JD Samson is a musician and vocalist best known for her work in Le Tigre and MEN. In this oral history JD Samson describes her upbringing and experiences as a gay teenager and activist in small town Ohio and the pivotal moment that fostered her interest in film and visual arts. She discusses her time in New York City at Sarah Lawrence College, her involvement in the local music scene and joining her first band, Le Tigre, with Riot Grrrl figurehead, Kathleen Hanna. Samson details her experience within the music business as a female identified “gender-outlaw” and how this experience diverges from the “women of rock” category.