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Beth Ditto (born 1981) is the vocalist of American band The Gossip. She is from Arkansas.

Ditto came to wider public attention in November 2006 when she was selected by NME as the coolest person in rock - being placed at number one in the magazine's annual 'Cool List'. The magazine cited her 'non-conformity' as the reason for her selection - she is a lesbian, an outspoken advocate of gay rights, weighs around 95 kg (210 lbs. or 15 stone), and is also in a relationship with a transgendered man.

The band's breakthrough song Standing in the Way of Control was written by Ditto as a response to her government’s decision to deny gays the right to marriage in the US. “Nobody in the States was that surprised or shocked by what Bush did, but it made everyone I know feel helpless and cheated,” Beth says. “I wrote the chorus to try and encourage people not to give up. It’s a scary time for civil rights, but I really believe the only way to survive is to stick together and keep fighting.”

Trivia

• As a child, Ditto allegedly ate squirrels when hungry. She recalls, "My mom hated us doing it, but all the kids we knew ate squirrels."

References

1. http://gossipyouth.net/bio/
2. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2006/11/why_beth_ditto_is_the_coolest.html
3. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-2464811,00.html
4. Curve Magazine
5. The Guardian Music
6. http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/dittos%20squirrel%20snacking%20childhood_1014459

External links

• The Gossip website
• BBC report of NME cool list
• Subculture Magazine Interview

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