Profile on inspirational person: Kathleen Hanna

Kathleen Hanna is a musician who began her career in the early 90's with the grunge riotgrrl band Bikini Kill. Her music focused on subjects such as feminism, girl power, abusive relationships, and female empowerment. She is an inspiration because she is so talented and voices her opinions and doesn't care what people think. Her courage to battle Lyme disease and continue pursuing her music.

                                                                Kathleen Hanna

Hanna's treatments proved harder than the illness. She was fitted with a PICC line, an internal IV that laces through a vein in the arm to deliver medicine closer to the heart, and she wore it for nine months in her right arm. "I wasn't allowed to take showers, I had to take baths with plastic over my arm! I'd be taking baths with my right arm out and trying to shave my legs with my left arm." It was difficult for her to walk up and down stairs, so she and husband Adam Horovitz left their house in New Jersey and moved into an apartment in Manhattan.

"Because of my illness, I was like screw it. This was my last chance to represent myself before I knew what was going to happen to me," Hanna said. "I’ve always been nervous about being a leader, but you know you get sick and then you realize this is bullshit. I have a voice,” she added.

And yes Kathleen Hanna has a voice. The voice inspired millions of teenage girls to start their own rock bands, pick up a guitar, sing, and write their own lyrics.

Huffingpost site says "Since fighting her way to the forefront, and demanding that other women to do the same with her well-known crowd-call, "All the girls to the front!" Hanna has become one of the most vocal champions of the feminist movement. While her critics and bitter male audiences wished she would have just shut-up, her fans pleaded that she never would."

Hanna made a documentary about her career with 20 years footage with her bands Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and Julie Ruin. She also talks a lot about her battle with Lyme's disease in the documentary.
I saw the Long Beach, California world premiere of this event on 4th street. I met the director Sini Anderson and got her autograph. I didn't meet Kathleen Hanna because she was on tour with her new band Julie Ruin.

me with Sini at the Long Beach, Ca premiere of the Punk Singer

 

I believe Hanna paved the way for other girl rock singers. I believe she is an inspiration to the indie musician who wants to have a band to inspire people not just for fame.

Today, there is a riotgrrl revival movement not just online. Here in Long Beach there are riotgrrl conventions (LB Riotgrrl) and other events and organizations in Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Olympia, Washington, Germany, England and basically worldwide. Yes women in rock is important in 2013 even though they are not mainstream and don't get played on the radio much the indie scene is massive on its own.