100 Women We Love

We are thrilled to present this year’s 100 Women We Love—an incredibly diverse group of out entertainers, athletes, artists, activists, business leaders and elected officials. Each one of these women, in her own unique way, is a role model who exemplifies the best of the LGBT community. Their achievements enrich our lives and make our world a better place. Their contributions help to raise awareness, increase our visibility and accelerate our progress toward equality. There are no rankings or numbers. We salute them all!

photo by Brad Triffitt

RUBY ROSE You know Piper, Alex and Big Boo. Soon, avid Orange Is the New Black fans will get to know Stella Carlin, a charismatic new face on Netflix´s hit show, played by Ruby Rose. This emerging actress considers herself a "multi-hyphenate creative spirit," with forays into fashion design, music and modeling. She is one of the faces of Maybelline in Australia, but her face is about to be all over TV here. In addition to the OITNB gig, Rose will appear as a "dangerously beautiful android" named Wendy in David Hewlett´s Syfy show Dark Matter, an adaptation of the graphic novel premiering this month. She´s played opposite Christina Ricci in an indie film, and her self-made short film Break Free-a "tribute to gender fluidity"-has garnered more than 18 million online views. Having been beaten up and bullied at school, Rose says she often felt alone and depressed. But in her career, staying in the closet was never an option, she says. "I didn´t grow up with any out role models, and it affected my life dramatically," Rose says. "It was important for me that I be out so I could be myself and inspire others to do the same." -SJ