OUR TOP 10 LISTS

10. Ab Soto

If anything is left of America's youthful rebellious spirit, you can find it alive and well in California. And for discerning homos that love a good moustache, bass line and cheap beer, look no further than Ab Soto.

The self proclaimed Banjee Powered artist is tearing up the west coast with his shows and transgressive je ne sais quoi. His performances raise the bar in energy and excitement, while gender bending and eroticizing his form, for kicks. Add a little Latin flavor and you've got a wild urban happening.

Don't take our word for it. Download his songs if you really want to get your house party started.

Author: Paul Ohan

9. Kurt Hummel: the Gay character in Glee.

We're not talking about the openly gay actor with a vocal register that threatens Mariah Carey (is she relevant these days?) but the actual character Kurt.

The young capricious countertenor is this century's first gay role model for children and teenagers who just happen to be born outside the city limits of New York, Los Angeles, or Orlando—home of Boy Bands. Kurt's story lines deal with coming out, bullying, being original without even trying (Please see the episode where Kurt creates his own outfit for prom.

A veritable a tartan kilt paean to Alexander McQueen.). With his thick brown, hair, high cheekbones, fair skin, and perfect eyebrows it's no surprise more young people aren't bursting out of the closet with a song to sing in that blind youthful desire to identify, and belong!

8. Johnny Weir

With a penchant for camp costumes, Swarovski crystals, and affected accessories-see over sized handbags by Balenciaga-Ms. Weir is taking another year off of the professional skating circuit to connect with fans, cash in on endorsements, and travel the world.

And why not? No one knows how long the relevance involved with being a champion figure skater has in our fast paced culture, so he should definitely enjoy his time in the klieg lights.

It turns out Johnny has had a huge influence on budding new contenders, and the patience of parents of figure skaters. If they can handle watching the documentary BE GOOD JOHNNY WEIR on Sundance Channel, they'll be just fine in the life their children have chosen.

7. Amanda Lepore

Bombshell, Camp Vixen, and your parent's nightmare vision of what a transsexual looks like. In essence, she’s the prototype for many a young gay. A cat with nine lives, she has been a staple on the club scene in New York, a muse for David La Chapelle, and most recently a recording artist. You may recognize some of her classics such as <>My Hair Looks fierce, and My Pussy.

Either way Amanda is back with a sophomore attempt, I...Amanda Lepore, to be released in June of this year and dare we say the summer of 2011 has begun with a gangbang! There'll probably not be another one quite like this for a while.

And if you're still not convinced of this phoenix's power to reinvent her self, visit her wiki page: hormones, therapists, stripper outfits, a previous marriage. Can your back-story stack up like that?

6. Dale Peck

Once the enfant terrible of the literary world, sparking beefs with just about anyone he crossed paths with-most notably writing a review accusing Rick Moody of being the worst writer of his generation-Dale has moved on to beefing with the publishing industry itself.

At this year's PEN World Voices Festival he claimed that New York publishing houses made Detroit automakers look like geniuses regarding their business model, pre bailout.

Peck demanded writers stop giving away their work for little or no compensation as it’s left our book stores stocked with fantastic YA trilogies only a pedophile gets excited by.

He is also a founding member of Mischief and Mayhem, a collective that publishes work ''unconcerned with having to please conservative editorial boards.''

In effect he's practicing what he preaches. Leave it to baby faced bully of the literary schoolyard to sound the call for revolution. #Butch.

5. Ellen Degenres:

Oh it's so easy to dog Ellen. One bad dance move and we're tweeting how tired she is. But the truth is with over two million viewers, a cute haircut and more striped shirts than a young Wall Street floor trader out for a night on the town, this soft butch talk-show host is taking the reigns from Oprah leading millions of American women into uncharted territories.

Moving her time slot to 4pm on NBC it looks like American mothers are in for their hottest joy ride since the spin cycle. After this, who knows what dinner will be like inside millions of Middle American households. Go On Ellen!

4. Mx. Justin Vivian Bond

Born male (albeit androgynous) Justin created a name for himself performing in drag as Kiki in the lounge act Kiki and Herb, playing the role of a delusional and tragic has-been cabaret starlet determined to make a comeback. Recently, Justin has evolved beyond the line of person and persona, transcending gender in the process.

By taking elements of his past role, estrogen hormones, and adopting the middle name Vivian (Justin isn’t his real surname, either) the sexually ambiguous Bond released a full-length solo album titled Dendrophile-in honor of those who are sexually aroused by nature, like himself.

It's no coincidence that Mx. Bond has associations with the more fringe elements of our society like the radical faeries, rather for his/her audience, a blessing Spend one night in concert with our delicate lily and you might find yourself out in the rambles, after dark.

The combination has proven to be winning and comes off natural and effortless. Like sugar in the raw.

3. Ryan Trecartin

Ryan's video works have leveled the art world in the new millennium living up to all the hype. Almost immediately after graduating art school he was hailed as a genius, and with good reason. Ryan's pieces are the stuff dreams or nightmares are made of, depending on how well adjusted you consider yourself to be in a our consumer driven world.

Each video is filled with saturated colors, intense distorted characters in drag, or psychedelic Puck-like characters that speak in a schizophrenic patois you ingest like a universal language. The images and loose plots speak to you in an instinctual way that. And they’re fab to look at.

He's just launched a major solo show at PS1, which runs through Sept 3rd where you can experience each video in a separate room to better immerse yourself in the environment. Werque Gurl…

2. Rufus Wainright

She sings, she plays piano, she wrote an opera titled ''Prima Donna'' and it's coming to America next season as part of the New York City Opera's Spring 2012 season. Nuff said.

1. Sandra Bernhard

Trying to describe Sandra's career in a few words, one might evoke the image of riding a rollercoaster on adderall, lost of highs, terrifying lows, and the occasional faux pas in public (see letterman appearances with Madonna).

But what makes the former Roseanne actor, and show stealer of Scorsese's King of Comedy amazing to this day is her tenacious determination to persevere with wry wit until success is once again hers.

Her standup shows are a mixed bag of comments on the absurdity of today's culture and our obsession with celebrity. She covers songs in medley form that have an ironic yet appropriate quality: Pink's ''Just like a pill'' mixed with Lita Ford's ''Kiss me Deadly''. Sandra is on tour again with her latest show I love being me, don't you?

At a recent show in New York's Town Hall she sang a duet of Class from Chicago the musical with Liza Minelli-who performed in the original 1970's Broadway run- giving her fans just what they wanted; the gayest night on earth.