We are the Out100

Two years ago, in the 2009 Out100, we anointed Adam Lambert "Breakout Star of the Year," and shot him for the cover, alongside Dan Choi, Wanda Sykes, Cyndi Lauper, and Rob Marshall. In the accompanying editor's letter I took the entertainment industry to task for the way they control and limit access to the gay press, using our experience with Adam's publicist at the time as my example. In hindsight, I was mistaken to address the letter directly to Adam: Although the massive response from his loyal fan base started a valuable debate, my letter was received as a personal attack that muddied the message. Lambert rightly sought to defend himself, in part by demonstrating his independence at the American Music Awards, when he simulated oral sex and kissed one of his band members. A lot of time has passed, and we can look back on that firestorm with cooler heads--so cool, in fact, that we were able to chat together, something we should have done first time around. This year we are honoring Adam for the way in which he has held true to his identity as a gay man while managing a successful musical career, a balancing act that is no mean feat. As he told The Advocate recently, "No one teaches you how to be a gay celebrity." In a very real way he is leading the way. Keep Reading →

Miss Piggy, Kathy Griffin, Adam Lambert, Wendy Williams, Drag Queens and the Target Dog. That can only mean last night was the annual Out100 party to honor the 100 men and women who have made the LGBT community fabulous this year. The bold and the beautiful gathered at Skylight Soho in Manhattan to celebrate, and we could easily have spent the whole night strong-arming photographers to get a look at the red carpet, where honorees like Adam Lambert, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Andrej Pejic, Larry Kramer, Dan Choi and others struck a pose (there was even a surprise appearance by Miss Piggy, the biggest diva of them all). The booming music and moody lighting soon drew us inside the space, where guests enjoyed complimentary Peronis, Belvedere vodka cocktails, and plenty of chances to rub elbows with some of the biggest names in the LGBT community. Cameras were flashing all night long, but you can take a look at some of our favorite shots in our slideshow. Keep Reading →

In 2011, we were reminded of the extraordinary power of the individual to inspire and motivate by example. Our four cover subjects include the legendary Larry Kramer--whose 1985 play, The Normal Heart, received a stunning revival on Broadway this past season. Australian and Serbo-Croatian model Andrej Pejic, who walks in both men's and women's shows (famously closing Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring 2011 couture show in a fur-trimmed dress). Star of ABC's Modern Family, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who kicked off 2011 by introducing his boyfriend of a few months, lawyer Justin Mikita, to the press. And comedian Kathy Griffin, an ally to the LGBT community who, since her Emmy-winning reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List ended, has gone back to stand-up. She's had three specials on Bravo this year, and a fourth will air in December. Keep Reading →

Fashion designer and editor Nicola Formichetti doesn't really mind playing with meat. Keep Reading →