OUT100: Lena Waithe

Photography by JUCO | Retouching by Anna Glen at Wet Noodle

The Moment: January 13, 1973: A Mary Tyler Moore episode is one of the first on tv to reference gay people.

This year, Lena Waithe turned 30; took the first film she ever produced, Dear White People, to Sundance; sold a pilot to BET based on her Web series Twenties; and was named one of Variety's 10 Comedians to Watch. "But the coolest thing I did was fall in love with an amazing woman," she says. "That put all the other things into perspective." Waithe cites Mary Tyler Moore among her biggest influences, especially in this iconic moment. "It's a moment we can all relate to: a fresh start. Walking into the unknown -- and doing it with a smile."

Photographed in Los Angeles on September 3, 2014

Styling by Alison Brooks. Makeup: Alexis Ellen/Rex. Hair: Marina Migliaccio/Rex.

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