10 times we were inspired by women in the scene

Women in our scene have always inspired us through not just their music, but also the way they use their voices to spread positive messages.

Whether it be advocating for mental health, LGBT issues or just self-acceptance, these women have truly made a positive impression by showing their support to those who might need it. Here are 10 times women in the scene have inspired us with their actions.

Read more: Unsurprisingly, new study shows females are underrepresented in music business

When Ash Costello advocated for animal adoption

The New Years Day frontwoman teamed up with PETA to advocate for animal adoption and shared her story about how she adopted her dog. She was so responsible when she found a puppy in the street and took all of the proper precautions to make sure it is as happy and healthy as possible. Many musicians and celebrities support animal rights, but hearing her story first-hand only makes us love her more.

Hayley Williams’ constant fight for mental health awareness

Our queen and Paramore frontman Hayley Williams has been a huge advocate for mental health. She’s been a supporter of the charity To Write Love On Her Arms and even once appeared in a suicide prevention advertisement. She’s been real on Twitter about the importance of therapy and talking about your feelings when you feel depressed.

Lynn Gunn’s love letter to the LGBT community that made us well up

Lynn Gunn penned a letter in Billboard about her love for the LGBT community and all that it has given her. The PVRIS frontwoman shared her coming out story and how much going on the road and meeting fans has positively affected her. “Over the past few years it’s been the most powerful and humbling experience to watch the PVRIS fanbase become such a safe place for people of the LGBTQ community,” Gunn wrote. It’s so touching and real, we couldn’t forget it. Also, PVRIS supported LGBT rights when they donated a portion of their ticket sales from their tour last summer to the Ally Coalition.

When Bleached teamed up with our favorite artists to create a zine in support of Planned Parenthood

Bleached created a zine entitled Can You Deal? in correlation to their EP/single of the same name last year that was a collection of experiences female artists face in the music industry. It featured contributions from Hayley Williams, Julien Baker, Tegan Quin (Tegan And Sara), Kim Schifino (Matt And Kim) and many more. The proceeds went to Planned Parenthood, and it was amazing to see some of our favorites team up to talk about the way artists are defined by gender.

Halsey’s Women’s March speech that brought us to tears

Halsey delivered a powerful poem about sexual assault at the Women’s March in New York City that was unforgettable. The disturbing story she tells combined with her intense delivery make it impossible to not become extremely emotional.

When Tegan And Sara launched their own LGBTQ foundation

Welcome to the Tegan and Sara Foundation’s Twitter. Join our fight for economic justice, health and representation for LGBTQ girls & women!

— teganandsarafdn (@teganandsarafdn) December 19, 2016

Tegan And Sara have always been outspoken about LGBTQ rights, so much so that they started their own foundation to support “health, economic justice and representaiton for LGBTQ girls and women.” The Tegan And Sara Foundation team up with other organizations to raise money and awareness to fight their cause, which is pretty badass.

That time Chrissy Costanza inspired girls everywhere by talking about how Hayley Williams inspired her

Thank you for everything @yelyahwilliams, we’ve never met, but you changed everything for me. #SheInspiresMe pic.twitter.com/2geJZAEgY1

— Chrissy Costanza (@ChrissyCostanza) March 8, 2017

Last International Women’s Day, Chrissy Costanza of Against The Current penned a letter talking about how Hayley Williams inspired her to go against the norm. “She showed me it’s OK for girls to get mad. It’s OK for girls to be powerful, to lead, to command, to conquer,” the note read. Her words were an inspiration to younger girls, and the way she commemorated Williams is the kind of girl power we love.

Every time Laura Jane Grace has reminded us that gender is a social construct

Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace has been an activist for LGBT rights in both traditional and nontraditional ways. There was that time she burned her birth certificate onstage to protest House Bill 2 in North Carolina. She’s also performed at events such as Genderful, which is a space for children to explore gender identity in a safe way. She’s used her music and platform to educate others about the importance to LGBT rights. To quote her acceptance speech when receiving the icon award at the 2017 APMAs—“fuck racism, fuck homophobia, fuck sexism, fuck transphobia.”

When Jenna McDougall told fans at a show that her job was to make them feel liberated

Tonight Alive’s Jenna McDougall gave a speech to fans at a concert in Copenhagen about how amazing they are and how it’s the band’s job to make them feel liberated and safe. “I want you to know that nothing is more important to us than you leaving here feeling the most empowered,” she said to the crowd. This is why we love her.

Echosmith reminded everyone that bullying will never be cool

Remember when Echosmith and Hollister teamed up to raise money for an anti-bullying organization? That was super cool. “Most people struggle to fit in and feel like outsiders at some point in their lives, which is why we joined this campaign and what inspired our song ‘Cool Kids.’ To us, anti-bullying is about self-acceptance and love for others,” vocalist Sydney Sierota said about the partnership.