Jews Claim Spot on Out 100 List
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
It’s the ultimate who’s who of who’s gay around the globe: Out magazine’s 15th annual Out 100 list. And this year, Jews, an Israeli among them, are proudly claiming their spots on it.
The 2009 edition of the Out 100, which will hit news stands in early November, will list the gay culture magazine’s picks for this year’s most influential gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people, and will include Israeli television persona Assi Azar and “American Idol” star Adam Lambert, both of whom were recently photographed for the issue.
Azar, 30, who hosts the hugely popular reality Israeli television show “Big Brother” and came out publicly in 2005, was chosen for his “work on ‘Big Brother’ and for providing a relatable face of homosexuality to not only the gays and lesbians of his country but also to those from the straight community who may not understand it,” Out’s deputy editor, Bill Keith, told the Forward by e-mail.
Lambert, the runner-up on season eight of “American Idol,” also made this year’s list. Dubbed Glambert by his fans for his extravagant stage makeup and costumes on the hit American television show, Lambert came out as gay in Rolling Stone magazine shortly after the final episode of “Idol” aired.
Before shooting to stardom, Lambert got his start singing the Hebrew song “Shir L’Shalom” (“Song for Peace”) at a 2005 tribute to Yitzhak Rabin.
Lambert’s first album is set to be released November 24, but he’s already seen early success. Within hours of being made available for pre-order on Amazon.com, the album nearly topped the best-seller list, coming in second to one of the gay male community’s greatest icons of all time: Barbra Streisand.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
