100 Women We Love: Class of 2009

Once again, we celebrate our favorite out and proud women. As difficult as it is to narrow it down to just 100, this year’s eclectic list includes artists, athletes, club promoters, community organizers, entertainers, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, politicians and plaintiffs, who are making a difference in our world and the world at large.

Paula Redd Zeman

A classically trained opera singer, Paula Redd Zeman enjoyed over a decade-long career performing to sold-out crowds throughout the United States and Europe. While she was on hiatus, her father, a political activist and newspaper publisher, encouraged her to take a job in government relations at the YWCA. Bitten by the political bug, Zeman worked her way up the civil service ladder in Westchester County, New York. After serving as Deputy County Clerk and then Deputy Commissioner of Elections, Paula was appointed as the Westchester County Commissioner of Human Resources, where she still serves today. Taking another note from her dad, Paula has been active in civil rights movements, including gay rights advocacy. “I come from a family of civil and human rights activists
centered on validation and acceptance of those who are different,” Zeman says. “It would have been easy to live in the shadows, but that wouldn’t have been true to my family’s principles of promoting equality for all people.” Zeman also serves as Co-Chair of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Board of Directors. -KD

Remember, these are in no particular order because we love them all!


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