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Evan Greer

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Evan Greer
Greer performing in 2017
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Musician, writer, activist

Evan Greer is an American activist, writer, and musician from Boston, Massachusetts.[1] They are the deputy director of the nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future.[2][3][4][5] Greer identifies as nonbinary.[6]

Writing and activism

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Greer is the deputy director of Fight for the Future,[7] having previously served as the organization's campaign director.[8][9] They have written on a range of topics including Internet freedom, LGBTQ issues, surveillance, big tech, and human rights for outlets including The Washington Post, Wired, NBC News, Time, and The Guardian.[10][11]

While in high school, Greer helped organize a protest against the Iraq War in 2003.[12][13] They attended Swarthmore College, but dropped out to pursue music full time.[14] In 2014 Greer helped organize the Internet Slowdown Day, an online protest in favor of net neutrality.[15][16] In 2017, Fast Company called Greer "the woman leading the fight for net neutrality."[17]

Through their work with Fight for the Future, Greer befriended Chelsea Manning and helped organize campaigns demanding Manning's release from prison.[18][19] Upon Manning's release in 2017, Greer organized a benefit album to raise funds for her living expenses, with artists including Against Me!, Thurston Moore, Graham Nash, and Amanda Palmer.[20][21]

In 2019, Greer penned an op-ed in BuzzFeed News with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello about a campaign that prompted major music festivals like SXSW, Coachella, and Bonnaroo to say they will not use facial recognition surveillance at their events.[22][23] Greer regards surveillance capitalism as "fundamentally incompatible with basic human rights and democracy."[24][25][26]

In 2024, Greer protested a speech by Nancy Mace about her proposed bathroom bill, which would ban transgender people from using bathrooms other than those of their sex assigned at birth. Greer shouted towards Greer, "We have had dozens of trans people die this year because of the hate and lies that you are spreading." Mace answered back by misgendering them[27] and making derogatory comments about their anatomy.[28]

Music career

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In 2009, Greer released the album Never Surrender.[29][30] In 2016 they recorded a cover of the Anne Feeney song "You Will Answer" with the band Anti-Flag for a benefit album after Feeney was diagnosed with cancer.[31] Greer and Feeney were longtime friends and touring partners.[32][33] In 2019, Greer released the album She/Her/They/Them, which Billboard described as an "at-times folky, sometimes punk rock album".[34] Vice characterized the album as "an eclectic mix of folk punk".[35]

In 2021, they released the album Spotify is Surveillance. According to Greer, the album was "very much a product of the coronavirus quarantines",[36] and called it "an open letter to transphobes."[37] Greer noted in an interview with Fast Company that the album was also intended to raise awareness of the control of corporations such as Spotify over popular culture.[38] The album features audio samples from Chelsea Manning and Ursula K. Le Guin.[39] A review of the singles "Back Row" and "The Tyranny of Either/Or", noted that the songs "further show off her capacity for anthemic energy".[40] Rolling Stone magazine described the latter as "a pop-punk anthem that could fit in with Green Day's nineties hits."[41] A Pitchfork review of the album gave it a score of 6.7 out of 10.[42]

References

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  1. ^ Hughes-Zimmerman, Chris (May 13, 2019). "Bands You Should Know — Evan Greer". WGBH-TV. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Musicians protest outside Spotify offices worldwide for 'Justice At Spotify' campaign". NME. March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Tracy, Ryan (March 24, 2021). "Facebook's Zuckerberg Proposes Raising Bar for Section 230". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Harwell, Drew; Timberg, Craig. "How America's surveillance networks helped the FBI catch the Capitol mob". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Evan Greer spurs on folk-punk activism with 'She/her/they/them'". Vanyaland. April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  6. ^ Oliver, David. "Many are more comfortable in their bodies during the pandemic. For some LGBTQ people, it's the opposite". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "Amazon has known since last year US drivers were urinating in bottles". The Irish Times. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  8. ^ Boran, Marie. "Evan Greer: defending net neutrality as a 'basic principle'". The Irish Times. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  9. ^ Conger, Kate (September 27, 2017). "Net Neutrality Activists Targeted in Phishing Campaign". Gizmodo. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Examples:
  11. ^ Ovide, Shira (February 26, 2021). "Can Tech Break Us Out of Our Bubbles?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Boston.com / News / Rebuilding Iraq". archive.boston.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Art as a Weapon". www.swarthmore.edu. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  14. ^ "Singer & Activist Evan Greer Talks Trans Visibility, Blending Genres & New Album 'She/Her/They/Them'". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  15. ^ Hu, Elise (September 10, 2014). "Your Favorite Sites Will 'Slow Down' Today, For A Cause". NPR.org. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "Battle For the Net: Mass Day of Action Aims to Stop Trump's FCC from Destroying Free & Open Internet". Democracy Now!. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Captain, Sean (July 11, 2017). "Meet The Woman Leading The Fight To Save Net Neutrality". Fast Company. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "Chelsea Manning's release is the inspiring proof: nothing is impossible | Evan Greer". The Guardian. May 18, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  19. ^ "Chelsea Manning fundraiser garners more than $83,000 in one week". NBC News. February 15, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  20. ^ Blistein, Jon (May 16, 2017). "Tom Morello, Thurston Moore Contribute to Chelsea Manning Benefit Comp". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  21. ^ "Chelsea Manning posts 1st photo revealing new look as a woman". ABC News. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  22. ^ "Opinion: We Stopped Facial Recognition From Invading Music Festivals. Now Let's Stop It Everywhere Else". BuzzFeed News. October 23, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  23. ^ "Musicians and Fans Unite to Keep Facial Recognition Tech Out of Concerts". Fortune. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  24. ^ Hussey, Allison (February 23, 2021). "Evan Greer Announces New Album Spotify Is Surveillance, Shares New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  25. ^ Wille, Matt (April 8, 2021). "This musician and activist wants to stop Spotify spying on its users". Input. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  26. ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (April 9, 2021). "This musician is calling on Spotify to ditch any plans to track listeners' emotions". Fast Company. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  27. ^ "A transgender activist confronted Rep. Nancy Mace over anti-trans rhetoric". NBC News. November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  28. ^ "Fight Director Evan Greer confronts anti-trans bigot Rep Mace". Fight for the Future. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  29. ^ Hussey, Allison (February 23, 2021). "Evan Greer Announces New Album Spotify Is Surveillance, Shares New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  30. ^ Riedel, Samantha (April 15, 2019). "This Musician's Queer Liberation Ballads Are Medicine for LGBTQ+ Activists". them. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  31. ^ "In 2016, musicians assembled tribute album to Anne Feeney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  32. ^ Risen, Clay (February 8, 2021). "Anne Feeney, Fierce and Tireless Protest Singer, Dies at 69". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  33. ^ Estrada, Louie. "Anne Feeney, songwriter and political activist, dies at 69". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  34. ^ "Singer & Activist Evan Greer Talks Trans Visibility, Blending Genres & New Album 'She/Her/They/Them'". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  35. ^ Koebler, Jason (April 5, 2019). "One of America's Most Prominent Net Neutrality Activists Just Released a Folk Punk Album". Vice. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  36. ^ "Digital rights groups want Spotify to rule out voice recognition system". SC Media. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  37. ^ "Listen: Evan Greer's Pop-Punk Anthem Is 'An Open Letter To Transphobes'". www.wbur.org. March 23, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  38. ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (April 9, 2021). "This musician is calling on Spotify to ditch any plans to track listeners' emotions". Fast Company. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  39. ^ Dunn, Thom (April 8, 2021). "Evan Greer's "Surveillance Capitalism" is the internet's new official protest song". Boing Boing. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  40. ^ Mortensa, Mala (March 29, 2021). "10 women in pop-punk who have left an unforgettable impact on the genre". Alternative Press. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  41. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (March 31, 2021). "Evan Greer Celebrates Trans History With 'The Tyranny of Either/Or'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  42. ^ "Evan Greer: Spotify Is Surveillance". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
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