. “[I’m] ready to resume the important fight [for] social justice, especially for the most marginalized,” she says. “And being very intentional about which organizations and candidates I supported through my work (Is this organization led by a woman of color? Is this candidate openly LGBT and committed to racial and economic justice?) has allowed me to broaden my horizons and truly walk the walk.” Serving Obama and Clinton, Hardikar says, “were both life-changing experiences that provided me with invaluable skills and experiences.” “Now getting to step into my own power and using my talents to shape the progressive movement is an entirely different and thrilling side to my work.” —TB

Breathy, simultaneously soaring and delicate, Torii Wolf’s voice has been described as “reminiscent of a Bjork” by her producer, DJ Premier, whose “weird, wicked style” provides the emotional thread to the famed DJ’s hip-hop tracks. Wolf is the first female artist whose album he produced in full, a point of profound pride for Wolf. It’s something of a breakout for the New York native, who swapped coasts to make music in California, and whose latest project has brought her back east. “I try to stay out of the way, mostly,” she says of her writing process now. “I’m trying to honor the fact that I might be a portal for this other power coming through—like a messenger or vessel. What I do like to do is let go and channel myself into this place of vulnerability—that may or may not be my own. It helps having compassion and being close with other human beings.” Her work, she says, is a message for the LGBT community “in the way of how special it feels to create a platform for expression and connection in some of the darkest and brightest of times.” Wolf encourages her LGBT listeners “to remember to be fluid. We are water in love, in life.” —SJ

Artist Natalie Rose says that painting is the one thing she’s never quit. “I’ve been painting since I was a little girl,” she says. “It has always stayed with me. It’s where I find the ultimate natural high, other than making love.” Rose’s first commission came when she was 17 and still living in her hometown of Redding, California, where she was asked to paint a mural on a hospital building. Since then, her colorful, textured work has been seen in galleries, festivals and private art shows around her new home of Nashville, as well as on album covers and other kinds of illustrative work. “Seeing the way others perceive each piece, and how it affects them—I love the effect it has on me,” Rose says. “It’s my therapy, but there’s nothing better than the interpretation others receive from something you created.” As for how she sees her artwork reflecting her sexuality (or vice versa), she says being herself has “allowed me to be a voice for others who are not quite where I am.” “I am happily married, getting to do what I love and also very openly out,” she says. “It’s something I do not take for granted for a second.” —TB

It took traveling through Eastern cultures for Ally Ferguson to define a new style for fellow Los Angelenos. Her fashion label, Seeker, brings Middle Eastern and Asian clothing elements into everyday wear. On her travels, she had noticed “how civilization moves eloquently from day to night, work to play, praying and off to daily routine in one admirable outfit.” So she developed a style that incorporates these touches: a combination kimono and lab coat, a loose-fitting souk pant and other separates “for the modern monk.” Ferguson, who has worked with Ed Hardy, Kim Kardashian and Tyler the Creator, and counts Peaches as a friend, had a vision that these hemp cotton closet staples be gender- and age-inclusive. Seeker is now carried in boutiques in California, D.C., New York and Japan. Ferguson always knew she wanted to be a designer, and has found that being part of the LGBT community has helped her realize her dream. “It made me different from most other female designers, for sure,” she says. “It put all of the lovely gentlemen I’ve met along the way into the friend category so I could remain totally focused on my work. It was like I became everyone’s little sister and as my path became more clear, they lifted me up wherever they could.” Her industry has a reputation for being LGBT-friendly, and for Ferguson, that has meant support like no other. “Having a community in this world,” she says, “is crucial.” —SJ

“Being an entertainer in the LGBTQ+ community comes with a great deal of responsibility—the responsibility to lead by example, to use our glittery powers for good and to stand up and be seen and heard,” says Eveleena, whose stage name is Ivy Les Vixens. As the out and proud ringleader of Les Vixens, a queer postmodern neoburlesque troupe based in Orlando, Fla., she performs and dances from coast to coast, “leaving a trail of sequins and glitter” in her wake. Eveleena plays the Princess at the wildly popular Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, which also informs her YouTube channel, Lesbian Princess. But what she’s most celebrated for is hosting one of the nation’s longest-running weekly lesbian nights: Girl the Party at Orlando’s Southern Nights. It’s not just about glamour for Eveleena, though. She uses her platform to advocate for the community whenever possible, especially in the face of adversity. After the 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub, she stood as a beacon of strength, helping “to heal the emotional body” of her peers. “I want my community to know that I will always fight for our rights,” she says, “that I will always be here to help shine a light when we need it most, and to never, ever stop dancing.” –SLO

Democrat Kate Brown made history when she became Oregon’s (and America’s) first openly bisexual governor in February 2015. LGBT rights are, as you might imagine, a huge passion for her, reflected in Oregon banning conversion therapy for queer youth, creating what the Human Rights Campaign called the “first of its kind” coordinator position serving LGBT veterans and introducing rules that make sure students are safe in schools. Brown has also raised the minimum wage to help working families, advocated on behalf of the uninsured and improved gun safety. Recently, she signed a measure into law that will make it easier for transgender and non-binary folks to change their birth certificates. Still, she believes there’s more to do for the queer community, considering our current political climate. “I know many LGBTQ Oregonians are concerned about the progress we’ve made both legally and in the hearts and minds across the state and nation,” Brown says. “There’s a profound sense of discord between the compassion and resilience of our communities and what we hear in national political rhetoric. As governor, I will continue to use my office to combat discrimination and hope to be a mentor and role model for LGBTQ youth who may be struggling.”—GH

Jaimi King made history this season as the first contestant to ever be out while appearing on  “The Bachelor.” (Australia’s Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon, as you may recall, became an item after the show, but have since broken up.) King may not have been a winner, but her inclusion was a win for bisexuals. It was also—thankfully—no big deal. King’s private coming-out, however, was another story: “I was dating my second girlfriend,” she recalls, “and my family knew about her, but they didn’t know that we weren’t platonic friends. And so when somehow my mom found out, we ended up having a fight about it and I just remember telling my mom ‘I love her.’ I grew up in a very religious household, so coming out just seemed nearly impossible.” Now, culinary school grad King is currently a chef at New Orleans’ Ace Hotel. Her goal is to become a cake decorator on a full-time basis. “Me being out doesn’t really have any effect on my success,” she says. “I see myself [as] successful in many aspects of my life. As far as relationship success, I would say that I have more possibility of being successful in that area because I can allow myself to fall for anyone, no matter his or her sexual orientation or race. Love is love.” —GH

With a Ph.D. in biochemistry and a law degree, Nabeela Rasheed is well-versed in all things right-brained. “I love my job but even more rewarding than my day-to-day practice are the opportunities that being at the intersection of science and law has afforded me both as a mentor and as a leader in civic organizations,” says Rasheed, the Section Head of Intellectual Property at AbbVie Inc. A self-professed Pakistani “old Muslim and new lesbian,” Rasheed  emigrated to the USA from the UK more than 25 years ago, and embraced her new queer identity just recently when she met her partner. “My coming out was pretty much an ‘all-in’ process,” she says. “One minute I was merely a gay ally and the next I was out as a lesbian.” Rasheed says that falling for a woman was not the first time she’s experienced “cultural pitfalls” as a South Asian woman, and that it’s something she’s accepted for herself and her relationship. “I love my family, I love my girlfriend, and in my world,” Rasheed says, “these two spheres can exist happily and in harmony.”—TB

“As a lifelong performer, I was always dissatisfied with the limits placed on women,” says Gina Young, a Los Angeles-based writer, director and songwriter who aims to create “new roles and stories that people haven’t seen before.” Following studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Young has penned performance pieces and plays including the dance/comedy “Tales of a Fourth Grade Lesbo” and the satire “Femmes: A Tragedy.” Her work has been presented by venues including the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT), USC Visions and Voices, the Hammer Museum and the Women’s Center for Creative Work. Now she’s producing SORORITY, an experimental series featuring LGBTQ performers in a late-night salon, and Feminist Acting Class, which explores the intersection of feminist theory and theater. “So many women that met in my Feminist Acting Class are now making new work together in so many different genres, it’s incredible,” Young says, adding that seeing the participants meet new friends, lovers and artistic collaborators at her classes and events is what she enjoys most. “Don’t just find a girlfriend and stay in watching Netflix forever,” she admonishes. “I mean, do that too—but don’t forget to keep one foot in activism and art. Community is an active verb.” —KL

Anna Goodman is a born connector. In her roles spanning event production, marketing, graphic design and logistics, she has brought some of Los Angeles’ top LGBTQ community and charity events to fruition. “It makes me so incredibly happy to see others happy—to see people out making new friends and connections, enjoying each others’ company over drinks, games and conversation, or experiencing a special occasion or cultural ceremony together,” she says. After breaking into the industry by helping to produce a fundraising event for JQ International, an LGBTQ/Jewish programs and services non-profit, the organization hired her to run all of its programming as well as the Teen JQSA (Jewish Queer Straight Alliance). She also assists Milk Milk Lemonade LA, B.O.Y. LA, Mothership Festival and Lezathlon with acquiring sponsorships and other development tasks. Goodman’s planning prowess led to her current position as the L.A. city lead for HER, a social networking app for queer women. “I think when you’re a part of a marginalized group, you can’t expect that most events and safe spaces are going to appear out of nowhere,” Goodman says. “As an activist and an event coordinator, I find it extremely rewarding to provide these spaces, keep the community alive, collaborate with other LGBTQ individuals, spread inclusion and continue to raise awareness within our community at large.” —KL

Playing feminist icon Joan of Arc is a tall order, but Brooklyn-based performer Jo Lampert not only accepted the role, she owned it. As the star in the world premiere of David Byrne’s rock-pop operetta “Joan of Arc: Into the Fire,” Lampert received rave reviews from Vogue, The New Yorker and fans alike. Despite being the show’s major presence, she says that collaboration is key to her success. “I’ve found that the reward, alongside the beautiful rush of live performance, is in the coming together,” she says. “The gathering of ideas, creating alongside others, communing with fellow artists and also with an audience, is what makes the work feel the most full.” Lampert, a Tisch School of the Arts grad, has been performing professionally since 2010 as part of traveling acts like tune-yards and in New York, where she is an associate artist of the investigative theater collective The Civilians. “It’s incredible to realize how strong our community can be if we each come to it as our strongest individual selves,” she says. “There is such power in that. Our self-acceptance, and thus, our ability to reflect others, can allow us to have greater momentum and electric connection in our personal relationships, our fields of work, and our capacity to be leaders, should we choose to be.”  —TB

“I once had an ex-girlfriend say ‘You’re in a relationship with your photography,’” says Maro Hagopian. That kind of dedication has served the Detroit-born photog well, as she’s created a career for herself in celebrity portraiture and taking shots for the Village Voice over the last 12 years. Hagopian says she was “in awe” the first time she saw a woman—her older cousin who had come to visit her family in Las Vegas—wield a camera; previously, the photographers she’d encountered were predominantly men. That experience inspired her to want to pick up a camera herself. “I convinced my parents that I was serious about photography and they finally bought me an entry-level camera. I was shy and had no friends so I’d just quietly walk around the desert suburbia taking photos of landscapes and rocks.” It didn’t take long before Hagopian realized she preferred shooting living, breathing beings. “I realized how much I enjoy connecting with people and making them feel good about themselves,” she says.“It was important to me to give [my subjects] that [experience] as I really yearned for it myself. I’d needed to connect as a teenager but had so much trouble doing it.” Now, she finds herself in deep connection with her subjects. “For me, photography is about capturing emotional moments in time with a distinct composition filtered through the photographer’s mind’s eye,” Hagopian says. “It’s also about connecting with another person’s energy in that moment to bring out the beauty I see in them.” —TB

Originally from Detroit, Mich., Diona Reasonover started her performing career as a classically trained actor. There was only one problem—“[I hate] corsets,” she says. “No one would let me do Shakespeare in an Adidas hoodie, so I got into comedy.” Now living in L.A. with her partner, Reasonover has written for several television series, including Amazon’s “I Love Dick,” Tru TV’s “Adam Ruins Everything” and the 2017 Independent Spirit Awards on IFC. As an actor, she’s popped up on “Grace and Frankie,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Superstore,” “Girl Meets World” and “Comedy Bang Bang,” as well as having starred on the TBS sitcom “Clipped.” She’s also got a spot-on Whoopi Goldberg impersonation, and has been featured on Vh1, Disney and Funny or Die. Reasonover says her coming out is “still happening—#largefamily,” but she truly believes that for LGBTQ people, “it does get better.” “But it also gets more expensive,” she says. “Subarus are not cheap.” —TB

A USC Professor by day and pop culture podcaster by night, Karen Tongson is an ideal trivia night teammate. An expert on race, gender, sexuality, literature and pop culture, Tongson says she originally “entered academia without knowing exactly what it was.” “I knew I loved to write criticism and non-fiction,” Tongson says. “I also knew I loved literature, and thought ‘teaching’ would be a reliable gig, not quite understanding that’s only about a third of what most scholars at research universities actually do.” But as a fan of the kinds of entertainment that most would refer to as “guilty pleasures,” Tongson worried she’d have to “relinquish [her] passion for pop culture” to be taken more seriously. In her 12 years as an academic, she’s managed to create a career track for herself that successfully fuses the two. “I feel tremendously lucky I get to research, write, and profess about the full spectrum of cultures that interest me,” says Tongson, who has three forthcoming books: “Why Karen Carpenter Matters” (a dedication to her namesake), “Normal Television: Critical Essays on Queer Spectatorship after the ‘New Normalcy’” and “Empty Orchestra: Karaoke in Our Time.” She’s also the co-editor of the Postmillennial Pop book series at NYU Press, and as a co-host on the highly-entertaining Pop Rocket Podcast, she gets to do all the “trash” talking she wants. “When it all came down to it,” she says, “I managed to figure it out.” —TB

Lane Moore once suggested she had 35 jobs—and that wasn’t much of an exaggeration. A comedian, writer, actor, musician, podcast host, soon-to-be author and social media gadfly, Moore manages a nonstop cycle of creativity that has earned her multiple accolades. Her critically-acclaimed monthly comedy show “Tinder LIVE!” brings the dating app to awkward life, and she is a prolific writer for top humor outlets like the Onion, McSweeney’s and the New Yorker’s Shouts and Murmurs. In addition to live comedy, she performs with her band, It Was Romance, which has been compared to classic Sleater-Kinney. She had a hilarious cameo as a blasé thrift shop clerk on the fifth season of “Girls.” And did we mention she won a GLAAD award for bringing queer visibility to Cosmopolitan.com, where she was the sex and relationships editor? “Pretty much since birth, I was doing accents and impressions, writing sketches and stories, singing and writing songs,” Moore explains. “I’ve never wanted to do anything else. When I was growing up, and even now, the only real friends and family I had were TV shows and comedy and music and books. If I can now create [those things] so other people can feel less alone, that’s my favorite thing.” All in a day’s work. —KL

Angela Davis Fegan doesn’t mind if you steal her posters off the wall. Her art/activism series, The Lavender Menace Poster Project, is something she wants to be shared. Using gorgeous, colorful typeface and backgrounds, the printmaker displays queer and POC-focused messaging (i.e. “We Want Agency and Voice Beyond The Dance Floor,” “Assimilation is Violence,”) and hangs them up in bathrooms, bars and other public spaces around Chicago. “I want the Lavender Menace posters to teach you that you’re not isolated,” Fegan says. “We’re constantly being sold the idea that you’re isolated, you’re alone, that your voice is small. There are people out there who agree with you or are in the same position and I really just wanted to counter fear of occupying public space.” Next up, a book compiling her work from the project, which has also been on display in several galleries, museums and universities. “I went into art because I loved drawing and over time I have learned many means of reproduction and expression,” Fegan says. “I like using my hands and putting physical labor into desirable objects that amplify my voice.” —TB

Publicist and activist Michele Karlsberg has a “purpose and a passion” for what she does, and it’s fueled by a larger want to create more progress and peace. “[I have a] passion for helping others out,” she says. “A passion for creating change in a positive fashion. A passion for visibility. A passion for getting rid of racism, classism and sexism. A passion for saving lives. Bottom line, a passion for community.” Karlsberg has received many awards throughout her lengthy career, including the 2017 Lambda Literary Publishing Professional Award. She’s also been awarded the Publishing Triangle Leadership Award, Community Health Action Advocacy Award and was inducted into the Saints and Sinners Literary Hall Of Fame in 2011. She’s worked to create visibility for LGBTQ authors over the last 29 years, wearing many hats including publisher, event planner, curator, agent and consultant and by launching the Lesbian and Gay Book Month in 1989. She’s also had a long-standing column, “Words,” in the San Francisco Bay Times. “As a publicist, I get to convey my personal messages to a larger forum through my colleagues,” Karlsberg says. “My relationships with my colleagues goes far beyond contractual. At times I am a therapist, a friend, a confidant. Their works means something unique to each and every one of us. I believe they save lives; they preserve history, they educate and have constant devotion to their craft, and a willingness to keep learning. I am dedicated to them because of that.” —TB

After coming out in the ’90s, Deirdre Novella started bartending in NYC lesbian clubs Meow Mix and WOW Bar, cutting hair on the side. “I always wanted to open a salon,” she said, and in 2012, she did just that. Now the owner of Brooklyn-based Badlands, she has a mission of “providing a safe space for fellow LGBTQs.” Novella refers to herself as “an artist, healer and alchemist,” as she’s recently delved into developing Bandlands Organics, an organic skin and haircare line, as well as energy healing and homeotherapy. “I’m learning to diagnose and treat chronic illness that allopathic doctors have had minimal success with,” she says, “like Parkinson’s and Lyme Disease. … I’ve treated a lot of my staff, clients at the salon, and referrals from friends.” Novella credits much of her thriving to “good survival skills and creative tenacity,” but also being a part of something bigger than herself. “I feel so lucky to be a part of a strong community where helping others is a priority, especially in this climate of greed and lack of integrity,” she says. “If we don’t help each other, we’re all going down.” —TB

This past December, Lydia Polgreen was hired as the Editor-in-Chief of HuffPost (formerly The Huffington Post) following the departure of Arianna Huffington, and immediately, it was clear she was more than capable of filling the founder’s shoes, having worked as a West Africa, South Asia and Johannesburg bureau chief and deputy international editor for the New York Times. However, Polgreen’s rise to the top has not always been smooth. She’s had to face the obvious challenge of making it in a business where queer women of color are not in the majority. She told Out that as a young journalist, she couldn’t afford her unpaid internship at Washington Monthly, so she had to take a waitress job on the side. She also had to keep her relationship with photographer wife Candace Feit under wraps when both were on a dangerous assignment covering a Sudanese warlord. There are further challenges likely awaiting Polgreen during a time of change for both HuffPost and America: “As we launch a brand-new name and look for HuffPost,” she recently wrote in an editor’s letter, “I’ve been thinking a lot about these questions. How can we become better listeners? How can we serve you, our audience, better? … We aim to make this extraordinary platform the news source of choice for people everywhere.” —GH

Chloe Caldwell took an unusual approach to coming out as queer. Instead of telling people, she wrote a book about what she was going through. It was “Women,” a 2014 novella about a 20-something who has her first same-sex relationship with an older lover and tries to figure out what that means about her sexuality. Lena Dunham called it “a beautiful read/perfect primer for an explosive lesbian affair/an essential truth.” Readers took to it in a way she never expected. “When I was about to publish ‘Women,’ I remember feeling like it was going to be this obscure or taboo book,” Caldwell says. “But the way it was embraced by women of all backgrounds and sexual identities has touched me to my core.” It also helped her profoundly. “Writing ‘Women’ helped me process my identity and feelings around it,” she says. Exploring her emotions through her craft, it seems, was what she was meant to do. The prolific upstate New York-based scribe is also the author of two essay collections, “I’ll Tell You In Person” and “Legs Get Led Astray,” and she’s also written for Lenny Letter, Hobart, Salon, the Rumpus and Vice. “In my twenties, I was failing at everything except for writing,” she says. Instead of going to college, she took writing classes, and never looked back. “Writing,” she says, “was the only thing that motivated me.”—SJ

In 2006, Patricia Todd became a representative for Alabama, making her, at the time, the only out queer politician in her state. As NBC recently noted, her election was a pleasant surprise and taken as evidence that there may be more LGBT politicians in Alabama to come. For now, though, Todd is still the only one. “I wanted to change the world and make it a better place for future generations,” she tells GO. “And I wanted to stand up for all queer people, and have a seat at the table.” The position is a natural fit for Todd, who has spent a huge chunk of her non-political career serving the public, but being passionate about LGBT rights is a challenge in her state. “My legislative agenda does not include a lot of LGBT-focused issues. I mean, we’re in Alabama—I’m not going to get anything passed,” she told NBC. Instead, she focuses on keeping anti-gay bills from passing, and on other issues, like opioid addiction. Currently, she’s creating a nonprofit that aims to prevent overdosing in high school and college students. When asked what is the most rewarding aspect of her work, she says, “Having a young person tell me I am their hero. And serving with some wonderful people—even some of the Republicans.”—GH

When people tell Sara Medd they hate shopping,  she feels lucky to be able to offer her services. “I love shopping—and I’m even good at it!” she says. As the creator of Greyscale Goods, a carefully-curated brand of gender-neutral clothing and accessories delivered to clients, Medd is able to help LGBTQs display their own sense of style. “I find great reward in seeing a person’s transition into greater self-confidence through clothing that fits both their body and their identity,” Medd says. “I love receiving feedback from clients that we found them a pair of pants that fit them better than any pair they have ever tried on—ever! I’ve even been called a magician.” With a background styling shoots for magazines like W, Elle, Italian Vogue and GQ and working with celebrity clients on red carpets, Medd says these things “quickly lost [their] glamour” when she “realized that her true passion was helping LGBTQ friends and community find greater confidence through their wardrobe.”  “There are so many opportunities to improve the offerings for gender-neutral clothing and I am dedicated and determined to fill those gaps to the best of my ability,” Medd says. Although she’s had to fight the “lesbians aren’t fashion-forward” stereotype, she takes it in stride. “At my first styling job, I was subject of the age-old rhetorical joke ‘Don’t let the lesbian choose the shoes!’” she says. “But besides that, for me, being out in the fashion industry has been seamless.” —TB

Publisher Tracy Baim has been covering the Chicago LGBT community since 1984. As the co-founder of the city’s LGBT weekly Windy City Times, she feels fortunate to be in a career she’s dreamt of since she was a kid. “I have wanted to be a journalist since I was 10 years old,” Baim says. “I know it can’t last forever, but so happy to have done this now for 33 years.” In her lengthy career, Baim has written a film (“Hannah Free”), published a handful of books (including “Barbara Gittings: Gay Pioneer” and “Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America”), won several awards and has been inducted into the  National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Hall of Fame. She achieved all of that despite having come into journalism at a time when men were primarily the gatekeepers of printing and publishing. “Sexism within the LGBTQ community is just as fierce as in the mainstream, so I think being a woman for sure has impacted the trajectory of my career,” Baim says. “But I am extremely lucky to still be doing what I love, so everything that was a barrier has made me more resilient. And persistent.” —TB

Former New York-based chef Deborah Stanton and wife Anni Saludo have been together almost two decades, and three years ago, they made the move south to North Carolina to open Rockabilly Farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina. “Keeping our chickens, sheep and Pearl, our donkey, healthy and happy requires constant attention,” the couple says. “But we love getting up with our roosters, getting dirty and, best of all, building our business and our lives outside.” Together, they created Outdoor Culinary Adventures, fueled by their love of growing organic vegetables without the use of pesticides or other pollutants, resourcing “local ingredients, transporting, preparing and serving our great food to hikers, mountain bikers, campers and kayakers.” “We strive to be positive role models in our community, showing by example that living sustainably, working hard and loving others is not only possible,” the couple says. “It’s a blast!” —TB

Mira Krishnan’s favorite part of her job is “setting the bar really high for what happy LGBTQ people can look like.” “When I get it right, straight people I work with really get that we can add a layer of richness to their world,” Krishnan says. “And LGBTQ people and the people who love us are like, ‘Yes! Nobody ever talks about us that way; this makes me proud to be who I am!’” A neuropsychologist and consultant based in Grand Rapids, Mich., Krishnan works with state and federal government agencies, non-profits, for-profit corporations and organizations to “thrive through celebrating diversity and empowering people with differences and disabilities,” an opportunity for her to marry her work as a psychologist with helping to make communities more inclusive. “Just as I was coming out, Grand Rapids was launching a first in the country LGBTQ professional development program, through its mainstream chamber of commerce,” Krishnan says. “So the amazing thing was, for me, coming out didn’t hurt my professional network at all—everybody’s been so supportive. But then I have this whole new professional network of LGBTQ professionals, who I wouldn’t have gotten to know if I hadn’t come out. I’ve actually had so many opportunities I wouldn’t have had. Now the trick is to get it so everybody has that experience.” What she hopes is that LGBTQ people will see is how lucky they are to have been given such an incredible opportunity to share with humanity. “I think we have a gift to give the world,” she says, “and we shouldn’t give it because they deserve it—they don’t always—but we should give it because it’s why we’re here. We make the world a better place.” —TB

As the Executive Director at Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge in Orlando, Fla., Helsel has her dream job: “seeing animals be given their freedom.” A licensed wildlife rehabilitator, Helsel says she joined Back to Nature simply because she loves wildlife, “and someone has to stand up and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.” “It is an honor to care for God’s creations,” she says, and under her helm, the refuge has grown from “3.5 acres behind an automotive garage” to “a lush 20-acre Green Place property that is part of the wildlife corridor, in partnership with the local county government.” Now eagles can build their nests without worry, and other wildlife can traverse the space without feeling closed in. An out lesbian, Helsel wants that feeling of freedom to extend to humans as well. “We are all in perfect divine perfection, just as we were designed to be,” she says. “It is so important to be who you are and not who everyone else thinks you should be.” Luckily, Helsel has had only positive experiences in her work. “I have been very supported and worked extremely hard to get where I am today,” she says. “I’ve held leadership roles in almost every job I have had. My personal life has never been questioned or thrown in my face. I’ve been allowed to be free to be who I am.”—TB

L.A.-based photographer Lindsey Byrnes has had her shots in Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, but what she loves most is helping her subjects to see themselves as beautiful. “Letting them see their best selves is rewarding,” Byrnes says. “I know I’m really lucky to do something every day that I actually think is fun.” She’s been hired for high-profile ad campaigns for Wildfang, Hard Rock Cafe and Good Dye Young, and is often brought in by brands to take shots of celebrities, musicians and festivals. “I cannot say whether or not I would have achieved more of my professional goals if I wasn’t out,” Byrnes says. “However, I can say that I have met many amazing people through other amazing people who are part of the LGBT community, so in that way, I have become more successful. And if it has kept people from hiring me on jobs, then that is also a success because I don’t want to work with people like that anyway.” —TB

“The most rewarding aspect of my work is discovering myself through the journey of creating mediums that represent me,” says photographer Yunique A. Saafir. A self-described queer, black femme, Saafir is dedicated to making sure others like her are able to see themselves because she knows how important visibility can be to self-image. “We can’t be validated by anyone but ourselves,” she says. “My validation … does not lie in the validation of society, or anyone around me. I see myself as a worthy vessel and try hard every day to see my value for being.” Saafir’s work “explores personal experiences with mental health and the idea that depression can illuminate the self and spark clarity,” aiming to bring “power [to] ambiguity and darkness, an unappreciated ability to run directly into the void, to become undone, and to rebuild again.” Her latest series, “My Body: Not for Consumption” is on display at the Dixon Place Theater as part of the Annual Hot Festival on July 12, and speaks to the idea that “sedative feelings can bring healing and that vulnerability is sacred.” “A place of enlightenment can actually look strange for us of the LGBTTQQIAAP community,” she says. “It is important to create your own merit with that, because you deserve it.” —TB

“In the ‘90s when gay couples would inquire about my catering their wedding they would whisper, ‘Um, do you have an issue catering a gay wedding?’” Chef Rossi recalls. “I would shout back, ‘Hurray! You get the family discount! Welcome home!’” Chef Rossi is not only a master of the kitchen, but at dishing on the process, as she has done for The Daily News, The New York Post, Time Out New York and Mcsweeney’s, just to name a few. Her 2015 memoir, “The Raging Skillet/The True Life Story of Chef Rossi” received countless critical accolades and has been turned into a stage play by Jacques Lamarre, premiering this summer at The Theatre Works in Hartford, Connecticut. (A screenplay is also in the works, as is a second memoir.) “I’ve had a wacky life and I love to write about it and talk about it on the radio,” says Rossi, who hosts the show “Bite This” on OMR and WFMR in Cape Cod, and also co-hosts “Mouthing Off” on Transformation Talk Radio. “I put it all out there. Being out loud and proud has been the fuel for my fire.”—TB

When divorce lawyer Emily Rubenstein walks into a courtroom, she’s oftentimes representing someone who’s going through a lot of pain. “Divorce is stressful, emotional and scary—there is a whole new legal language dictating your family’s future and that’s intimidating, disorienting,” she says. “Being a client’s leader through the storm and bringing them to a place of relative peace and closure gratifies me every day.”  The Los Angeles native is one of two women attorneys at Lavinsky Law, and previously served as the Co-President of the LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles, the youngest co-president in the organization’s history. “I’ve found that being out has positively affected my success—certainly more than I could have imagined as a self-conscious teenager,” she says. “Being out means people know I am being myself, which allows my clients and staff to be themselves as well. In a field where we deal with such personal issues, it is so important for people to feel comfortable and free from judgment. Anyone who comes into my office knows they can give me the real talk.” Part of Rubenstein’s work is taking on pro-bono cases representing survivors of domestic violence in low-income communities. All this feeds into the most “rewarding” aspect of her work, which is “getting a client to that point where they can see the end of the tunnel.” “Winning trials is pretty fun, too,” she says. As for how she stays winning? “Be the purest version of yourself—that’s your unique gift to the world; be intimidated by no one, and remember, not all lady lawyers wear heels.” —TB

“When I decide to photograph a woman, the first things that catch my eye are her audacity, insolence, determination and beauty,” says photographer Luna Tristá. “When I connect with the person that I take pictures of, I also connect with myself, and her story is my story and vice versa. It’s like a wild dream.” Before becoming a professional photographer, Tristá spent seven years learning how to play the violin. “I began studying photography because of the need to express myself,” she says. “It was the beginning of a personal quest to find a way to communicate without using spoken language. Photography became visceral; it changed the way I see the world for good.” Her work has been exhibited widely, and she has photo collections for view on her website, including “She’s My Man,” portraits of her partner that challenge the idea of gender as fixed. Tristá says her birthplace of Havana, Cuba continues to fuel her work. “I am convinced that I couldn’t create the same photos [if] I wasn’t born in Cuba,” she says. “The memories I have of Havana, its decay, its women and the strength that characterizes the Cuban people—these things are what lead me to work as I do.” —GH

“For me, becoming an organizer wasn’t a choice,” says Eli Erlick, who revealed she was both trans and queer at eight. “I was facing a lot of violence in my rural hometown [Willits, California] and couldn’t attend school without harassment or threats. I had to do something.” That “something” was, at 16, co-founding Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), a national organization devoted to changing the educational experience for transgender students. “I used this platform to help build a network of young trans activists, create educational material, and institute policy locally, statewide and across the country,” Erlick says. She has also written (and been the subject of) trans-related articles, and was instrumental in getting California’s School Success and Opportunity Act passed. Since January 1, 2014, the Act has been helping schools provide a positive educational environment for trans students. “Often, trans leaders are scared to express our queerness due to the politics of respectability,” Erlick says. “However, I hope that through my own openness about my identities, I can inspire others to have critical conversations around our community and gender expressions.” Next month, TSER will host its second annual Trans Youth Leadership Summit. Learn more at www.transstudent.org/tyls. —GH

J. Muse, a visual artist based in Los Angeles, began a career in art just three years ago. The Florida native, whose wife is also an artist, says she got so inspired watching her wife paint that she decided to explore her own talents. “I would study her process from beginning to end,” Muse explains. “One day she saw that I was very attentive to her craft, and she decided to teach me.” At that point, Muse committed herself to “practicing and gathering all of my ideas to create the imagery that floated in my mind.” “Over time,” she says, “I developed my style of painting as pop realism using bold colors and unique blending techniques.” Her first publicly-shown painting was a portrait of Michelle Obama in October 2016, which was featured in The Huffington Post. And now she has even bigger plans: “After battling homelessness and overcoming obstacles on my journey, I have learned that I am unstoppable,” she says. “My wife and I are planning our first art exhibit together this year in Los Angeles, so my goal is to continue to create art with what I feel. I want to inspire others to be true to themselves. Utilize your creativity to build a future that guarantees happiness within yourself while doing what you love.” —SLO

“Cooking is something I was born to do,” says chef Angela Dimayuga, “and the narrative of how and why I cook today continues to unfold.” Shortly after moving from San Jose to New York in 2012, she became executive chef at Mission Chinese Food NYC, which led The New York Times to celebrate the “Sichuan-laced” eatery as Restaurant of the Year. Since then, Dimayuga has garnered numerous awards, nominations and accolades, including being named New York Magazine’s Best New Chef in 2015 and a Zagat 30 Under 30 winner in 2016. An acute sense of design informs her work, and she views her culinary achievements as a form of “interdisciplinary, intercultural expression.” A first generation Filipino-American, Dimayuga is deeply influenced by her heritage cuisine and says that her cooking is community-minded, “where the context of serving food is just as important as the flavors themselves.” She believes it’s now more important than ever to give emphasis to community through food. “Post-election, it’s been vital to vocalize my personal values and the inspiration behind my work,” she says. “I feel lucky to participate in feeding people via an expression that is all sensory and brings people together in a space and place that represents modern American intercultural cooking.” —SLO

Party producer and business owner Christine De La Rosa was diagnosed with Lupus in 2009, and after almost dying from a pulmonary embolism, she decided to try CBD. The plant “changed her life.” Not only was she able to quit chemo, the use of medical cannabis helped her to quit walking with a cane and her symptoms have been relieved—“I have never felt better,” De La Rosa says. The discovery led to her opening the Benefit Health Collective, a cannabis consulting and delivery service specializing in patients with chronic illness, in addition to her other businesses including Town Biz, a retail shop specializing in showcasing Oakland-based artists, artisans and craft people; two large scale events companies, EDEN Events in San Francisco and fiveTEN Oakland Events; and Queer Fashion Week, the first ever fashion week dedicated to queer designers and models. “I have mostly created opportunities for myself and others [in my work],” De La Rosa says. “My motto is if you don’t see what you need or want, then create it yourself.” —TB

Party promoter Cynthia Russo came from a big Italian family that loved to perform. “So entertainment was in my blood from day one!” Russo says. “I always loved music, loved to dance, loved people, and of course loved to socialize. However, I came of age in an era where inequality and discrimination towards the LGBT community, was the law of the land.” Working as a bartender had Russo in the thick of nightlife, but, wanting to create a space for women like her, she saw an opportunity. “Leaving bartending behind to take the plunge as a promoter of women’s events in NYC was born out of the realization that nightlife for women of color was marginalized back then,” she says. “There was a significant lack of frequent parties, offering the various music genres that mattered! I went with the age old idea that if you give people what they want, they will appreciate you, and they will come out in support.” And they have, to Pandora’s Box, Hatfields, Taboo, The Octagon, Hershe Bar and KRASH NYC. And decades later, Russo is proud to still be “going strong.” “Our parties may move from place to place,” she says, “but the emphasis on providing safe and attractive venues for the women of our community, remains a top priority.” —TB

“I was really young when I discovered skateboarding. I fell in love with it and the more I learned, the more I wanted to skate,” says 25-year-old Lacey Baker. Skateboarding since age two, Baker is, as Rolling Stone noted, the only out queer woman on the Nike SB team. Impressive, but hardly surprising. At 14, Baker took home the Women’s Skateboard Street bronze at the X Games, and a decade later became the 2016 Street League Skateboarding Nike SB Super Crown World Champion for the women’s division. She’s also received heavy praise from the media: Thrasher Magazine says her “My World” video part “shatters every preconceived notion of girls vs. boys.” Rolling Stone simply calls her “one of the best skaters on the planet.” Now, Baker wants to go to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, though the most rewarding part of the sport for her is not the glory. “The most rewarding aspect of skateboarding is the ability to keep progressing no matter how far you’ve come,” she says. “It’s also helped me find a community of other women and LGBTQ folks that I feel comfortable with; we all connect through skating, and often create bonds that are much deeper and carry far beyond skating.” —GH

“I sing and make music because it’s the way I express myself, use my voice and feel most alive. Music is the most transcendent, unifying force in the universe—for me it’s the vehicle to deliver the message of self-love and empowerment,” says CLAY, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter who boasts model looks, an independent spirit and purple hair. The artist has been called a “rising star,” and her music “sultry” by W Magazine, and been compared to Adele by Hello Giggles, “but with a style all her own.” Though accepted into the prestigious Berklee College of Music, she left before graduating and just started playing, releasing her first single, “Wild Thing/3’s a Crowd” in September 2016. Formed by influences as diverse as Greek mythology and R&B, CLAY enjoys experimenting with music outside of a traditional song structure. She also sees herself as an activist and offers this inspirational message to her LGBTQ fans. “Be yourself, above all else,” she says. “Be proud of who you are, where you’ve been, where you’re going. Honor and cherish your experiences. You are who you are and being yourself is essential to the fabric of the world and beyond. Be courageous and live your truth and just know that you are not alone.” —SJ

Have you ever rolled your eyes at some ridiculous personal essay? Sarah Pappalardo feels you. She, along with Beth Newell, co-founded Reductress, a site full of Onion-esque “articles” that make fun of outrageous clickbait culture and “take on the outdated perspectives and condescending tone of popular women’s media, through the eyes of the funniest women in comedy today.” Though Reductress is now a very popular humor destination, no one involved with its early beginnings could have anticipated how successful it’s become. “For the first year, we never really thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be a business,’” Pappalardo explained in a Cosmo essay. “We thought, ‘Oh, this, at best, will be a cool blog that we can have fun with.’” They also thought it would allow them to work “with other women we know that don’t really have a place to do this kind of comedy.” Pappalardo tells GO she is “celebrated” for being an out writer and creator. “That definitely can’t be said about every industry, so I consider myself lucky!” Her message to the LGBT community? “We all have very different degrees of privilege in the queer community in 2017. Check yours, and consider it your responsibility to lift up those who have less of it than you.” —GH