Photo: Jason Bell
The 2009 school days-themed Out 100 has finally been revealed and we couldn't prouder of the 100 gay, lesbian, and trans people we're honoring this year for making an impact in their communities and/or on mainstream culture at large -- including Janis Ian (above).
Ian's journey is really a series of milestones. She made her recording debut at the age of 15 in 1966 with "Society's Child," a Top 40 single about interracial teen dating that many radio stations wouldn't touch. Her classic, Grammy-winning "At Seventeen" was the first song ever performed on Saturday Night Live and still remains one of the most astute, heartfelt tales of outsider angst and growing up ever written (listen for it in Mean Girls). Last year, 15 years after Ian came out on her album Breaking Silence, "At Seventeen" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In September, Columbia/Legacy released The Essential Janis Ian, a two-disc anthology spanning Ian's four-decade-long career and coinciding with her U.S. tour and the paperback release of her book, Sociey's Child: My Autobiography.
To celebrate Ian's inclusion in this year's Out 100, we're giving away an amazing Janis Ian prize pack featuring:
- An autographed copy of The Essential Janis Ian -- The definitive, career-spanning collection compiled by Janis Ian including "At seventeen", "Society's Child" and 29 more classics and rarities!
- Society's Child: My Autobiography by Janis Ian -- The long-awaited autobiography chronicling Ian's fascinating journey through fame, love, and life.
To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite Out 100 photo of the year (you can see the full portfolio, shot by Jason Bell, here) by 11:59 pm on Friday, November 27, 2009 and we'll choose two lucky winners at random from the entries.
If you'd like to buy The Essential Janis Ian (it'd make a great Holiday gift), head here.
Previously > The 2009 Out 100
