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Diana Fox Tilson, LICSW's avatar

Elder millennial here. Are you guys old enough to remember the controversy when lesbian icon Ani DiFranco married a man?

Also from maybe before your time, the best song about kissing a girl came long before Katy Perry when Jill Sobule sang "I Kissed a Girl" in the 90s. So much better than the stupid Katy Perry song, and not at all pandering to the male gaze.

(Why am I the only listener who comments here?? 👀😄)

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Tracy Clark-Flory's avatar

Ooh great anecdote about Ani. That would be a very interesting controversy to revisit now.

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Elizabeth Heydary's avatar

I’ve been somewhat off podcasts but caught up on a few today! Ugh I HATED Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl but one of my favorite gay joy moments of all time was Blaine singing lead of Teenage Dream with the Warblers to Kurt on the day they first meet. Tom and Lorenzo who still have their fashion blog and podcast now wrote about that scene in 2010 and it changed everything for me in terms of how much representation was needed for the LGBTQ community.

I consider myself an elder millennial and don’t remember Ani DiFranco! I would’ve been middle school age, I was watching a lot of music videos at that time.

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Tracy Clark-Flory's avatar

I don’t think I discovered Ani until late high school!

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Diana Fox Tilson, LICSW's avatar

Ani was huge in the feminist/lesbian community in Santa Cruz (my hometown). There were so few lesbian icons at the time in the mid to late 90s. It was pretty much just Ani and Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls, which were all mandatory listening. I've never really liked Melissa Etheridge or the Indigo Girls, so it was all about Ani for me. I even went to her alma mater for college (The New School).

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Elizabeth Heydary's avatar

I heard Melissa Etheridge all the time circa 1997-1999 when I was obsessed with Lilith Fair! I’m surprised Ani didn’t have any songs in 10 Things I Hate About You, her music seems like the type Kat Stratford should have listened to!

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Jenn Kincaid's avatar

About Lorde's album cover - looking at it also as a reference to the chastity belt. Virgin. To be undone only by the "man" who owns her. But the IUD is a fuck you to that ownership. Saying that she has control over her own body despite the patriorical belt/label.

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Amanda Montei's avatar

Oh yes love this connection

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