NEW YORK — OUT today revealed its 22nd annual OUT100 portfolio. The annual list honors the year’s 100 most compelling LGBTQ individuals across entertainment, sports, politics, media and the arts, highlighting their impact and accomplishments. For 2016, the OUT100 cover stars include Entertainer of the Year Ellen DeGeneres, Artist of Year Tom Ford, Legend Tracey Norman and Breakout of the Year Javier Muñoz. In addition, this year’s portfolio pays tribute to the heroes of Pulse Nightclub and the record-breaking number of LGBTQ staff members at the White House, as well as out Olympians from the 2016 Rio Games.
OUT100 Cover Stars:
Ellen DeGeneres, Entertainer of the Year – DeGeneres talks to OUT about her early career and the struggles she faced after coming out both on and off screen while filming her popular 1990’s sitcom, Ellen. Now an Emmy-winning talk show host, she tells OUT, “If this isn’t an example of ‘it gets better,’ I don’t know what is. Time is a strange thing. I was at rock bottom and out of money, with no work in sight, but one step at a time, it gets better. It gets much better than better.”
Tom Ford, Artist of the Year – Ford, 55, is proof that you can relaunch yourself in a new field and succeed. The writer, producer and director of one of 2016’s most talked about films, Nocturnal Animals, had a few choice words about the 2016 Presidential election and described how painful it is to watch Republican nominee Donald Trump. Ford notes, “Unfortunately, a lot of people are not educated enough to realize that he actually doesn’t have a plan, cannot event make a sentence, and that’s where we have failed as a country – through education.”
Tracey Norman, Legend – Long before the conversation of trans right had entered the mainstream, Tracey Norman graced the cover of a box of Clairol with the words “Born Beautiful” beneath her portrait. Now, the 64-year-old trans model tells OUT, “Live your truth. I know sometimes it might be hard because of your environment – your parents may not be so loving and accepting – but hold on. And when you have the opportunity to live that truth, I think it’s very important that you do. You’ll be so much happier with your life.”
Javier Muñoz, Breakout of the Year – The 41-year-old HIV-positive Broadway star, who performed for the Obamas in 2015, talks to OUT about how he’s combating HIV stigma on stage in the hip-hop musical Hamilton. Muñoz tells OUT, “If I can be a new face that people see that is HIV-positive and healthy and performing seven shows a week and kicking ass, then let that stand as a positive example for the person who is still living with that stigma and fear. Or for the person living in a country or situation in which they are not supported, let that be a fire in their belly to keep fighting the good fight for themselves.”
Other names on this year’s OUT100 list include Empire’s Jussie Smollett, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Tituss Burgess, Transparent’s Alexandra Billings and Trace Lysette, Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar, performance artist Taylor Mac, athletes Amini Fonua, Chris Mosier, Tom Bosworth and Amanda Nunes, Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager Robby Mook, and many more.
Find the full cover stories and the entire 2016 OUT100 portfolio at:
