100 Women We Love, Queer Women We Love, Wonder Women

100 Women We Love 2012

June 15, 2012 Destiny Dejesus

“Knowing that my election showed Charlotteans and the world that we are not bound by discrimination wakes me every morning with pride,” proclaims LaWana Mayfield, the City Council representative for District 3 in Charlotte, NC, and the city’s first openly gay elected official. Last November, she trounced her Republican opponent in the council election with 78 percent of the vote, replacing an eight-year incumbent. Now, continuously building on her 15 years of activism, her other leadership posts include the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, Mecklenburg County Development Corp. Board, Smart Start Board and the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund Board of Advisors. Prior to the election, Mayfield took an active role in LGBT activism as the Human Rights Campaign’s Diversity Co-Chair. “I believe that my role, along with growing the City of Charlotte, is to open the door for LGBTQ dialogue and to create pathways to service. I have this amazing opportunity to help direct the growth of the City of Charlotte through my vote,” Mayfield says. “I am right where I am supposed to be, and I love my job!”

Drum roll, please! We’re excited to present this year’s 100 Women We Love—our most diverse group of out entertainers, artists, athletes, activists, business principals and elected officials yet. Each of these women is a superstar in her own right. Their achievements and contributions shape our lives —and elevate us in the eyes of the world . They’re working to raise LGBT awareness, increase our visibility and quicken our progress toward a just society.

We are extremely proud to present the class of 2012. There are no rankings or numbers. They are all leaders.

Adrienne M. Thomas
Boston-based Adrienne M. Thomas heads up Bad Ass Freckled Boi/Incorrigible Romantic Productions, a company creating events “to strengthen and have fun within the stud/AG family unit.” Thomas is co-producer (and affectionately called the “mayor”) of Provincetown’s Women of Color Weekend as well as a sought-after fundraiser. With a background in development, she has held positions at several non-profit organizations, including a governorship with the Human Rights Campaign and co-chairing the local HRC board. Yet her heart belongs to the stud/AG community. “There just isn’t much out there for us,” she explains. “There’s so much confusion about what it means to be a stud or AG—in the street, at work, in the bedroom. My message for the LGBT community is that there is not just one cookie cutter way to be a stud/AG, and if there has to be a model, that model should embody more positive aspects than negative traits.” Among other projects, Thomas leads interactive stud/AG workshops that focus on learning, discovery and “much needed dialogue and bonding between people.” She may even have an upcoming book or film in the works. “These are very exciting times, and soon people will see and hear our stories.”