GO Magazine’s 100 (Lesbian) Women We Love Features Autostraddle CEO, Other People

GO! Magazine’s 2011 Pride issue is out, Ladies and statistically a few gentlemen!

This year, as always, they’ve compiled a list of 100 Women We Love.

From GO! Mag:

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.

Last year’s list included many Autostraddlers. This year it seems that GO! Mag loves many of the same ladies that Autostraddle would share a bed / sandwich / carpool with given half the chance. I think this validates our feelings, yes?

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Loves We Have in Common:

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bklyn boihood Co-Founder Ryann Makenzi Holmes

Probs you’ve heard of bklyn boihood. Their goal: to “provide visibility and empowerment to masculine-presenting queer and trans people of color.” And we’ve got Ryann Makenzi Holmes to thank.

Her current focus is on expanding the scope of bklyn boihood to include more hosting opportunities for networking, substantial program development and using social innovation to empower individuals and community efforts on a global scale.

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Miss June Francine Beppu

Co-Founder/Director of Business Development at NamiWave and Autostraddle’s Miss June 2012. I don’t know what can be said about Miss June that hasn’t already been said so just take a moment and wish you were that blanket or rug or whatever down there on the left.

For more of that purchase your 2011 Calendar HERE.
Oh, and she’s on some show called The Real L Word or something, IDK.

“In our technology-driven, modernized world, it’s mind-boggling how backwards we are in treating people with respect and granting everyone equal rights, especially when the issue at hand is love.”

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Singer Vicci Martinez

Did ya ever want to fast forward through The Voice just to get to the lesbian parts? Done.

“I love getting messages from people that say they are taking that leap of faith, and doing what makes them happy and passionate in life. That’s why I do what I do!”

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Singer/Songwriter Chely Wright

Chely Wright finally assuaged my guilt of liking country music. Finally a country music star who comes out of the closet, writes a book about it, gets engaged, and is interviewed by Autostraddle.

Ya’ll are gonna say KD Lang came out first. Fine, she’s on GO’s list too.

“I have lived a very blessed life and I know what it feels like to achieve goals. I want to do my part in helping others have as many opportunities to have milestones in their lives too.”

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Rapper Lady Sovereign

Remember when she came out? That was interesting.

“I’ve always felt that I’ve got this weird spiritual energy around me that means I’ll be okay, like having a guide. Everything has always happened for a reason, things always worked out in the end.”

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Musicians/Twins Tegan & Sara

When you’re trying to come up with a good fantasy sometimes its hard to decide which would be hotter – musicians or twins? With Tegan and Sara you don’t have to decide!

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Juicy Pink Box’s Chief Sexy Officer Jincey Lumpkin

In case you’re tired of girl-on-girl porn geared toward straight white dudes, there’s Jincey Lumpkin and her Juicy Pink Box.

“A lot of my customer base is straight women, and I love that, because Juicy Pink Box is exposing them to real lesbian sex and real lesbians. If I can help a woman to feel more comfortable exploring her sexuality, then I’m happy!”

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Student /Outserve Spokesperson Katie Miller

Just when you thought this lady couldn’t get any sexier you read the words “captain of the Yale women’s rugby team.” Yeah, it just got hotter in here.

“Military service is a great opportunity and honor, and there is no reason why America’s best and brightest should ever be barred or even remotely deterred from it because of discriminatory policies.”

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Most importantly though…

Autostraddle.com’s Editor in Chief / CEO RIESE DANGER BERNARD

She recaps horrible/awesome shows for you, you ask her weird things on Formspring, she says things on the internet, sometimes you agree with her, sometimes you yell at her and she loves you anyway, but really you shouldn’t yell at her. Look how adorable she is.

photo by robin roemer

Autostraddle.com, Riese Bernard’s phenomenally popular Web site, has enjoyed explosive growth in the past year. The site doubled its readership with lady-friendly advice columns, snarky cultural commentary and political news; launched a redesign and added social networking tools; coordinated a worldwide meetup for fans; and opened its online store. What’s the secret to Autostraddle’s success? “We employ a funny, conversational tone to make all that complicated DOMA and DADT stuff make sense and be fun to read, so everyone is informed and can fight properly with their parents at the dinner table,” Bernard laughs. “When readers tell us they’ve met other queers, come out to their friends and family, stopped hating themselves and decided life is worth living because of Autostraddle, that’s not just the most rewarding part of my work—that’s the most rewarding part of my life.” –KL

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!

Bren

Bren has written 80 articles for us.

75 Comments

    • Congrat to Riese — you’re in some pretty nice company on that list.

      They even credited Robin with the photo. Way to go, GO!

    • What about a story on Lily Cade? She’s the most successful director ever in her genre.

      She never compromised her artist vision for monetary gain…and never let anyone force her into something that she didn’t want to do.

      All that has to count for something.

  1. “Some of their achievements change our world”
    that would be you they’re talking about there Riese.

  2. “When readers tell us they’ve met other queers, come out to their friends and family, stopped hating themselves and decided life is worth living because of Autostraddle, that’s not just the most rewarding part of my work—that’s the most rewarding part of my life.”

    this totally made me tear up. congratulations, riese!

  3. How do Americans all have such good teeth?

    Obviously, the undying adulation of AS readers should be all anyone needs, however I concede that recognition from other sources can be nice too, so for this reason I join the caps lock chorus with everyone else in exclaiming:

    GRATS RIESE !!!

    • as an american, i have noticed that too. my guess is that in other places not so many people get braces and so on as kids? i feel like more than half the people i know had braces when they were little. like, it’s not seen as an option to just have slightly crooked teeth.

    • if you are talking about my teeth i would just want to say that i had braces for 3.5 years but then i lost my retainer in 1999 and everything went back to how it was and now i have terrible teeth which’re wacky crooked on the bottom and have a gap at the top. Robin just has a really good camera!

      But yeah all Americans have amazing teeth, I know this because I am constantly staring at my friends teeth in jealousy, fantasizing about invisilign.

      • that’s right, wear your retainers kids, RETENTION IS FOREVER as we say in the industry

        p.s. yay riese!

        • My teeth moved after I got my braces off even though I wore my retainer! Like in a couple of weeks, too. :P

          Oh well. Guess I wasn’t meant to have straight bottom teeth…

          • well something went wrong there.. disclaimer – officially this is not yet my professional opinion, until i look much much more closely next time i see you

          • My bottom teeth were so F-ed up they put a permanent retainer in.

            And I get charged extra at the dentist for cleanings because the dental hygenist person has to deal with the hunk of metal in my mouth.

          • OMG I WANT A PERMANENT RETAINER. one of the teeth on my bottom row just has a totally different agenda than the rest of them. unfortunately i’m no longer a child with parents interested in investing in orthodontia.

          • permanent retainers are pretty much standard practice these days, so if you come into an unexpected $7-8K..

            orrr you could just get a fixed retainer now to keep them where they are! this is rarely done but completely possible.

          • I did not anticipate a throwaway remark exposing all this orthodontic anxiety…

            I feel a strange sort of national pride in having crap teeth.

  4. Fabtastic! Well done – cute pic to boot!
    First Autostraddle, then Go! next… the WORLD!!

  5. awesome. i’m always telling people about things i’ve read on this site and how great it is. nice to know others think it too.

  6. Fuck yeah Riese!

    Also, for some reason I am intensely uncomfortable with thinking of Tegan and/or Sara in a sexual context.

  7. Yeah congrats Riese.I went through the whole list and it’s a well thought out and diverse one.It’s great to see AS getting more and more recognition and it’s well deserved.On a side note I have the exact opposite problem with T & S as far as the sexytime thing goes.Well not so much Sara but my goodness Tegan? The growl does it every time.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU9Ioaw2B64

  8. Congratulations, Riese.

    Whenever I congratulation somebody I use a hokey nickname, and all I could think of here is Riese’s Pieces (please tell me somebody has called you this before.) I think it’s fitting because you are just as awesome as them, but you don’t come in packs of two, so you’re even MORE special.

  9. It’s just true: you do good work! In your increasing (well-deserved) recognition (because do you ever bust your arse!), you just make everyone else feel good too. THAT is a sign of true awesomeness.

  10. “so everyone is informed and can fight properly with their parents at the dinner table”

    THANK YOU; you’ve put to words one of the biggest things I get out of AS. I couldn’t quite figure out how to say it.

  11. YEAH RIESE.

    Lookin’ good.

    This list is really good, I love the diversity and sexiness and accolades for people who have really helped their community.

  12. This is pretty amazing and well deserved. Riese wins all of the awards. All.OF.THEM.

    I met Lady Sovereign at the airport once before she came out. I was 19 and in the midst of realizing how fucking amazing, not just women, but QUEER WOMYN are. She called me hun-neh. I thought my heart was going to explode.

  13. This makes me happy

    … because I really, really like Lady Sovereign.

    HA! Seriously, though – Cheers to the plaudits, Rieseling. Good to see y’all getting recognition for the all the great work you’ve been doing.

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