The Time 100 Most Influential List remains one of the most sought-after lists annually, and this year’s list is no exception. Not only does this year’s list have a significant amount of LGBTQIA representation (among them, Saturday Night Live standout Bowen Yang, musical titan Lil Nas X, humanitarian and LGBTQ icon Dolly Parton and Apple CEO Tim Cook), but this year some of those honored on the list are seeing homage paid by fellow tastemakers in the industry.
For some of this year’s Time 100 list, several other extremely well known names were asked to speak on some of these honored Icons, Pioneers & Titans. Miley Cyrus paid tribute to godmother Dolly Parton in an essay, saying in part “she created an identity that she downplays as being built on wigs, lots of gingham and silicone, the foundation for this empire is actually her honesty, truth and her faith. People look to Dolly for guidance, and she knows that. She wears that responsibility with the same grace and pride she rocks a two-piece Nudie suit. She recognizes how impactful her choices will be as one of the most iconic and powerful voices in country music, and she leaves no one behind. Dolly has diligently celebrated the queer community and her Imagination Library provides millions of books for kids. (The only thing Dolly loves more than glitter is children.)”
Multimedia and business maven Paris Hilton spoke of former party girl partner Britney Spears saying “When I think of Britney Spears, I see the sweetest soul. A mother. A friend. A fighter. A young woman who grew up in the tabloid culture of the 2000s, when the paparazzi machine was accepted, unforgiving and cruel. Yes, we’ve watched Britney break records and deliver to the world hit after hit. But behind the scenes, she survived more than a decade of trauma and abuse from her conservatorship. In 2021, the battle cries of #FreeBritney roared louder than ever from her global network of devoted fans and a concerned public. Our hearts broke when Britney spoke about her pain.”
Time also shines a light on some of the people who would be considered less than allies to the LGBTQ community. Cindy McCain spoke of equality foe Liz Cheney saying “Representative Cheney knew, as John did, that parties don’t define a nation’s political character,” McCain writes. “We are all protected by the same Constitution, the same democratic values, and as she faithfully maintained, ‘We must be brave enough to defend (them).” Former President Donald Trump was profiled by Nancy Gibbs who so aptly sums his legacy up by stating that while “Nixon still leads Trump, by a count of 55 to 35, in the TIME cover competition. But history will judge which President most disfigured our politics and polity; that’s a race Trump is well-positioned to win.”
For the full list of Time 100’s Most Influential, click here
Nice to see gay people on the list & several gay allies :)))