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What is it about giving speeches that tends to bring people out? If that’s in fact what J. Crew President Jenna Lyons did when she thanked her rumored lesbian partner Courtney Crangi during a speech at Glamour’s “Women of the Year” ceremony Monday.
What is it about giving speeches that tends to bring people out? If that’s in fact what J. Crew President Jenna Lyons did when she thanked her rumored partner Courtney Crangi during a speech at Glamour’s “Women of the Year” ceremony Monday.
Last year was a big one for Lyons with her divorce from artist Vincent Mazeau and a public kerfluffle over allowing –maybe even encouraging -- her young son to paint his toenails (gasp) pink for a J. Crew ad.
While People magazine first reported that Lyons was indeed dating jewelry maker Crangi just over a year ago Lyons had made no public acknowledgement of a relationship until her speech at the Glamour event where she was named 2012’s "Fashion Original," according to The Huffington Post.
The fashion powerhouse said in her speech, “Nothing worth having is easy,” expounding on how she felt “ugly” when she was young and that she began her illustrious career as an “assistant’s assistant,” according to HuffPo.
Lyons went on to thank loved ones giving a shout out to her son Beckett -- of the controversial pink nail polish ad fame—for “reminding me that the world revolves around him every day.” She also thanked her mentor, J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler. Finally, she went Jodie Foster style and thanked “Courtney, who has shown me new love,” Jezebel noted.
By way of background, Foster acknowledged her long-time partner Cydney Bernard while accepting the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at the Women in Entertainment Breakfast in 2007.
White Collar’s Matt Bomer publicly acknowledged his male partner and their family when he accepted an award for his work with HIV/AIDS organizations last February, according to HuffPo.
While it’s not clear if Lyons intended her speech to be a big coming out moment or if she just wanted to acknowledge some love in her life, it’s just good to see another successful, powerful woman doing her thing. Cheers to Lyons!
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
