[I’ve updated this post based on reader comments. Thanks to all, and keep the ideas coming. It’s good to see so many lesbian moms who have achieved such success—though I’ll quickly add that this is a personal choice. It’s just as acceptable to choose to stay home with one’s children, or forgo career advancement for the sake of one’s family. For those who strive to achieve in both career and family, however, these moms are inspirational.]
Out magazine recently published their list of “The Power 50: The Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America.” Despite my criticisms of the list—too white, too male, too willing to expose those not officially out of the closet—it got me thinking: If we were to assemble a list of the most powerful lesbian moms in America, who would we choose?
The definition of “power” is subjective, of course. For the purposes of this list, I consider it to mean someone who would be known by a large cross-section of the population, outside the lesbian community (whether or not they know she is a lesbian mom), and who is either at or near the top of her chosen profession or whose actions have the power to start a media debate. I’m including the names of partners, even if one partner is not as well known, in order to acknowledge the contributions of both moms to their households.
In alphabetic, not rank, order (by last name of one partner):
- Elizabeth Birch, former head of HRC, and Hilary Rosen, political commentator and former head of the Recording Industry of America (RIAA). No longer together as of a month ago, but still parents to their children.
- Ilene Chaiken, creator and executive producer of The L Word
- Mary Cheney, AOL executive, political campaigner, and vice-presidential daughter, and Heather Poe. Not officially moms yet, but soon to be, and contributing strongly to awareness of our families, for better or worse.
- Cat Cora, “Iron Chef,” and Jennifer (last name and profession unknown)
- Karla Drenner, Georgia State Representative, and partner (name and profession unknown)
- Melissa Etheridge, singer, and Tammy Lynn Michaels, actor
- Cheryl Jacques, political commentator, former head of HRC, and former Massachusetts State Senator, and Jennifer Chrisler, head of the Family Pride Coalition
- Kate Kendell, head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Sandy Holmes
- Cynthia Nixon, actor, and Christine Marinoni, education activist
- Rosie O’Donnell, television personality, and Kelli Carpenter, marketing executive and founder of r family vacations.
- Kara Swisher, Wall Street Journal columnist, and Megan Smith, Google executive
- Sheryl Swoopes, basketball player, and Alisa Scott, former basketball player and coach
- Linda Villarosa, freelance writer and editor, former editor of the New York Times and former executive editor of Essence Magazine, and Jana Welch, marketing executive
Anyone I missed? Can anyone fill in gaps in the information? Leave a comment.
Of course, the thing about motherhood is that your kids always think you’re the most powerful moms in the world, and it’s their opinions that really matter.
(For more on Out’s list, see the column by Sarah Warn at AfterEllen.)
Cat Cora, anyone? The Iron Chef has a son Zoran with partner Jennifer.
Do Jodie Foster and Cydney Bernard count? The April issue of Out Magazine puts Foster in the “glass closet,” “that complex but popular contraption that allows public figures to avoid the career repercussions of any personal disclosure while living their lives with a certain degree of integrity.” Not sure I agree with her decision to stay in the glass closet, but I’m suppose she’s living her life the best way she knows how.
Oh, Cat Cora is a good one. I’ll update the post.
Re: Jodie Foster. I don’t agree in the principle of outing celebrities until they come out themselves, unlike Out magazine. As much as many of us (myself included) put her on the list in our heads, I decided not to add her to it officially.
LINDA VILLAROSA Contributing Writer
Linda Villarosa is a freelance writer and editor. She is a former editor of the New York Times, and also wrote dozens of articles for the paper. Linda was also the executive editor of Essence Magazine, where she wrote or edited a number of award-winning articles. In 1991, with her mother, Clara, Linda wrote Essence’s ground-breaking article, “Coming Out,” which received more mail than any other in the magazine’s history. Due to the overwhelming response, the two women followed up with an additional story several months later. Linda is the author of Body & Soul: The Black Women’s Guide to Physical Health and Emotional Well-Being and co-author of several other books. She just completed her first novel. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her two children and her partner, Jana.
Georgia State Rep. Karla Drenner, and partner (name unknown). Drenner was instrumental in derailing an effort to ban same sex couples from obtaining second-parent adoptions here in Georgia. (http://www.sovo.com/2007/3-30/news/localnews/6708.cfm) Some of the credit to her success is attributed to the fact of her being an adoptive parent herself.
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Hi there. Below is some filler information for me, Jana, Linda Villarosa’s partner.
Jana Welch
Marketing Executive
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When did Nixon say she was a lesbian?? Just because she’s with a woman doesn’t make her a lesbian!
Several of the publications that mention her relationship with Christine Marinoni use the term “lesbian.” See, for example, New York magazine. I’m assuming that if she identified as bi or queer, she would have mentioned it in an interview by now. I’ve also had bi women tell me they consider themselves to be in “a lesbian relationship” when with a woman, even though they don’t consider their identity to be lesbian—which would be enough to include Nixon on this rather tongue-in-cheek list of mine in any case.
Did I miss Ellen Degeneres on this list?
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What about Hilary and Julie Goodrich? lead plaintiffs in the Marriage lawsuit in Massachusetts?
Jennifer Solano I think is Cat Cora’s partner