Macfarlane, Barrowman, Takei, Horta and more make the 2008 "Out 100"
Posted by Lyle Masaki on November 5, 2008
Luke Macfarlane for Out (Photo: Greg Lotus)
Out magazine has begin to tease this years Out 100, their annual list of "gay men and women who moved culture". Their first reveal includes out actors Luke Macfarlane, John Barrowman and Sir Ian McKellen, MSNBC rising star Rachel Maddow, actor Wilson Cruz, Ugly Betty producer Silvio Horta as well as newlyweds George Takei and Brad Altman.
Find out more about the early revelations along with a few reactions after the break.
Seeing Maddow and Takei on the list reminds me that despite the hurdles we've faced, there certainly have been a few silver linings for LGBT people this year. When Takei and Altman married this year, I was pleasantly surprised to notice how the biggest controversy focused on how Takei snubbed his Star Trek co-star William Shatner. As a kid who watched Star Trek after preschool, Takei was an early role model for me as an Asian-American in an iconic role and I can't help but get a little emotional when I see him as a man who shows the public what an openly gay man can be.
Rachel Maddow
Photo credit: Roger Erickson
I've been a fan of Rachel Maddow since she made her national radio debut four years ago, so it's been extremely gratifying to see her rise to prominence this year. She quickly charmed MSNBC viewers with her smarts and her good-natured sense of snark to the point that her new show was an instant hit. More importantly, the media has avoided trying to define her by her sexual orientation. Instead, she's been largely defined by what she brings to the political discussion and being gay is just simply a part of who she is.
The Out 100 preview also includes singer Missy Higgins, former National Gay and Lesbian Task Force director Matt Foreman, NPR correspondents Ari Shapiro and Diana Nyad, filmmakers Parvez Sharma and Tom Kalin as well as activist Evan Wolfson. It's a pretty inspiring list and one that'll probably get more so when the full list hits on November 14.
No comments:
Post a Comment