Debbie Woodell | Gay-power list is far out

BY NOW, you've probably heard that Anderson Cooper and Jodie Foster are gay. If it weren't true, then it couldn't be printed, right?

Not exactly. The newscaster and the actress have so long been rumored to be gay that Out magazine felt it OK to put their cardboard-cutout faces on the cover of its new issue to tout its list of the "the most powerful gay men and women in America." The other usual suspects are there, too: media tycoon David Geffen (1), Ellen DeGeneres (3), U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (5) and financial guru Suze Orman (13).

The magazine based its ratings on such things as political clout, "pop-culture resonance" and wealth - categories in which most of us fall far short.

The list includes only 13 women (eight in the bottom 25), a handful of politicians, a bunch of Hollywood types and some media folk. It's long on celebrity (which, I assume, comes from personal wealth and "pop-culture resonance"), but short on the type of people in our everyday lives.

I'm glad Rosie O'Donnell made it - she deserves a haven from the beating she takes in other circles, but where is Lily Tomlin, who inspired a whole generation of comedians and comedy lovers?

And no Melissa Etheridge? Her recovery from breast cancer was powerful and inspirational.

So, what do we make of a list like this? It's interesting fodder for bloggers and the water-cooler crowd, but just make sure to take it what it's worth, a media creation that'll last, maybe, until the next list comes along, or maybe only until the next issue of Out comes along.

In other words, read this list, ponder it, debate it - but don't take it as gospel. Sure, the honorees are influential and powerful, but are they really adding this designation to their list of real accomplishments? And while each may have, in his or her own way, improved the climate for gay men and lesbians in America, none will have the lasting everyday impact of those gay folks who toil in relative anonymity.

They include clergy, doctors, nurses, cops, teachers, students and businesspeople - from all walks of life. Among them are your brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and parents, and all of them lead lives that are rich and powerful in their own way. *

Debbie Woodell is a Daily News sports desk editor. Her column on lesbian and gay issues appears monthly. E-mail woodeld@phillynews.com.