Ani Difranco

Who has turned feminism into a dirty word? One of the things that bugs the s**t out of me is the fact that we can't even use the word "feminist" these days. It's been made taboo by a conservative media. The feminist movement in this country is one of the most powerful human liberation movements the planet has seen... so, to let this sort of conservative culture steal the feminist history from our consciousness and steal the respect from the people who fought and died so we could have such liberty is a travesty. Show less «

All decent people, male and female, are feminists. The only people who are not feminists are those who believe that women are inherently inferior or undeserving of the respect and opportunity afforded men. Either you are a feminist or you are a sexist/misogynist. There is no box marked "other". Show less «

My songs are the one place where I won't mince my words. One on one, I have a lot of fear and inhibition. I think this is why I am so bold in my songs. It is my one place that I have carved out to do that, be that. They have gotten me and a lot of other people into a lot of trouble over the years. My guitar has this truth serum in it, and lo! the people that wander into my canon. Show less «

When I showed up shave-headed and army-booted and pierced in places people were talking about, I can't tell you how welcoming they were. There was, of course, the sort of stodgy folk-Nazis within the community, but the dudes who really knew what was up looked through the different uniform and style and said, 'Here is somebody young doing the work. 'Welcome, and bring your teenagers with you'. It was a real embracing environment for me. I got to learn from the masters. Show less «