100 Women We Love

100 Women We Love 2011

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The 100 Women We Love – out artists, elected officials, business leaders, athletes, community activists – are role models for us all. Many are up-and-coming movers and shakers; some are at the zenith of their careers. Some of their achievements change our world and, just as importantly, others improve the world’s perception of out women. They all strive tirelessly to increase our visibility and continue our incredible progress toward equality and justice.

We proudly present the class of 2011, in random order, so each gets her well-deserved turn in the spotlight.

KAREN GOLINSKI

Karen Golinski (right), a native New Yorker, is the plaintiff in Golinski v United States Office of Personnel Management, a federal lawsuit in California challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). An attorney who has worked for the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco for two decades, Golinski married her longtime partner Amy Cunninghis (left) and tried to enroll her spouse in her employer-sponsored health insurance plan in 2008. After being denied by the Office of Personnel Management, she followed steps that would eventually lead to the lawsuit filed by Lambda Legal and pro bono counsel Morrison & Foerster. “I hope that my lawsuit, along with the other lawsuits around the country challenging DOMA, will help achieve greater marriage equality for the LGBT community,” Golinski says. “Our relationships deserve the same recognition as those of straight people, and this discriminatory law allows the federal government to treat us like second-class citizens.” –SLO

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