“For this year’s cover, the five honorees all reflect major breakthroughs in the profile of the LGBTQ community, including one of the most successful pop stars of all time, a leading commentator on politics and current affairs, a wildly entertaining Olympic ice skater who captured everyone’s imagination in Vancouver this year, the first openly gay male host of a daytime TV show, and the fabulous LGBT ally Julianne Moore, star of The Kids Are All Right, a boundary-pushing movie that quietly and profoundly lent legitimacy to our relationships and families,” said Aaron Hicklin, Editor in Chief of Out.
Entertainer of the Year — Ricky Martin: “I am Hispanic, and I am a gay man, and they both struggle. Is it a big responsibility? It can be as big as I want it to be,” Martin tells Out. Embracing both fatherhood and new status as a gay role model, Martin, who opens up in his new memoir, Me, looks forward to teaching his twin boys acceptance and love and a day when he proudly walks them down the red carpet!
Diva of the Year — Johnny Weir: “Every little boy should be so lucky as to turn into me,” Weir declared unapologetically after two Canadian broadcasters suggested he undergo a “gender test” during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. With his flair for flamboyance and commitment to glamour, Weir never shies away from controversy—or pageantry. As to the ubiquitous questions surrounding his sexuality, Weir’s opinion remains clear. “I’m not ashamed of anything, but I want it to be out there in my own words.”
Artist of the Year — Julianne Moore: “I don’t think a movie like The Kids Are All Right could be made if this wasn’t the way that families are living today all over the United States,” Moore states. The actress, a four-time Oscar nominee, began her activism some 25 years ago after her first experience with what would become the AIDS pandemic. Now, although she works to keep politics and career separate, Moore notes, “I choose a part because I’m interested in the role, the director, the script. I don’t go looking for something that seem political, but by virtue of the roles being intensely personal, it becomes that way.”
Newsmaker of the Year — Rachel Maddow: Growing up in the time of the AIDS pandemic gave Maddow a compelling perspective on the state of gay activism, especially now in the age of Obama. “We continue to have a sort of lackadaisical gay political movement that has a relationship with Democrat politicians that doesn’t serve gay rights: ‘We want to be close to you.’ Beautiful! But if we’re not getting anything for that, then it’s actually counterproductive.” Now Maddow’s self-titled MSNBC news hour serves as appointment TV for anyone even halfway interested in the surreal theater of American politics amid the surging tide of anti-Washington sentiment.
Stylemaker of the Year – Nate Berkus: Oprah protégé Berkus recently became the first openly gay man to host a daily nationally syndicated television show, and the guru is not taking that responsibility lightly. “Having a daily show is an opportunity for me not to push a political agenda, but to speak out for tolerance and understanding and equality,” he notes. “I’ve been given an enormous opportunity, and I plan to use it responsibly.” Berkus has already proved his commitment to responsibility, having recently appeared on Larry King Live and delivered a compelling plea to America to stop antigay bullying.
